Thank you for your quick reply Luke!
I have asked for a raise and basically the answer was no. Until we have a crew of 8-10 producing window cleaners and a full schedule there is no way for him to pay me more. Honestly I don’t expect him to pay more because I know what the company is producing and I’m surprised he can afford it now.
Ideally I would want to net at least $75,000 in the next year. Now keep in mind I am going to be focusing mainly on storefronts and small commercial that I can do with a pole so my goal is not to buy the more expensive gear in the first year. That number is also based on my own effort alone and not hiring any employees. When I was on the route for my current company I could average $400 per day in revenue at their prices and my best day was about $750 by myself.
What I have found with a lot of the more established window cleaning companies in my area is that they would prefer to focus on residential business as well as larger commercial mainly because they have better margins. I see an opportunity to market to the smaller storefronts and commercial buildings because my costs will be lower than the bigger companies so I can afford to do them. For example the company I work for has a $175 minimum. If other companies have similar minimums then that leaves a lot of business that is getting overlooked.
So to answer your question about marketing strategy I would say my target market is small stores and small commercial. I really like how you use the quick quote cards and walk in and introduce yourself and your company. I plan to use the same sales technique for marketing my company. Since success in sales primarily comes from sheer numbers I imagine a lot of my time initially will be devoted to walking shopping centers and small business parks handing out cards and making introductions.
To answer JaredAl’s question, if it took me 2-3 years to make what I make now that would not be an option. Even if I had to work 14 hour days to make it happen I would find a way. Again I want to stress that part of my strategy would be keeping my costs as low as possible.
Thank you again for taking the time to respond to my post. I really do appreciate your input and I hope my tone comes across that way.