[Colin Day]

I'm really losing the will to carry on running my own business because of the unpredictable nature of our industry and not knowing what's happening from one week to the next.....

I've been offered a job today and I'm really tempted to take the "Easy way out!" and sell up!

I will keep the oven cleaning equipment for the odd jobs as I wouldn't really get much money in return for the equipment anyway....

Am I being too hasty

[Shaun_Ashmore]

List the benefits and pit falls and sleep on it, what you could do is add another service like window cleaning to make you some more money and also you'll get ready made customers.

Shaun

[jasonl]

In this climate , unless you are averaging at least 2k/month turnover , I would take the job  and carry out high priced jobs in your spare time,say 10 hours/week max.

Keeping all the kit for as and when you have enough work to make a good living full time

[richy27]

i wouldnt be too hasty col. have a good long think

[Fintan_Coll]

If you stay on in business Colin, where do you see yourself in five years time or in ten years time. Eeking out a living or a very wealthy businessman?
On the other hand if you take the job where do you see yourself in the same timeframes? Still working for a boss and living from payday to payday or getting lots of promotion and salary raises from year to year. It's a tough choice to make.

[Mike Halliday]

if someone offered me 35 grand, pension &  6 weeks holiday  I'd probably pack this lark in

what they offered you?

[Jason Hedges]

Same here Colin have a long hard think before making any decisions. To be honest I've had similar thoughts in the past and works always turned around and made me stick with it.

The problem with this business is the continuous outgoings and unless the work is there every day it doesnt take long to get into trouble.

My brother in-law is an accountant and earns excellent money but still cant believe what we can earn on a good day, week or month! On a good day I can earn what he does in a week but on a bad day I earn nothing.

At the end of the day pull out all the stops to get work and believe in yourself. When you start doubting yourself and our profession is when it starts going downhill I've been there and done that many times.

All the best,
Jason.

[richie]

If you choose to take the job i would still keep the Carpet Cleaning equipment as Jason said.  Just do it as a side line.  Just weekend work could see you get a extra few hundred a week better off.

Richie.

[Simon@arenaclean]

You may see the job offer as an easy way out. I see it as the harder option. I've been in this game for almost 20 years and it's had it's periods of down turn but the one thing i've always valued is it's in my hands, working for a company or someone else I would be subject to their whim's and fancies. If I p*** off the the boss I only have myself to blame    When I first started in 1993 I took horrid part time jobs to keep us going, I had a 3 year old and one on the way so I had too and it caused many a domestic but I'm not sorry now. Remember you are self employed so you can do anything along with your own business.

If the job offers £30'000+ and it's what you want to do, rather than just a pay cheque, then take it. If you'll hate the work then I'd pass it by. I am of course assuming you enjoy carpet cleaning. It's tough if you have a mortgage or the economy is in uncertain times and I can understand your dilemma, but I'd look for ways to supplement your income, I took on a couple of small cleaning contracts for a building society, estate agency, auction house and caravan park. I still run 3 of those and one of them has developed into our single biggest client, but I only took them on until I had enough carpet customers and did all the work myself. It's odd how things work out because I would not part with one of them now.

You've got your head screwed on and I'm sure you will make the right decision for you.

Good luck!

Simon

[absolutecleaning]

Even in these times it would have to be the perfect job (whatever that maybe) for me to stop working for myself.   We are lucky in that we have a very low monthly rent (housing association property) so maybe this is part of it but, for me, the benefits of working for yourself outweigh the uncertainties involved.

I can see the temptation though and would definitely go with suggestions above of keeping equipment - you might be so p*ssed off with your boss within a couple of weeks you think this game is a good laugh

Good luck

Simon

[The Great One]

Hi Colin

This is a tough one, we can all give our advise dependant on what's going on in our lives but at the end os the day, you know about your business and what the job offer is offering.

It is going to be dependant on a few things, as mentioned holidays, any pension and most of all actual take home pay.

Again as stated write a list down, what will you lose by going to work and what do you gain. Obviosly you lose a lot of freedom (depending on the job) but you also have to take into account your family and quality of life.

I went back to work part time 9 months ago, fri/sat nights 7pm-3am, it doesn't interfere with my business and brings in an extra £4-500 a month. I did it because business took a dip.

I do love working for myself as we all do, I like the freedom it gives me but what bugs me is the unpredictability that we sometimes get i.e. getting trapped on holiday and not working for a month.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours, just make the right one for you.

Regards

Martin

[Joe H]

You appear to have not been fully happy with c/c circumstances for some time now Colin.
You like the c/c job dont you?
I think you do, but at the end of the day, bills have to be paid.
Your a "young" man with a family and difficult decisions have to be made.
Just think things through carefully.
What none of us know is what the next couple years particularly will bring, referring to the economic mess the country is in.  Will business be the same, increase or decrease - none of us really know.
And we are all in diffeent circumstances. For me, at my age, I have no mortgage nor dependants other then the wife at home, so a "good" week for me may be 2/3rds goody week for someone like yourself.

I know you like the job you were doing, is this whats been offered you.
If the offer is something you like doing and you know you will have a good boss then it has to be having strong consideration.

Take on board comments that been put forward to you, but only you (with your wife no doubt) can make the decision.
Whatever you choose, may it be the best decision for you and your family.

[from edge2edge]

Morning Colin Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.If you do decide to get a normal job keep the kit for part time stuff as you can still be a damn good professional even if your main income is something else then maybe down the line return to it full time as you seem to enjoy it.Regards Alan(swindon)

[robert meldrum]

Fully understandable in the unpredictable world we live in and if married with kids the monthly cheque offers a certain amount of security.

By the number of machines being sold it appears quite a few have made the same decision.

As long as time permits you could still keep your business running and be able to consider other ways of doing things if / when the economy picks up.

I've been working VERY part time for the past 5-6 years due to some serious medical problems but it's surprising how much work keeps coming to me.

You have the luxury of an offer which many would jump at and it's all very well having some suggest you could be a " wealthy " businessman by staying in this industry. The only genuinely wealthy people I know in this industry own large companies with hundreds of employees and obtain their work through competitive pricing.

Anyway............Good luck whichever way you go Colin

[John Kelly]

Colin I think you've only been down Cornwall a couple of years at most. It takes at least 5 years to build up a decent client base. This is when the business starts to pay dividends.
Lad up here had been going 10 years and decided to pack in. He got a job and it only took him 2 days to realise he'd done the wrong thing. He's now back on track with a little help and he's never been as busy.
Try and diversify a bit more, maybe do some fire and flood training, the works adhoc but a couple of decent jobs a year can really boost your income and you are in a very flood prone region. Even though the franchises get the bulk there is a lot of other work nocking about.

[brianbarber]

Colin, think about window cleaning, it can work out very well along side with carpet cleaning.
Feel free to email me for any info.

Regards

Mr B

[Colin Day]

if someone offered me 35 grand, pension &  6 weeks holiday  I'd probably pack this lark in

what they offered you?

To be honest, nothing like what you've suggested.... And it's not even secure either

I've slept on it and I really want the business to work and I have to say that for most of the time, things are good..... It just seems that when my chips are down I start to see the grass being greener on the other side and an offer seems to pop it's head up....

In reality, I should know that things are never going to be easy, otherwise everybody would be carpet cleaning, so I'm making no hasty decissions..... Thanks for the replies all!

[Simon Gerrard]

Colin,

These are hard times and it's no fun for anyone, especially for you while you are still in the business building phase. If you could just tough it out and get through these tough economic times I'm sure you'll reap the benefits.
Remember, it isn't supposed to be easy - if it were everyone would be running their own business.

Simon

[JandS]

At the moment I'm earning nearly as much window cleaning as carpet cleaning.
Glad I kept some work, was going to sell all rounds and concentrate solely
on the carpet cleaning side.
Pretty slow round here again after 4 weeks of not bad.
Still beats working for someone.

John

[derek west]

don't you dare quit now yang man,
get pounding them streets with some leaflets col. you will get work from it. study where most of your work is coming from and target your leaflets at that type of house, contact all your old custies, and if you email me i'll give you a little tip for some work that i'll be trying out soon, not sure it will work but its cheap and worth a shot. 

its all about doing, like i said a few months ago, ive gone full time now, lot of people didn't get it but 9 to 5 regardless, and extra if need be. bluddy hard work but rewarding, just had my best month ever.. unfortunately i'm doing the books today, yawn.