Excited about my new adventure..

Angela Chapman

Cleantalk Member
Hi Everyone, I joined last week and I am loving this forum. Ive been reading through loads of messages and find that everyone is so friendly, helpful and honest. I could easily spend hours reading through the tips and general chat. I've not started up yet with my oven cleaning business but hopefully up and running in the next few months. Im still in the process of finding the training (which think i have just about sorted) and just finding out the best tanks, van set up, equipment etc. I wont be buying most of the stuff until after I have been trained. Really looking forward to sharing my ideas and getting lots of advice from everyone. :party:
 

Billy Marsh

Cleantalk Member
I found this in 2016 , wish I used it from 2013 . But it a great way to try some tips see who uses them . I trained with dirtbusters. I know now there are many people training . Just find what suits u it's not a degree and then I can gain experience . Clean well .
 

Joe Sharpe

Cleantalk Member
All the best!
I am 7 months into my adventure. Loved it so far, this week has been my worst utterly dead and hoping it is just last week before pay day in January effect....

But yes, starting to realize that the cleaning bit is the easy part, getting the customers, so marketing etc is the hard bit.
The rewards are there though just got to keep focused.
 

Steven Johnson

Cleantalk Member
Joe

I have been doing this for over 13 years now. Unfortunately every year for about the last 5 years feb to aug have just hot quiter every year.

You will add to be on top of your marketing to keep the phone ringing.

You only have to dona google search and I am afraid everyone is chasing the same business. No where nerves good as it was in the early days.
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
I started about 7 months ago as well Im still busy this week into next week, Steven is right about marketing I have spent over £5000 since june. Marketing is not cheap but essential to build up a customer database.
Do a good job and referrals and repeat work soon comes but without the marketing you don't have the customer base to get referrals and repeat work from.
Ive done repeat work for a number of customers even in a relatively short period of time. Hopefully this increases as we get to a year in business.
 

Steven Johnson

Cleantalk Member
Wow 5k derek since june. Thankfully I dont spend a penny anymore but luckily when I started you never had to spend that sort of money.

Seems like there is a new company starting up every 5 mins all chasing the same customers. Google and facebook must be loving it.
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
Wow 5k derek since june. Thankfully I dont spend a penny anymore but luckily when I started you never had to spend that sort of money.

Seems like there is a new company starting up every 5 mins all chasing the same customers. Google and facebook must be loving it.
Steven
The thing is if you don't spend no one knows you are there and takes longer to build a business so in effect costs more to grow slowly or give offers and cheap prices.
You did buy a customer database when you bought the business. One way or another you need to get customers to know you are there.
I make sure I ask everyone how they heard about us and know from day 1 the source of every customer so I know whats working and what isnt.
 

Steven Johnson

Cleantalk Member
Yes derek I agree when you start out you need to spend money. Now I have my website and spend all my time contacting my regular customers which keeps me going.

I am just saying that I think you have to spend a lot more now compared to when I first started if you are a new business. Just glad I have not had to spend 5k in 7 months on advertising.

I used to sell yellow pages advertising many years ago so i do understand you need to ask where people have got your details from. Unfortunately not many people do from my experience of selling advertising.
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
Steven

I agree that many businesses dont know if individual advertising is working or not.
Some of my advertising spend was to get local work and targeted areas rather than all over so I don't waste time travelling. Its the solid foundation I want for improved future sustainability I also dont want cheap work.
Its all part of the plan to get the business I want moving forward. It was a higher monthly spend in the early days reducing monthly now as I start getting a foothold and people know us and see us about.
 

Steven Johnson

Cleantalk Member
Sounds like you no what you are doing Derek. I like you are staying local. I see so many new companies thinking they can cover a huge area. You need to concentrate on getting your jobs as close as you can to each other.
 

Joe Sharpe

Cleantalk Member
Steven

I agree that many businesses dont know if individual advertising is working or not.
Some of my advertising spend was to get local work and targeted areas rather than all over so I don't waste time travelling. Its the solid foundation I want for improved future sustainability I also dont want cheap work.
Its all part of the plan to get the business I want moving forward. It was a higher monthly spend in the early days reducing monthly now as I start getting a foothold and people know us and see us about.
Derek without expecting you to divulge too much and also different needs (i do part time) and business model etc.
In 7 months i have spent about 600-700 quid on advertising which includes flyers.
And returned about 9k worth of cleans working part time so about 16 hours a week.

How good has the return been on your marketing spend or is it purely looking long term?

I am very cautious about spending money which can be both a blessing and also a curse as i am so so wary.

My plan was simply survive for a year and keep 50%-70% of my customers as repeaters.

And hopefully rinse and repeat each year.
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
Derek without expecting you to divulge too much and also different needs (i do part time) and business model etc.
In 7 months i have spent about 600-700 quid on advertising which includes flyers.
And returned about 9k worth of cleans working part time so about 16 hours a week.

How good has the return been on your marketing spend or is it purely looking long term?

I am very cautious about spending money which can be both a blessing and also a curse as i am so so wary.

My plan was simply survive for a year and keep 50%-70% of my customers as repeaters.

And hopefully rinse and repeat each year.
I think from that spend you have done well.

I aim for ideally 3 or more times my advertising cost as sales. I end any marketing that isn't bringing in 2 times which I monitor monthly and historically back to the start of the marketing, its an easy report on my bookkeeping software. For me its building up a big enough customer base at the right price (I am not the cheapest and don't want to be if I did I could have spent less) in my opinion if you start cheap it's difficult to get the right income moving forward. In addition we have had about £4k in either repeat work, referals or people approaching us as we work.

But as a guide we have done around £15k which is not much more profit than you for less work but possibly twice as many customers to get repeated work off
 

Billy Marsh

Cleantalk Member
Yell . Com I thought was a punt ! Magazine are ok . Google /Facebook!/ googlebook ! Faceogle. Hard to know . Being out there van and around people seems to work the best. Least u know who interested and who's not ! Get out there I say ! Spend a few quick on lunch and hours being around people !
 

Joe Sharpe

Cleantalk Member
I think from that spend you have done well.

I aim for ideally 3 or more times my advertising cost as sales. I end any marketing that isn't bringing in 2 times which I monitor monthly and historically back to the start of the marketing, its an easy report on my bookkeeping software. For me its building up a big enough customer base at the right price (I am not the cheapest and don't want to be if I did I could have spent less) in my opinion if you start cheap it's difficult to get the right income moving forward. In addition we have had about £4k in either repeat work, referals or people approaching us as we work.

But as a guide we have done around £15k which is not much more profit than you for less work but possibly twice as many customers to get repeated work off
Cheers for the reply, I imagine there are many ways of approaching it and yours would be at a guess pay out to market early on and then year 2, 3 etc etc you don't need to market as much as you have a solid customer base.
Where as i will still be spending 500 here and there on marketing and eventually i'll spend 5k on it over time...

I must admit in the first 2 months i was searching for a website/app like a dog walking one my wife has used where you ask for dog sitters / walkers and then they approach you, both sides paying a fee therefore site makes money and a customer is serviced and someone is paid..

I still can't believe one doesn't exist for ovens.
 

Christina Daniel

Cleantalk Member
Joe, that sort of site does exist for ovens and other cleaning jobs. Bark.com. Avoid it at all costs! I have heard of no one who has got actual work from it, despite spending money pursuing 'leads'. If you are new, they may well approach you and start spamming your inbox. That's what they did with me. I had to block them.
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
Cheers for the reply, I imagine there are many ways of approaching it and yours would be at a guess pay out to market early on and then year 2, 3 etc etc you don't need to market as much as you have a solid customer base.
Where as i will still be spending 500 here and there on marketing and eventually i'll spend 5k on it over time...

I must admit in the first 2 months i was searching for a website/app like a dog walking one my wife has used where you ask for dog sitters / walkers and then they approach you, both sides paying a fee therefore site makes money and a customer is serviced and someone is paid..

I still can't believe one doesn't exist for ovens.
Your right we approach it in our own way and what works for us. Im happy in year 1 to earn little money but to build a business that will sustain what I want moving forward some people need an income from the start.
To me this year is learning and building the foundation to move on from. It may or may not work out that way without a crystal ball we simply don't know. Im taking bookings now for week commencing 10th Feb which I am happy about at this time of year
 

Steven Johnson

Cleantalk Member
Hi derek

Can I ask how many jobs you do a day? I no there are some people that do it full time and only do 2 a day.

You do need to build a big database to rely on repeat customers and recommendations. I think sometimes people just assume every customer will come back to you. I'm afraid in reality it is not like that.

I agree if you start cheap you will struggle to up your prices in the future

Good luck

Steve
 

Derek Dale

Cleantalk Member
Hi derek

Can I ask how many jobs you do a day? I no there are some people that do it full time and only do 2 a day.

You do need to build a big database to rely on repeat customers and recommendations. I think sometimes people just assume every customer will come back to you. I'm afraid in reality it is not like that.

I agree if you start cheap you will struggle to up your prices in the future

Good luck

Steve
Steve

2 if its a range or double oven with hob and extractor. 3 if they are smaller jobs basically aim for about £200 a day or thereabouts. My busiest day was AGA, double oven and then single oven
I don't try to rush too much steady away to get first class job to get repeats and referrals. Also getting old im 48 can't run around like I used to (or don't want to)
 
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