? for the owner operators

[Walrus Gumboot]

Is it your intention to always be a one man show(w/helper) until you sell out and cash in big someday?
Or, does everybody want a multi-truck operation where you are the business manager?

Could you, would you want to manage a large business with 10-20+ employees that constantly depend on your abilities as a businessman/person to make sure they and their families always have a paycheck on Friday,with benefits, and a future with your company? Do you have what it takes to accomplish and maintain that? Do you desire that kind of responsibility?
Think about it.

So the question is;
Are you a businessman,or a technician who owns a business?
Are you happy as an O/O, or is it just a stepping stone?

There is no wrong answer,or one that is better than the other.
I'm just curious.

 

[Jeff Madsen]

Due to chronic Joe Bristor disorder, I will die with wanda in my arms.

 

[Chris A]

I am neither, I'm looking more toward 5-10 employees and a cozy sized multi-truck operation.

 

[Walrus Gumboot]

Well Chris, I think you would fall into the businessman category. 10 employees probably means you won't be an owner operator anymore.

Not everybody wants that kind of stress in their lives.

 

[truckmount girl]

Well, before GG came into my life I was planning on working as an O/O on the truck until I couldn't anymore. I didn't even like having a helper most of the time.

I enjoyed the work, the customers, the freedom and the flexibility and the low stress levels and low overhead.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[rick imby]

Well, before GG came into my life I was planning on working as an O/O on the truck until I couldn't anymore. I didn't even like having a helper most of the time.

I enjoyed the work, the customers, the freedom and the flexibility and the low stress levels and low overhead.

Take care,
Lisa

Then everything took a big change? Would you like to go back to the good old Days? Or were they the good old days?




These are the Good Old Days,
Rick




********

Eugene Oregon Carpet Cleaning Carpet Cleaning Websites Sioux Falls Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning

 

[XTREME1]

I have been slowly stepping away recently. I love being on the truck but with my family and my wifes promotion it is difficult to manage everything from the cab of the truck

 

[Derek]

Is it your intention to always be a one man show(w/helper) until you sell out and cash in big someday?

yes

Or, does everybody want a multi-truck operation where you are the business manager?

nope

Could you, would you want to manage a large business with 10-20+ employees that constantly depend on your abilities as a businessman/person to make sure they and their families always have a paycheck on Friday,with benefits, and a future with your company? Do you have what it takes to accomplish and maintain that? Do you desire that kind of responsibility?

no & no

Are you a businessman,or a technician who owns a business?

the latter

Are you happy as an O/O, or is it just a stepping stone?

happy, look at the beautiful home i've worked my whole life for

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[truckmount girl]

[quote="truckmount girl"ets56wc]Well, before GG came into my life I was planning on working as an O/O on the truck until I couldn't anymore. I didn't even like having a helper most of the time.

I enjoyed the work, the customers, the freedom and the flexibility and the low stress levels and low overhead.

Take care,
Lisa

Then everything took a big change? Would you like to go back to the good old Days? Or were they the good old days?




These are the Good Old Days,
Rick[/quoteets56wc]

I feel what I do now has more benefit to more people than what I did then. But I do miss it. I wanted to do both for a while, but you can't do either well when you are streched too tightly so I made the choice.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Great topic Steve.

Is it your intention to always be a one man show(w/helper) until you sell out and cash in big someday?

I have cleaned carpets for almost 12 years and have cleaned around 10,000 homes and business. I love to do the work for the most part, but my real passion is to create something that is more than myself. I am sure along the way I will find a bunch of ways not to run a business.

Could you, would you want to manage a large business with 10-20+ employees that constantly depend on your abilities as a businessman/person to make sure they and their families always have a paycheck on Friday,with benefits, and a future with your company? Do you have what it takes to accomplish and maintain that? Do you desire that kind of responsibility?

I want to try and run a large business. In order to reach that point, the foundation of the business must be strong. This is the importance of creating a streamlined system. The system of how things are done with elimanate so many bumps along the way.

Are you a businessman,or a technician who owns a business?

Right now I am a owner, manager and technician all in one. It is important to be all 3 at once equally. Mike Gerbers book The E Myth talks about this, who each person is and the importance of not letting one be the dominate.

Time will tell if I have the skill to create what I want. I have a detail business plan broken into different phases. I have been planning this for years, but with 3 kids I had to make sure what I was doing was the best way I know and learned. This year is the first time that I have been on my own, with no job to back up my income.

I feel very good about what I have done and feel very good about the future. Next spring my company will have taken giant leaps forward. I am in the process of branding my logo and name. I have a meeting today to work on some designs for my cloths line that is coming out. 90% of it is baby cloths. The designs will be custom made with my name and logo appearing in some form on the cloths. Who has babies? My target market does. !gotcha!

I have so many projects going on that I need two of me just to oversea it all. Plus I am still a father of 3 and still do all the cleaning.

Time will tell where I end up.

 

[Jimmy L]

:shock:

 

[Jim Williams]

I have no plans of adding trucks. If I get too busy I'll just raise my prices. It would drive me nuts to have to entertain a helper all day. I'm a loner. I enjoy my alone time working.

When I get too old to push a wand I plan on unplugging the phone and getting a job as a greeter at Wal-mart.

 

[Guest]

So the question is;
Are you a businessman,

Still learning.

a technician who owns a business?

Yes.

Are you happy as an O/O,

Kinda. Things are pretty tough over here.

or is it just a stepping stone?

I want to clean as long as I can.

 

[Doug Cox]

I have no plans of adding trucks. If I get too busy I'll just raise my prices. It would drive me nuts to have to entertain a helper all day. I'm a loner. I enjoy my alone time working.

When I get too old to push a wand I plan on unplugging the phone and getting a job as a greeter at Wal-mart.

Damn straight, Walmart is my destination.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

one man one truck. I love telling myself what to do and how to do it better. When people ask about the guys I say me myself & I will give you the best job possible.
29 years later I,m still in love with wanda and thanks to the glide will probably go to age 75, great excuse to get out of the house and sleep great at night jack z.

 

[Ron Werner]

and getting a job as a greeter at Wal-mart.

watch to 1:44
8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kXOg23pGeA8]

 

[Ron Werner]

Is it your intention to always be a one man show(w/helper) until you sell out and cash in big someday?
Or, does everybody want a multi-truck operation where you are the business manager?

Could you, would you want to manage a large business with 10-20+ employees that constantly depend on your abilities as a businessman/person to make sure they and their families always have a paycheck on Friday,with benefits, and a future with your company? Do you have what it takes to accomplish and maintain that? Do you desire that kind of responsibility?
Think about it.

So the question is;
Are you a businessman,or a technician who owns a business?
Are you happy as an O/O, or is it just a stepping stone?

There is no wrong answer,or one that is better than the other.
I'm just curious.

I'm happy as an O/O. Figure when I get to the point where I can't do the work I'll find a young buck that wants to take over the busn, start working with him, train him, we'll split the income and I'll stay in it till I can't.

always irks me when someone asks, "Are you a businessman,or a technician who owns a business?" I am a businessman that operates my own busn with NO employees. A technician doesn't have to worry about advertising, paying the bills, etc etc. AN O/O has to do it all.

 

[Mikey P]

I am perfectly content being a complete o/o loser.




Seeing how the end is near and my wife says I ain't going with her to paradise, why the hell would I want to bust my ass managing janitors for nothing.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Seeing how the end is near and my wife says I ain't going with her to paradise, why the hell would I want to bust my ass managing janitors for nothing.

Couldn't you become one of the 144K and hang with her a lot longer?

 

[Jim Morrison]

I am pretty content being an o/o but sometimes fantasize about having a full time employee.

Watched a couple of guys take restoration business from 0 - 100 in 10 seconds, I'm not cut out for that type of responsibility. I do admire these guys tho, it takes balls to do something like that.

My skills definitely lie in the technical end of the business, if I had a full time tech I would focus more on the business part

 

[Mikey P]

Those tickets were sold out on craigslist years ago Jim.



I told here to score me a t shirt though.

 

[randy]

I am perfectly content being a complete o/o loser.




Seeing how the end is near and my wife says I ain't going with her to paradise, why the hell would I want to bust my ass managing janitors for nothing.

Why would your wife want you messing up paradise ? :wink:

 

[Chris A]

Well Chris, I think you would fall into the businessman category. 10 employees probably means you won't be an owner operator anymore.

Not everybody wants that kind of stress in their lives.

You're right, I'm not even 100% sure I want it myself, but for both my wife and I to be full time in the biz and make the money we want to make, it'l be a neccessity. Probably like 8 employees max, now that I think about it (as if it makes a difference)

 

[steve r]

i clean for a lot of apartments and they are pushing me to do the cleaning on move outs which would mean hiring a crew.ive grown my business every year so far and it doesnt seem to be slowing too much.while i like the freedom of being an o/o i have had the oppurtunity to have a couple different assistants ride along when i was busier and i like the idea of having more than one truck.

i am also thinking of buying a building for a rug plant and vacuum repair and sales in the future.i want to build something i can sell one day and something i dont have to work so hard at all the time.also i would like to be ale to take long vacations but still have the business run with out me.

i know a few strippers who really want me to start the apartment cleaning and who like being my assistant on the van.im just waiting on my divorce to be final before i can do any of this though and it will take a couple more years im sure but many of the pieces are coming together for me.

im doing custodial duties now just for the hallways at one complex just to get the feel for it plus its weekly income even through the winter,well that and being the body gaurd and driver for private parties.

 

[The Preacher]

i can never see myself having an employee. i do this part time and enjoy it.

 

[Ron Werner]

strippers for employees??!! 8)

 

[Greg Cole]

i clean for a lot of apartments and they are pushing me to do the cleaning on move outs which would mean hiring a crew.ive grown my business every year so far and it doesnt seem to be slowing too much.while i like the freedom of being an o/o i have had the oppurtunity to have a couple different assistants ride along when i was busier and i like the idea of having more than one truck.

i am also thinking of buying a building for a rug plant and vacuum repair and sales in the future.i want to build something i can sell one day and something i dont have to work so hard at all the time.also i would like to be ale to take long vacations but still have the business run with out me.

i know a few strippers who really want me to start the apartment cleaning and who like being my assistant on the van.im just waiting on my divorce to be final before i can do any of this though and it will take a couple more years im sure but many of the pieces are coming together for me.

im doing custodial duties now just for the hallways at one complex just to get the feel for it plus its weekly income even through the winter,well that and being the body gaurd and driver for private parties.

ROFL! - Striipers! oh yeah that will go over well with the property managers.- Theya re used to being the queen bees! You are nuts! Kiss you accounts good by

 

[Askal]

A lot of good answers and options stated, even Mikeys. But, it doesn't have to be a choice between 20 trucks and 1. If you are sharp, diversify well, and are organized you can make a great living with 3 or 4 trucks. I am semi retired and run 3 trucks. My people make way more than the competition pays and everyone is happy. If you have a good staff you can leave work for weeks at a time. It can be done but it doesn't happen overnight or on its own. Just my 2 cents. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Al
ps I could have never done it on carpet cleaning alone. At least not here.

 

[Steve in Omaha]

It's a long hard ride if your gonna be a star someday.

OO w/ 2-3 months of vacation each year and year and very good money. Hate to say it, but I have never been this nervous about our capitalist system under which we live. The next few years are going to be very brutal, so enjoy where and when you can! Thank GOD it's almost ski season.

 

[ascrubabove]

I want to build it up to 3 - 4 trucks, then sell or hire someone to run it for me when I retire.
Our biz does move out cleanings year round, carpet and move outs sell eachother