Off the tools owners

[laddergarder]

OK so let's say 35k x3

105000 (gross) you pay 16.5%

17. 3k vat

12k expenses

60k salaries

Gross income before taxes would be £15,700

Not really worth the hassle of dealing with 3 employees, IMO.

If you just pay the normal rate vat it would be 1/6th of your gross or 20% of your net, which would be 17.5k but you can claim back vat on purchases, which you can't on the flat rate.

 

[Dave B]

You become a ltd company and pay yourself a wage.

You are a lot better off with 3 employees than being a 1 man band.

My mate started like that a few years ago in property management and now has a business valued at around £3m at the moment..he could have stayed a 1 man band doing maintenance etc.

The more employees the more money you earn.

Depends what you want from life.

I'm in the process of expanding now.

 

[Pjj]

I'd have to double my prices, or double my work rate to be off the tools. It doesn't make sense economically for me.

Self employed on your own, I can make 25-30k, 5k expenses, less taxes. Its not terrible.

Then try taking off vat, more time to manage staff, more customers etc infrastructure costs.

Bear in mind staff will never work as hard as a business owner or care as much.

Let's say your staff do 30k each, and your overheads are 4k per employee, minimum wage say 17k per year salary.

30k 

- 6k vat

-4k costs

-17k wages

That's 3k left, you still have to pay your taxes, replaced vans equipment etc.

Oh and you haven't paid yourself for all the training, marketing, organising vans, equipment, uniforms, answer phone calls emails, running wages, doing cash ups, bankings, dealing with pensions, garages, customer complaints, staffing issues etc.

I'd need to each guy to make 40k each before I could really scale things, and if he can do that with a van and readily available equipment, why would he work for me for minimum wage ?

Getting customers is not that hard, and its still probably one of the lowest cost business to start on your own.

Don’t want to be rude but if you are only doing 30k per year you arnt ready to employ by a long chalk , it won’t be viable , pension, holiday pay and all the other expenses add up . A sole trader once he gets to 50-65 k should be able to make a success of it and make a reasonable living with employing , Ime still on the tools as I choose to be and have 5 working for  me , is it worth the hassle ?? Only you can decide that , I am actively striving to downsize and semi retire was hoping to do that last year but due to everything going on it hasn’t happened and we are now looking at getting another 1-2 vans , but my aim is to go back to working on my own 3 days a week  for 3 weeks a month max apart from the commercial. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Don’t want to be rude but if you are only doing 30k per year you arnt ready to employ by a long chalk , it won’t be viable , pension, holiday pay and all the other expenses add up . A sole trader once he gets to 50-65 k should be able to make a success of it and make a reasonable living with employing , Ime still on the tools as I choose to be and have 5 working for  me , is it worth the hassle ?? Only you can decide that , I am actively striving to downsize and semi retire was hoping to do that last year but due to everything going on it hasn’t happened and we are now looking at getting another 1-2 vans , but my aim is to go back to working on my own 3 days a week  for 3 weeks a month max apart from the commercial. 

Aye, I'm picking up new customers everyday now for window cleaning. As you say, wouldn't want to employ until my house is paid off and making £50k a year from windows. I'm getting asked to paint outside of houses now which I have done before. It seems no one can get tradesmen to do anything in the next few weeks because they are fully booked. This also means you can quote a good price if they want it done quickly. 

 

[laddergarder]

Don’t want to be rude but if you are only doing 30k per year you arnt ready to employ by a long chalk , it won’t be viable , pension, holiday pay and all the other expenses add up . A sole trader once he gets to 50-65 k should be able to make a success of it and make a reasonable living with employing , Ime still on the tools as I choose to be and have 5 working for  me , is it worth the hassle ?? Only you can decide that , I am actively striving to downsize and semi retire was hoping to do that last year but due to everything going on it hasn’t happened and we are now looking at getting another 1-2 vans , but my aim is to go back to working on my own 3 days a week  for 3 weeks a month max apart from the commercial. 

Its not rude, I can complete understand where you are at, just making as much as you can and working a little less, and staying clear of employing is not a bad idea. Especially if you have been at it a while and don't want the hassle of employing.

Those figures were based on a single operator, obviously it will be different all over the country mind you, but would be about right for me if I was on my own working 4 days.

However I do employ, just one, but have done so for over a decade, so my figures are a bit different.

Employing 1 person, to work with you, or even separate can work on 30k each. I does for me. We only do 4 days to work around the weather.

But IMO not doing any window cleaning yourself and expecting to make 20k from only 2 or 3 staff won't work. VAT and time evolved in dealing with employees and large customer base, will make working away 3, 4 days a week by yourself with no staff seem like a dream situation.

 

[Dave B]

Its not rude, I can complete understand where you are at, just making as much as you can and working a little less, and staying clear of employing is not a bad idea. Especially if you have been at it a while and don't want the hassle of employing.

Those figures were based on a single operator, obviously it will be different all over the country mind you, but would be about right for me if I was on my own working 4 days.

However I do employ, just one, but have done so for over a decade, so my figures are a bit different.

Employing 1 person, to work with you, or even separate can work on 30k each. I does for me. We only do 4 days to work around the weather.

But IMO not doing any window cleaning yourself and expecting to make 20k from only 2 or 3 staff won't work. VAT and time evolved in dealing with employees and large customer base, will make working away 3, 4 days a week by yourself with no staff seem like a dream situation.

Some of us have no choice but to make it work.

Never had a pension and want to retire in 10 years when I'm 56.

I have to employ so I don't have to work or I'm gonna be working until I drop.

 

[laddergarder]

Some of us have no choice but to make it work.

Never had a pension and want to retire in 10 years when I'm 56.

I have to employ so I don't have to work or I'm gonna be working until I drop.

Honestly, good luck ? 

I have only recently started saving a bit away as a pension fund. Never considered it myself until all this auto enrollment stuff.

I mean it with absolute kindness, I would gladly be wrong. But how many are actually employing 3 people and are sitting back doing nothing but admin. Very few I would bet in the window cleaning business.

Draw up a business model. See if you can get the figures to stack up. Maybe they can for you. ✌

 

[P4dstar]

I'd have to double my prices, or double my work rate to be off the tools. It doesn't make sense economically for me.

Self employed on your own, I can make 25-30k, 5k expenses, less taxes. Its not terrible.

Then try taking off vat, more time to manage staff, more customers etc infrastructure costs.

Bear in mind staff will never work as hard as a business owner or care as much.

Let's say your staff do 30k each, and your overheads are 4k per employee, minimum wage say 17k per year salary.

30k 

- 6k vat

-4k costs

-17k wages

That's 3k left, you still have to pay your taxes, replaced vans equipment etc.

Oh and you haven't paid yourself for all the training, marketing, organising vans, equipment, uniforms, answer phone calls emails, running wages, doing cash ups, bankings, dealing with pensions, garages, customer complaints, staffing issues etc.

I'd need to each guy to make 40k each before I could really scale things, and if he can do that with a van and readily available equipment, why would he work for me for minimum wage ?

Getting customers is not that hard, and its still probably one of the lowest cost business to start on your own.

Respectfully I think you're well off here mate. For starters £17k isn't even minimum wage.

Lets assume that 2 employees turnover £250 on average per day over the 46 weeks of the year they work for you. That comes in at 115k turnover. Pay them both £20k, you won't have any employer NI contributions to pay so with pensions it'll come in at £42k. After VAT and wages you'll have 60k left for other expenses and wages. We aren't an industry with high overheads so there should be a comfortable £35k left in the pot for you there before you lift a finger or am I missing something?

 

[laddergarder]

Respectfully I think you're well off here mate. For starters £17k isn't even minimum wage.

Lets assume that 2 employees turnover £250 on average per day over the 46 weeks of the year they work for you. That comes in at 115k turnover. Pay them both £20k, you won't have any employer NI contributions to pay so with pensions it'll come in at £42k. After VAT and wages you'll have 60k left for other expenses and wages. We aren't an industry with high overheads so there should be a comfortable £35k left in the pot for you there before you lift a finger or am I missing something?

OK so I pay my staff for 34 hours. That's 4 days plus 2 hour for collecting(we are slowly moving over to DD we are about 1/4 signed up at the moment). In April the living wage will likely move to £9.41. 34 x 52 weeks, x £9.41 is £16636, not including employers pension contributions.

We do about £20 per hour, so like I said I would have to double my prices, or work rate. We don't do £250 a day. More like £160. Again earning will vary across the country, but thats about right in my area.

I never do projections on 46 weeks. I get what your doing, but your not accounting for downtime. In the west of Scotland, its more like 42 weeks.

Your also basing it on getting out 5 days every week, won't happen. There is a contract problem there, we pay downtime, but the upside is staff can't refuse to work. If you contract 5 days, they'll be out just about every weekend ?. Offer those dry Fridays as overtime, they'll refuse most of the time, and take the long weekend. Employee's don't think like business owners.

But if your right each guy brings you in 60k, why would he/she work for you for 20k. They would go it alone.

60k sales, less say 10k costs, 50k before taxes. Too tempting, if I was being paid 20k for my graft, while my boss makes another 20k off me doing all the easy stuff.

There is very little infrastructure there, nothing employees can't organise themself.

If I was your competitor, I'd do it on my own, and charge £200 a day, you would be under bid on jobs. Because I wouldn't have to pay anyone else's wages but my own or VAT on sales.

 

[Pjj]

OK so I pay my staff for 34 hours. That's 4 days plus 2 hour for collecting(we are slowly moving over to DD we are about 1/4 signed up at the moment). In April the living wage will likely move to £9.41. 34 x 52 weeks, x £9.41 is £16636, not including employers pension contributions.

We do about £20 per hour, so like I said I would have to double my prices, or work rate. We don't do £250 a day. More like £160. Again earning will vary across the country, but thats about right in my area.

I never do projections on 46 weeks. I get what your doing, but your not accounting for downtime. In the west of Scotland, its more like 42 weeks.

Your also basing it on getting out 5 days every week, won't happen. There is a contract problem there, we pay downtime, but the upside is staff can't refuse to work. If you contract 5 days, they'll be out just about every weekend ?. Offer those dry Fridays as overtime, they'll refuse most of the time, and take the long weekend. Employee's don't think like business owners.

But if your right each guy brings you in 60k, why would he/she work for you for 20k. They would go it alone.

60k sales, less say 10k costs, 50k before taxes. Too tempting, if I was being paid 20k for my graft, while my boss makes another 20k off me doing all the easy stuff.

There is very little infrastructure there, nothing employees can't organise themself.

If I was your competitor, I'd do it on my own, and charge £200 a day, you would be under bid on jobs. Because I wouldn't have to pay anyone else's wages but my own or VAT on sales.

Some are quite happy to be employed rather than work for themselves , one of my guys asked if I would give him a job he’s a brilliant employee very conscientious works hard does a good job but useless working for himself he does well over 60 k of work a year and gets paid  around 24k and is quite happy with that . I think you have hit the nail on the head with needing to double your prices and also trad is a lot slower than wfp so that will also have a big effect on earning potential our hourly rate is around 3x yours on most domestic  and 5x on commercial, I don’t know your area but surely you need to increase prices Ime not being critical just trying to offer some advice to improve your earnings I have had a major price increase with all our work over the last 5 years snd it has definitely paid off with minimal losses some work we have doubled the price on  and customers were more than happy to pay it saying we had been expecting this so sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to pricing . Try putting up a few and see what happens ????

 

[laddergarder]

Some are quite happy to be employed rather than work for themselves , one of my guys asked if I would give him a job he’s a brilliant employee very conscientious works hard does a good job but useless working for himself he does well over 60 k of work a year and gets paid  around 24k and is quite happy with that . I think you have hit the nail on the head with needing to double your prices and also trad is a lot slower than wfp so that will also have a big effect on earning potential our hourly rate is around 3x yours on most domestic  and 5x on commercial, I don’t know your area but surely you need to increase prices Ime not being critical just trying to offer some advice to improve your earnings I have had a major price increase with all our work over the last 5 years snd it has definitely paid off with minimal losses some work we have doubled the price on  and customers were more than happy to pay it saying we had been expecting this so sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to pricing . Try putting up a few and see what happens ????

I get what your saying. But wfp just doesn't work for me, and locally I have competitors charging £8 for houses with 11 windows. The locally economics has to come in to it.

We push our prices as much as we can, but I also at this stage in my business, don't want to be trying to do 20-30 houses a day, WFP or traditionally. Quite happy plodding along, and I am happy with what I earn for the hours I do. I drop the kids off at school, and usually I am home before 5. over the winter months I will stop at 4pm when the late nights ? come in.

Why are you not just sitting in the office now, or anyone else who sees 'getting off the tools' as realistic for window cleaning ? 

How many vans can you park outside your house  to fill and charge wfp, would you need to take into account a garage or lockup if things expanded also.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I get what your saying. But wfp just doesn't work for me, and locally I have competitors charging £8 for houses with 11 windows. The locally economics has to come in to it.

We push our prices as much as we can, but I also at this stage in my business, don't want to be trying to do 20-30 houses a day, WFP or traditionally. Quite happy plodding along, and I am happy with what I earn for the hours I do. I drop the kids off at school, and usually I am home before 5. over the winter months I will stop at 4pm when the late nights ? come in.

Why are you not just sitting in the office now, or anyone else who sees 'getting off the tools' as realistic for window cleaning ? 

How many vans can you park outside your house  to fill and charge wfp, would you need to take into account a garage or lockup if things expanded also.

I don't know if price has much to do with it now. Inverclyde the house price rise is the most in Scotland I read last month. Folk are now conditioned to look after their house because its the only thing in their life that increases in value. I had a retired teacher and wife retired so you would expect the perfect customer. Their house is paid off but they got rid of all the service people because they gamble. Penny wise but pound foolish and their hands are like sieves and can't hold on to money. You begin to see a pattern emerging. I was working in a £3 million house in very rich area. The caretaker began to ask for reduction in price if paid cash because the owner had told him. We are only taking hundreds of pounds not thousands. I said if you can't afford the upkeep then you better tell her to sell it because I don't want to get involved. Then it donned on me the reason the electrics were hanging off the wall, the electrician had walked off the job. I won't be back and they will continue to call unsuspecting tradespeople all the time to finish work. I just charge realistic prices now, if I get the job fair enough. I am also streamlining where I work so it suits me. ?

 

[Pjj]

I get what your saying. But wfp just doesn't work for me, and locally I have competitors charging £8 for houses with 11 windows. The locally economics has to come in to it.

We push our prices as much as we can, but I also at this stage in my business, don't want to be trying to do 20-30 houses a day, WFP or traditionally. Quite happy plodding along, and I am happy with what I earn for the hours I do. I drop the kids off at school, and usually I am home before 5. over the winter months I will stop at 4pm when the late nights ? come in.

Why are you not just sitting in the office now, or anyone else who sees 'getting off the tools' as realistic for window cleaning ? 

How many vans can you park outside your house  to fill and charge wfp, would you need to take into account a garage or lockup if things expanded also.

I don’t  want to be office based I hate it with a passion ????we arnt the cheapest or the dearest I have ones charging £6:50 for stuff we charge £12 for  but we have hundreds of them and they are very compact only move the van 2-3 times a day and do between 5-7 per hour per man so very profitable , I understand not all want to do this type of work , I just look at it I want to make the maximum money in the shortest possible time for the least effort and this work is only hundreds of yards from my base . I can get 4 vans on my drive to fill up , then the lads take them home  with them and go straight to work the next morning from there homes so for us it’s not a problem . There is also plenty of parking on the road if vans need to stay at mine . We tend to work 8:30-4:30 most days some of the guys choose to start earlier and finish earlier and sometimes they choose to start early and work late depending what work is due , there wages are altered as needed , this system works well for us I accept it wouldn’t work for all but provided the work is all done I don’t mind how they choose to do it . Again wfp is so much easier and quicker , not sure why it wouldn’t work for you  but since going down this route my business has really taken off big time , there is no trad only guys ware I am all have wfp even if they do trad some stuff . There is no right or wrong with how ones choose to work I just feel you could do the same hours that you are doing now and earn considerably more or work less days with the same money , again this isn't being critical just an observation from my own experiences . 

 

[P4dstar]

OK so I pay my staff for 34 hours. That's 4 days plus 2 hour for collecting(we are slowly moving over to DD we are about 1/4 signed up at the moment). In April the living wage will likely move to £9.41. 34 x 52 weeks, x £9.41 is £16636, not including employers pension contributions.

We do about £20 per hour, so like I said I would have to double my prices, or work rate. We don't do £250 a day. More like £160. Again earning will vary across the country, but thats about right in my area.

I never do projections on 46 weeks. I get what your doing, but your not accounting for downtime. In the west of Scotland, its more like 42 weeks.

Your also basing it on getting out 5 days every week, won't happen. There is a contract problem there, we pay downtime, but the upside is staff can't refuse to work. If you contract 5 days, they'll be out just about every weekend ?. Offer those dry Fridays as overtime, they'll refuse most of the time, and take the long weekend. Employee's don't think like business owners.

But if your right each guy brings you in 60k, why would he/she work for you for 20k. They would go it alone.

60k sales, less say 10k costs, 50k before taxes. Too tempting, if I was being paid 20k for my graft, while my boss makes another 20k off me doing all the easy stuff.

There is very little infrastructure there, nothing employees can't organise themself.

If I was your competitor, I'd do it on my own, and charge £200 a day, you would be under bid on jobs. Because I wouldn't have to pay anyone else's wages but my own or VAT on sales.

On a lot of this we're gonna need to agree to disagree. I'm not the type of forum member who comes on and dictates to people how to run their business so you do you. I take my hat off to you for the risk you take, paying downtime while only taking £20 per hour is a bold move.

I will however answer a couple of points.... The reason the chap who works for me is happy to be employed is because I've spent the last 4 years building this business. I worked 6 and 7 days most weeks. I reinvested everything into the business and lived on my savings pretty much that entire time. I have top of the range equipment and *Touch wood* reliable vehicles. I have a professional reputation built through hard work. There are plenty of plumbers, sparks, bricklayers, plasterers etc who work for companies despite being able to make more working for themselves. They do it because they don't want the hassle or they haven't got the drive or ability to build something themselves. If someone comes in and thinks they can replicate what I've done overnight then best of luck to them but they wouldn't trouble me.

With regard to the competition coming in and undercutting, we're not the cheapest but I pride myself on being one of the best. I close plenty of quotes where I'm not the cheapest. There's plenty of work out there for everyone. It may seem to customers that we're competing for work but realistically if we don't get one job just move on to the next one.

 

[Part Timer]

I get what your saying. But wfp just doesn't work for me, and locally I have competitors charging £8 for houses with 11 windows. The locally economics has to come in to it.

We push our prices as much as we can, but I also at this stage in my business, don't want to be trying to do 20-30 houses a day, WFP or traditionally. Quite happy plodding along, and I am happy with what I earn for the hours I do. I drop the kids off at school, and usually I am home before 5. over the winter months I will stop at 4pm when the late nights ? come in.

Why are you not just sitting in the office now, or anyone else who sees 'getting off the tools' as realistic for window cleaning ? 

How many vans can you park outside your house  to fill and charge wfp, would you need to take into account a garage or lockup if things expanded also.

Your area is your area, I think  yours is saturated like mine. It's very easy for people that get 10 enquiries a week to say if your existing customers don't accept substantial rises just get some others to replace them. 

The hardest part of our job is finding and keeping jobs, unless you live in an area  with lots of new builds.

 

[Iron Giant]

We do about £20 per hour, so like I said I would have to double my prices, or work rate. We don't do £250 a day. More like £160. Again earning will vary across the country, but thats about right in my area.

With respect, what I don't understand about this is you said in the past you charge £1 a window yet you are only doing £20 an hour, if a house has an average of 10 windows along with the doors in that 10 that's £10 a house x 20 is £200 surely that's very achievable. 

 

[laddergarder]

I don’t  want to be office based I hate it with a passion ????we arnt the cheapest or the dearest I have ones charging £6:50 for stuff we charge £12 for  but we have hundreds of them and they are very compact only move the van 2-3 times a day and do between 5-7 per hour per man so very profitable , I understand not all want to do this type of work , I just look at it I want to make the maximum money in the shortest possible time for the least effort and this work is only hundreds of yards from my base . I can get 4 vans on my drive to fill up , then the lads take them home  with them and go straight to work the next morning from there homes so for us it’s not a problem . There is also plenty of parking on the road if vans need to stay at mine . We tend to work 8:30-4:30 most days some of the guys choose to start earlier and finish earlier and sometimes they choose to start early and work late depending what work is due , there wages are altered as needed , this system works well for us I accept it wouldn’t work for all but provided the work is all done I don’t mind how they choose to do it . Again wfp is so much easier and quicker , not sure why it wouldn’t work for you  but since going down this route my business has really taken off big time , there is no trad only guys ware I am all have wfp even if they do trad some stuff . There is no right or wrong with how ones choose to work I just feel you could do the same hours that you are doing now and earn considerably more or work less days with the same money , again this isn't being critical just an observation from my own experiences . 

I share your feeling about office work. For me we do 2-3 an hour 4 if its flats. Including moving vans dealing with customers etc. 10 mins for a house ? seems supersonic to me, especially to maintain that all day.

As for wfp, as you may know I have tried with it, but parking is major problem in my town, and at my home address, and I found using the pole allot gave me back problems.

Honestly there is very few WFP guys in my town, its generally all trad.

I appreciate were your coming from. If someone wants to take the time to tell me how to make more cash, I am always happy to listen. ✌

 

[laddergarder]

On a lot of this we're gonna need to agree to disagree. I'm not the type of forum member who comes on and dictates to people how to run their business so you do you. I take my hat off to you for the risk you take, paying downtime while only taking £20 per hour is a bold move.

I will however answer a couple of points.... The reason the chap who works for me is happy to be employed is because I've spent the last 4 years building this business. I worked 6 and 7 days most weeks. I reinvested everything into the business and lived on my savings pretty much that entire time. I have top of the range equipment and *Touch wood* reliable vehicles. I have a professional reputation built through hard work. There are plenty of plumbers, sparks, bricklayers, plasterers etc who work for companies despite being able to make more working for themselves. They do it because they don't want the hassle or they haven't got the drive or ability to build something themselves. If someone comes in and thinks they can replicate what I've done overnight then best of luck to them but they wouldn't trouble me.

With regard to the competition coming in and undercutting, we're not the cheapest but I pride myself on being one of the best. I close plenty of quotes where I'm not the cheapest. There's plenty of work out there for everyone. It may seem to customers that we're competing for work but realistically if we don't get one job just move on to the next one.

I am not trying to offend you, if you can make it work and keep your staff, without them seeing ????. Then good on you, your doing better than I could. 

There is I guy local to me who does a lot of commercial and has a separate residential business, and has had to deal with his staff doing the same over the years. Honestly he has done brilliantly, but is still on the tools. He was talking about selling up and retiring the last time I spoke to him.

 

[laddergarder]

Your area is your area, I think  yours is saturated like mine. It's very easy for people that get 10 enquiries a week to say if your existing customers don't accept substantial rises just get some others to replace them. 

The hardest part of our job is finding and keeping jobs, unless you live in an area  with lots of new builds.

Yeah I'd say we are fairly saturated with window cleaners. Still people struggle to find one ?. Most are just not online.

I am slowly coming round to that. We have started requoting old ones that are low, and my average price is around £10. However its probably closer to £15 on new accounts.

For me I am just happy to work 4 days and make as much as I can. I really have no appetite for increasing my work rate or hours to make more money ?.

I am more on the path of making my work rate fixed, and tweaking my business model so I can work less hours if possible. Enjoy my free time more.

 

[laddergarder]

With respect, what I don't understand about this is you said in the past you charge £1 a window yet you are only doing £20 an hour, if a house has an average of 10 windows along with the doors in that 10 that's £10 a house x 20 is £200 surely that's very achievable. 

I am honestly very straight up about figures on here. No point lying, I have been at it too long for ego.

The last I checked our average PPW was £1.08. It will be more because we have just raised prices. But thats all current customers, some of which I have been doing for nearly 15 years. For new accounts we charge more like £1.50 PW. I try to keep my targets at 20 windows per hour max  as for work rate. Usually 2 decent sized houses an hour.

I am not saying I never make more, that is just what I target, and is a fairly reflective estimate of our average hourly rate.

I never do 20 houses myself unless its flats. Any where from 12-15 properties a day is about average for me. Bear in mind I drop the kids off, so don't start until 9.30 some days, take an hour for lunch, and I finnish anywhere between 4 - 5pm.

If I didn't have the kids to sort, got out at 8am, and maybe worked on until 5.30, sure I could do £200 yeah. But I am happy ?, with my hours as is though.

Its physical job so, a shorter day is preferred and can help with fatigue, I wouldn't target more. Improving sales has to come from better pricing IMO. Its really the only thing you can truly control.

 

[Iron Giant]

I am honestly very straight up about figures on here. No point lying, I have been at it too long for ego.

The last I checked our average PPW was £1.08. It will be more because we have just raised prices. But thats all current customers, some of which I have been doing for nearly 15 years. For new accounts we charge more like £1.50 PW. I try to keep my targets at 20 windows per hour max  as for work rate. Usually 2 decent sized houses an hour.

I am not saying I never make more, that is just what I target, and is a fairly reflective estimate of our average hourly rate.

I never do 20 houses myself unless its flats. Any where from 12-15 properties a day is about average for me. Bear in mind I drop the kids off, so don't start until 9.30 some days, take an hour for lunch, and I finnish anywhere between 4 - 5pm.

If I didn't have the kids to sort, got out at 8am, and maybe worked on until 5.30, sure I could do £200 yeah. But I am happy ?, with my hours as is though.

Its physical job so, a shorter day is preferred and can help with fatigue, I wouldn't target more. Improving sales has to come from better pricing IMO. Its really the only thing you can truly control.

Yes, I know you are very upfront and extremely well switched on with the finances of your business, I was just surprised at your daily turnover