Hey Guys, My wife and I own a residential cleaning service/maid service that is doing well. I decided that I want to add window and gutter cleaning to our residential customers. My wife works full time managing employees for the maid service and I still work full time for an internet company as an engineer. A friend of mine has been laid off and is having a hard time finding a job. I figured I would hire him to do the window cleaning for the business since I work all day. I’ll help him at first if I can schedule the cleaning after I get off of work. I was wondering how I should pay him? I was thinking maybe percentage of the job but what percentage? Also, if he finds the customer how should I compensate him for finding the customer. The good thing is I can just add the window cleaning service to the current direct mail advertising we already have and the website. I don’t plan on working full time much longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome Kurt! As far as your friend check the labor laws in your area. For us if a sub gets more that 50% of his income from you he is in reality an employee and the state can get you for work comp, taxes, etc.
Hi Kurt!
I’m in St. Ann, MO. We’re pracically neighbors! I’d just go ahead and treat him like an employee and pay him as such. You don’t want to send up any red flags to the Gestapo… I mean the IRS. You have a built in advantage! your maid service will generate window cleaning work for you. Best of luck, and lets do lunch some time!
I do the % route myself. I find that when you have someone on hourly pay the smoke breaks increase and the jobs take longer and longer. % you are paying them a fixed price to do a certain job. I will normally pay hourly just to train and after that I will start new guys out at 30% of the job.
Hi Kurt, let your wife know that we have a group called Girl Talk that she might like to join. We have professional women in all different areas of a business and we would like to get to know her too. Welcome!
If she is a member, she can look on her personal home page. On the right hand side there is a box that says “Join a Social Group”. Click on that and then click on Girl Talk. We would really enjoy talking with her.
