What's that sucking sound?

[Barry-QDCC]

It's my business now. It's sucking - I've been really slow all of January and February so far. We have been having nice weather here in SoCal so I can't blame that.

How you guys doing?

 

[hogjowl]

Mine is down too. Both January and February has sucked.

But, it's not like it isn't this way EVERY year at this time.

 

[Dolly Llama]

coldest Feb on record since 1870 something in Ohio

-15 tonight

res is dead

..L.T.A.

 

[Jim Martin]

weather is perfect and were doing pretty good...

Had a slower then normal week in January....but have kept a pretty good pace for the last few months.....

 

[Mark Saiger]

Thankful everyday the phone is ringing.

I really do think the Seal-A-Door has been helping our business a bit too....

People are talking about it (that we have it)

And a milder winter is definitely helping.....

Don't get me wrong, it is still slower than our really good months coming up, but at least we are doing a little better and we have had work everyday so far....

 

[TimM]

December was dead for me as it is every year, but January and February has been better than last year. Our temps have been warmer than normal, We have not seen any snow since the first part of January.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Kinda slow here in Ann Arbor. -9° this morning. Been brutal the past while. Come on spring!

 

[PrimaDonna]

Brutal cold (for PA) and slow. January was great (better than ever) due to the promo we ran. Feb. is very slow. But John took off a week and our tech is injured so it worked out. Spring can't come soon enough....

 

[mirf]

Slow here, just to cold.

 

[jcooper]

How you guys doing?

I'm cold, very cold! Furnace hasn't stopped running in days.... Right NOW we have a -32 windchill, actual temp -12... Very windy - at this point just hoping the house brake and say FU and stop keeping us warm!

Biz is very slow, which is okay and to be expected... Just treading water trying not to spend stupidly. Good time to get organized for summer*if we get one).

 

[Desk Jockey]

Up 12% over 2014 year to date, but that's not where I had hoped to be. This was the month I thought we could make up a lot of ground over last Feb but its shaping up to be an average month.

 

[Art Kelley]

What's that sucking sound?

It's the weather sucking ass.
"The frigid air in the U.S. comes courtesy of the Siberian Express. It's cold Arctic air from northern Russia," The Weather Channel's Mike Bettes told NBC News. "It's traveling 5,000 miles over the North Pole, over cold snow pack, and going all the way as far south as the Gulf Coast."

I just want to stay home but people keep calling. My 8 o clock cancelled (good) but I have to do my 11 and my 2 and it won't even be above 0 today. Oh well, it's actually physically easier to carpet clean in this weather than in 100 degree summer heat. Plus I don't worry about the van overheating.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Residential carpet is deader then a door nail. Some tile work.

About 45 commercial jobs, the leads keep trickling in every couple days.

 

[Brian H]

January was up 14% over 2014 but that ain't saying a whole lot. Like Richard, I was hoping for a normal February so that it wouldn't take as long to get to positive numbers on the P&L once the weather breaks.

BRUTAL weather!!! Monday morning I had -21 degrees actual temperature at home. Tonight we are forecast for -17 real temperatures. Outside right now ( noon) it's ZERO! Saturday we are forecast to get to freezing , then back into the sub zero temps most of next week.

Brian reporting from the North Pole... I mean Michigan

 

[QDCC-Barry]

I've been in the carpet cleaning biz since 1994 so I know Jan/Feb are normally slow. It's just REALLY slow this year for me. And we are having good weather too, so no excuses there.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Brian reporting from the North Pole... I mean Michigan

 

[Desk Jockey]

I've been in the carpet cleaning biz since 1994 so I know Jan/Feb are normally slow. It's just REALLY slow this year for me. And we are having good weather too, so no excuses there.

Barry have you still been consistent with your marketing? Didn't you have a special a month or so ago? How did it do?

 

[Shane Deubell]

Have a commercial tile/grout job tonight, looks like it will be about -5 when they start.

Cant decide if i should reschedule or not. High probability something bad will happen, like 99%.
But dont want to lose money or back up the schedule any more either

 

[rwcarpet]

Eh......as busy as I want to be with this weather. I ain't gonna risk taking the TM out when just a small accident could ruin your business. You can be the hero and venture out in this weather, but most of those jobs can wait a few days or weeks to do. Almost
instantaneous freezing of anything and everything if exposed for even a few minutes. I have done some emergency water extraction for water damage, but I'm staying put till next week, or if I have a Cimex job.

It's nice not having to rely on daily work to survive.

 

[dgardner]

Brian reporting from the North Pole... I mean Michigan

That must be you in the POTD Brian!

 

[Mikey P]

Horrible, we're about to get our trucks repossessed.


or..

Slammed, its like August around here.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Slammed last week and weekend.

Haven't moved the truck since Monday morning. Not going to risk it on icy poorly cleared roads.

 

[Brian H]

That must be you in the POTD Brian!

It sure feels like it!!!!

 

[Shane Deubell]

C'mon guys where is your sense of adventure!

It was 0 last night and a mini blizzard about midnight.
God bless whoever invented the rumble strips on the thruway...

 

[Bryan S. Bennett]

YTD we are up on Sales and NI over 2014 numbers.

The weather has me watching expenses very close because of more quiet phones. The school district just just called and cancelled all classes tomorrow with expected wind chills at -35 degrees. Don't know if I personally have ever felt that cold of a temp.

I actually look forward to this time of year though to relax more and heal the body and mind for the other 10.5 months we operate like ultra marathoners do, running all day and night most weeks.

I do like this crazy business though and what it has to offer!

(Protect the pets tonight if your in the artic zone, and if not, tell the pet I said they picked a good home for the winter months!)

 

[dgardner]

Don't know if I personally have ever felt that cold of a temp.

Me neither! Could you go stand outside tomorrow for a while and describe how it feels? Much appreciated!

 

[Shane Deubell]

Me neither! Could you go stand outside tomorrow for a while and describe how it feels? Much appreciated!

Have your wife whack ya with a baseball bat a couple times.
Kinda same, you feel it the next day far more then when it happens.

During the job, all fill of adrenaline. Next day, not sooo much.

 

[Bryan S. Bennett]

Let me tell ya, it was so cold today I wore a scarf when snowblowing. I just couldn't stand how cold it was.

We have a T & G and carpet job 1st thing tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm just gonna wrap the Seal-a-Door around my "beloved" Prochem Peak and stuff Owens Corning R-11 around the customers door.

Who cares if I'm itchy, at least me and Mrs. Peak will be itchin' warm!

 

[Bryan S. Bennett]

I will tell you how cold tomorrow will feel.............................For the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge for tomorrow only, I challenge Shane Deubell, Mark Saiger and Brian H to video all footage (if they survive) and post on Mikeys Board by 6pm EST tomorrow!

 

[TimM]

7:15 at night and it has cooled down to a whopping 51 degrees. This is our prime ski season and it was warmer here in Northern Utah this afternoon than Miami Beach Florida.