[colley614]

I've been working with this guy for about 6 months now. Its his round I'm giving him a hand while I get my round up and running and basically I get the feeling he is going to bin me off for his friend even though I've helped him get back on top of his round about 3 times after he feel weeks behind. What would you guys do if you thought he was planning on taking somebody else on behind your back?

[fletch]

If he intends to do that then just have it out with him, and if that is the case just walk. Lesson learned.

[colley614]

Bit of a bummer for me because it all started as a convo about him slowing down to retire and he promised that if I helped him for 12 months he would sell me the cream of his work. High level work and commercial shops and offices so I agreed to work with him for buttons compared to what I would make off my own work and have sometimes done his work in the week then had to catch up on my work at the weekend while he is sat at home feet up and now it sounds like he's trying to push me out the door now I'm starting to question if I am going to end up with any work.

[NWH]

Why is he thinking of getting rid of you and getting someone else,if you worked for me and you were good i wouldn`t be cosidering getting rid of you even if it was to help a freind out, good workers are hard to find.Freinds are for after work not for working with in my experience,no offense intended.

[colley614]

thats what I mean I've really pushed the boat out for him dropping work for him and the other day I left a mark on a leaded window which he laughed at and said " Not like you to leave a mark, your probably the best lad I've seen in thirty years" I do alsorts for him and now I really feel wound up. 

[Clear Vision]

You seem like a decent chap and he sounds like a user!!!

You ditch him!!!!!

Get out there and canvas as much as you can and go fully on your own.

[NWH]

If he`s promised you that work get something down on paper,it sounds like he might have been told that he could get more for the round off of someone else,or might have been offered more by someone else.If this turns out to be the case in months to come you`ve completly wasted your time helping him out,it sounds to me like you have nothing to lose by having a word with him,tell him that your getting offered other work of your own and are turning it down on the promise that he`s handing over his work to you.To a certain extent you have to be selfish and think of yourself and your future,now when i have people help me out i tell them the situation if they don`t like it or have any problems there to let me know sooner rather than later,i hate bad atmospheres at work and find it far better to send someone out on there own rather than working in a pair.

[colley614]

Thing is I've just got in with to local cleaning firms and they are starting to let me sub work so hopefully  Although I'm starting to wish I'd started with a little more domestic work because most of mine is commercial.

[NWH]

Commercial is good for early starts etc,but you can`t beat good domestics i think i have a lot of please to see me type customers.

[colley614]

Thanks for the input guys I feel a lot better now. Anyway his loss he has a load of second floor windows that need to be squeegee'd and I can't see this guy he wants to take on doing it as fast as me. Plus when he was sunning it up the other week I picked £460 off my own work not saying I'd do that every week because some six weekly and two monthly work landed that week but it goes to show what I can do on my own 

[mark dew]

I agreed to work with him for buttons compared to what I would make off my own work

Yep that sucks.
But look on the bright side, If he's been cleaning 30 years i suspect some of his prices haven't gone up for years. Those buttons that you worked for are probably a good price to him. Is his round well priced??
Would you really want to fill up your time chasing a wage, when with a little bit of time you could pick up work yourself at a much better rate?
Get out and canvass domestic work. Target bigger houses in rural areas, cos these people are more likely to be older with little or no mortgage. I look at these type of customers as recession proof.
Terraces and new builds are generally full of 1st or 2nd time buyers with the new car in the drive. I have found these to be much more fickle and stopped targetting this type of work a year ago.
Parish magazines and village shops seem to be the best way to target rural
customers.
Put it down to experience and move onto better things.
Good luck

[ronnie paton]

By the sounds of things you are more than capable of getting enough work to go alone just concentrate on that and i think youll be laughin, i mean £460 of work in a week is really good.

You say you have mainly commercial but i find that is the hardist work to get so your doing something right!!