Should I Buy a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

[Moser Bros.]

I just ran into a cleaner who's been in business for 15 years and will sell both his phone lines for $1,000.

Now here is the catch, he does about 8 jobs a week all reffail but his job average is only $80!

My job average is over $350, I could set up another phone line about $50 a month and anwser the phone with his company name and either sub-contract the work or prequilify them on the phone and hope to squeeze a $200 avarge out of them. He has a Hydromaster and prescrubs and charges about $20 a room or eyeball it. He is older is retiring and this was just a part time thing for him.

Should I buy or run??

I need the extra work but not the extra headaches.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

It depends on your market. It may be worth $1000 just to get him out of business. Or to keep a more aggressive guy from taking over from him and starting up.

What is he going to do with the Hydamaster? If you give him a grand for the numbers make sure you get a non compete. Particularly if he keeps the unit.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

He has a Hydromaster and prescrubs and charges about $20 a room

quote]

how are you going to deliver the same service at anywhere NEAR that price?
If you stay busy now and your average ticket "really" is $350, your price is much higher than his.
It's unlikely you'll keep m-any of those prospects

and who will you find to "sub" the jobs to any where near that price point?
a kid with a porty in the back of his Pinto?

a scrub and TM extract for $20 pr rm ??? :shock:

..L.T.A.

 

[Fred Homan]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

Ask him to give you his customer list. It's not worth anything to him since he is getting out of the business. $80.00 per job! :shock: Tell his customer that he went out of the business AND prices of everything has gone up!! Show them quality work. If they say nooooo. Oh well!

 

[Greenie]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

who sells phone numbers but keeps the list?

There are many ways to skin this cat, I got into this biz in a very similar way.

And $80 custy can be bumped to $160, but good luck gettin' better than that, you won't keep 2/3 of them.

Do you have a guy to "man the new truck" ? You could run an economy service, I just wouldn't want anyone to know it's owned by me.

 

[cu]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

to me you would be better spending that 2g on getting new cutsys that will pay your price...
his low ballers wont go up to your rates....hacks are hacks and up scale is up scale
to each there own

 

[Brian R]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

to me you would be better spending that 2g on getting new cutsys that will pay your price...
his low ballers wont go up to your rates....hacks are hacks and up scale is up scale
to each there own

nuff said

 

[Becker]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

$80.00!

His clients know they are getting a deal! So I'm sure they can be sold higher. 3 to 4 times the amount might be a hard sell.

 

[bob vawter]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

Greenie...yous gave Lisa a $1000.00...?

 

[Dolly Llama]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

did ya'll notice where Moser said the dude "scrub AND TM extracts?

doesn't sound like a "hack" to me.
Sounds like a typical part timer with a "real" job and bennies.

there's guys out there charging 3 times that and not doing as much.


g'luck finding a sub.
he11, even BOB charges more than $20 bukz a rm.
and that's for a DEE-LUKX & 1300 nuketergent injection only


..L.T.A.

 

[bob vawter]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

what do you mean by...even?

 

[Moser Bros.]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

Bought for $500, I should be able to take over the resturant that he cleans for $200 every 2 weeks, that would pay for the small investment I made.

The owner told me, just get my foot in the door and then tell them he was going to raise the price anyways, I could give them a first time discount of 30 to 50% off to try my services, if it's too much, I'll tell them my friend can clean it with his portable for $20 a room, but it will take 3 days to dry and my cleaning will dry in as fast as 30 minutes, will stay clean longer with soap-free cleaning products, remove toxins, 30 day warrenty, and they won't have to clean it every 2 months.

 

[nickreal]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

I bought a business from a low end cleaner. You will easily get your investment back. I changed from room pricing to square foot pricing, if they threw a fit I would negotiate the price the first time I cleaned for them, and I cleaned the best I could for them. Had a lot of price complaints. I've been trying to keep up with the reminder cards and the clients are still calling. They are getting used to the new prices.

 

[Brian R]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

You can do it!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

What's the business called? Is it-Service1 carpet cleaning?

 

[Brian R]

Re: Should I Buyi a Lowball carpet cleaning business?

What's the business called? Is it-Service1 carpet cleaning?

Damn, that was just wrong.

 

[Moser Bros.]

No, Service 1 customers are too hard to deal with.

I received several calls, and booked 2 jobs, and could of had 3 more, but I'll be out of town one those days. I just booked them as estimates to do so on a day I didn't have any of my regular customers scheduled.

 

[Brian R]

No, Service 1 customers are too hard to deal with.
I received several calls, and booked 2 jobs, and could of had 3 more, but I'll be out of town one those days. I just booked them as estimates to do so on a day I didn't have any of my regular customers scheduled.

Well of course...they excpect only the best. :mrgreen: