Winter concerns

Here are just getting into summer and I am already looking ahead concerned about winter. It hasn't stopped raining here yet, rains at leas 2-3 days out of every week since late March....I'm sick of it and I am worried that it might indicate a very wet winter is in our future.

I was researching new locations to relocate to all day....not a good sign for the year. Maybe Mobile Alabama or Sarasota Florida? Being able to clean year round sounds pretty good to me as does getting back to the ocean...hard to scuba in Nebraska.

I don't remember much of a drop off in business out in Laguna a million years ago, but maybe things have changed. Does business drop off much during the winter in warm climates?

It defiantly slows down here for a couple months, but I have nothing to compare it to.

Hawaii. The good thing is you focus on commercial so your slow downs aren't as sever if you were more residential. 

I have a friend that moved from California to St Petersberg and he loves it. The good thing is the season is longer and there a lot of retirees but very competitive

I never have any concerns about the amount of competition as most of them are hacks. If an area is saturated by cleaners, it just tells me that they are all the same in quality and just bickering over price. A cleaner that stands outside of that circle and focuses on the customer will always find plenty of work.

St. Pete is one of the areas I have been looking at...or maybe East of Tampa. I'm just burned out with this area, I think a re-start in any area might be due.

Yeah, it definitely slows down here from January through April, I would say we only make about 60 - 70% of the amount we make in the busy season which can run between May - December or June - December.
My advice if you want to start over, make sure you have enough $$ for cost of living at least for 2 years, our first year in LA we paid all of our bills but make no money beyond that, 2nd year we start to make some profits but that's due to a very aggressive advertisements.
My other advice is you should do your research about the area you're going, unemployment level, average household income, crime rates, foreclosures rate, etc, I'd be happy to share what I researched prior to making a decision to move to LA.
Living where you want and be happy with your life can certainly extend your life, not to mention can increase quality of life.

I am all for research....I don't do anything without studying it first.

Speaking of which Dp, I heard that LA approved some kind of local legislation for a $14 per hour minimum wage. Is that really true, they made a local wage standard?

If so, I would stop having employees.

You employees should be making more than $14 per hour now. Dont let that be a problem. Pay on commission and they can make $30 on hour or more! ( of cource you then are making $90 an hour off if their work)

milspec- I suspect we get close to the same types of winters with yours being slightly worse....what I would do is find something to do on the side....my secondary business became my primary and now fully supports everything I do...all because of some mellow winters....I like to stay very busy and not have idle time....my winters were fine financially and a good time to get equipment in order, clean up the shop and have time to take classes etc.....but it wasn't enough....that's how I handled my winters. A move could be devistating....I do know areas change to the extreme with regards to how people choose a cleaner and what i do here in Oklahoma would NEVER work in California.

Rob, I'm not sure about that, I know San Francisco passed $ 15 / hour law which will take effect next year I think ?
It doesn't matter to me because I pay my guys more than that amount, I have 1 part timer that works saturdays only that makes commission ( I used to pay commission ), moved to hourly because the business model changed, started charging square footage and charge higher.
Cost of living is really high in LA, San Francisco even higher, it's really hard for guys to survive even with $ 15 / hour, full time at that amount is $ 2400 / month before taxes, after taxes will be around $ 1800, rent alone for 2 br 1 bath apt is around $ 1200 in a decent neighborhood, left you with $ 600 for utilities, food, entertainment, good thing service industries have tips occasionally and that encourage them to give the best customer service to earn good tips.

All very good points. My guys get $20 per hour, but if the minimum was raised to $14, the present employees would demand a raise equal to the change. That could get expensive or you stand to lose those employees.

I've been in the "dual occupation" mode since 1987 and that is how I survive winters, but I think I am just feeling a little burned out on it and wish for just one occupation that I can focus on for a change.

I guess there are no easy answers nor perfect locations....might have to sharpen the blades on the snow blower and just accept it.

$ 20 / hr in Nebraska is VERY generous I think.
I believe for carpet cleaning technicians, $ 20 / hr in California is also pretty good money, the only thing is due to traffic, they would have to be VERY efficient in cleaning time, I've trained mine that we can't control traffic but we can control cleaning times by being efficient.
Are you thinking about relocating to CA ?

I consider $20 generous too, but I still get push back at that rate. You know, those sick calls so they can play golf on a nice day?

I would consider CA as I was stationed out there for a few years and enjoyed those days, but I would have to select a small town like Temecula or somewhere as my style wouldn't work in a large market.

Temecula has 8 that I can see online....LOL how many are directly a competitor where you are now?

I have 12 in a 2 mile radius of my location........and I'd guess hundred or 2 in the area I service.

I live in an area I can get work at the coffee shop daily! We have maybe 8 in 50 mile radius. the population is much different though then say Long Beach.

Mine are just Conserns, summer and winter.Were in a drought $$ and water in my area, shoot nobody wants squat done they dont even care if there grass dies. Thankfully my bros in LA need some grass encapulating and my friend in Pismo beach on the ocean just bought a guys carpet cleaning bus. and needs some help with the buttler because he has to much work. So hopefully things break loose.

Brian, get your A$$ on Yelp, get a dozen or so reviews, and your phone will start ringing off the hook, especially this time of year!!

If I needed work fast I would walk the streets and call on commercial establishments.

Devon07 wrote:Temecula has 8 that I can see online....LOL  how many are directly a competitor where you are now?

I only have 6 in a 30 mile radius and maybe 27 in a 60 mile radius. Well, cleaners anyway....only 2 are any good in that 30 mile radius.

Even saturated markets don't worry me unless they are all good cleaners. There can be a hundred in town, but you can bet less than 10% are good enough to fight off a new entry willing to out-hustle them.

milspec6 wrote:
Even saturated markets don't worry me unless they are all good cleaners.  There can be a hundred in town, but you can bet less than 10% are good enough to fight off a new entry willing to out-hustle them.

That's why I don't worry about it, and can usually get 2-3 times their price for the same job.  But luckily, there are customers out there willing to pay me for superior work.........sometimes they just need to be "sold" a lil bit, to know that.

Mo wrote:If I needed work fast I would walk the streets and call on commercial establishments.

I tried that when I was in central california, it does NOT work for me, I went to a bunch of real estate offices and gave them a really professional looking folder with nice contents of what we have to offer, made me think now how long does the folder last on their desks ?

Mo wrote:If I needed work fast I would walk the streets and call on commercial establishments.

I've found picking up the phone and calling past customers to be most effective. Even if you don't book therm right then when you call, you plant the seed in their mind that it's time to clean again, and a lot of times you hear back from them in a short amount of time, or you'll get the "Call me back in 2 weeks to remind me".

Not to mention, you're reminding them that YOU ARE their cleaner, so they don't stray and call the other guy.

dp1 wrote:

Mo wrote:If I needed work fast I would walk the streets and call on commercial establishments.

I tried that when I was in central california, it does NOT work for me, I went to a bunch of real estate offices and gave them a really professional looking folder with nice contents of what we have to offer, made me think now how long does the folder last on their desks ?

0 to 5 seconds, if it doesn't immediately go in the round file!.......but seriously, I found with those type of biz/people you just have to get lucky and happen to catch them when they're unhappy with their current cleaner........they get people coming into their office all day long soliciting them, so you're just one of many they don't usually want to see.
It happens, I've ended up with some nice accounts that way, but it's rare.

Davey Cracker wrote:

Mo wrote:If I needed work fast I would walk the streets and call on commercial establishments.

I've found picking up the phone and calling past customers to be most effective.  Even if you don't book therm right then when you call, you plant the seed in their mind that it's time to clean again, and a lot of times you hear back from them in a short amount of time, or you'll get the "Call me back in 2 weeks to remind me".

Not to mention, you're reminding them that YOU ARE their cleaner, so they don't stray and call the other guy.

Yeah that's a higher closing sales call cause its a warm lead and that would be my first option If needed to drum up some biz

Cold calling on commercial is definitely tougher and I got a hell of a lot of Nos.

DP the Motor Lodge that I have been cleaning for 8 years was a cold call to the former owner. When I dropped off my brochure to the former owner he looked like he wanted to kill me. He was really rude told me to get lost. The new owner found the brochure and called me. That one contact with that jackass has made me thousands of dollars.

I tell you what Rob after living in a small town for a while there is no way on hell I would move back to Phoenix or LA.