Marty, Jimmy and Boyle

[hogjowl]

 

[Cleanworks]

You are right. If I want to sell I really should do something about it. I will probably hang in there another year or so and then get to putting the business up for sale.

Don't under estimate the value of your customer list. This might be the time to recontact your customers and update your list. Sounds like you have built up a personal business. You might think that your customers might not like a new person coming into their home but probably half of them won't even remember you. Train your potential buyer well and he will have a good base to start with and can build from there. I bought my business from a mom and pop team with a portable 30 years ago. I still have a lot of those original customers and now their children. I am not getting rich but it has provided me with a decent living over the years. If only I didn't have some of those wives......

 

[Loren Egland]

Getting to 50 years in the Bizz is an automatic entry into the CC Hall of Fame.

Maybe even Legend.

Hopeful everything works out well for you Loren

Thanks John.

When I started in 1970, steam cleaning carpet was a fairly new industry. I can’t recall for sure, but I think Deep Steam built machines around 1966, Steam Way around 1968. These were very expensive machines and it was extremely rare for carpet cleaners to own one. Most were still shampooing or dry foaming.

I just fell into it all, but through sheer stubbornness I am likely the longest in the world using the steam method as an owner operator. Maybe I can at least become a hall of fame inductee for being stubborn.

 

[Loren Egland]

Don't under estimate the value of your customer list. This might be the time to recontact your customers and update your list. Sounds like you have built up a personal business. You might think that your customers might not like a new person coming into their home but probably half of them won't even remember you. Train your potential buyer well and he will have a good base to start with and can build from there. I bought my business from a mom and pop team with a portable 30 years ago. I still have a lot of those original customers and now their children. I am not getting rich but it has provided me with a decent living over the years. If only I didn't have some of those wives......

Thanks for the encouragement. We haven’t increased price in 13 years, but are still often twice as much as other cleaners. These type of customers are more loyal than they are to those cleaners who are more price based and who advertise consistently. So a very solid base. My work is even better now than in the earlier years as well.