[pdl]

Hi Chris

[domestic bliss]

I have been very lucky.  I have not had to advertise or leaflet drop but i have simply had a free line entry in the yellow pages and my name on yell.com.   But in saying that i have been so busy i have not had time to sit back and wait for the calls,  Thank god for an answer phone.   Also loads of well off people and working people and also loads of new houses being built all the time.  I am inundated because most of the cleaning companys round here all want the commercial contracts leaving me and one other company to clean up (so to speak)  Good luck hopefully things will work out for you!

[Marly 11]

Kingfisher could you email me urgently re being young and running a  contract cleaningcompany   cleenco@london.com very important!

[Mrs Nicholls]

hi all
i think it does have its disadvantages, being young and running a biz. clients, and other business contacts treat us differently as they all seem to be older, or look older at least. they tend to treat us like we are inferior, or kids.

we are 28 and 29, and a client we visited today to discuss service thought we were 19/20 years old! asking all kinds of daft questions like why did we start up at our young age and what was in it for us etc.
yes we look young for our age, even get asked for ID when we go to pubs n clubs but its amazing how much we have to convince people we are 28/29 and we know what we are doing.

its also difficult to find domestic work, a lot of people have started up in recent months in my town, and from what ive heard from customers who have spoken to them, many people are thinking its an easy living, they charge low prices, havent got full insurance etc, and dont look the part to be running a business. (sorry if anyone takes offence, not my opinions)

we have local paper ads, website, online ads etc and leaflets which we do occaisionally, we are growing steadily at a pace we can handle and control. Most work comes from word of mouth though, and we have gained a lot of work from clients who went with the big companies but found them unreliable etc. Our clients love it that we currently clean personally for them at the moment, and they feel they are dealing with a more friendly and approachable service provider, and with us being local all the better.

Anyway enough of my ramblings. it does drives us mad though when some people are so patronising and looking down on us beacuse they think we are too young to be running a successful business.

[lynngc]

hi lisa, aand guys! im afraid i still see that the male side of things the main selling point.

i know i should not!! but if i put you or me (young birds)in amounsgt the guys, we'd come out 2nd.............

they have the charm and know how to bad there eye lids

[Jan K]

sorry dont agree with you there lynn, think it is all relative to the type of cleaning business you are in.........i believe with domestic cleaning you are more likely to secure a client if you are female than a male, and there's no batting of eyelids involved. Most customers of domestic cleaner are women, who want a woman cleaner, and even the small majority of male clients prefer a female cleaner.

now window cleaning, is a different matter all together, whereby a male w/c is more likely to secure a client tha a female w/c. as far as contract cleaning is concerned i am guessing that males would be likely to secure than females.

Jan

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi all
I think there is a male/female divide, although I think commercial clients respect males and those who are older than us. And domestic clients do prefer female cleaners, I've had a run in with a customer (dom) because I sent my partner to clean when I was ill, they went up the wall, even though he is ex army and a very good cleaner. Trust and the general publics prejudices come into it I think. Sounds awful but I wouldn't employ a male cleaner for domestics, purely because I know I'd lose my customers.

[angela stone]

Hi Lisa,

We had the same problem when we owned our last business - a bar in Spain.  A lot of the customers were retired, and although most were nice and wished us luck - some would look at us and speak to us in a manner as if to say - "yeh nice try guys but you are not going to make a go of this cos you are not over 40 and you are stupid for even trying!" - ageism at its best!

I took offence a lot of the time and to be quite honest they made me make it!

We built the business from nothing, we changed the whole market which it was originally targetted at and we turned it into a profitable business within  18 months and sold it at a profit -and quickly escaped back to England!

I give up work on Friday and concentrate on this business first time.  The fact that I am 27 and people's opinions of that do not bother me in the slightest cos if anyone has anything to say about it I just think "you are only jealous cos you didn't have the guts to do it at my age!! "

Anyway, what is your secret of looking so young - I'm gonna have to use the oil of olay twice a day from now on me thinks 


Ange

[Jan K]

personally, i dont think age has anything to do with it, its down to self confidence and belief in your own business 

[Mrs Nicholls]

hi ange

just got lucky genes i think  
sure to catch up with us in the next decade i expect, with all this hassle trying to convince people that we know what we are doing.

well done for your previous biz, showed them non believers what you are capable of at such a young age.

  Power to the young business owners