What Is It Like Starting New In 2013?

[Shane Deubell]

It must be a total and complete nightmare...

I started researching in 2006 on ICS and already read the forum before because we were an office cleaning company. Although not perfect, back then it had great contractors and maybe because the online world at that time was so small the advice was great.

My influence was Ken, one of the biggest independents in the country. A lot of other contractors that were/are still in business.

Sheesh, Can you imagine starting now?
Some of the "top " posters are not even in the cleaning business...

People just show up apparently and start talking about guns, religion or whatever.

Guess i was just lucky ....

 

[GCCLee]

Empires don't just spring up overnight.

It is tough..and Slow...Everyones Prices are bottomed out here.
Economically people are hanging onto their $$$$ tighter thesedays, making it harder to spring that impulse action in their brains.

Normal Hackers Slashing prices and trying to invade on Managed Properties....yadda yadda

Oh and Our Great Fooking President......Making some History ain't he ?

Other than that.....

Wouldn't Trade it for the World bro

Chris

 

[Derek]

which Ken is that Shane?

Shane, you've been CC"ing since '06? it appears from what you've typed before that you have a pretty rocking business, good on ya!

do you still do janitorial?
how many employees?
what method(s) do you use?
how many trucks?
what goals for the future?

if you don't mind sharing

 

[Steve Toburen]

It must be a total and complete nightmare...

Guess i was just lucky ....

Naaah, Shane, you weren't "lucky". I think Lisa Wagner says it best, "Luck favors a body in motion." People like you will always do well.

And re: start-ups we've seen quite a few new-to-the-business entrepreneurs in our first two SFS seminars for 2013. IF you have the right support systems AND hit the ground running AND keep on punching (to mix a metaphor) you are going to prosper in any economy.

Steve

PS My ex-business partner (and one of my best friends) now owns a 40 million dollar a year company north of Dallas. He recently told me, "Steve, we are still making a profit. We're just working a lot harder to do it!" And so it is...

 

[Hoody]

It was a nightmare when I took over April of last year. No client database, no accounting software, no calendar to schedule jobs, just scraps of paper, not even invoices for any residential customers. Only the apartment and prop manager groups we work with. Half a truck working. I got through the busy apartment season, made a ton of money, and have dumped every bit of profit back into the biz in newish equipment and software, and a warm shop to keep stuff from freezing. I built a website and we're getting work from that even if its only 4-5 jobs a week it works for me for February.

Next is Service Monster, and hitting the streets, and expanding into smaller neighboring towns. Next year I want to expand into the major metro area 15 mins north of me. But need to put back some marketing dollars.

 

[Russ T.]

I'm kinda with Hoody,
I've been cleaning carpet since '99 and am now on my second CC biz and have operated in now 3 locations, since being on my own. My family and I moved about 60 miles to a new, much bigger, market about a year and a half ago. I fell off my motorcycle and broke my tibia and fibula 2.5 months after moving. Thankfully I had good insurance. At the time, I had a full time state job . I was back on my feet by the following January ('12). 2012 was our best year to date. We are running lean and mean at the moment. I do all carpet cleaning with the occasional help from our part time custodian. We did recently take the leap to Service Monster and am really happy with it. My wife answers the phone usually and cares for our 3 year old and she really likes it too. The paper mess was beginning to really stress me out! I feel like we are poised and ready to grow even further in 2013. I can now devote more of my attention toward providing the customer with better service. I believe hard work and integrity go a long way in this biz and eventually they will pay off. We have learned to be VERY careful who is handling our online presence. A company named 411 Locals is a good one to steer clear of IMO.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD