Saw this post on a window cleaning group on facebook: Pro Window Cleaning | Facebook
We are not a large operation but we are starting to level our growth out and focus more on profits and efficiency. As we do this I find ourselves not trying to be a big, but rather to become smaller with things like how we schedule, handle resources, and handle day to day operations. I relate to the point this guy is trying to make.
Interesting post coming from you Kyle.
Can you elaborate on this a little more how/what you mean “becoming small with things like scheduling.”
You’ve peaked my interest and my curiosity…
So “becoming small” with scheduling…
So we are not a huge operation. We are not in a major market(…yet). We struggle like everyone else who has a seasonal business with lots of highs and lows in our call volume. We have certain times of year where we have a solid 6 days of work for weeks and we have times of year we struggle to get 4 days of work scheduled in a week.
So we have already started breaking down our 2017 schedule based off call volume and trends we have experienced over the last 3 years. So here are a few examples of what we are doing. July and August are 2 of our worst months. We do try hard to schedule a weeks worth of work consistently every year during that period. But It just isnt there. So we know we can take the volume we do get during that time and compact that into 3 solid 9-10 hour days for our crews. By doing this we accomplish several things for ourselves, business, and crew members.
1.) Efficiency: Crews work faster and better when they have a full days worth of work
2.) Eliminated half days: Half days suck for the operation of the company and the crew members who dont get a full day of work in.
3.) Crew members still get 30 hours and have 3-4 days off a week throughout the summer
4.) Free Time for the owners: This gives us more free time for family, to work on our business, or to work on other money making ideas/plans we have outside our business.
So basically we are breaking down our schedule in 2017 from march to christmas. We have opened up around 30% more free time on our schedule just by blocking in down to certain days.
Here is an example of what July next year might look like:
kind of like chik fil a being closed on sunday or 4 day tire stores only being open 4 longer days a week.
I remember @Chris posting how he tried to overcome the doldrums of august by doubling up on postcards etc and got lackluster results
kind of like law of diminishing returns on the natural slow cycles
or like a retail store heavily marketing swim suits in winter or heavy down jackets in summer
maximize and optimize the natural high season cycles and structure the low season to not be a needless financial drain
I like it, good job, everyone can plan their lives better
Thanks for sharing the information Kyle.
I understand “compacting work” into a few days a week during the slow times instead of it dragging it out causing frustration for everyone.
That should help everyone’s outlook!
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That’s the goal…live free and prosper
I’ve been playing with this during the slower summer. It has worked out nicely. I work Monday-Thursday starting at 6-7am and working until the last job (usually 3-5 finsih time). I was working everyday, due to the heat of LAs Vegas we used to stop at ~2pm. This has made my FRiday a nice recovery day and the weekends are great.
I am going to try to do this throughout year now. Force the work to 4 days and open up Friday if I must. I got into this for a better income on my own terms and now that I have the income I want, I’m going to get the schedule to match it.
You are very smart to give your body time to recover. I have been working 4 days a week for about 6 years. I love it! I usually try to take off on Wednesdays. That way it breaks up the week.
In the summer we have off-season here in Florida where I’d say 30-50 percent of the gated community I service are back up north. Usually after Mother’s Day in May (I usually mark that as the end of season, but technically it’s June 1st) …then they come back in late October/November-- we are already getting many calls with the company I work for from the birds already preparing their homes for season. Just got to get through the next 30-45 days and it’s back to 6-7 days a week. I am down to 4 now with my main job, but I pick up days with my friend’s businesses so I keep full-time year-round.
I am only 34, have been doing this about 15 years or so full time. But I know how to pace myself. Working in 8-10 hours in 110 degree heat index Florida will knock you out. That is why you start early in the summer…heck, 7am if you can!! When I do store fronts I love to start at 4am sometimes and do the outsides and “slip them”-- you can get 2x as much done with no traffic and you just fly compared to a morning rush hour. Usually 3pm is my cut off time, after 16 years with the same schedule of 6-7am to 2-3pm-- my body shuts down after 3pm-- 8 hours is enough for me , plus drive time-- you can get a lot done in 8 hours.
I’m laughing at my comments from 4 years ago… to think I could keep a 3 to 4 day work schedule… We regularly have 3+ trucks on the road 6 days a week and couldn’t imagine having extra days off. Business has exploded for us since then and I guess I just didnt see it coming lol.
Nice!!!
