Mikey P
Administrator
Just curious, I wont belittle you if you're making this mistake..
Do you compete with Mullti Truck Operations?
- Thread starter Mikey P
- Start date
hogjowl
Idiot™
They steal bottom end people away
And I appreciate it
And I appreciate it
Desk Jockey
Member
Yes.
We have them all Servicemaster, Servpro, Paul Davis, Rainbow, Belfour,NCRI, ACT, very competitive market. KC is less than an hour away so anything big you can expect guys will travel.
We have them all Servicemaster, Servpro, Paul Davis, Rainbow, Belfour,NCRI, ACT, very competitive market. KC is less than an hour away so anything big you can expect guys will travel.
Zee
Supportive Member
Every conceivable franchise in my area ...I don't feel like I'm competing with them. ....
But I did catch one of my old regulars falling for the zerocrap lies...
Yes, zero showed up with one porty and a ratty bucket that was filled with regular tap water. No magical water.
And of course two cholos that are struggling to utter straight Inglés words. ..si sí....la carpeta bery dorty.
But I did catch one of my old regulars falling for the zerocrap lies...
Yes, zero showed up with one porty and a ratty bucket that was filled with regular tap water. No magical water.
And of course two cholos that are struggling to utter straight Inglés words. ..si sí....la carpeta bery dorty.
ruff
Member
Weather we want to or not we all do.
We do, we're priced a little higher than our local Stanley, which is a pretty well run outfit, and actually less than Coit which is $.55 a foot and run horribly. We get customers from them pretty often bc we do so much more for not much more, and in some cases less, money. I like being a price point guy, our business has grown like crazy the last few years and it's been easier to get techs out in the field without having a 12 step process(we still have 6), charging by the square foot, being 30% more than everybody else, etc. Not knocking anybody that goes that route, I have a good friend in my town that's over $.50 a foot and he keeps 2-3 trucks busy.
SamIam
Member
Cleanworks
Moderator
Usually just cleaning up after them.
Dolly Llama
Number 5
Anyone that's in the mid price range
($30-$60 per room/200sf)
Swim in the same pool
Duh
LTA
($30-$60 per room/200sf)
Swim in the same pool
Duh
LTA
Mikey P
Administrator
maybe for your failed business model, for us it's very clear that choosy homeowners want a Connoisseur..
not a Larry Lunchpail
Hack Attack
Member
Everybody does to some degree, but particulary those who employ staff.
If they choose to acknowledge that or not is up to them
If they choose to acknowledge that or not is up to them
Dolly Llama
Number 5
yea, sure
'cept most don't have the luxury of being a semi retired cherry picker who also makes as much and more from other interests alone as most BD's net in a year
you need to get real, dude
you're out of fcking touch with reality
..L.T.A.
steve_64
Member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2012
- Messages
- 13,371
I have enough trouble competing with myself.
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
Mikey P
Administrator
So you want me to speak on how to open and run a carpet cleaning business for those with no imaginations, poor communications skills, crappy equipment and no idea how to use it vs my own experience of starting and running two locations that have $450- $500 job averages, spend less than $5k a year on marketing and have the best reputations in town?
That is my reality and if a lunk head like me can do it so can anyone..
If they pay attention and don't fall into the pricing trap that only attracts the wrong customer.
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
Lunk head......
Wth do you come up wit this stuff...
I love this place....
Wth do you come up wit this stuff...
I love this place....
Bob Pruitt
Member
Maybe when I was younger I did compete head to head with them. It was early on and they weren’t so formidable then. Seemed like Chem Dry was changing owners monthly. SS was just another one of the coupon cleaners then. Easy to win.
Now though I know my strengths and my limitations so the high end is my primary focus. Selective areas and demographics. I win there easily over the big guys.
Now though I know my strengths and my limitations so the high end is my primary focus. Selective areas and demographics. I win there easily over the big guys.
Dolly Llama
Number 5
no Mike they can't
In all seriousness, you don't give yourself enough credit
by definition , MOST are "average",
not everyone can be extraordinary.
strive as the might , every pro athlete or biz owner can't and won't be a hall of famer or a Gates, Buffet or Bezos
Just a fact of live
..L.T.A.
Mikey P
Administrator
well...
Lets face it, most O/O dudes are carpet cleaners because they, like me, are un-hire-able weirdos.
They got in cheap with used crappy equipment and lived off savings or the wife's income until they get to the 50K ish a year spot then they do one of a few things.
- Get a helper and continue on (probably the smartest thing) until they get so worn out that they either become School Janitors, IICRC instructors or house husbands, if they married real well.
- They get up to 4 or 5 trucks, realize it took the revenue from 3 or 4 to cover the first two then give up and go back to #1 if time allows.
- Most are such social goobers that even a helper wont stay with them for long so they fly solo the whole ways. Hopefully investing well and have a son or two who will continue the family legacy and retiring in a cheap to live community.
and you get a small hand full of Steve Tooboring success stories that get all Surdi with it and make the rest of us look like Marties.
F
FB7777
Guest
Totally agree Larry
In fact , another sad reality is for many they may have been better off working for a Stanley and working up the ranks to straddle a desk
Instead of grinding it out for 20 plus years and not having an exit plan
Linear income only works for so long ... eventually something gives out
Papa John
Lifetime Supportive Member
Mikey, when Larry said you are out of touch with reality, my interpretation of that-- is that you are in a league all your own; and congrats for that.
In hindsite, I wish I had marketed and priced my services to the higher earning crowd.
But when I lost about 80% of my customer base during the 1st Dot com bust I decided to have a wider customer base with the middle class and more modest prices.
Dealing with your type of client base has it's risks and rewards as does mine. I choose not to take that the risks you took, and sometimes I regret it.
In hindsite, I wish I had marketed and priced my services to the higher earning crowd.
But when I lost about 80% of my customer base during the 1st Dot com bust I decided to have a wider customer base with the middle class and more modest prices.
Dealing with your type of client base has it's risks and rewards as does mine. I choose not to take that the risks you took, and sometimes I regret it.
Mark Saiger
Mr Happy!
I have 2 trucks...
I am the multi trucker here...
But I seriously do have other franchises... And even when doing restoration I was getting an incredible amount of that work...
Now I am specialized
But there is competition. I just make sure I am one of them too...
I am the multi trucker here...
But I seriously do have other franchises... And even when doing restoration I was getting an incredible amount of that work...
Now I am specialized
But there is competition. I just make sure I am one of them too...
Cleanworks
Moderator
I am a multi-truck operation too. I have 3 trucks, I just take turns driving them.
Mark Saiger
Mr Happy!
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
i was charging $39.95 2 rm an hall.. $12.95/ extra rm
i was killin it on volume...
lr dr h....39.95
2 extra br 12.95 each
scotchgard lr dr h....10.00
br's @5.00 each
average ticket.....$85.85
did about 10 a day
and yes six days a week
do the math
almost alwez pulled back in before 5:00..sometimes at 8:00
might be why i can't breathe OR walk.....now!
i was killin it on volume...
lr dr h....39.95
2 extra br 12.95 each
scotchgard lr dr h....10.00
br's @5.00 each
average ticket.....$85.85
did about 10 a day
and yes six days a week
do the math
almost alwez pulled back in before 5:00..sometimes at 8:00
might be why i can't breathe OR walk.....now!
Last edited:
When was this though?
Cleanworks
Moderator
My first cc job was like that over 30 years ago. 39.95 for living room/dining area and hall. 5 jobs per day, 6 days a week. We were expected to come back with at least $500 A day.
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
1972-2009 when i sold it to CRASH
now do you know why i had one city locked down...
actually....it was jus the south side of town.....1250 loyal custies PLUS my commercial jobs..4 or 5 dealerships
that i did four times each a year
IT WAS THE PERFECT SET-UP
CRASH had this crazy idea to go to the burbs wit some crazy assed prices
his truck now sits in the driveway ALL DAY
carpet cleaning just supplies cash for my other businesses.
Its a good business, but also an extremely saturated market and just not one I want to try and scale to a huge operation. We have some big independent companies here, one of them I know spends $30k/month on advertising and has constant employee turn around problems. Maybe he makes $250,000 a year or more all said and done as the owner but thats with a lot of stress.
its a tough business to try and be super competitive at the top in, nobody really wants to be a carpet cleaner so finding good employees is not easy.. most any other hard labor job at least results in them getting a valuable skill, like framing houses or doing remodel work.
Its a good business, but also an extremely saturated market and just not one I want to try and scale to a huge operation. We have some big independent companies here, one of them I know spends $30k/month on advertising and has constant employee turn around problems. Maybe he makes $250,000 a year or more all said and done as the owner but thats with a lot of stress.
its a tough business to try and be super competitive at the top in, nobody really wants to be a carpet cleaner so finding good employees is not easy.. most any other hard labor job at least results in them getting a valuable skill, like framing houses or doing remodel work.
