[clinton]

Hi Colin

Some good posts above and also the ones stating if it was that easy everyone would be working for them selves mate..

I know you did get an offer last year didnt you for employment?

Its is hard at the mo for most of the newbies am sure,some are spending vast amounts on the web sites to get work in too..

As robert said there seems to be lots of machines around for sale so thats a sign too that things are not easy mate..

Think if you do go for the job do you really want to be spending your time off stil working cleaning carpets or spending some time with yor familly mate..



good luck whatever you choose mate.

[JandS]

Colin

Are you getting the calls but not the work, or aren't you getting the calls??

John

[wayne zabel]

How ironic that this has come up just at a time whem I'm thinking of packing in my job and going full time CC.

I dont earn a good wage in my day job anymore and when Ive paid my taxes and petrol to travel the 34 mile dailly round journey I have about £230 left.Luckily Im not the main bread winner anymore and my wife earns a decent wage.My kids are grown up and off our hands so personallyI dont think Ive much to lose.

Ive been going 6 months part time now and getting about 6 jobs a week that I do at weekends and evenings,and its too much now, its one or the other.I can earn what I have in day job wages from doing about 10/12 hours CC and build things up in the other hours.I havent done any leaflets properly for 2 months but get work from my website and a small adv in the weekly paper.

Having read the above I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing going fulltime,I suppose a lot depends on personal circumstances.

What should I do?

[garry22]

Wayne,

I don't know if you have an accountant yet.

If you don't, it's probably a very good time. There are lots of things that will actually be legitimate business expenses that you can offset against tax (totally legal).

That alone could make a big difference to how you are operating by paying for everything from net (already taxed) income. The decision may be a lot easier after a discussion with an accountant.

Hope this helps,

 :)Garry

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

Stay!

[Colin Day]

Stay!

Cheers mate... Nick rang me today and told me to get off my backside

He was as helpful as ever with a bag of good idea's, as are everyone who has replied to this thread, thank you to every one of you...... I'm staying

[Peter Sweeney]

Hi Colin

One thing that strikes me about you is your attitude. You are very motivated and a little pessimistic (and I say this in the nicest possible way). Some good posts above and 2 that stand out for me are Dereks (stand up and be counted!) and JK's (diversify). Use that motivation and manage the pessimism.

I have recently undergone several attackes on my business from people who simply have it in for me (this is from within the industry).

I have stood up, shaken myself down and walked into breach again, not allowing small minded zealots to break me. I am truly back on my feet again. I have diversified in many ways that do not affect my CCing business. In doing this I have changed all my approach and its paying dividends. I will not go into detail on here but perhaps you and me can have a chat.

I am on holiday the day after tomorrow and will be back on Friday 15th. Why not give me a call then and I will divulge.

Keep your chin up, as J says, it can be hard at times but there is often some opportunity waiting round the corner, you just need to be alert to spot it.

Pete

[Ian Gourlay]

I have been thinking a lot recentley
Recentley I got a book from Amazon on starting a Cleaning Company
This time British

The Guy who wrote it Rober Gordon claims he started a cleaning and maintence company in 2004 in Glasgowand Central Scotland and within four years had a one million turnover and 100 staff . he was 28 when he started. For all I know he might be  one of you as he reccomends www.cleanitup.co.uk as the forum to go to  for advise.

Then I saw Dragons Den on DAve a repeat of the guys from Newcastle  and they were claiming to have bidded for 27million of contract work since being on DEn first off

Then I think of others on here Ian Rochester for example who appear to have a multi cleaning operation

What I am leading to is Great to Specialise in Carpet Cleaning but if you are not getting enough push other areas of cleaning

I have not really looked recentley but a couple of years ago I used to see vans from this oven cleaning company all over the placed.
They were based 23 miles from me but did a lot of leaflets across cambs, lincolshire norfolk and suffolk

So we have a lot we could sell

When I was in retailing I had 50K of stock staff bill plus 30k rent and rates to find money for  so to scale up in this industry is small in comparison

As Victor Kahams said GO FOR IT

[jasonl]

So called "safe jobs" no longer are safe . My wife works as a nurse earns over 45k/year . plus pension , 6 weeks annual leave  etc for a 37 hour week . 10 staff on her ward  have been told that they have to rotate to days which means a 10k cut in pay , so they can rotate in cheaper newly qualified staff, saving millions across the trust. 

If it is not an amazing job I say stick with the cc , make it pay.

If you need to talk over any marketing aspects feel free to call .

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Even prostitution has its ups and downs.

Shaun

[happy mondays]

Thats a good post by Ian (above) It points out what can be possible, I started in 2003 and after four years had 30 odd staff and a 350k turnover from office and end of tenancy work, subbing windows, ovens, and carpets, things have been tough for the last couple of years, bad debts etc.  I think it needs to be said at this point that you could be the best carpet, office or window cleaner in the world but if you cant do all the other things that is required to have and run a healthy business, then you have a high chance of failing in it.  I and my partner have now taken our own choice to scale things down in our cleaning business, and in the very good position of turning work down.  

Offering many different cleaning services in most cases will work. I have now got my fingers in a few other businesses, cleaning services is just one of them. Also, a very good accountant is a must! for any business.

I would not work for any one else again, but then again I left school at 15 with a couple of o' levels and a few cse's and went straight into full time work. If I was qualified to secure a 70k pa plus job with all the holidays and benefits I would maybe see things in another light  
  

[robert meldrum]

Ahhhh Colin...........you just wanted a hug and you ended up several hugs and a couple of kicks up the back side !   All good stuff from a fantastic bunch of guys who are don't believe in failure.

Ian...............Gordon's have done well over the past decade or so and there's a guy stays just up the road from me whose a lot bigger than Gordon's and got me to clean his carpets recently.

[Dennis]

Even prostitution has its ups and downs.

Shaun

A brilliant business model - you have something - you sell it - you still have it. 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

And with interest yuk!

Shaun

[Doug Holloway]

Colin

You are an honest and hard working guy who is finding CC hard going.

That was me 24 years ago, took the job on offer but it was never the same as when I had been employed before. I was older and had been used to being my own boss and all the bull and time wasting which I had put up with before was now too much.

I stuck it for 3 years and then went back to CC, recession of the early 90's hit but I stuck it out , survived and now make a good living.

You may need to do the same thing!

Cheers

Doug

p.s
I will send you an email regarding something which may help.

[richy27]

working for yourself you are in control of your own destiny in these times no job is safe

[Paul Simpson]

Good to hear your not giving in Colin.
Was close myself earlier this year when I went 2 weeks with no work and virtually no calls but then things picked up and the last 2 weeks were my best weeks for a few years.
If you can hang in there till your own turnaround you'll reap the benefits.

[Darren O]

Heavy Hole how do you try and get a part time job in the morning cleaning public toilets or something then do your oven cleaning in the afternoon and put one day by a fortnight for your carpet cleaning and see how you get on and if that dosent work try Asda all the best anyway.

[Colin Day]

Heavy Hole how do you try and get a part time job in the morning cleaning public toilets or something then do your oven cleaning in the afternoon and put one day by a fortnight for your carpet cleaning and see how you get on and if that dosent work try Asda all the best anyway.

 
I could be a drug dealer, you sound like you've got a good supplier already

[Darren O]

or you could even ask Nick for as full time job cleaning his arse.