R-U- SICK of the >>

Dan S

New Member

<marquee> OF THE WEATHER?</marquee>



What steps have you made to prepare for the spring time? If you are not making any money b/c of the weather ........how can you justify spending money for advertising?

I have been reading a great marketing book ( and sending - crazy e-mail to a couple of buds ....LOL )

the marketing book is >> Guerrilla Marketing -- secrtes for making big profits from your small business.... It's a must to read !`

So how has the weather (if any ) got ya down .!`

do you think people are really going to spend any $$ this year on home improvement? lets hope Huh?

in 8 years of this business this has got to be the worse for us .... we have missed so much work b/c of cold ...or.. snow...

It will only get better ............ things will be a boomin

we are doing our first home show next month ............

Will that make the phone ring???
 

ron

New Member
truck ins
buissness ins
truck reg
accountant fee's
intrest on loans all due
no work for last 80 days.
Anyone want to buy a rig?
 

Jon

New Member
Sure I might buy your rig, how little you want for it, second hand, lots of hours etc.

So what price you ask?

Jon
 

melsmobile

New Member
My first quarter for this year, look like it will be better then last years.

But the ice storm we've had, has slowed thing way down, hopefuly i'll be able toget back to work thursday!

bummer Ron 80 days in the hole! lol........... how much you wont for that rig.

Mel
 

mike barrett

New Member
Jan. was bad I think due to the weather 40-50 deg. this is cold for north FL. Feb was slow bad weather for the first 2 week.Than a big com. parking lot job 5 lots, night work!!the phone started ringing this past week temp. 70-78 and sunny. People starting to do spring clean up already I am hoping for a great year but the war worrys me. Thanks again ron for your help mike b.
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
I've lost so much money this year I think I'll do like the newbee and file for bank'rup.

Worked a few days in Jan. and 3 or 4 in Feb.,if March is like this Month I'll haveta get on foodstamps or start eating oposums.I saved a few nuts for winter like the squirrels do,I've been though winters like this before,,,starve starve.
 

Dan S

New Member
yeah it sux !!!

what about the first question ?

how about the second Question?

Im not to the point of selling everything ........... yet

ron it will get better ..... no i dont promise !

lets hear more about advertising with no Money , getting prepared for spring...etc...........

What about the fact since there is no work ........... how does your wife put up with ya? LOL ..................

I make alot of calls and getting ready for the home show BUT you can only make so many calls .............. there is thousands of $ out there but the weather wont let ya have it.

hey BIG I should of kept my power plant job HUH?
 

ron

New Member
my advertisement was going to buy flyers and glue sticks and pay a couple of local pizza places,chicken places to staple or glue the flyers to the delivery bags/boxs.
They make some money and i save some money.
If you own a trucking co. that has nasty dirty trucks that need the undersides washed as well as what i call cosmetic wash[outside]
Their is not one wash contractor for a 50 mile rad. of me that will do it. The local guy's travel 65 miles to the closest truck wash.
It takes 1 1/2 to get their. You wait up to 3 hrs to get your truck in. Then a 1/2 wash without raising the body[they wont do that]
and you pay $65 to have it done. Then the 1 1/2 ride home.
Plus the $1.90 per gal of fuel and pay a driver time and 1/2 because it's a sat.
Fleetwash is the only other game in town. They ran everyone else out of town. We will be bumping heads real soon.
I want homeowner work in the day and trucks evenings and weekends[mostly sunday work]
their goes my life for a while.
 
Last edited:

melsmobile

New Member
Ron, sounds like that truck wash cost around $165 , bump your price up to $65 for a truck and trailer , youll get it !

Mel
 

timhays

New Member
"truck ins
buissness ins
truck reg
accountant fee's
intrest on loans all due
no work for last 80 days.
Anyone want to buy a rig?"


Hang in there ron it will get better.were all in the same boat
 

johnisimpson

New Member
Sorry to hear that you guys are all slow, but then again it's kind of a relief to me since I've barely gotten any work for the past two months. I've landed a couple jobs that have paid the bills so far but things are getting thin as we approach the beginning of the new month.
I've started cold calling again.
thinking about starting with door hangers as soon as the rain stops (I'm a part time student so I can print them out at my school and pay the local print shop a couple bucks to cut them down)
still have my yellow pages ad and have an ad in the small local paper starting in march.
also sending out post cards for the first time. Sent about 500 so far and hope to send out 200 a week for the next few months.
sending out a letter to all the restuarants in town and will start cold calling them after they get the letter. (I don't do hoods but would like to do their sidewalks, storefront, dumpster, etc.)
Going to talk to a locally owned gas station in one of the more affluent neighborhoods to see if I can give them a big discount on cleaning in exchange for some type of advertising at their store. They are at the top of one of the mountains so a lot of the people that live up there stop in at least once a week. Any thoughts on what would be a good way to advertise through them? flyer with the receipt? do half the job and put a couple signs saying "pressure cleaning demo in progress", maybe raffle a free house wash for submitting name and # for a bid, any other ideas? Want to get the most out of this as possible.
It's a sick feeling to realize how much time I have and how little work to fill it. I'd be ecstatic to just get a steady 2 days a week right now.
Hope things start turning around for all of us. This is my second year in business so I'm curious about your past experiences. Does the phone just start ringing with the change in the season?

John
 

johnisimpson

New Member
As to the weather......
I've been telling people that I'll work in the rain, cold weather isn't a problem either, nothing will keep us from completing the job in top form and still they look at me and say "I hate to have you out in this type of weather, we'll call you when things warm up." Lol, we might all be out of business when things warm up
 

Michael T

New Member
Sick of .....

Winter...
Im ready for Spring and we dont even have a Winter.
Dan Ive got thst book somewhere, Its time for a refresher .
The only thing Im getting ready , other than refreshing equipment is the BOAT. Its time to FISH. Which reminds me it is never a bad time to fish. Bought me a new trolling motor and riggin it up now.
And do ya know whats great? My wife likes to fish almost as much as me!!! You cant beat that. When I was thinking about tradin up on a new fish rig , she was all over that! She said I NEEDED it. Life is good.
Oh , work, almost forgot, I do mostly commerical accounts and some residential to fill in. We are so backed up right now we are running a month behind. We dont have an off season. I need a break to go fishin. Oops there I go again.

Michael T
 

Michael T

New Member
Mell, The ice did get us some. Had to reschedule monday and tuesday. Too many crazies out at night. Didnt want to play bumper-cars. Actually the customers called and canceled. But I did have to go to the ABIA in Austin on monday night at 11pm. Took almost 2 hrs to make a 45min oneway trip. My youngest came in on leave. Fortunately he didnt get stranded in some airport somewhere. He made it in just before things got real bad. Now I sit here and it is 51deg sunny and muddy. Didnt get below freezing last night. Looking for a good weekend!

Michael T
 

Michael T

New Member
Picture from tuesday morning

View of my front yard ( I mean field)
 

Attachments

  • im001283.1.jpg
    im001283.1.jpg
    49.2 KB · Views: 71

melsmobile

New Member
hay Michael, I guess your lucky to get anywere with all the hill yall have down there , It took the guy that works for me 7 hrs to go to Dallas and back , he had to pick up his girl firend.

we'll all be bussy in a few days!

Mel
 

Walt Graner

New Member
Hey Micheal, went to Port O this last weekend for the CCA's crab trap clean up, blew like crazy but it sure was a good trip. Gearing up for this years banquet.

As for the work stuff, diversification is the word.
 

Our Sponsors

Top