Are you busy? How's business? These questions are like the how do you like the weather questions for business people.
They are good conversation starters, and are an enjoyable start to a discussion. However in those words lie a trap.
like alcohol for an alcoholic, being busy is like the alcohol for a business person. Being busy often makes us forget, or not realize that our business is floundering or not established properly.
It feels good to be busy, it makes us think that we are successful, because we have work, we have customers, we get paid, and it seems like we are building our business. But therin lies a trap. Often business people who work very hard, feel that they are successful, that they have built a good window cleaning route, or other business. However, they may be fooling themselves.
I know how good it feels to be busy. When establishing my business, it was scary. It was extremely worrying and frustrating to spend days canvassing, and not get any clients. I doubted myself, I wondered am I pricing to high? Am I targeting the wrong clientele? Is there too much competition? It was scary.
However, as I got some new clients, and as I cleaned windows, I felt good, I felt like business was rolling in, that my business principles were sound, and I was targeting the right people and pricing well. Being busy made me feel good. Because let's face it, men especially, need to work, and window cleaning for me fills that need for work.
However, when you look out in the world of small business and especially window cleaners. The busiest window cleaners are often slaving. They price too low, they wonder why they find it hard to make ends meet, they start cutting corners, feeling frustrated in not having good help they don't take vacations, they might leave their jobs for a few weeks to take the vacation. Being busy hides the flaws of their business, and lets face it, one of the biggest flaw is pricing. Often they have so much work because there prices are very low. But yet, pity them, they can't make ends meet, they cut corners, causing problems with their customers, they miss doing jobs because they are too busy, they work out of a beat up car that is always in the shop, they don't take vacations and get needed rest, and they might take chances with the equipment they use. But they don't know, they are so busy they think they are succesful. They might also fear raising prices, but their busy ness is the main problem, clouding their judgment, hiding the problems.
Most people equate busy ness with success. If you say that you only work a little bit each week, people think you are strange, and unsuccessful. They worry about you, even though your business is unfolding the way it should, and you are building a good well established business. You might look at a store, and if they are not busy assume they are going out of business. Most people equate busy ness with success. That is not true.
You can build a successful business through pricing with good margins, you wouldn't need to work as much, you don't need to cut corners, you don't need to skimp on equipment, you can take nice vacations, and hire help, and get away from being a technician, just working on running your business.
Stop looking at how much you are making, and look at how much you are charging. One of the biggest factors in your success is looking at your profit margin, making it as big as you can given market conditions and then marketing it to the appropriate parties.
Stop worrying about busyness, worry about profit margins instead.
Are you in the Toronto area and want your windows cleaned? Call Mike, the Toronto Window Cleaner at 647-409-8144
They are good conversation starters, and are an enjoyable start to a discussion. However in those words lie a trap.
like alcohol for an alcoholic, being busy is like the alcohol for a business person. Being busy often makes us forget, or not realize that our business is floundering or not established properly.
It feels good to be busy, it makes us think that we are successful, because we have work, we have customers, we get paid, and it seems like we are building our business. But therin lies a trap. Often business people who work very hard, feel that they are successful, that they have built a good window cleaning route, or other business. However, they may be fooling themselves.
I know how good it feels to be busy. When establishing my business, it was scary. It was extremely worrying and frustrating to spend days canvassing, and not get any clients. I doubted myself, I wondered am I pricing to high? Am I targeting the wrong clientele? Is there too much competition? It was scary.
However, as I got some new clients, and as I cleaned windows, I felt good, I felt like business was rolling in, that my business principles were sound, and I was targeting the right people and pricing well. Being busy made me feel good. Because let's face it, men especially, need to work, and window cleaning for me fills that need for work.
However, when you look out in the world of small business and especially window cleaners. The busiest window cleaners are often slaving. They price too low, they wonder why they find it hard to make ends meet, they start cutting corners, feeling frustrated in not having good help they don't take vacations, they might leave their jobs for a few weeks to take the vacation. Being busy hides the flaws of their business, and lets face it, one of the biggest flaw is pricing. Often they have so much work because there prices are very low. But yet, pity them, they can't make ends meet, they cut corners, causing problems with their customers, they miss doing jobs because they are too busy, they work out of a beat up car that is always in the shop, they don't take vacations and get needed rest, and they might take chances with the equipment they use. But they don't know, they are so busy they think they are succesful. They might also fear raising prices, but their busy ness is the main problem, clouding their judgment, hiding the problems.
Most people equate busy ness with success. If you say that you only work a little bit each week, people think you are strange, and unsuccessful. They worry about you, even though your business is unfolding the way it should, and you are building a good well established business. You might look at a store, and if they are not busy assume they are going out of business. Most people equate busy ness with success. That is not true.
You can build a successful business through pricing with good margins, you wouldn't need to work as much, you don't need to cut corners, you don't need to skimp on equipment, you can take nice vacations, and hire help, and get away from being a technician, just working on running your business.
Stop looking at how much you are making, and look at how much you are charging. One of the biggest factors in your success is looking at your profit margin, making it as big as you can given market conditions and then marketing it to the appropriate parties.
Stop worrying about busyness, worry about profit margins instead.
Are you in the Toronto area and want your windows cleaned? Call Mike, the Toronto Window Cleaner at 647-409-8144
