Give me 5 reasons why you're an Owner Operator..

Mikey P

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Oct 6, 2006
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112,308
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The High Chapperal
And not running multiple trucks...

and no, your son, who didn't further his education and can't find a better paying job, in his own van, servicing YOUR fan base, does not make you a legit sellable business..



You go first Marty.....
 

BIG WOOD

MLPW
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Feb 4, 2016
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13,157
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Georgia
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Matt w.
Cuz I wasn’t smart enough to handle it
Same here

I also lack the marketing to the neighborhoods that I serviced in the past. If I mailed out fliers to the neighborhoods before or after, telling the neighbors that I was cleaning in their area that week...I feel I’d have more than enough work to schedule jobs that would fund 3-4 vans. I’d love to get in touch with a company that can mail those out for me so I wouldn’t have to mess with it
 

steve_64

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Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
13,371
Finding the work is the easy part.

Getting the work done is the bottle neck for me.

Not having a drivers license has been a huge burden.
 
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Desk Jockey

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Oct 9, 2006
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A planet far far away
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Rico Suave
Cuz I wasn’t smart enough to handle it
Cop out!
He is more than smart enough, he got tired of the stress level. Managing, while physically easier is stressful and taxing on the mind.

Cleaning carpet is somewhat mindless work. Your brain can relax, stress is minimal. While physically demanding, you're doing technician level work, not management. Your brain can take a vacation.

Mental vacation - Elevated stress
🤔
 

scotty747

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Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
I got my license the day after I turned 16. Its been valid maybe three or four years ever since. Cant pay the tickets because you cant go make money to pay the tickets. I get pulled over every three or four years and call someone to come drive my truck. Should have them all paid by spring and actually have a license. At least I can get insurance with no license.. I just turned 45 by the way. Way too long not to deal with this.
 
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steve_64

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I got my license the day after I turned 16. Its been valid maybe three or four years ever since. Cant pay the tickets because you cant go make money to pay the tickets. I get pulled over every three or four years and call someone to come drive my truck. Should have them all paid by spring and actually have a license. At least I can get insurance with no license.. I just turned 45 by the way. Way too long not to deal with this.
I've had to make that call several times too.
Had everything in moms name at one time lol.
 

scotty747

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Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
Go ahead. Run my plate. Don't I look like a 70 year old lady.
I once skidded my box truck through a stop sign right in front of the police station. That one got me arrested and towed. Still not as bad as my two DUI's. Financially anyway.
 
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steve_64

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Aug 11, 2012
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Go ahead. Run my plate. Don't I look like a 70 year old lady.
I once skidded my box truck through a stop sign right in front of the police station. That one got me arrested and towed. Still not as bad as my two DUI's. Financially anyway.
I've used my brothers name and SS. I'm 5 ten he's 6 foot 4. As long as they don't ask me to step out of the van I can pass for him lol.
 

Cleanworks

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Oct 22, 2012
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26,927
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
I don't know if I have 5 reasons. I worked for a lot of sub standard companies and I enjoy being on my own and having total control over the products I use and the type of work I do. I sure didn't do it for the money. It's provided a decent living for the last 30 years or so but I am at the stage where I have to expand and hire one or two employees. I have been putting together a plan but have been hanging back because I really don't want to work that hard. Richard has it right when he says that there is more stress in management than in being a cleaner.
 

Old Coastie

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Jun 29, 2015
Messages
7,504
Location
Heart of Dixie
Name
Stephen
1. I love the personal interaction.
2. It is like fishing; The bigger one is always out there and there is no bottom to learning.
3. My other skills are physically beyond me now.
4. People are often emotionally better off after I have been there. This one weirds me out a little.
5. I can make decent money for the effort, at least for now.

Bonus reasons: I get to read MB posts and I got to meet Chavez briefly, once. Very briefly, but there’s no bitterness about it at all, hahahaha!
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,927
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
1. I love the personal interaction.
2. It is like fishing; The bigger one is always out there and there is no bottom to learning.
3. My other skills are physically beyond me now.
4. People are often emotionally better off after I have been there. This one weirds me out a little.
5. I can make decent money for the effort, at least for now.

Bonus reasons: I get to read MB posts and I got to meet Chavez briefly, once. Very briefly, but there’s no bitterness about it at all, hahahaha!
Yeah, I met Chavez once too. How disappointing. Turns out, he's a nice guy. Not like the asshole he pretends to be.
 

Hack Attack

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Dec 19, 2017
Messages
5,620
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further south than you
Name
Dan
I've played the corporate management game, in theory crap goes downhill but it all splashes back..

my own business is still growing as an o/o but capital (or lack of) and population base (or lack of) combined with other priorities, I'll never be multi trucks
 

Kenny Hayes

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Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
1. Don’t do residential
2. Don’t do residential
3. Don’t do residential
4. Do make about as much as 4 trucks should make with 22-25 people. Does that count?
5. Chavez and I are like Elvis and Pat Boone, going in different directions :biggrin:
 

D Luke

Supportive Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Messages
1,013
Location
MI
Name
Derek
1. Didn't want the stress of multiple employees. Unless you're really big with multiple levels of management, your employees just hold way too much power over you.

2. If I did have the desire to grow a business, it would be in a different industry.

3. Wanted to keep things simple and have more flexibility/time off. This has proven true to a degree. I really try to limit nights and weekends, and spend as much time with family as possible, but the truth of the matter is, you need to grind out big days consistently to make real money.

4. I think building a saleable business in this industry is basically a myth unless you have restoration revenue. Sure, there are lots of examples of multi-truck, multi-million dollar businesses out there that we are all supposed to look up to, but if you actually got a look at their books I promise you that a huge part of their revenue is coming from restoration.

5. I would rather work at Wal-Mart than do water/fire/trauma restoration.

6. If building a business that is valuable enough to cash out some day is impossible without restoration revenue (and I say that it probably is), then why expand to 3-4 vans and let employees and overhead suck up all the profit?

Stay small, stay profitable, and grind it out just long enough to build a fat nest egg.

I will say that a FULL-TIME helper is an absolute must, though.
 
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