Fairplay to you I remember those days as well honestly they're good days! Only thing I will say is 200 a day these days with van maintenance etc isn't enough I think it really needs to be more like 300 You can probably still have quite a chilled lifestyle with that sort of turnover I know!
If I were in your shoes then I would be looking at optimisation. Only have one van on the road and examine all your customers. Weed out the ones that make life hard and concentrate on the cream. That's what I am doing now, chasing the cream. I will do the odd PVC clean or PW for my good customers and don't chase any work now. Have too many good customers that I want to keep happy with my service. More vans means more hassle and less dough coming in because of staff and maintenance. fwiw
Yes absolutely that's kind of what I've been doing now for the last 3 years, And the last 12 months (been at it 15 years) I mean the turnover for two people is really top-notch at the moment I realised how much I'm saving by not having that van out however this is the problem... Eventually after some time even though The earnings are great low overheads running at about 55% profit after VAT flat out everyday for two people eventually you realise that you can't get out of this predicament at all...
I realise the scenario that you are in. I would bite the bullet and sell or give someone some of the work. If you keep it small and compact not much can go wrong. Will be good to hear from you in 6 or 12 months to hear how it has turned out.
Each van has its own rounds and usually they stick to them but if one has a bit less work for some reason they will cover a couple of the other vans jobs if nearby.
I personally disagree with you on this, the definition of a good business is one that is doing well across the board in business we are all different which is why we are all self-employed we are in charge of our own day-to-day running and do just what we want,
Yes that's true as well funny enough my previous post kind of made me realise when I worked alone today it's funny I feel happier today than I do all week even though there was more money involved, It just proves it just as much as what you're saying as well It's true.!
Yes, I was talking to a business professor and he gave me a good lesson on business. When you go to work and you have priced the clean wrong then you can't put your heart and soul into the job but the opposite when its a good price job. You can then look forward to the next clean and the plan of action is taking place. You know exactly how much you will earn so the quicker one works the quicker the money builds up. You have stumbled on it today and realise that efficiency is the name of the game. If we can buy something that makes our job easier like hot water or light expensive pole then we reach the top end of efficiency and enjoy going to work. ?
you as a tax payer that's if you've stepped beyond the hobbyist phase and are paying any tax yet are paying their benefits only for them to hand you you're money back, seriously the you spout at times I have to bite once in a while
Honestly, the benefit system is great if you know how to fill the forms in. We must be more literata up here. ???
If you are going to employ having good staff is the key to success they aren’t easy to find . As for investing in property that’s also a very sensible thing prices will fluctuate but buying property is a long term investment not a short term profit .
Yes that was my initial business structure essentially a separate business being rental income outside of this one, The reason was I felt employing etc trusting staff and a time was a big challenge. However being now an experience landlord I've also realised that you can't exactly go to Brazil and act like you're this landlord meanwhile agents they only pass on information call you up and tell you you have a leak or you have a problem or you have a tenant not paying rent.. It's not really ever full management the way it's supposed to be so I ended up expanding the business further I mean the window cleaning!
I rent out a couple of properties which are fully managed they just email me to let me know what’s going on ,again this is very similar to employing a large part of renting without issue is having good tenants and well maintained properties and not allowing stuff to fall into disrepair, I don't go away for long periods but don’t feel this would be a problem if I did . I think with all the changes it’s easier to let a management company sort it all out as there are more and more hoops to jump through I still feel it’s the safest investment for retirement planning though . Looking to get another one once I have sold off a load of work . Years ago it was relatively easy to manage it yourself but now it’s far more involved for 8-10% charge I feel this is well worth the expense as don’t have to do a thing apart from choosing new tenants luckily the ones I have are long term and good as gold .
