Are we doing too much...?

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

When you start out in this game it is easy to take on any and every odd job that comes our way but at what point is enough too much.

Over the past years we started window cleaning then added:

Gutter cleaning,

Conservatory Cleaning,

Power washing,

Domestic Cleaning (Wifes Department)

Builders Cleans,

End of tenancy cleans

Roof Cleaning

Industrial Kitchen Cleaning

Graffiti removal

Steam Cleaning.

Where does it end? At what point are we trying to do too much?

Well I have decided this winter to have a bit of a culling of services and getting 'back to the basics' as those over paid ******* called politicians say.

So planning to stick to just the following:

Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Conservatory Cleaning, Power Washing and the Wifes Domestic Cleaning.

I think I would rather focus on just doing those well and totally sewing up the market in the one area than going for far too much and leaving oneself thin on the ground.

Just my opinion.

 

[Jake]

Do you feel overrun though green? If it's all manageable I suppose you could keep it all, then turn away the **** work...

But I know what you mean, sometimes you can lose your core business model...

 

[TolishAPurd]

Been there Green. It just makes for a complicated diary, and its no fun loading and unloading the van each day, or carrying unnesacary tools. Not making any grand announcements but the handyman business has been slowly getting slidelined this past month or two. I have a few big jobs in the background and then I'm thinking of knocking on the head. I earn the same money waving at windows, and yet I don't need to buy materials, I rarely have to look at a job to price it up, and there is very little risk of ****ing up a job and getting sued. Never thought I would take to this job as much as I have done, it was just supposed to be a way of keeping in touch with my handyman customers.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

No not really feeling over run, not since 2012 when granny in the Rover got me good crossing the high road! /emoticons/tongue.png

Just wondering what it is about windys that seem to make them unable to say no to all odd jobs.

Thinking I just want to make it simpler, get proper busy for next summer on the core activities.

 

[Dave B]

Been there Green. It just makes for a complicated diary, and its no fun loading and unloading the van each day, or carrying unnesacary tools. Not making any grand announcements but the handyman business has been slowly getting slidelined this past month or two. I have a few big jobs in the background and then I'm thinking of knocking on the head. I earn the same money waving at windows, and yet I don't need to buy materials, I rarely have to look at a job to price it up, and there is very little risk of ****ing up a job and getting sued. Never thought I would take to this job as much as I have done, it was just supposed to be a way of keeping in touch with my handyman customers.

Same here. .i started the handyman stuff but soon stopped again

To much aggro

 

[MrBump]

I'm in a similar boat. I started up offering lots of services, from windows to carpentry, which I did some work for and have some jobs lined up including building builted fitted wardrobes etc. However I have in the past few weeks decided to concentrate on windows (and gutters) as having regular work should be less stressful once a round is built up and trying to fit in a job that takes 3-5 days just gets in the way now. Much easier to concentrate on one area at a time, maybe in a year or two when the rounds sorted I may start offering it again and hire someone in to do half of my round. But for the foreseeable future I'm going to streamline.

All of the things you've listed are cleaning related, mostly external cleaning, so alot of the services offered you can use the same equipment for (aside from pressure washing), such as windows/fsg/connies etc so I guess it all kind of lends itself to to it. From what I read builders could be worth steering clear from.

What sort of things do you steam clean Green?

 

[boarcity]

if i was you Green id not drop the extra services now uv got a toehold, dont step back ,build on it better to take on a worker at least for the industrial cleaning. oh you might think oh no iv not got a full weeks work YET but thatd be a target getting a full week then more

your involvement would be to price up jobs surely you can spare time to do that ,then deliver the worker and let him do it then pick him up.

 

[steve garwood]

I Concentrate on window cleaning and have my worker Danny do any other stuff. Simples

 

[Dave B]

I think we all offer services we wish we didn't

I personally could do without gutter clearouts but like the gutter and fascia cleans

Now I'm getting busier i am tempted to start refusing them and maybe even fascias etc as the pure window work is bringing in the ££s

 

[armagh27]

It's very easy to take on other work that you know you can do also, but like you say when does it stop I found my self fixing TV aerials sky dishes the lot but now I just say it's windows and gutters only

 

[Dave B]

Now i am wfp as well as trad i am happy to do any job i can from the ground with my pole..other than that i cannae be bothered

 

[MrBump]

What about interior window cleans daveyboy? I hate them as they take me forever, I can't wait to be busy enough to turn them down lol

 

[Jake]

Inside cleanin shouldn't take you that long bump, you just charge more...

 

[steve garwood]

I'm with Mr. Bump on this. If boots are muddy, problem. Ornaments, problem. Curtains, problem. Blinds, problem. Water dripping, problem. I turn them away personally

 

[MrBump]

Yeah I charge double of insides (except 2 lately I've done for same as outside). Think I'm just too ocd lol. I need to remember some specs on frames or here and there just don't matter

 

[TolishAPurd]

Careful turning them down too, or else they may just find someone who does do them.

 

[Dave B]

As long as the sills are cleared and blinds /nets sorted first i am happy to do insides

 

[Dave B]

If it's a tenner for outside it would be £10 for inside so £20 for the lot

Easy money

 

[MrBump]

Tolish that's the only reason i hate turning down anything. Easiest way to safeguard your work is to not let another similar tradesman set foot on their property ;-)

 

[Taxlossloz]

As long as the sills are cleared and blinds /nets sorted first i am happy to do insides

Yep I like doing insides on a decent sized house

Keep a pack of overshoes in van ( plastic slip over your boots) and don't use applicator just a damp sill cloth then squeege

 

[Dave B]

I got 1 like that a couple months ago

Had a wfp guy who didn't do insides

Now i do in and out each month and her parents and sisters outside each month

And their insides when needed

All because their guy wouldn't do insides i took all 3 houses from him

It pays to do it