What's was your biggest add on or system change failure?

Mikey P

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Was your biggest regret..

Switching to another method or machine?

Adding additional steps that no one noticed?

Changing up your pricing from SF to room or vice versa

Hiring or not hiring techs?

Going green or anti allergin?

Trying to get bulletin board prices in Pecan Falls Georgia?





I'd love to hear from @CJ-FL on this...
 

SamIam

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California
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sam miller
Was your biggest regret..

Switching to another method or machine?

Adding additional steps that no one noticed?

Changing up your pricing from SF to room or vice versa

Hiring or not hiring techs?

Going green or anti allergin?

Trying to get bulletin board prices in Pecan Falls Georgia?





I'd love to hear from @CJ-FL on this...

Paying more for yelp and getting the same return!

Now there’s 10 or so locals with 20-30 plus 5 star reviews and I’m the idiot paying to give them free seo!

I was on a month to month and went back down. $325 a month now I can spend the extra on google!
 
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BIG WOOD

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Matt w.
2 things for this owner/operator:

1. Trying to go full force in water damage up to Cat2. I had an eye opening moment way back in '09 that not only slapped me in the face with reality, but also humbled me. It was a a busted pipe that flooded the whole upstairs above the garage and went down to the garage of course. It was a cold winter and I was low on air movers and dehus. So my uneducated self thought, "I'll just dry one floor at a time". I set up my stuff on the upstairs after I extracted the water and pulled the pads, checked on my equipment every day for the next 3 days, only to find all my stuff sitting on the driveway the 4th day. The adjuster didn't like that both floors were not dry after 3 days, and had his wdr crew come do it the right way, and he didn't hesitate to tell me how insurance wants the job done also. I'm lucky he even paid me. So after that embarrassing experience, I learned that not every wd job will be done, unless I invest more in it. So I started to stay very small in that field after that.

2. Air duct cleaning: I just sold my little rotobrush. I grew to hating cleaning ducts just because that's a 2-3 man job, not a owner/operator job. It's a headache when only one person does it, and it's very inefficient. Plus, Rotobrush is only good for single wide trailer air duct systems and very small homes. Anything bigger needs a negative air system.
 

BIG WOOD

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I also previously did Pressure Washing and Window cleaning, but sold out the pressure washing to focus more on carpet cleaning and dropped window cleaning, because I hate cleaning windows. Some would say that cleaning windows is high profit, but when you have a big investment in carpet cleaning equipment, the profit margin isn't as high as it would be if you did windows 100% of your time.

But since I dropped all those services, I networked with and air duct cleaning company, a wdr company, and a janitor company for windows and pw, and all of them send a ton of carpet cleaning jobs my way. I have a $1500job this weekend that I got from the pw company that I hope I'll be able to do in one day because it's a little farther than I normally drive that day.
 

DAT

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Nevada
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Bill Cheryl
@Matt Wood the bundle service: window cleaning, duct cleaning etc has pontential for high profit margin in long term, if planning on having a crew... Thats what i want to do. More service to provide means more exposure to client to upsell services and upselling products for specific services...

I would like to make $100k+per year just managing my own company and training... Its doable. My area market is ideal for this...
 

BIG WOOD

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@Matt Wood the bundle service: window cleaning, duct cleaning etc has pontential for high profit margin in long term, if planning on having a crew... Thats what i want to do. More service to provide means more exposure to client to upsell services and upselling products for specific services...

I would like to make $100k+per year just managing my own company and training... Its doable. My area market is ideal for this...
I agree. Just make sure you have the crew before you add these services on. I grew to hate it because I was understaffed. My carpet cleaning is enough to still grow way more. With that in mind, I'm training a possible technician this weekend on my big job I have scheduled.

More service does mean more exposure. But you need to be the best at each service, and to be the best you have to have full dedication with knowledge and equipment, which takes allot of time and money for just one person.
 
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Desk Jockey

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Rico Suave
Man I could write a book. However it would only confirm your thoughts on being an IDIOT.

Ceiling cleaning system...everyone has dirty ceiling tile. :errf:
15k Ultrasonic machine...it works great...when we set it up...a few times a year.
Soda blasting system...unit and air compressor 30k
There are more...more expensive but if I continue, I won't be able to eat tonight. :redface:
 

Jimmy L

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Ne
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Jimmy L
Ceiling cleaning . I knew how to do it after working for a large school district.
And cleaning large apartment complexes..............suck
Carpet and spot dyeing
 
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ruff

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Ofer Kolton
Man I could write a book. However it would only confirm your thoughts on being an IDIOT.

Ceiling cleaning system...everyone has dirty ceiling tile. :errf:
15k Ultrasonic machine...it works great...when we set it up...a few times a year.
Soda blasting system...unit and air compressor 30k
There are more...more expensive but if I continue, I won't be able to eat tonight. :redface:
Richard brings comfort to our universe.
Nice to know that I am not the only one who makes mistakes.

Thank you Rico.
 
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Desk Jockey

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Rico Suave
I didn't even mention the 2 properties and building fiascos. Sold both properties. Ya know the drill "Buy high, sell low". :dejection:

Still have the 5,000 sq/ft small building. Time will tell if it was wise to keep it or not. We do store one vehicle there in the winter, that we don't have room for here. :neutral:
 
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Kenny Hayes

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Kenny Hayes
I’m gonna use Larry’s term, Daaaaymn, you boys are making me depressed and tired!! I do still have the Bane, but never had the full system. I still use it to do hard to reach areas. Lordy, everything I do seems like a mistake a lotta days. But I had a district mg. of Lowe’s beg me to take care of all his floors in the district. I reluctantly bought a rider scrubber to do this with. He got transferred before the scrubber got to me from the mfg. I did them for one year, and they bought 1100 for all their stores. We ALL have a story.
 
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Dolly Llama

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Larry Capitoni
Was your biggest regret..

not staying at the union factory job I HATED ????
sometime yea/sometimes no
Mostly depends whether more's coming in than going out at the time .....

carpet related.....too much cherry picking starting around year 5
While picking cherries, dropped all the weekend and night monthly/quarterly jobs (unless cherry picked at $200+ an hour)
... sluffing along in cruise control for too long, getting burnt out (cause I'm too stupid to let anyone else but me clean res)..cause I'm that damn good!!



Switching to another method or machine?

my "new method" was transitioning to a new trade all together (starting in '01 and by '06 was too legit to quit)
has proved to be good move and put me in a better position

Adding additional steps that no one noticed?

no...that's just ig'nnt

Hiring or not hiring techs?

biggest challenge of them all



I probably went thru 15 guys last year trying to find three more men that were worth a chit .
Could of kept 7 men busy from May to Jan but could only muster 3 and me .
Had to turn down two large projects due to lack of manpower


Going green or anti allergin?

hell no
the last thing I wanted was a bunch of geeky freekwads and over sensitive peeps
Ofer can have 'em....



Trying to get bulletin board prices in Pecan Falls Georgia?


two things men stretch the truth about most...
their sex life and income

I'll only say this much about that,

Money's never motivated me ..only lack of does/has
and, I'm a leg man..but Joni's married, so I only look with one eye

..L.T.A.
 
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Cleanworks

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If I wasn't so idealistic and didn't have such a big mouth, I would still be working at the railroad, probably making about $35 per hour with full benefits and looking forward to retirement in 2 years with a full pension.
 
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Bob Pruitt

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earth
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Robert Pruitt
In the old days it was drapery cleaning. Heating solvents and spraying them at the still hanging draperies...I should be dead.
Currently its the purchase of the top of the line Ninja portable that I have used a grand total of 2 times. But it's there if I absolutely need it...and I hope I never do.
 

Lint Basket

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Feb 27, 2013
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Centerville UT.
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Scott Mckay
1. When I started my cleaning business in 2002 I used my capital from a previous business. I purchased used equipment (used steamway powermatic) and a used gmc box truck. I was always broke down and felt like a mechanic. I almost quit the business before buying a brand new Aerotech in 2004. If I would have just done that to begin with I would have saved tens of thousands. 10 year trucks all day long with very little maintenance. (when I retire I think I'll work for Aerotech if they'd let me).
2. Air Duct Cleaning
3. Restoration

Just let me be a textile, tile and stone expert.
 

Nomad74

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Feb 4, 2016
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Redding
1. When I started my cleaning business in 2002 I used my capital from a previous business. I purchased used equipment (used steamway powermatic) and a used gmc box truck. I was always broke down and felt like a mechanic. I almost quit the business before buying a brand new Aerotech in 2004. If I would have just done that to begin with I would have saved tens of thousands. 10 year trucks all day long with very little maintenance. (when I retire I think I'll work for Aerotech if they'd let me).
2. Air Duct Cleaning
3. Restoration

Just let me be a textile, tile and stone expert.
That's how I felt with my Amtex. I just wanted to clean, not repair stuff all the time.
 

SamIam

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sam miller
D6690ADC-F470-44F2-9875-EAC6EC2BB979.jpeg



So far these were good decisions
 

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