What was the biggest mistake you made in your business?

[daniel@procarpet]

This is hands down the biggest mistake I have made and now I am paying for it. Not making an effort to hire great employees. I usually just pick someone up to ride with me for a couple days and they end up working out for a few months, but they aren't capable of running a truck as they don't have licenses or they aren't presentable if you know what I mean. My goal isn't to gross a certain figure or anything like that. I want to have two killer employees by the end of the year. I prefer no experience as I want to train to my likings. I don't want to place an ad for help. I am seriously considering hiring a female for two reasons. I think my customers would like it, and I know they are more than capable of cleaning carpet and tile. Also once they got experience I feel they could do a great job in sales and marketing.

 

[Warren Wallace]

waiting 7 years before buying my first truckmount.

 

[Curtis Pennington]

Curtis,

Why the heave ho to the Water Out?

Well the referral Water out network is bullshit for one thing,we had no hurricanes when I had it,we mainly do high-rises and customers here dont like to leave there house when you dry it out.The heat is up to 130 degrees going in however if you live up north its great for drying out basements and of course empty houses

 

[tim]

Inconsistent marketing, not attending SFS sooner and buying every over-hyped peice of equipment and prespray that people posted about. Funny how 6 months or so passes and no one ever mentions it again!

I learned to trust certain people on the board and take others with a grain of salt. I guess I expected someone to truly compare products with other quality products before declaring it as the best. That being said, I now know firsthand what presprays work best for me, which red removers, and oxidizers work.

The bulletin board hype has been a love-hate relationship as some of my best spotters etc. came from this board! I am forever grateful for Fels Naptha, didnt have a clue what is was or where to get it before reading the boards.

 

[Eric]

If you use heat drying you can go up to 120-130 degrees in a occupied home. You must seal the drying area with plastic (drying chamber), cover all the heater vents so the heat does not go throughout the house. I have been heat drying for quit some time and have only 1 time had a empty house. I use 2 systems from DRI HEAT, the ELE 6400 which works great for smaller jobs and the ITA 75 drying system for the larger jobs. (http://www.driheat.com ). I think heat drying is the best to come along since the introduction of the air mover, yes I was in the business when air movers came out.
Eric, Color Tech Restoration

 

[Royal Man]

Having to pay $1000.00 a month for a Yp ad for 20 years.

Now I mail to current clients, Website, Cross marketing with other home service businesses, Marketing to centers of influence and launching joint ventures.

Cost around $200.00 per month. (most all cost for postage mailing to current clients)

I now get a far, far better return and almost no completion with my advertising.

Now, It's like my marketing is on auto pilot.

 

[TimP]

leasing my first TM...............

Exact same mistake right here.


Next one will be financed and I'll buy a used vehicle and put a true dual wand machine. Or maybe get a used vortex/aerotec.

 

[Ron Werner]

what did you find bad about leasing vs financing?



My mistakes were not knowing enough about marketing, ended up spending all kinds of money in the beginning on ads that didn't get even a single call. Talking with cleaners from Piranha probably saved my biz.

Not capitalizing on my niche in cleaning with a portable. If I knew then what I knew now I probably wouldn't have bought a TM, just stayed porty, not sold my service so cheap, esp to other cleaners (I subcontracted for 40%, his custy, my equip, my chems, etc. That really sucks!) Doing portable work now at 65cents/sf. Now thats how to work with a porty. One job a day, make $500, so it takes 4-5 hrs, big deal. Hardly any machinery overhead. Very little competition. No one else wants to do it!!

Buying the Big red rather than a Powermatic from Steamway. Would have saved me over $1000's with all the ducking around I did with it! But then I wouldn't have learned as much either. Would have been talking to Les about a TNT had I known he existed. That was back in 96.

 

[rick imby]

I've been 30 years in the Bicycle Business and the biggest mistake I made was not going after the best employees I could afford and keeping them. The second biggest mistake was not charging enough for my expertise.