My plan on my business

[Belfastcleaning]

I'm just sick of changing the run because of getting behind, if I employ and put the work into 3 days, I'll have 2 days to either catch up or do gutters/PVC, or canvass and employ again

 

[harunh]

Hurunh, we work 4 weekly, so we don't have spare days at the end of the month we have to kick about. I just tell my new customers, we work 4 weekly, but may be a couple of days late from time to time, depending on how the weather has been through the month.

Laddergadder so you got work all 5 days booked up each week ?

 

[laddergarder]

As long as we don't get too much bad weather, it takes three of us 4 weeks to get through the work, working 5 days, but last month there it took us a couple more days to complete it.

 

[Richard]

what do you mean richard by putting your price up each week/month? would that be on existing customers or all new work?

Yes to both, a window cleaning round is a work in progress. Your labor and pricing are just as important as getting the window cleaned or gaining a new customer.

Richard

 

[Belfastcleaning]

All recent new work have been and future new work will be getting priced higher. All work Iv had from the start needs bumped up which I'll be doing on their next visits. Would you not get complaints or loose any customers due to bumping prices up each week/month? Also what increments do you work with each time?

 

[laddergarder]

Do you mean you put prices up once a year from when the customer started using your service, so for instance, if you picked up 30 in jan, you put that 30's prices up every january. Or are you actually, puting there price up by 5p every month or something like that.

 

[Paul]

I think he means it doesn't matter what time if the year if he wants to put them up he does. I think ???

 

[Richard]

I look at round and price as something that is constantly changing.

The inflation adjustment is often mentioned, not strictly a price increase, but if you don’t do it, it’s a reduction.

‘A real price increase’ can be done yearly and separate from inflation or at the same time. Customers can have there increase in price done on the calendar month you put them on your round, so if you gained new customers every month January through to December, a year later you could be putting the prices up each month for a few customers at a time during the year

As you build or increase the size of your round, any new customers should really be price above the averaging price, so if you gain new customers every month, look at each new customer as an opportunity to increase your round worth. Otherwise you’re only building your round in one direction – you’re just adding more and more customers.

There are numerous things you can do to the round, every week and month. The thing to remember is this has little to do with the individual customer price and every thing to do with your business as a whole.

Richard

 

[windyman]

It's good to have a plan Big H, but you'll come to realise that with windows, you may never achieve exactly what you want, you have to be flexible. One example is the 5 days a week, I agree that you'll very very rarely get 5 days where you can do windows (unless you work in ANY weather). I have around 3 or 4 days and hope to get it done over the week. It really takes the pressure off, rather than being so behind all the time.

If you say 'Ok I'll just do 4 days then'...this is an example of being flexible...but look what it does to your business plan, you're already down a few hundred pound per month...that's what I mean by things won't always go to plan.

Also, a flaw in your plan- you say you'll be profitable when you hit 100 customers- How do you figure that out??

Surely if you kept going long enough you'd make profit even with just 50 customers...eventually. Or do you need 100 customers just to cover you're monthly outgoings??? If so, you have too many outgoings! lol

I would strongly advise against the idea you mentioned of 'getting 100 customers no matter what the cost'- that really isn't good business sense. Keep working hard & you'll get to 100. You've already spent a small fortune...you shouldn't need to spend any more.

All the best tho, good to hear you're now out on the windows...time to focus on the cleaning & getting some of that cash back.

 

[harunh]

i will only be doing 4 days windyman. Mon-Thurs. And friday and saturday for backup if i get late. And i mean at 100 customers i will be earning enough to quit my current job. I have high outgoings. When i get 100 customers thats when everything will look more promising /emoticons/smile.png i could earn £450-£550 a week with all 4 days booked. Thats 16 days a month booked up. And i just want to get up to 100 customers it doesnt matter if am giving free cleans away. Its cheaper then buying a round /emoticons/tongue.png but with 39 customers already am really pleased , i could have up to 80 customers in 4 weeks time!

 

[Posh]

With your 100 customers is that a 100 for the month or16 days as you put it. If it is that works out at 25 customers per week. At the prices your charging how does that get you £450-£550 a week. If your saying a 100 in the 4 days yes I agree but then you would need 400 custys for the month (16 days). Enlighten me big h.

 

[harunh]

my plan is to get 15-20 customers per day. Over 4 days a week so each week il have about 60-80 customers my average job price is £7.00 i want to get 16 days fully booked . So in a month i should have around 300 customers /emoticons/tongue.png

 

[Posh]

Gotcha. I read it that you wanted 100 custys & that was it.

 

[harunh]

lol, i just need a load of customers.

 

[Posh]

You will get them mate. Took me just over 2 years to get to 300 custys. It has now got to near on 400 but lately have now been getting rid of the ones that at the beggining you take coz you take anything you can get. It dont happen over ***ht but each week you have more then last week & that's how it goes & soon yer sitting there like I do thinking how do I fit them in & then you get the weather & get behind but would rather be like that then fretting what I'm doing next week.

 

[harunh]

Posh i think this is possible:

Have 5 days fully booked monday-friday every week so tahts 20 days a week right

Now your going to fall behind with the weather obviously right....

Now all u got to do is work all them 5 days.... but when its a bad day just miss it and carry on with that overdue job......

Work when ever u can....... you might be a few days late....

But your customers wont notice ?

Even if your 2 weeks late your customers wont hardly notice !

The benefit of this is that...... your always busy and money is always coming in day after day /emoticons/smile.png

 

[Belfastcleaning]

Mate you will be wrecked doing 20 days a week lol..

Some customers will notice, I have customers who wrote in their dairy when I'm due, and some who leave the money out, others ring if I'm not there on there when I'm due

 

[harunh]

i get u. Il do just 4 days.

 

[Posh]

Mate you will be wrecked doing 20 days a week lol..

Some customers will notice, I have customers who wrote in their dairy when I'm due, and some who leave the money out, others ring if I'm not there on there when I'm due

Yeah me to & big h it's not as easy as that. One day hopefully your see.