[Neil Jones]

Reason I'm getting there so late is because I already had a full days worked booked in and a carpet at 5.15pm and I put my quote in last week and he agreed on Tue saying the only is day Friday because they are moving in Sat. I'm a money grabbing ****

[Neil Jones]

Anyway, i'm going to trial this girl who I interviewed this evening. She has a lot of training/qualifications in IT and business growth related things so it's worth a punt. She's happy to deliver a few flyers as well so i'm starting her on low hours and see how it goes. If she makes me more money than she costs per month then it's obviously a winner.

[B Bailey]

You really need to get someone to work alongside you to learn how you do things, it's no good taking on someone to do admin and marketing if you can't handle the extra work coming in.

[maxcampbell]

Max.
How do your regular customers feel about an employee rather than you cleaning their carpets?
I would like to go down that route!

Yet to find out. We generally work a 2 man team - new tech is my sidekick for time being, training him and customers! Pretty soon we'll send him out singlehanded occasionally, soon after that get him an asst.

Olly now office/demos / test patches / short notice jobs.

[Steve Chapman]

Anyone who seriously wants to grow a business needs to employ people, there's only so much one person can do on their own and only so much you can put up your prices then you hit a ceiling where it wont grow anymore.

If this wasnt true then Richard Branson would still be a sole trader 


Steve

[gordonswindows]

Being a very busy sole trader is a different world to running a business. I think your office assistant is a great step forward but she may end up making you even busier. It costs money to grow a business and staff too. To grow you need to have the staff before you win the work and as everyone says its better getting two part timers for flexibility, but I do not agree with part time office/cleaner as she will only end up like you......being so busy doing the cleaning work she can't focus on growing the business from the office.

Marketing the business, caring for the clients, attending network meetings,organising staff rotas, staff payroll, staff cover and then the most important part getting the invoices out accurately and on time to insure the cash flow is strong enough to support the new business she has brought in leaves little time to clean.

Increasing your prices might be enough to cover the additional office/admin costs needed to grow a business but you will be as busy with less actual cash for yourself, it takes a while before either your work load eases or your income increases.

But it is worth every bit of hard work.....I'm lying here typing this in the bath and by the time I finish it I (the business) will have delivered a £72 net profit.

Best of luck

Gordon

[Neil Jones]

Steve and Gordon, exactly my thoughts regarding this. She is on a trial Friday and providing it isn't bad then she will start next week. Only 4-5 hours per week actual admin work but then she has cleaning work as well, the cleaning work she does for me will cover the cost of the admin work and because I am still 'on the tools' the financial loss is fairly insignificant. I'm hoping she generates more enquires and therefore work than it costs me to employ her, surely thats the thought process?

At the end of last week I turned down five site cleans, with the potential of fifteen because I had no staff. Fortunately it's a friend and he said if i'm set up with cleaners with a cscs card after the first three are done he will offer me the final two and then potentially ten more.

I bought a new van Monday so I now have a transit connect ready to go to work from the 3rd of July as well as the Vivaro I use. Got a great deal on the insurance, £1075 for both vans fully comprehensive. Happy days.