Hiring

[CleanEvo]

I am considering hiring a full time employee.

I am getting waaaaaay to tired every day doing this on my own, I also feel that I have to take this step at some point if I want the business to grow.

I have a guy who's interested and he seems like a good fit, married, not too old, not too young.... may be just the guy I would need. Has some janitorial experience but no carpet cleaning experience, which I don't mind one bit because I can train him.

How did you guys know when it was time? What and how do you guys pay?

 

[Brian R]

I am considering hiring a full time employee.

I am getting waaaaaay to tired every day doing this on my own, I also feel that I have to take this step at some point if I want the business to grow.

I have a guy who's interested and he seems like a good fit, married, not too old, not too young.... may be just the guy I would need. Has some janitorial experience but no carpet cleaning experience, which I don't mind one bit because I can train him.

How did you guys know when it was time? What and how do you guys pay?

It's always never the right time...do it now.

Pay him a commission..he will work for the money and not for the hours.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Instead of finding a guy that you think can clean like you, find someone that can clean your truck, pass out flyers, pull hose, and do all the things you despise. If they can learn to clean, you have a winner. If they can't clean, then your day will be a lot easier and you can always find someone with experience.

 

[Jim Martin]

I am considering hiring a full time employee.

I am getting waaaaaay to tired every day doing this on my own, I also feel that I have to take this step at some point if I want the business to grow.

I have a guy who's interested and he seems like a good fit, married, not too old, not too young.... may be just the guy I would need. Has some janitorial experience but no carpet cleaning experience, which I don't mind one bit because I can train him.

I am in the same boat....I told Tia when we got back from vacation that I am going to do a few modifications on the truck and then get real aggressive on putting another person in the cab with me.

Once I get that all that done then I am going to start looking (again )for back up equipment/van....

I have got to get going on this...me and that truck are pretty close to being maxed out on what we can do a month.....

 

[Brian R]

I am considering hiring a full time employee.

I am getting waaaaaay to tired every day doing this on my own, I also feel that I have to take this step at some point if I want the business to grow.

I have a guy who's interested and he seems like a good fit, married, not too old, not too young.... may be just the guy I would need. Has some janitorial experience but no carpet cleaning experience, which I don't mind one bit because I can train him.

I am in the same boat....I told Tia when we got back from vacation that I am going to do a few modifications on the truck and then get real aggressive on putting another person in the cab with me.

Once I get that all that done then I am going to start looking (again )for back up equipment/van....

I have got to get going on this...me and that truck are pretty close to being maxed out on what we can do a month.....

With a name like Beyond Clean and the way you work, you should have a couple crews going.
I still like that name.
I have vowed to never change my name unless it is court ordered...but if I did
I would totally steal that name from you.


Not really but you get the point.

 

[Mike Draper]

I have an employee that helps me. I could not imagine going back to working by myself dragging hoses and carrying equipment in by myself. Work is soooo much more productive and profitable per hour having an employee, I would make less money without him. As far as having another full time van, I've decided when we hit 800-1000 yearly residential customers then I will put another crew on the road.

 

[Jim Martin]

I have never been in a hurry to build this company. ..I figured It would take care of itself all in due time. when I maxed out my CDS I was ready to get another and have to hire someone but it was just not a road that I wanted to go down. I found the Vortex and figured it would get me buy for awhile longer with out having to worry to much. It did what I wanted it to do ...but faster then what I had planed. So I am at a cross road that I really don't want to be at right now... I really have no desire to add someone but I cant keep going like this with no more growth I would be shooting myself in the foot in the long run...

 

[CleanEvo]

So how do you guys pay your employee?

Anyone do an hourly rate plus commissions?

 

[Ernie G]

Aris, I think most guys do commission only, we do hourly plus commission. I think how much you pay per hour depends partly on where you live(wages are different in different areas), and also their level of experience. We pay commission for sales of protection, add-ons, and performance bonuses.

 

[CapeCleaner]

For those paying commission, what formula are you using to determine pay?

 

[Brian R]

Start them on minimum wage (with commission) and let them "work up to" the minimum wage pay.
So they really start at zero but are gauranteed the minimum wage pay if they don't do enough work.
This will free them ...or you really...to have them do other work like washing the van or whatever in those general 8 hours a day.

I would start any tech out at 20% of everything they do...if they are an employee. As they do "better"...I would bump them to 25% and then go as high as 30% if you have enough work and they are kicking ass at upsales and getting the work done.
Crews you can work however but usually a "helper" gets mininum plus a small % until he improves or graduates to a higher level of service.

I would never go over 30% unless they own they own equipment, pay for their own chems and gas etc. :mrgreen: because that part would be about 20% and the labor about 30%
Kinda puts that into perspective doesn't it?

 

[The Great Oz]

Pay hourly, with an opportunity to beat the hourly rate with a percentage of the job total. The employee gets a guaranteed wage if you have him doing non-profitable work and has an incentive to work more efficiently by taking the higher of the two rates. If he never gets to the point of beating his hourly rate, you either have a guy willing to work cheap, or a poor fit for carpet cleaning. We pay 25% of the job, others may pay anywhere from 20% to 35% but that would depend on what you charge and what's included in the job description.

 

[Brian R]

Pay hourly, with an opportunity to beat the hourly rate with a percentage of the job total. The employee gets a guaranteed wage if you have him doing non-profitable work and has an incentive to work more efficiently by taking the higher of the two rates. If he never gets to the point of beating his hourly rate, you either have a guy willing to work cheap, or a poor fit for carpet cleaning. We pay 25% of the job, others may pay anywhere from 20% to 35% but that would depend on what you charge and what's included in the job description.

Didn't I just say that? :mrgreen:

 

[The Great Oz]

The Great Oz wrote:
Pay hourly, with an opportunity to beat the hourly rate with a percentage of the job total. The employee gets a guaranteed wage if you have him doing non-profitable work and has an incentive to work more efficiently by taking the higher of the two rates. If he never gets to the point of beating his hourly rate, you either have a guy willing to work cheap, or a poor fit for carpet cleaning. We pay 25% of the job, others may pay anywhere from 20% to 35% but that would depend on what you charge and what's included in the job description.



Didn't I just say that?

Sort of, but you started your post with what I felt could be seen by a potential employee as an attempt at screwing the new guy with the idea of working "up" to minimum wage. Please excuse me if I misunderstood.

We start guys at $13.50 and the base pay they beat is $21. Good employees are easy to manage, crappy employees make you wish you didn't have any. Good employees cost money and need to be treated with respect.

 

[steve frasier]

you need things like an employee hand book

workers comp, etc

before you think about hiring someone, get this stuff in place first

I would pay him hourly then pay by commission if he gets out on his own

Good employees cost money and need to be treated with respect

agree with that statement