water fed pole backpacks

[Part Timer]

but when some of us become employers minimum wage is good thing ?? for our buisness .

But this ends up as a race to the bottom. We now have window cleaning companies running around the UK competing against smaller sole traders using subsidised workforce, Government tops up their wages. When you're competing against someone that quotes on a big 4 hour, non stop job, and they price it at £87 because it's only costing them circa £20 an hour for labour, van etc it's a very rapid race to the bottom. Those of you that think we do residential so it won't affect you then, in my opinion, you have a surprise coming along. Once the commercial jobs are taken up the only area for these companies to expand into will be residential housing and with more and more people not using cash it is ripe for them to do so now.

 

[Davy G]

Is there really much benefit to employing... the costs seem astronomical for the amount of stress. Paroll, NI, training, equipment, uniforms, pension, employers liability, holiday pay, the compassionate leave, the sickies, the wondering “is so and so gonna show up today, if so on time or are they gonna do a good job?” Then youve always got it in the back of your mind are they fiddling or looking to move on themselves. Even though you people may get to come off the tools yourself by having staff you must simply spend all eternity farting around trying to keep them happy, occupied, the paperwork and schedules x y’s and z’s. Like, how do small/medium size businesses make a profit and stand the stress of it all? It really wonders me how people make it work there must be some very clued up strong willed people out there running these shows because from the outside it looks like one easy way to burn big gigantic hole in ones pocket. And thats why i dont think we’ll ever employ.

what happens when youve got 2 guys phone in sick or something and sent 40 reminder texts out between the pair of them, do you then text 40 customers and postpone the rounds or does muggins running the show have to get back on the tools and somehow try and pick up the slack?!

I was wondering the same thing. 

 

[Pjj]

But this ends up as a race to the bottom. We now have window cleaning companies running around the UK competing against smaller sole traders using subsidised workforce, Government tops up their wages. When you're competing against someone that quotes on a big 4 hour, non stop job, and they price it at £87 because it's only costing them circa £20 an hour for labour, van etc it's a very rapid race to the bottom. Those of you that think we do residential so it won't affect you then, in my opinion, you have a surprise coming along. Once the commercial jobs are taken up the only area for these companies to expand into will be residential housing and with more and more people not using cash it is ripe for them to do so now.

I agree with you totaly , but as an employer if you pay minimum wage to staff and charge maximum price to the customer it’s a win win for the employer that’s what buisness is all about making maximum profit , Ime not saying it’s morally right but that’s how buisness works you have to make a profit or you go bust .

I was wondering the same thing. 

There are times when it’s a major headache we don’t txt any customers so that’s not a problem , but di have commercial work that has to be done on specific days . The key to this is at interview stage when taking ones on ask the right questions about there sickness time from previous work , we don’t have any issues with the ones working for me they are all good hard working guys that very rarely go sick and if they do it’s genuine 

 

[Part Timer]

If you paid £12 an hour you'd still make a profit, just a smaller one. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people that take the risks to make a very good living. What I do dislike is why the taxpayers have to subsidise it. If the likes of Sainsbury, Asda, etc paid their employees a minimum of £10 an hour and shift allowances for working weekends and late hours it would literally cost the average shopper circa 50p a week and save the country 100's of millions. 

 

[THL4KEL]

Maybe the future will be international facilities maintenance companies muscling into resedential window cleaning, the likes of Compass & ISS.. Offering for a monthly payment a range of services with window cleaning being one of the services.

 

[Pjj]

Maybe the future will be international facilities maintenance companies muscling into resedential window cleaning, the likes of Compass & ISS.. Offering for a monthly payment a range of services with window cleaning being one of the services.

For the smaller amounts of money and the effort required to get that money in i doubt they would be interested in doing domestic work it would cost them more in administration than the job would pay , all these big companies want is large firms that they can bill for hundreds of thousands per year rather than joe bloggs house in wetherby fir £10 ?? 

 

[Iron Giant]

Jeez. Feeling a bit hungover and ropey this morning, but coming on here has cheered me up no end ?

On a lighter note @steve garwood was this you some years ago on a trip up north when you had more hair ?

 

[steve garwood]

On a lighter note @steve garwood was this you some years ago on a trip up north when you had more hair ?

View attachment 17181

?. 

Not even close. Picture a

George Clooney but with gorgeous ginger hair ?

Funnily enough I found an old thread the other day where you put a picture of yourself on it. I’ll try to find it.

 

[steve garwood]

Ahh, here it is

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I do a customer who runs a commercial cleaning business. I ask why he doesn't do domestic cleaning and he told me too much hassle. Any company who pays minimum wage, disrespects their employees. These employees are not really interested in the job and want to move on to better pay. When big companies chase every bit of the pie then they spread themselves too thin and end up like Carillion. Domestic customers want a local person who they trust and know that's what they tell me and they will even pay more to get it.

 

[Iron Giant]

Ahh, here it is

View attachment 17182

Far to tall for me I'm afraid, this is me with a pint 

 

[Baldmonkey]

Am i missing something about starting with a backpack? surely to use a back pack you need virtually everything for a small tank setup in the car/van your using to transport your water around with you to decant into the back pack?

I know that some people will start very very local to them and return home/somewhere to refill, thats fine, but if your actually transporting water around in a vehicle to refill a back pack, would it not virtually be the same as a secondhand small tank, pump and controller.

youd be able to work quicker and build the round and turnover much much quicker.

i know before anyone says its a cost issue and if thats the case then fair play to anyone whos skint and willing spend what they have to graft for a living instead of sitting on their backside.

the guys on here are great and im sure if someone wanted to start and had a small budget that all these lads will have a mountain of spares (if they are like me who says "ill keep that it may come in one day") and would probably be happy to sell them a secondhand pump or controller etc.

But alas like everything said on here its just my opinion and one mans view

either way good luck to you pal ??