[paul alan]

I have finally made my mind up after much humming and harring,

After posting a job on indeed I have settled on someone who seems a good guy.

I plan to have him out with me for 2 days per week, as training. at £8 ph. Then in 6-8 weeks I want hime to go out in my van for 1 day a week and spend the other with me still, for this he gets a bonus of £2 per hour making it £10 ph. And finally I want him doing 2 days a week in my van without me at £12 ph. He'll be making £40 ph eventually. His wages will be £8 per hour basic and the rest performance based bonus.

I do this as I want time to work on building a stronger business and a brand so I can then set to work on franchising, it also allows me to move forward bringing in more custom than what I want to do on my own. Then my wife who normaly works with me can be a back up if needed and do more of the background work that goes on day to day.


I have just set up as limited and have paye in place. This wont cost me another van, nor am I taking the chance that I will have to let customers down if he doesnt turn in. I just simply have to work that day myself instead.


I stay just under the vat and when I franchise, I work less myself until the point comes when I no longer have to go out cleaning windows at  all.Goal reached.


Can anyone foresee any problems or issues that I'm not seeing atm?

[Go]

I honestly reckon that unless you plan to go big quickly, it’s not worth the hassle of employing.

Good luck!

[Phil J]

I'd have him in every day. When you feel he's competent allow him to work alone. He's going to struggle to remember  the round and any issues pertaining to certain jobs  working two days a week. Also, he's not going to get up to speed very quickly working two days per week! Bite the bullet and get him working full time until your happy with his performance, reliability, personality ,customer interaction and all the other variables you won't have control of when he's out in your van,  otherwise it will be a slow, slow learning curve.

[Shrek]

You’ll be paying him £40 per hour   

[PHILIP HARDY]

Get him to sign a confidentially clause meaning he cannot gain by stealing or giving/selling any information regarding your customers or work practises, you will often find that you train people who seem ideal only for them to use the benifit of your knowledge to set up as a rival, Now that does hurt !!!

[johnwillan]

I have finally made my mind up after much humming and harring,

After posting a job on indeed I have settled on someone who seems a good guy.

I plan to have him out with me for 2 days per week, as training. at £8 ph. Then in 6-8 weeks I want hime to go out in my van for 1 day a week and spend the other with me still, for this he gets a bonus of £2 per hour making it £10 ph. And finally I want him doing 2 days a week in my van without me at £12 ph. He'll be making £40 ph eventually. His wages will be £8 per hour basic and the rest performance based bonus.

I do this as I want time to work on building a stronger business and a brand so I can then set to work on franchising, it also allows me to move forward bringing in more custom than what I want to do on my own. Then my wife who normaly works with me can be a back up if needed and do more of the background work that goes on day to day.


I have just set up as limited and have paye in place. This wont cost me another van, nor am I taking the chance that I will have to let customers down if he doesnt turn in. I just simply have to work that day myself instead.


I stay just under the vat and when I franchise, I work less myself until the point comes when I no longer have to go out cleaning windows at  all.Goal reached.


Can anyone foresee any problems or issues that I'm not seeing atm?

If you intend to franchise why not do it now?

[dazmond]

itll all end in tears......and hassle and i bet he doesnt last more than a few months at best.....itll take you ages to find a decent worker unless your extremely lucky......

[Smudger]

ask yourself this - what sort of person are you going to get for 2 days a week ?

either a semi retired person - who won't want to go onto full time  or a complete waster - any decent person will have bills, family rent to pay and need full time - this way you'll get some commitment

your best aim is to work as 2 men - getting him/her upto speed then you start going out canvassing for more work while they clean windows and as your wife can clean you have an advantage you can build up a really busy 2 man round before cutting into 2 singles and taking on the next person

Darran

[paul alan]

I have finally made my mind up after much humming and harring,

After posting a job on indeed I have settled on someone who seems a good guy.

I plan to have him out with me for 2 days per week, as training. at £8 ph. Then in 6-8 weeks I want hime to go out in my van for 1 day a week and spend the other with me still, for this he gets a bonus of £2 per hour making it £10 ph. And finally I want him doing 2 days a week in my van without me at £12 ph. He'll be making £40 ph eventually. His wages will be £8 per hour basic and the rest performance based bonus.

I do this as I want time to work on building a stronger business and a brand so I can then set to work on franchising, it also allows me to move forward bringing in more custom than what I want to do on my own. Then my wife who normaly works with me can be a back up if needed and do more of the background work that goes on day to day.


I have just set up as limited and have paye in place. This wont cost me another van, nor am I taking the chance that I will have to let customers down if he doesnt turn in. I just simply have to work that day myself instead.


I stay just under the vat and when I franchise, I work less myself until the point comes when I no longer have to go out cleaning windows at  all.Goal reached.


Can anyone foresee any problems or issues that I'm not seeing atm?

If you intend to franchise why not do it now?

Wish I could, its been months now and cant find anyone. The work keeps building up and I dont want to have to keep doing it all, my kids are growing up quick and I'm missing out.


The business needs working on, I'm too busy working in it.


I think no-one wants to buy in because I'm just a small un heard of out fit, I even reduced the price to 5k, I dont want to go any lower than that.


Besides if someone does crop up I can still accommodate this way its just a way making things easier for me right now. I can keep growing and establishing while preparing m business for franchising.


I think my business is not ready for a franchise yet in the eyes of a potential franchisee. It needs working on, I cant do that while I'm doing all the work.

[paul alan]

ask yourself this - what sort of person are you going to get for 2 days a week ?

either a semi retired person - who won't want to go onto full time  or a complete waster - any decent person will have bills, family rent to pay and need full time - this way you'll get some commitment

your best aim is to work as 2 men - getting him/her upto speed then you start going out canvassing for more work while they clean windows and as your wife can clean you have an advantage you can build up a really busy 2 man round before cutting into 2 singles and taking on the next person

Darran

The bloke I have found has a gardening business of his own, he has enough work for 2 days per week himself and has been working for someone else for the last few years part time. It suits him that way, and it'll suit me too.

I dont want to go the employment route, seems too much hassle. Franchise seems perfect to me, all the onus is off me. I have thought long and hard about it but if I invest all that money in equipment etc and it goes wrong it could be really stressful.

[paul alan]

itll all end in tears......and hassle and i bet he doesnt last more than a few months at best.....itll take you ages to find a decent worker unless your extremely lucky......

Thats only one possibility. I t doesn't always work out that way.

[paul alan]

You’ll be paying him £40 per hour   

£8 basic with £4 bonus.

He'll be making £40 ph, easy.

[Stoots]

Great minds must think alike ( or similar)

Im setting on a new guy on monday, hes going to be working 3 days a week. (24 hrs)

Im not paying him as much as you though (cant afford to i dont turnover that much)

He will be working with me for a couple of weeks as a 2 man then will start sending him out of his own in my van to see what he can do.

If he can do the figures i need solo i will get another van for him, if not ill sack him 

It depends on your work but i know from working 2 man previously on most of my work theres next to no profit in it. if i can do 200 a day we would do 300 a day 2 man and after employment costs its really not worth it.
But my works isnt compact, theres a lot of stop start 1 here 1 there so its only really feasible in seperate vans apart from the odd day.

Cash flow is also a consideration, it got to me a bit last time, paying someone elses wages as a priority and having to chase and scrape the barrel to pay my own!

Good luck.

[Shrek]

You’ll be paying him £40 per hour   

£8 basic with £4 bonus.

He'll be making £40 ph, easy.

Sorry I misunderstood, sounds like a good deal for him.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

You’ll be paying him £40 per hour   

£8 basic with £4 bonus.

He'll be making £40 ph, easy.

Sorry I misunderstood, sounds like a good deal for him.

It does, doesn't it- he'll be making "easily" £40 ph but only recieving between 8 and 12 of that for a job that must be the most simple and cheapest to set up that you could get!!🤣👍wish I was in his shoes!!

[dazmond]

it wont work out.............you cant even spell "plan"......... ......only joking paul....good luck for trying......i wouldnt want an employee to ruin my hard earned reputation so i choose to stay on my own.....

[Smudger]

Gomo - not being rude but £200 is not high enough you really need to be punting out £250 on your own in 7 hrs and 2 men should hit £400 - aside from the usual location arguments if you look at your day is it really productive or are you just running at a comfortable pace ? Look at where time can be saved off the glass - tea breaks long lunches smoking stops  - slow reeling in maybe extra trips from van to post ticket chit chat etc...

Not sure I’d take on someone with their own biz, which when push comes to shove would be priority over work, I know some gardeners charge/earn lower rates but someone who is used to taking 100% income will soon resent only a 25% slice imo

Darran

[paul alan]

You’ll be paying him £40 per hour   

£8 basic with £4 bonus.

He'll be making £40 ph, easy.

Sorry I misunderstood, sounds like a good deal for him.

It does, doesn't it- he'll be making "easily" £40 ph but only recieving between 8 and 12 of that for a job that must be the most simple and cheapest to set up that you could get!!🤣👍wish I was in his shoes!!

Not everyone wants to set-up, some people just want to earn some money and go home without spending a penny or thinking twice. Just look how many people are employed.

In our area £12 ph is good money.

I love all the neigh Sayers….glass is only ever half full and all that.....funny!

[Stoots]

Gomo - not being rude but £200 is not high enough you really need to be punting out £250 on your own in 7 hrs and 2 men should hit £400 - aside from the usual location arguments if you look at your day is it really productive or are you just running at a comfortable pace ? Look at where time can be saved off the glass - tea breaks long lunches smoking stops  - slow reeling in maybe extra trips from van to post ticket chit chat etc...

Not sure I’d take on someone with their own biz, which when push comes to shove would be priority over work, I know some gardeners charge/earn lower rates but someone who is used to taking 100% income will soon resent only a 25% slice imo

Darran

£200 usually takes me between 5-6 hours, depending on the day. I always work flat out so cant really work any harder

I probably could do £250 in 7 hours but it would be hard graft and not sustainable long term, and if its hard enough for me i couldnt expect an employee to do it... that would be 20-25 jobs a day and not the most compact so a fair bit of driving involved.

Pretty sure i would struggle to do £400 2 man. we were doing £300 in about 6 hours between us before but again hard graft, no messing about.

But then again i wont be paying much more than minimum wage, i simply cant afford to.

[paul alan]

Gomo - not being rude but £200 is not high enough you really need to be punting out £250 on your own in 7 hrs and 2 men should hit £400 - aside from the usual location arguments if you look at your day is it really productive or are you just running at a comfortable pace ? Look at where time can be saved off the glass - tea breaks long lunches smoking stops  - slow reeling in maybe extra trips from van to post ticket chit chat etc...

Not sure I’d take on someone with their own biz, which when push comes to shove would be priority over work, I know some gardeners charge/earn lower rates but someone who is used to taking 100% income will soon resent only a 25% slice imo

Darran

What your saying  is quite obvious, I have considered it and questioned him about it.

He only does a couple of commercial contracts and seems content with that, he has been working part time for another cleaning company(not windows) for the past 3 years but that's come to an end now. He's been working Sundays for less than what I am offering for week days.


One of the first questions I asked was "what if you get more gardening work, would it take priority?" he says it been static 2 days per week for years, he doesn't want more gardening work. Maybe he's lying?? Who can know...…….