[Mike Osbourne]

I'm totally sold on the idea of a truckmount having worked with Dave Liahona last week. I saw first hand how you get offered more work on the back of the results/time/drying and you ain't knackered at the end of the day.

However, let's think about who the average newbie is to carpet cleaning. Are they someone with £40k burning a hole in their pocket or someone who needs to make some money but has no trade and no money.

From day 1 you are not going to have people beating your door down if you are totally new to the game, even if you did have a T/M.

I wish I started when I could have easily have bought a T/M new van etc all for CAAASHH, but would i no, I waited till I'd spent it all, bumming around for 2 years, ah hindsight :

But alas for those with £40k in the bank I don't think Carpet cleaning is on the radar. Notable exeptions are ex forces or early retires.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

where this 20k come from,  i got my t.m ready to go for 4,400 pounds

 what do you earn stuff ill tell you what our t.m. earnt last year ...........it took 147.98 aday working on a six day week ! ok not a lot i here you say but the porty it replaced did 79.00 aday

what did its cost me in repairs

520 pounds this year and most of that was fuel going to oxford ! and a new cluth for the transit 

so be four you number crunshers do your maths it ,may not of earnt a crap load of cash but its doing the job we got it for starting work at 9.30am and finshing at 230pm where there was no way of doing this with a porty

as most people know we are at the lower end market at the min and working up too better prices and custy,  its seems tobe going well at the min and am sure we will get there , so please if anybody wants to hear what a truck mount realy costs with out all the hype and chest beating then i am  more then happy to spk too people buy phone 

i also run a good few vans at DHL now i just went out a got a new 08 lwb sprinter costing me 23k it earns 125 aday (day rate) of which 50-70 worth of fuel goes in aday its now sat with 33,000 miles on the clock and needs the side painting due to me knocking down a lamp post so whats the van worth now 15k ish work them numbers out

ive spent over 1500 pounds on it so far this year on two full wing mirrors, t,bar, front bumper, and six new tyers a set of pads and shoes that with out its  serviceing

 you will see buying a t.m. doesnt look that bad after all trust me


julian

[Neil Grainger]

Susan

I know they are out there good deals on Truckmounts, I was just trying to make a point that you dont have to have one to  have a succesfull cleaning business.

Of  course it would be very nice to have one but its not essential  to make this business work.

For me this business is more about Getting the work the machinery is secound to that, without the work you dont make any money.

[Glynn]

All this talk about successful portable operators, where are they ?, who are they ?
Move importantly what exactly do you term as successful ?.

[Straker Cleaning]

Here i am  :

Successful .......... indoors but 380 pounds heavier, 25 days holiday coming up, supplier to Parliament, Green Business award winner (X3) , most CC's know me or of me (good or bad), featured in magazines and newspapers ............. i am in mine and my family's eyes and that is what counts as far as i am concerned 

[Simon Gerrard]

Chris,

I couldn't agree with you more. If you have all of the bits that make you and yours happy and content that you can't ask for more than that.

Simon

[Neil Grainger]

Here I am also,

Just arrived home £300 better off than this morning, also done a quote for a domestic house clean to the value of £636 in Ewhurst, Surrey from a recomendation of a Job i did last week. All this with a portable.  Home by 4 today.

I even know 2 succesfull NCCA directors who use portables and make very good money.

[Phillip Mold]

And here I am, making a lot less money than the last two, but then I don't need to. Making a living and my quality of life is much better than when I worked in an office two years ago.

Been in the garden since 12 today, going to Goodwood festival of speed at the weekend!

[Mike Osbourne]

One of the best days out you can have, even the car park is wonderful.

[Ray]

Any entry level Truck Mount is well capable of doing £60 - £100,000 of work per year, that's one hell of a return on a mere £15k investment when other small businesses have to invest far more to earn much less.



Hi Simon
The figures you gave of £60 - £100,000 of work per year is that from one person using the TM like a sole trder  or several people in a company with staff who do the cleaning so working the machine for more hours.

[Simon Gerrard]

Hi Ray,
£60k is only just over a grand a week and that is well do-able by one man depending on how much you charge etc. £80k is only £1,500 per week and that too is well in range for one man provided you're well organised and perhaps have some helpers available to you for the bigger jobs.

Don't forget, the single biggest advantage of a Truck Mount over a portable is its ability to clean much faster and much more efficiently leaving you far more scope to earn money. It also gives you a far wider potential market and in these days of economic uncertainty it would be foolish to restrict your available market by buying a machine that can't cope with the bigger, dirtier jobs which often need to be done to a deadline. TM will also give you the ability to pressure wash and do hard floors and so are far more versatile than a portable, all of which means that yes, you have to invest more but the returns on that investment are so much more.
£15 - £20,000, perhaps a lot less if you're willing to have a second-hand TM is peanuts in comparison to the start-up costs of other small businesses.

Food for thought.

Simon

[Mike Osbourne]

So Simon what you are saying is in times of uncertainty, go out and spend £20k

[Simon Gerrard]

No Mike, I am not, I'm merely trying to keep my answers within the spirit of the original question, Which Machine?'

It would be complete folly to invest in a machine that can only take you into a certain percentage of the available market when other machines could provide you with a far broader market and provide a far bigger return on investment.
Perhaps the honest answer to the question is that if you cannot afford  what it takes to set yourself up with even a second-hand TM then perhaps your wisest move would be to do nothing and sit the coming economic storm out because if your going to relying on domestic customers to keep your business afloat, you may be disappointed.

Simon

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

The biggest thing which holds us back is ourselves, Simon is relentless in his advocacy of TM's but this is because he genuinely believes that is the best way to be successful.

I have certainly been guilty of resting on my laurels, but since the internet came along I realised I did'nt have to be a small town CC but now travel fairly widely doing much more inetesting and rewarding work.

A lot depends on how the prospective machine is going to be financed, if it's all on credit then it could get very tough, if however there is cash then much more likely to succeed.

Cheers

Doug

[mark shannon]

I make a very nice living with a porty, charging good prices, however TM very tempting as i am not getting any younger and i could sqeeze in a extra job with a TM.

However will have to convince the Boss first 

[Neil Grainger]

Very hard times ahead but it could mean people will clean and not replace.

I would think very hard if i  was starting again now. I'm 5 years in now and its only been the last year that it is really taking off, most of the changes made to make it grow have come from great advice on this site.

[John Kelly]

Best advice is to diversify. Why restrict yourself to carpets and upholstery when there are a multitude of services which need cleaning. Not much different just slightly different kit and processes but plenty of help on here and elswhere if you want to try your hand at owt.
Obvious one is drives and patios, ready made customers from your carpet cleaning jobs. Hard floors, again in the same homes or better still in commercial premises, these jobs can run into thousands of pounds.
Facias, petrol stations, drive throughs, stables, kennels, catteries, kitchens, windows, conservatories, air conditioning ducting, drains, picnic sites, toilet blocks, deep cleans in pubs, how many times have you stuck to the bar? the list goes on and on.

[Mike Osbourne]

John

Funny you should say that because had a thought that the people who seem to be doing well seem to have a very small niche like Dave Liahona and his A listers, Simon Gerrard doing his boat thing. But yes, you are right and I'm really please I'm doing leather now and quality rugs.

[lands]

Direction, Direction, Direction. That is the key (along with heaps of motivation)

[John Kelly]

Pete, get yourself a satnav. Were all those bottles there.