[Stoots]

Hi.

I recently started a car valeting business and want to expand by going into cleaning carpets.

I plan on setting up a new entity rather than tagging it onto my existing business, new website, new name etc.

I suppose the things i need to know are.

1. Which machine (cheapest possible solution)
2.Where to get training

I have a van, some experience of marketing and obviously some cleaning skills

Initially i had though of buying a rug doctor and joining the low end of the market, pricing accordingly obviously.

Now i read rug doctors are poo and i need to spend a lot more.

car valeting hasnt turned out to be as good as id hoped, customers always looking for cheap, how does carpet cleaning compare and is work hard to come across?. I am mainly looking at adding a few strings to my bow before going full time next year, i am hoping to add gardening and fencing possibly other services too.

Any advice/help or tips?

thankyou adam

[wynne jones]

Do you know why your valeting business hasn't done so well?

Have you looked at successful valeters, oh I mean Detailers and how they market themselves and to who?

Could you spend the money you are going to spend on kit, training etc for carpet cleaning on something that would give you a big advantage in what you already do?

The grass is no greener over here just like when carpet cleaners think spending 3k on a pressure washer will suddenly change their financial fortunes.

Why not head over to the window cleaning section. Build up a round and you need no expensive kit.

Check out this guy, maybe all you need is a bit more bullsht.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYefrkQH4AM

[Stoots]

My valeting has done ok from the effort ive put it, one or two jobs a week, i only do it part time on weekends. using adwords and leaflets, stopped leaflets now. I havent approached businesses and im sure this is where i need to be. Im in the middle a bit because top end detailers doing top end cars have premises and expensive equipment and customers with money. Here there are immigrants on every garage forecourt doing a decent (to the customers eye) job for little money.

But im planning on going full time self employed next year, its something i have to do, im fed up with my full time job and i need to make something work. I dont want to be relying on valeting, its weather dependant to an extent, and im not 100% convinced i can get the work req at least for a while, i have no savings or money so i cant afford to build it up steady. I need to find another 2 or 3 avenues of making money, carpet cleaning and gardening are the initial toughts but im looking into various areas to see what is going to be the best with regards start up costs vs returns.

[heritagecleaning]

Everyone will have different figures, but I spent £4,000 on equipment and training beofre I saw a penny in return. I've also spent £550 on a website.

[hotsteam]

Adam,
Wayne is talking sense window cleaning very low start up cost, pick which houses you want to clean, at a price you want to charge, and it's regular work.

Carpet cleaning very up and down, fencing, gardening, tree cutting all too seasonal,and one offs.

Best of luck Hotsteam

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Adam

Some sensible advice.

CC is a very difficult business to get established in, certainly as hard as valeting, you really need to build up some funds before going self employed, I would suggest at least 10k .

Cheers

Doug

[Stoots]

10k is so far beyond my means i wouldnt even attempt it.
I started valeting on about £1500, van, equip,chems, clothing,flyers,website,etc etc.

Only way would be to get a loan but i cant get credit lol.

i was hoping to be able to start with a second hand machine and some training,  i may have a rethink and look into something else. but well see

thanks

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Even with £10k then you aren't guaranteed customers, if I were to do it all again I would buy a window cleaning round and pick up carpet cleaning as I went along or become a teacher average retirement age 56!

Shaun

[wynne jones]

Or...

If you do more than a six months stretch inside like one of my relatives not only do you get taught hw to use a mop properly, but he also came out with a BICS qualification and a number of companies willing to give him a full time job.

Plus if you are single rent and food is taken care of. You do have to do someone some damage these days to get six months though. What a crazy country. 

[Stoots]

So what is the minimum  spec carpet cleaner  i should be looking at ?

[Len Gribble]

100 to 135psi twin vac

[Carpet Dawg]

Prochem's Steampro (120psi and two vacs) is adequate for start up. Brand new I think they are £2000 plus VAT, but you can find them on ebay second hand for anywhere between £600 - £1000+. Don't be tempted to buy something on its last legs though.
Or even a Ashby Ninja around the same spec.

Some people are even selling whole set ups on ebay! A lot of people thinking carpet cleaning is easy ha ha.

I think Doug meant that you'd need 10k as "dip into" fund for the days/weeks you have no work. The first couple of yers will be the hardest. You have a van already so that's a good start.

I heard that oven cleaning is a good add on service to carpet cleaning. Its hard work and the pay isn't as much as cc'ing but a lot of work out there and probably more frequent in the early days. From what I've heard the going rate is around £50 and the average oven will take 2 hours. Better than sitting at home watching the telephone.

I would consider window licking cleaning if I where you though. A lot easier to set up, cheaper to run and operate, and you can easily train  a monkey to do the cleaning for you while you drum up the business once you get to that stage.

Take a look at the window cleaning section. They are all inbred simpletons there, how hard can it be!  

[cannon]

As already mentioned oven cleaning is worth considering aswell. Pros and cons to it the main one being I HATE IT! but in quieter times its handy cash flow.

Ive just posted as ive seen this on ebay with 2 hrs left, worth a look

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OVEN-CLEANING-BUSINESS-EVERYTHING-YOU-NEED-JUST-ADD-VAN-/330970418090?pt=UK_B_I_Business_for_Sale_CV&hash=item4d0f5fcbaa

[Stoots]

Looked at oven cleaning, a tank looks about same price as a vac.

50 quid for two hours work is a lot of money to me , thats about what i earn in 4 hours valeting

may well do both

[Radek Jablonski]

adam 50 quit for full valet (nett or gross?) doing as a mobile service? you should charge 100 and more

[Stoots]

i know. but no one will pay it locally, 50 is the going rate around here, most people will not pay that, theres guys doing it for 30 quid and less , most valeters ive spoken to earning decent money are down south.
Google any valeter in leeds area and you will see prices

[Radek Jablonski]

I now there was polish guy doing interiors for E50 in my place, he is actually gone from the market already, presume becouse he was cheapest, Mobile valet in my area starts with E80 for interior and 120 for full valets and that the prices I am on, my strategy is to be on very high quality level. Interior takes 3hrs and seats are dry when I finish the job, of course I am using expensive equipment. But this is only add on to the carpet cleaning so I am not concentrating on valets as the money are s..it comparing to the carpets.

Think, diesel to get to the customer around 5, some chemicals, used clothes and more another 3-5, so you are on 40 pounds for 4hrs. and what about van insurance, servicing, etc.

[Stoots]

Can't get away with charging anymore. Hence why im here  looking at carpets . There  is money in detailing paint correction etc  but there's not the market here at least in the near future.

[Neil Jones]

Adam not necessarily true mate. I started out as a valeter 10 years ago and still do it now. Although I've had time to build up a base it now guarantees me an income and I do carpets, hard floors around it. In fact i probably dovaleting around other works now as it doesnt make up the bulk. Although I will not entertain cheap valeting, if people want it doing for cheap then I tell them to find a car wash. I live in Oldham, probably a car wash on every corner for £3 to £35 for a full valet yet I've just booked someone in for a week Monday who is paying me £95 per car (3 cars).
I have a minimum two days a week work valeting who are all weeklys for £35-£40 a mini valet, as you can imagine their cars are immaculate as they are done every week.

Don't have the misconception that people who have their carpets cleaned are paying mega money, you still get the people wanting it doing for next to nothing, like everything you need to target the right market and sell yourself and service and educate the customer why it costs what it does.

[Radek Jablonski]

Can't get away with charging anymore. Hence why im here  looking at carpets . There  is money in detailing paint correction etc  but there's not the market here at least in the near future.

Adam read your own sentence carefully.
If there is market for Detailing, then there is market for good proper valetors.
ps. these days everyone call himself detailer and most of them are not even close to this.

get extractor with two engines and CFR tool and advertise as best valetor in your area, seats are dry when you finish, do not use cheap chemicals as they are not much cheaper comparing to the good ones, look at meguiars detailer range, 1 gallon containers, and many more.