See Kevin (and anyone else who cares)- My busy season usually begins around April 15th. I work Mon. thru Fri., starting at 8:00 am until at least 4:00 pm (which is early) or as late as 9:00 pm to do a small commercial job. I have no days off during the week ever. I work an occasional Saturday (very rare anymore). I have a constant supply of rugs to clean throughout the summer which I do after I work all day. I just finished up the year for the most part today. I have 1 job next week.
I didn't think that the hours I put on my machine were all that high. My jobs are usually within 20 Minutes of my home. they are usually within a short drive of each other, so I am working a good portion of my day. And my gross income is what I would consider relatively high for a one man op. Although I could be wrong. I don't make Mikey P. numbers, but I'm a bit behind Dave Rampage. So all is good.