Lee Stockwell
FOJL
What was your most stupid "diversification"....that was touted by either Trade Mags or BBoard shills?
I'll chime in later...
I'll chime in later...
The sound of sucking money: DIVERSIFICATION
- Thread starter Lee Stockwell
- Start date
F
FB7777
Guest
Color Repair
Drapery Dry cleaning
Drapery Dry cleaning
Hoody
Supportive Member
you forgot scratch-b-gone
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
Duct cleaning
Mikey P
Administrator
I did do a few cool repairs with that stuff but hardly enough to market the service
SMRBAP
Supportive Member
Steve Toburen
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
- Messages
- 1,912
- Name
- Steve Toburen
Acoustic ceiling cleaning.
Close second? Restaurant hood cleaning. (Wow did I hate hoods.)
Steve Toburen
www.SFS.JonDon.com
PS Looking over the list above my guess is all of these diversifications have been successful with other people. So how much of our problem is just not FOCUSING on a new business area? (I still hate hoods.)
Close second? Restaurant hood cleaning. (Wow did I hate hoods.)
Steve Toburen
www.SFS.JonDon.com
PS Looking over the list above my guess is all of these diversifications have been successful with other people. So how much of our problem is just not FOCUSING on a new business area? (I still hate hoods.)
Ken Snow
RIP
Color repair is a huge revenue source for us (over 350k)~ most of those others I agree with.
Desk Jockey
Member
Acoustic ceiling cleaning, bought the whole package, spray cart and all. Did a couple of ceilings on fire jobs, too big a hassle for the results. BIG waste, over sold wish I could get my money back plus interest!
Used the cart for many years to spray antimicrobials so it wasn't a complete waste....just a very expensive sprayer.
Used the cart for many years to spray antimicrobials so it wasn't a complete waste....just a very expensive sprayer.
Shane Deubell
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2011
- Messages
- 4,052
Have stayed away from most of them, although at 1 point we had a couple grand in floor slip proofing product.
Most of them are just too nichee for me but i m thinking of adding air duct cleaning this winter.
Most of them are just too nichee for me but i m thinking of adding air duct cleaning this winter.
Newman
Member
When I purchased my business, the previous owner had a 30 year long area rug "contract" servicing a very large local dry cleaner with 28 locations. We would pick up, clean, price, wrap, and deliver (to one location) for $0.39 psf synthetic and $0.52 psf for natural fiber. He was renting a 1500 sf shop for $1200 a month for his rug shop. He charged regular homeowners the same prices. Add in the dedicated cargo van and and the cash sucking sound was even louder!
6 months later I got the call from the new CEO of the dry cleaners (owners son). He let me know that he had planned for 2 years to go with another plant that used machines to do the cleaning. He just kept me on for a while to let me "get on my feet". Should I have been disappointed that I lost a huge contract? I hung up the phone and let out a rebel yell! Problem solved! A wonderful day it was.
My mini rug plant with a 12 pole rack takes up a 20 x 24 space in my own 1000 sf garage. I have quadrupled the pricing over the last 4 years and now I kind of break even. I keep it on as a needed service for my customer base.
Desk Jockey
Member
Sometimes I hate rug cleaning sometimes I love it, most of the time I'm just indifferent towards the service.
Our customers love the cleaning but I think they just like that we are cheap compared to the rug washers.
Our customers love the cleaning but I think they just like that we are cheap compared to the rug washers.
Shane Deubell
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2011
- Messages
- 4,052
Kinda surprised to hear this feedback about rugs, thought it was the next best thing.
Desk Jockey
Member
It can be if you charge enough and are setup to process them efficently. We are all hand cleaning, rug badger, clean with inplant TM hang in small 12-pole dry room. We make a little money off it but sales for the year are only $40,000.00 total. To be a big player at it we would have to setup in the KC metro area, an hour 15-minutes away and that's not going to happen. If we were going to go to KC it would be for restoration work and they are already saturated with enough of them now.
FLYERMAN
Supportive Member
Ditto: ceilings and draperies.
hogjowl
Idiot™
It's not just KC, Chavez. We're saturated with you guys down here too.
Desk Jockey
Member
You'll this Porkchop, one of the twins works at JC Penny's.
She complains that "the Mexican's" always pay with $100.00 bills and it makes her work harder. She said "I hate the Mexican's, they pay with $100.00 and can never understand a thing I say".
I told her "ummm your dad is Mexican!"
I HOPE she enjoys living at the mission.....I'll miss her but fortunately I HAVE ANOTHER one that looks just like her.
She complains that "the Mexican's" always pay with $100.00 bills and it makes her work harder. She said "I hate the Mexican's, they pay with $100.00 and can never understand a thing I say".
I told her "ummm your dad is Mexican!"
I HOPE she enjoys living at the mission.....I'll miss her but fortunately I HAVE ANOTHER one that looks just like her.
hogjowl
Idiot™
I always chuckle when my youngest daughter mentions the rednecks at Auburn.
Then she comes home ...
Then she comes home ...
Desk Jockey
Member
LOL
My kids wear country like a badge, they say "Oh they live in THE CITY" .
My kids wear country like a badge, they say "Oh they live in THE CITY" .
Jack May
That Kiwi
Not necessarily stupid, just didn't work out well enough financially to keep them going.
Lather cleaning and repairs.
A couple of years in, once it was showing good numbers, we got hit from a main centre 2 hours away undercutting us.
Tile cleaning and colour sealing.
Again, our main competition was general cleaners mopping floors for 1/4 of our charges. Colour sealing, we found the general public didn't want to pay for it, but the insurers loved it after smoke damage to save re grouting. Our marketing name for years was Tile Pro, and soon after we stopped, a group started up with the brand name Grout Pro.
Pest control.
I employed a staff member who was experienced in this area and we tried it for a year or so to see if it was a good fit but we found the call back rate was hire than our cleaning services which was ptty rare so it wasn't a good experience for our own clientele who we were marketing to.
Rug cleaning.
Not so much a waste of time, more a case of not enough work flow at reasonable rates to make a big deal over. We will always offer it as its a good fill in at the shop for a quiet day, a last minute cancellation etc.
The best for us has been the addition of carpet and colour repairs. This expanded into warranty fault rectification, complaint resolution and carpet inspections.
John
Lather cleaning and repairs.
A couple of years in, once it was showing good numbers, we got hit from a main centre 2 hours away undercutting us.
Tile cleaning and colour sealing.
Again, our main competition was general cleaners mopping floors for 1/4 of our charges. Colour sealing, we found the general public didn't want to pay for it, but the insurers loved it after smoke damage to save re grouting. Our marketing name for years was Tile Pro, and soon after we stopped, a group started up with the brand name Grout Pro.
Pest control.
I employed a staff member who was experienced in this area and we tried it for a year or so to see if it was a good fit but we found the call back rate was hire than our cleaning services which was ptty rare so it wasn't a good experience for our own clientele who we were marketing to.
Rug cleaning.
Not so much a waste of time, more a case of not enough work flow at reasonable rates to make a big deal over. We will always offer it as its a good fill in at the shop for a quiet day, a last minute cancellation etc.
The best for us has been the addition of carpet and colour repairs. This expanded into warranty fault rectification, complaint resolution and carpet inspections.
John
Vivers
Supportive Member
I have really fought getting into air duct cleaning but I am wondering if I will end up on this list?
It will be all up to you. Joe Polish said if you see successful people making tones of mon ey doing what you do or want to do, then there is nothing wreong with the industry
there is obviously something wrong with they way you are doing it.
Shane Deubell
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2011
- Messages
- 4,052
Not if you buy a negative air vacuum, if you go busch league with a rotovac or whatever... Then yes
When our website ranked for duct cleaning we used to receive calls all the time.
