do you guys start sending out flyers,mailers etc. for the Spring season??

or do you ever stop?

I know Steamer has already sent out his.................but I'm thinking in the next couple of weeks

I don't send out flyers or postcards or newsletters or any of that stuff. I work on referrals and repeats- they don't cost me a penny.

Started out establishing myself with some local real estate offices, did the best work in the area at a fair price. Realtors will refer you and use you again and again if you do right by them. Then the homeowners would use me, the neighbors, the other realtors in the office...on and on and on. I've never done any advertising that was worth what it cost me. Repeats and referrals are the way to go.

Take care,

Lisa

yeah but what about running a second truck?

busy enough by myself,but there's a Cleanco in my shop that wants to suck rug

Normally they get sent out end of March for April..... But I got a Deal by Sending them out one month early... actually I'm glad.. I've book 41 and counting.. so next year I'll start for end of Feb for March...

people are itching for spring

Yes, I only run one truck, and I will never own more than one truck. I would rather raise my prices than add employees and a second truck. Employees cost more money and headaches than they are worth. Better to have a high end biz with one truck than a lowball or even value priced outfit with multi trucks... At least for me. I'm no manager.

No advertising, low overhead, no payroll, flexibility, personal service, loyal clients....why would I want to run more trucks? I love being an owner / operator.

Take care,

Lisa

Nope. He was a padder before he came to Cali. He came from Hawaii where they do a lot more VLM cleaning. I bathed him in the hot steam of truckmount extraction.

Take care,

Lisa

How about Greenie Smith?

;-)

Take care,

Lisa

We have a cat, a snake and assorted fish.

We'll just be happy to pull the marriage thing off! lol...why drag more innocents into the mix?!

Take care,

Lisa

Steamer can you ever stay on topic???

you're all over the spectrum, this thread deals with some serious information.

Steamin how many flyers do you send out??

30,000 at a pop in the paper (has worked before)

but I really didn't do much advertising at all last year

Adwa... you started that flier thread...lol I ain't Tellin

ok west of Toronto

how many vans you running on referrals???

I keep myself as busy as I want to be,,,,quite often busier.

I would like enough business for keeping 2 vans busy and eventually 3 then 4 then...........

lets face it,a 1 man show when you're ready to sell the biz is worth as much as the equipment and that's about it

Employees are a bitch though.....and subs are theives..

who runs your other van???? and who would run van 3 and 4

My brother runs my other van... but I wouldn't trust anyone else... I trust in his cleaning abilities since he's cleaned with me all his life. 

good tech's are far and few

looking at hiring a guy that I used to work with or the guy that used to be the local sears bitch

I know,I've seen tech's come and go over the years but how else can a business grow?

basically I want to send someone to clean the apartments and commercial that I do so that I can focus on increasing my residential

I'm also quite happy being an O/O but I'm just trying to look towards the future

Hey Steamin have you ever thought about franchising????? selling of areas that are too far to service???  Thats the route I would like to take..

150,000 will give you 500,000 home area plus truck... Mr.Steamer approved advertising and 13% franchise fee

Andy,

The way to retire as a onee man show is to continue to raise prices as you become to busy to handle the additional work, money needs to be invested as you work into a retirement / investment account which matures at retirement age. You also need to put some of the profit into good disability insurance.

Then when you are ready to retire you can sell the biz for the price of the equipment and maybe get a few bucks for your database, or you can give the biz to a child or relative. The money for retirement comes from your investments, not from the sale of the biz or from the profits you glean off the biz.

Some people love the challenge of managing and running a multi truck operation...but many, like me, want nothing to do with it. I like the control I have over my biz. I like the relationships I have with my clients. I like not having a payroll, workmans comp (here in California WC is currently 32%), worrying about whether my techs will show, do the job well, behave themselves, impress the custy's, etc....is too much for me to worry about. I like my simple life. I also like the low overhead...sure is nice in the lean months!

But you can successfully go either way...just make sure you go the way which best suits your personality and talents.

Take care,

Lisa

trust me

I've been undecided whether or  not to expand

I DO get busier than I can handle alone at times but it was never in my business plan to be a multi truck business.

I worked for the largest  CC co. in town and I do NOT want to run things the way he does

that much I know for sure.

Steamin.... I'm almost a one man show.... I hand all the faxes that come in.. I print the jobs on respected invoice depend on who's job it is... I divide and route them..  I have to do authorizations... These are the things I do for just subbbing...

If I an do that for them I can do that for me, you get used to the high pace...

Lisa is right about investment.... but still your business has to be worth something more than just equipment when your done.

You have to look at it from a newbies point of view, Steamings Cleaning is a set-up well oil money making machine.... you've all ready done all the foot work, and made all the mistakes.... Who ever gets it after is on easy street...that has to be worth something... even in a one man show.

You should always be looking to build something you can sell...JMO