[Simon Wilbraham]

Good morning,
I have been trading for the last 6 months.
I have a full time job and have been carpet cleaning in the evenings and weekends.
I have reached a point now where I am starting to have to turn customers away as there are only so many hours you can clean on top of a full time job!
I am busy now but the risk is always what if business goes quiet.
I was hoping to gain 12 months accounts to have a good idea of an average yearly income. (as obviously some months are busier than others).
Has anyone ever used someone who is fully trained (on a self employed basis) to carry out the cleaning on my behalf. They would be using my equipment.  Would this be classed as employing someone? I would invoice the customer and have the other person invoice me for there rate?
Any help would be gratefully received!
Simon

[Robin Ray]

Don't do it...

Your customers become his customers. His mistakes become your mistakes.
I sub out work but it is my nephew and I trust him. I have had employees and subbies which work along side me but from experience they need constant attention if they don't wreck all your hard work. At this stage you need to be doing the work.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Simon what do you do as a day job?

There are different ways of looking at this but you need to take time off to see if it works for you, there's a month off work to see how things go or try to see if you can go onto a 4 day week.

Shaun

[Paul Clapham]

When you have one years take home pay in the bank , then you can start to think about going full time .

[wayne zabel]

When you have one years take home pay in the bank , then you can start to think about going full time .

So how many people have 20k in the bank? Very few I would imagine.

I went full time in 2010 after a year of part time.Granted the job I had at the time wasn't on very good money so I didn't have much to lose.I started CC in my 50's and doing 2 jobs wasn't easy.

[Glynn]

Well I wouldn't dream of operating my business with as little as that in reserve.

[Robin Ray]

Its all relative to expenditure.... just as profit is.

[clive ware]

Glynn, you clearly don`t have a wife and two girls with the same spending habits as mine!!

[Hilton]

You will clearly need working capital, I think that is what's being said and that could be your own money but preferably the banks in the form of an 'agreed' over draft, your own personal circumstances will dictate how much working capital you need.

A company credit card would be useful if you can get one but set it up to be cleared at the end of each month

[Ian Gourlay]

It depends on your circumstances

If you live at home with Mum and Dad   Yes

If you have Mortgage or Rent to pay its stressful

If you have a load in the bank or other income you may not be motivated.

When i was in sales they liked people who had a decent car but were broke they were more motovated to push ther boundrys and go the extra mile



If you have a Partner Earning a Foutune Yes

[Dave_Lee]

When I started out 35 years ago, I didn't have any capital at all and had to borrow off my mum to get my first proper machine. Mind you I didn't have much choice to go it alone and didn't need to make a decision about going full time, as my 9 years in the army was up, and I was out! It all depends on the mindset and how you can cope with bad times as well as good. Somehow I got to be still in this business and now run one of the bigger Truck Mounts, with an excellent repeat business. Still skint, with nowt in the bank, but hey, business is just work and I like my leisure activities better. One life- live it, no pockets in shrouds!
Dave.

[Stoots]

I would say if you had 20k in the bank why bother starting out at all.


Im starting up without a pot to p in on minimum wage, crappy old van dropping to bits and just grinding it out, theres never  aperfect time, take a calculated risk and run your arse off


I would suggest starting a window cleaning round first for regular work

[Robin Ray]

I think that trying to drop to part time first was a good suggestion.

[Radek Jablonski]

I would say if you had 20k in the bank why bother starting out at all.

the secret is to make more of it, become your own boss and earn more then 1k a week with not much hassle.  Better, earn a week what others do per month. Secure your own life and your child to.
If your gool is to make what average mr. johnson do then yes, no point to become self employed.
All needs a time.

[Carpet Dawg]

Ditch the job.  Let hunger and the fear of paying your bills be your motivation. Its how I started when I was 17.

20k isn't that much. If I've not hit at least 20k in 3 months it would be seen as a fail.

If your motivated enough to gain the work and then work your arse off working 16 hour days and on the weekends, fitting in with when your customers want it done (for at least the first three years). Then yes, you can achieve success. Are you up for that? working your fingers to the bone? on your own? are you a self driven enough?

Don't worry if your having doubts, its not for everyone. Some people want an easy sheep lifestyle.

[COLIN BRIGHT]

don't believe Dave Lee when he says he is skint...tight is NOT the same as skint

[Dave_Lee]

No, Colin, Ive never been 'tight', never had such a grip on money to be that. Remember some people are skint when down to their last couple of quid, other their last grand. Me, well that would be telling. As the saying goes 'so long as you can afford tomorrow'.

[Ian Gourlay]

When I started out 35 years ago, I didn't have any capital at all and had to borrow off my mum to get my first proper machine. Mind you I didn't have much choice to go it alone and didn't need to make a decision about going full time, as my 9 years in the army was up, and I was out! It all depends on the mindset and how you can cope with bad times as well as good. Somehow I got to be still in this business and now run one of the bigger Truck Mounts, with an excellent repeat business. Still skint, with nowt in the bank, but hey, business is just work and I like my leisure activities better. One life- live it, no pockets in shrouds!
Dave.

Dave I thought you started on your hands and knees cleaning a Carpet The SafeClean way using Natural Sponges  so you must have borrrowed a fiver of your Mum

[COLIN BRIGHT]

your loaded Dave and you know it

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Now 'I' can tell you about being poor!

Shaun