[james peters]

It sounds like he’s seeing pound signs without really knowing the work you’ve put in mate (in my opinion).... i’d Let him go and work it out himself but wouldn’t help him in anyway, maybe sell some work to someone else... I totally appreciate that people want to go on their own, who wouldn’t with half a brain but don’t bite the hand that feeds you and don’t p on your own doorstep...

Hope you work it out mate, i’d certainly only think about yourself... have a good holiday 👍🏿

I agree with this , they have no idea how hard it is to find customers that will pay a good price and pronto.
cleaning windows is the easy part.
NEVER help anyone on your doorstep. you worked hard for it!

[Marc Stock]

Adam

I would look at getting someone else on board pronto. I was chatting to odbods about this sort of thing  and he said they had to get through a few lads before finding the right ones. In fact if i remember rightly one lad stopped all together to dosomething else and was back with them in 12 months.

Yeh it's a shame as I thought he was a good un. He's been great to be fair. I don't think he's a bad lad or that he would screw me over just think he has half a brain and wants to better himself. Can't blame him I just don't want to risk losing any work if he is that way inclined.

Other than that, you need to find a way to engage him. Personally for me, i wouldn't have gone on holiday whilst trying to build up a business, with a new employee. That is sure to breed contempt, especially in the early stages, however we all need a holiday and by going on one its something you are entitled to do and its a hard judgement call.

You have done really really well Adam.

[Marc Stock]

Like i said, you have done well. And like you said, learn from experiences.

I think you already know what to do. Dont give up though, remember it dosent matter if its window cleaning, burger making, or whatever. When you employ, you are always going to face the same problems, so.if anything its good prep.

But keep going m8 you will find the right person.

[Splash & dash]

Personally I wouldn’t sell him a single job. Your setting him up to be a competitor where your work is already, let him start from scratch and see how hard it is . He’s learnt the ropes now he wants to take the jobs off you or buy them (whichever way you look at it) . You didn’t spend all that money on canvassing etc just so you could train someone up and then sell them a ready made business did you?
Maybe I’m a bit hard faced but that’s the way I’d look at it , if it happened to me . You may be different but good luck in whatever you decide 

Yeh i know, i have thought about it and i think his head has been turned. Like you say hes had the training, knows what he is doing and thinks he can sub some jobs whilst he builds his own round up.

its crossed my mind if should i just beat him to the punch and get shut of him now.. seems like he is going to leave inevitably anyway...

i was quite confident about leaving him to complete some work whilst im away, now im not so confident in leaving him alone with my van and job sheets...

You are between a rock and a hard place if you sack him he could go round your customers offering them a cheaper price for there custom I assume he knows the cost of each job he does ?  Weather you sub him work or not if he has the get up and go he will start up himself if that’s what he wants to do , I think hindsight is a good thing with situations like this did you think about this situation before employing him ? With this as a potential outcome , I do feel sorry for you finding yourself facing this but it’s down to open and frank descusion before employing someone and being clear about what is acceptable, people that have been with me we have had a gentleman’s agreement that they won’t work within 20 miles of my base and maybe I’ve been lucky but they have respected this agreement : also you are well established and have a good reputation he will have to build his own work/ reputation and that takes time so will it really have an impact on your buisness?. I doubt it : when I started there was just one other window cleaner in my area there are now at least 20 I still get far more enquiries and work than I can deal with , so they haven’t impacted my business at all , in fact they have probably pushed more customers our way as a lot of these new cleaners do a very poor job and we do a good job people talk and see the difference so it might evan benifit you in the long term

[deeege]

Cheers Nathan.

I might be going back to a solo operator for a while so was pondering what to do with a bit of excess work I have.

I could always just dump the worst of it, slow payers, Messer's etc.

I think subbing would be better than renting.

Isnt employing working out Adam?

He mentioned to me last week that he was thinking about going self employed and if he does would i be interested in giving him some work on a subby type basis...... not yet but said in a month or so he was considering it (ive not spoke to him about this yet so dont want to say too much as not decided)

Looks like i have trained up a competitor just like some of you guys predicted 

Im not really surprised, it was always a possibility....to be honest im not really that bothered either which i suppose speaks volumes about what i think about employing, i have been questioning the whole idea lately.

Its a mixed bag marc is employing, i like some aspects of it but others i could certainly do without.

A few negatives/pitfalls ive found

cashflow - this is really highlighted when you are paying wages, you dont really notice slow or bad payers when solo
Organising - running 2 vans, filling/charging, 2 lots of gear, making work sheets, organizing days etc, chasing payments, updating sheets - the list goes on and it all adds to the workload on an evening.
New work - this is a ballache - you need more work fast which means investment in money or time and then the whole process of messers, no payers and picking up crap

Its not easy mate, theres a few things you need in place imo

number 1 is go cardless thats what i would do differently, you need that cashflow

you also need to be honest about your round, i had a few more skipper and bad customers than perhaps i admitted to and when i was always behind i didnt really think about it. Now im up to date and that work is due and they mess you about then i feel it.


Bottom line is i dont know if i really want all the hassle, i might look at something else business wise.

i could sub him some work
i could sell him some work
i could get rid and get another employee and carry on
or i could go back solo for a bit and see how i feel in a couple of months


Ive also got a situation where my girlfriend is coming to the end of her materntiy leave and her going back to work would involve evenings and weekend work which would mean me doing a lot of baby sitting lol so i need to make a decision what works for us all both financially and in terms of minimum stress.

One thing i can say is there is definitely more to life than money, is ok earning more but if your stress levels increase with it whats the point. I think i was happier when i was earning less on my own but i think i need to revisit that situation to find out.

Anyway ill  be pondering  over it the nxt two weeks form a nice hot beach somewhere in italy 

You don’t baby sit your own child mate.

Look after?

You read my entire post and pulled me up on wrong use of a phrase?

Ok thanks

Yeh probably a bit harsh of me, just a bugbear of  mine when people say they are babysitting their own child.

Regarding the rest of the post I think Dazmond nailed it. Sod helping to set up a local competitor. Just refine what you have into the best possible one man round now and dump the dross. Less stress and mither is the way forward.

[dazmond]

Have you ever employed dazmond?

yes years ago (on a casual basis)ive had lots of different lads working with me in my trad days....waste of time for me...usually it was friends who had fallen on hard times,alcoholics,drug addicts etc.....in hindsight it was a bad idea!

you live and learn......i prefer to work on my own......