[Stoots]

Hi. I originally started valeting cars over a year ago, after a few months struggling i took a part time job and added window cleaning to my services. This was better in so much as more regular work, able to clean in more adverse conditions, earning potential and expansipn is higher. Anyway once i have a full roind im consoderinng dropping valeting and adding carpet cleaning instead. The reasons being firstly to add some variety to my work, secondly to try something new with a learning curve, thirdly to have a service that can be done on rainy days.

The main things i want to know are what is the uearning potential per day for a sole trader? i

would want to be able to earn minimum 100-150 profit per day after all expeses. Also what are the start up  costs for a useable machine,training, etc? Would 3k be enough to make a start? Tha.ks

[John Kelly]

How long is a peice of string? Sorry but theres no simple answer to that question. It all depends on how good you are at running a business and also what kind of area you are in. Running a succesful carpet cleaning business depends on being able to market your services effectively and also to get your pricing and profit level right.
If done correctly and you have the right demographics in your area then an average £250 per day should be achievable. However this won't happen overnight and will take at least 3 years to build up a customer base to achieve at least this.

[Lewis Newby]

I am changing from valeting to carpets gradually, i started it as an add on  but decided to target carpets only for the last year now.

I have spent £10k+ in the last year, and 60% of that is equipment , the rest advertising.

takings vary, i only did 2 small jobs today totalling  £150 but quoted and booked 3 other jobs while out worth £430 And home for 2.30. Most days i aim for £200 and home mid pm (young kids to spend time with) but some good days have seen me come home with £350+ in my back pocket which is half a weeks valeting money .

[tim handley]

i started to phase valeting out /carpet cleaning in, three year ago.............  now the carpet cleaning has taken over, its the best thing i ever did and i regret not starting on carpets much earlier.............  no work lost to bad weather as you say, much better hourly rate and a much mor satisfying/enjoyable type of work all round in my opinion......  you will need to start with a good few thousand squid to really get going, you need a fair bit of kit which aint cheap and more importantly a good marketing budget......... the money is out there if you want  to go for it, but i enjoy getting home at two/three oclock and having time for other things, compared to valeting, which i think is on a race to the bottom pricewise its much much better........

[Stoots]

I am changing from valeting to carpets gradually, i started it as an add on  but decided to target carpets only for the last year now.

I have spent £10k+ in the last year, and 60% of that is equipment , the rest advertising.

takings vary, i only did 2 small jobs today totalling  £150 but quoted and booked 3 other jobs while out worth £430 And home for 2.30. Most days i aim for £200 and home mid pm (young kids to spend time with) but some good days have seen me come home with £350+ in my back pocket which is half a weeks valeting money .

half a week? im lucky to do 200 a week valeting, but then again i only advertise on my website and wait for calls to come to me, window cleaning is better profit, but im hoping carpet cleaning is better still. I would want to be turning over 200 minimum in a day CC or may as well stick to windows

[Radek Jablonski]

Adam, depends how good you are, your prices etc.
You need top 3 in google, good service and you can do 400+ from valet only on the worse scenario.
Do not know what you can do on cars but learn to do good polishing for exteriors, 250+ a day. Uk has a good market for detailing, brits likes their cars not like here in ireland. If I am in UK I would open detailing garage, some companies earn  good money as some people can pay more to detail their cars then you earn per week.

[Robin Ray]

At present my business covers all aspects of carpets, upholstery and hard floors to windows, gutters and pressure washing. Although I do sub out some work now some times the demand for such a wide variety of services can be stressful. I would advise for the moment sticking to one service and doing it well. No matter what others will say the earning potential is pretty much the same for each service if you choose your customer base wisely. As an example I did a £150 window cleaning job yesterday which took 2 hours, it was also only 10 minutes from my house.
Window cleaning is by far the simpelist most stress free job going with a great earnings potential. It also builds a massive loyal customer base which you can then market further services to later. The only problem with window cleaning is it is mind numbing. Which is why I chose to add more services.

[Stoots]

Adam, depends how good you are, your prices etc.
You need top 3 in google, good service and you can do 400+ from valet only on the worse scenario.
Do not know what you can do on cars but learn to do good polishing for exteriors, 250+ a day. Uk has a good market for detailing, brits likes their cars not like here in ireland. If I am in UK I would open detailing garage, some companies earn  good money as some people can pay more to detail their cars then you earn per week.

360

I understand this radek, you are talking about detailing not valeting, i charge about £60 for a full valet, this take approx 3 hours but like i said from just having the website alone this is only good for 2-4 jobs per week max, yes i could go after dealerships/businesses but i dont want to be in one place all day sweating my arse off and and yes i rank top 3 for my area.
Detailing is very hard work, with a lot of knowledge needed, and to do it properly you need a garage not mobile, this would be huge overheads, plus i dont want to be stuck indoors polishing a car all day, much happier out and about in the van

[Lewis Newby]

If you want to succeed in valeting, print a flyer/pricelist and visit all local businesses. Industrial estates are great. A few days walking around and asking 'want your car cleaned' will have you many bookings. After a year doing a day a week you will be booked up and no need to continue

[Radek Jablonski]

Adam, as a mobile service you can offer better price for detailing/valet in UK as less spendings but you are still too cheap.
Remember people like this mobile service as they dont need to drop the car. You need to be special not just like others. Fight your competitors with quality not with price. You need something better then karcher puzzi and proper upholstery tool and advertise that seats will be dry within hrs.
People in uk care about their cars and theres good market even with many competitors.  But you need to be better on higher price.
You no need to be very into detailing, just to be able to remove scratches, do general polishing etc. no need for full paint corection.
This weekend I had 4 ph calls if I can do valet today, but it doesnt work like that with me as I am fully booked for this week with carpets. And I am not pushing myself into valeting as within time I will be doing less and less. Just filling nicely free times sometimes.

[Stoots]

Hi mate, i can tell you in my area (Leeds) i am at the top end for a full valet- i have done my research and i would say average £40-£60 for a full valet around here. I understand what you are saying though, as soon as i have more window cleaning work i will up my prices or drop it completely.

Dont get me wrong i do offer a "showroom valet" at £100-£120 which includes a quick machine polish, so i can remove minor swirls etc but the full valet is by far the most popular service.

To be honest i prefer window cleaning and dont really like valeting, carpets seems much more appealing

[Stoots]

If you want to succeed in valeting, print a flyer/pricelist and visit all local businesses. Industrial estates are great. A few days walking around and asking 'want your car cleaned' will have you many bookings. After a year doing a day a week you will be booked up and no need to continue

I agree, but it doesnt appeal to me, i dont want to be in one place cleaning 3/4 cars a day evry day of the week, plus its weather dependant and i find it hard work, easier doing windows and much more flexible. I just want to get into carpets for the one off well paying jobs

[Radek Jablonski]

just curiouse, what incl in the full valet?

[Carpet2Clean]

Hi Adam

I also done car valeting / detailing years ago. But gave up due to all the hand car washes opening up in and round my area's.
I did carpet cleaning also when i was valeting i used a Prochem Galaxy to clean interiors (seats /carpets).

You can pick one up on Ebay cheap.

Richard