happens when you get older and want things to
slow down? You start charging unrealistic prices
for your work? Do people actually support
that? I got another local guy to quote the deck
... $6500 ... Half the price and still ridiculous.
I now, as a potential customer have no respect
for these men. I consider them gougers in their
profession. I’ll still wave at them when they drive
by, but would NEVER call them nor refer them
to anyone. Perhaps you would feel differently
but when these guys come to me for service I
have to listen to the whole story about how slow
things are and how the “economy is bad”.
Long story shortened here, although many
people would tell me they would “love” to have
my dilemma, it is still a dilemma. As your body
gets older, it gets harder to keep up the same
workload you did when you were younger. You
have more experience and less stamina. To
continue as a single truck operator you will need
to choose which path to take, or bail out. We are
all built different, and have different mental and
physical limits. There are 60-70 year olds out
there still cleaning carpet and can outperform
most 30 year olds.
You can hire and train technicians but never
expect them to be as talented as you, or have
nearly as much interest in the work. Don’t
expect them to last long either, no matter
how nice you are to them. IF you do find one
as interested and talented as you, they will
quickly want to branch off and start their own
business as soon as they have learned all they
can from you.
In closing, if you were waiting for an answer to
the question, there is none, there is only a choice
that you have to make, based on your own goals
and definition of success.
Richard Baldwin
SPONSORED BY
IICRC Certified as:
Carpet Cleaning Technician
Tile and Grout Cleaning Technician
Hardwood Floor Technician
Carpet Repair and Re-Installation Technician
Odor Control Technician
Journeyman Water Damage Technician
Upholstery Cleaning Technician
29