On a scale of 10 --- before the Boards?

[Derek]

taking Bob's thread a step further, how many numbers do you think you went up from the info you've learned on the various CC'ing forums / boards?

i would say the boards have given me a solid 4 points. before them, in '98, i was only a 1

 

[hogjowl]

The boards have helped me, in some ways, but have set me back in others.

From what I have seen, the people in this industry who really make money are the ones who have kept to the traditional approach to carpet cleaning, and who learn, or buy, a working approach to marketing.

The boards, for years, caused me to overprice, and over-think, my approach to cleaning, and caused me to actually BELIEVE I could get by with referral only growth.

Once I learned that most of you guys are FULL OF SHIT, and don't have a POT TO PISS IN, I paused and got back to the plan.

Hopefully, in 10 years I will have recovered.

 

[TimP]

The boards have helped me, in some ways, but have set me back in others.

From what I have seen, the people in this industry who really make money are the ones who have kept to the traditional approach to carpet cleaning, and who learn, or buy, a working approach to marketing.

The boards, for years, caused me to overprice, and over-think, my approach to cleaning, and caused me to actually BELIEVE I could get by with referral only growth.

Once I learned that most of you guys are FULL OF SHIT, and don't have a POT TO PISS IN, I paused and got back to the plan.

Hopefully, in 10 years I will have recovered.

So are you saying it's going to take you 10 years to recover from buying your vortex???? Or is it that you were trying to get Mikey prices in Alabama and have realised that at those prices in your are ripping people off.....and it's going to take 10 years to get past the con man stage???? :shock:

 

[bob vawter]

nor a winder ta throw it out!

Marty!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Early on until before I got a feel for the shilling process I bought what ever received high marks. Got stung by the Red Board shills more than I'd like to admit!

Now that I know the players I'm up a couple of points, mostly from Mikeysboard.

Watchdogs like Odin and Jimmy helped a lot, along with the honesty of the majority of this board.

The culture drives out the shills here. 8)

 

[floorguy]

I am a good 4 pts as well....

fortunantly i havent got into the crap all the shills push.....There again I still do mostly strip and wax work, with carpet silently making more progress, and making up more work..

with that in mind, the biggest bump ups where

Glides and chatting with Greenie, and helping me PIMP my ride!!! 8) 8) 8)

Chatting with Ricky G and getting the cimex, which has made me oodles of money in other work...stone, polished concrete, stripping floors where you cant use a propane machine.. Which also leads to chatting with his brother David, and helping me with those.

 

[Dolly Llama]

The greatest gain for me is staying up to date on what's going on in the biz.
Who's who and what's what, so to speak

In that regard I'd say I went from a 2 to an 8

as far as actual cleaning, equipment and relating to our custys, maybe a 1-2 point advance.
figuring stuff out, experimenting/evaluating for myself has always come natural to me for the most part


..L.T.A.

 

[bob vawter]

My wandin' technique has raised ya THREE by itsef...Larry!

 

[Dolly Llama]

My wandin' technique has raised ya THREE by itsef...Larry!

Bob, I haven't regularly "sawed away" with a wand in over 18 years


..L.T.A.

 

[Greenie]

Bawb, you can't call that "technique", it devalues the word.

As for shilling, most the newer guys these days missed the real set back shills, ICS and the VLM forums were the worst if I must be honest, well then there is Pro-Cleaners where nothing is tried before it's shilled, the new guys don't fully recognize the value of Mikeys yet, we've come a long way.

I was a 1.5 cleaner pre-boards, HOST and a 3 gal extractor is a hard way to make money in this biz, and a 1/3hp slow OP isn't much better.

 

[Larry B]

Dont know about skill but my wallet is down to a 1 since this board

 

[ruff]

The boards have helped me, in some ways, but have set me back in others.

From what I have seen, the people in this industry who really make money are the ones who have kept to the traditional approach to carpet cleaning, and who learn, or buy, a working approach to marketing.

The boards, for years, caused me to overprice, and over-think, my approach to cleaning, and caused me to actually BELIEVE I could get by with referral only growth.

Once I learned that most of you guys are FULL OF SHIT, and don't have a POT TO PISS IN, I paused and got back to the plan.

Hopefully, in 10 years I will have recovered.

Yepa.
He's right.
Before I got on this board I did well both financially and emotionally.
Then I realized that since I:
- Don't have a vortex.
- Don't run 8" to the door.
- Don't do a twelve step cleaning process.
- Don't glide.
- The carpet do not dry in twelve seconds.

That I must be a (and Lisa said it) "Hacks, you got to love them." And on top of it, from the left coast.

Soon the depression set in.

Later after years of therapy, many conspiracy posts by the lunatic right fringe (you know who you are) and after realizing that actually: business is good, costs are low and life is generally pretty good. I came to the conclusion that there must be something to hacks.

You got to love them!