Stress! how you guys who run full time deal with it, FULL TIME ONLY!

[quamen]

Any of you guys who run a full time mobile business, know it is alot of stress. I remeber coming to this board and asking if I could make this amount, get this many cars etc. From all the knowledge I knew, knowledge I gained from this site,knowledge from detaiking and from others business has boomed. Im under stress cause even on a rainy day I have a million business things to do, and im jsut getting burnt out. I have everyone calling me to get their detail needs completed and I never handed out a flyer this season!! I dont think im taking enough days off maybe 1 a week if im lucky, usually none. Im just not feeling that great cause the pressure everyone puts on me to get their cars done asap. I added it up between all the business stuff, average work week seems to be about 90 hours or more.

[ZaneO]

Sorry for not having "full-time" advice, but I thought I might have a little to offer.



Conduct your level of business at a rate that you are comfortable with and makes you the most satisfied, while still meeting your financial needs/desires. Decide first the schedule you`d like to maintain. Then decide who your most important clients are...make them your first priority. Schedule any other clients in the time you have remaining. Don`t let people pressure you beyond your limits...if they`re truly loyal, they`ll be willing to work with you on scheduling.



If your business has expanded so much that you can`t handle it, you have two options in my eyes:



- hire a competent and capable employee(s) who you can trust to detail on their own and properly represent your business



- stay with the current client base and don`t worry about expansion



Just my opinion.

[wannafbody]

I`m not a detailer but I work in a small family business. I read in a business magizine that truly great(service oriented) business never become large because as you add employees the level of service declines. No one else will do as good of work as you are willing to do-they simply don`t have enough at stake. Simply focus on giving the best service to the best customers and if you have to raise your prices and do less volume so be it.

[salty]

I`m not a detailer but I work in a small family business. I read in a business magizine that truly great(service oriented) business never become large because as you add employees the level of service declines. No one else will do as good of work as you are willing to do-they simply don`t have enough at stake. Simply focus on giving the best service to the best customers and if you have to raise your prices and do less volume so be it.

What wannafbody said and i will add that you could hire someone to do the more `express cleanings` and if they become competent, then continue on with another employee.

[1 Clean WS6]

I have three things in my life that help me deal with the stress of running a small business...



1) My wife. If it weren`t for her love and support I would have failed a long time ago.



2) Weight lifting. I do this at least 4-5 days a week either early in the morning or late at night. Its a great tension reliever and helps me forget about some of the jerks I deal with.



3) Beer. When all else fails there is something to be said about having a few pints on the weekend and sharing some laughs with good company.



Chill out man...you are only as stressed as you allow yourself to be. :chill:

[DaGonz]

I am not a full time detailer ( for me it`s a paying hobby), but have a job where there are times that I have to put people in harms way and make life and death decisions as a fireground commander.



I know what you are going through. Bewteen the fire station, my part time job at the State Fire Academy and my detailing venture, there are times that I feel I don`t have the time to get anything else accomplished.



Don`t feel that you have to detail the vehicles of everyone who comes to you for an estimate. Sometimes you just have to say no.



Set aside time for yourself. If you are married or have a significant other, remember family comes first. There`s no sense in making a lot of money of you have nobody to enjoy it with.

[Super]

I had been self employed for over 15 years. I can do things real easy because I have done it thousands of times. I take fewer steps to finish a job, I know how things are done like the back of my hand, not to say that I know it all I don’t, far from it. Having control over your environment comes with practice, having knowledge is power. Be honest to your self & others. Having to many problems can lead to confusion just take one problem at a time. Your customers are human, when you are honest they respect that and they will help you but you have to remember something about business. It’s business don’t take it personal, learn and do better next time.



The best advised I can give you is this, “go to school�, it’s food for the brain, knowledge is power. I just wished that I finished school but I leaned the hard knots way.

You take Scottwax for a sample I have read that he was in the restaurant buz and that taught him public relations which helped him run his detailing buz dealing with costumers. Public relations is an art and it’s a most for buz. Being honest is the key

[MichaelM]

First off realize that owning and running a business is not easy work. "Nothing good in life comes easy" takes on new meaning when you are running full bore ALL DAY long. You need to work smart, prioritize your day, dedicate time for specific tasks and deligate others that you can. Keep brainstorming ways to be more efficient in everything you do. Any precious minute you can save will help.



Also, like others have said, you need to find a pace that fits what you`re capable of work wise and schedule your work accordingly. Understand that this is a service business and the work gets done when it gets done, no matter the customers expectations. Afterall you can only work so fast. The key to controlling (in a sense) your customers expectations is to be honest and upfront with your customers so they understand what you can do for them and in what time frame. In the end they`ll probably want a quality job over a quick one anyway.



And definitely find something to do to help you relieve stress, working out, sports punching bag, knitting, whatever works.

[Anthony O.]

I`m not a detailer but I work in a small family business. I read in a business magizine that truly great(service oriented) business never become large because as you add employees the level of service declines. No one else will do as good of work as you are willing to do-they simply don`t have enough at stake. Simply focus on giving the best service to the best customers and if you have to raise your prices and do less volume so be it.

This is excellant advice and so very true :xyxthumbs



I have been trying to expand operations for years but trying to find someone that will do it with the heart is not easy, next to impossible really. Skill I can teach, heart and compassion to apply that skill is another thing.



So what I had to do, under the advcie of my wife (who next to Christ, who is my main Rock, is a solid anchor in my life and business) is keep a very tight schedule.



Mondays and Tuesdays I only keep scheduled for details. I do no washing of any cars (maint. work) UNLESS I finish my scheduled work. If I have nothing scheduled then I can take care of other things, whether it be ordering supplies, catching up on Emails, getting back with people I am testing stuff for or personal/family dealings.



Wednesdays I reserve for house visits.



On Thurs./Fri. I visit businesses and here is where it gets very busy BUT again I only do cars that I have booked for that day. It may range from 3 cars up to 12 cars but I do not take on any "drive-ups" UNLESS time allows. I make sure they know that too. I tell them leave me your keys and if I have a no-show then I can do your car if I can`t I ink them in for next week. Thursdays and Fridays are washing days only, no detail work is provided. If my regulars need detail work I schedule them for either Monday or Tuesday.



Sage advice is "Under commit but over deliver" I was told that just the other day when my desire to "please everyone" backfired on me.



You can`t please everyone.....stop trying! Make a schedule, stick to it and life will be much smoother, perhaps not easier, just smoother with less stress.



Anthony

[Spilchy]

I read in a business magizine that truly great(service oriented) business never become large because as you add employees the level of service declines.

I disagree. There are plenty of large service oreinted businesses that offer impeccable customer service all the time. I have stayed in Four Seasons hotels, Ritz Carlton hotels and a handful of Atlantic City casinos. All of them very large with multiple locations and offer stellar service consistently.



Regarding handling stress as a full time detailer, it`s the same as any other profession. People rely on strong family relationships, excercise (I know Scottwax is a roller blading psycho), meditation, exploring their hobbies, making time on weekend evenings to do somethig enjoyable, etc...



The only added level of stress I can see as a full time detailer is the fact you are the sole proprietor of your business. It`s up to you to drum up business or you don`t eat. That can be an extra stressful compared to the knowledge that on other jobs you`ll receive a paycheck every week or every other.



But EVERY job has stress. I see my mother at age 61 come home after teaching 26 nine year olds in fourth grade every day and is emotionally and even physically exhausted.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

I have everyone calling me to get their detail needs completed and I never handed out a flyer this season!!



Im just not feeling that great cause the pressure everyone puts on me to get their cars done asap.



I added it up between all the business stuff, average work week seems to be about 90 hours or more.

Sounds like it`s time to take control of your business. The first thing to keep in mind is you are the boss and you make your own schedule. You`re working 90 hours or more because you have choosen to work 90 hours or more. It`s not everyone else who is causing you stress. It`s you who`s causing your own stress.



Okay, so how do you take control? The first thing you need to do is evaluate your pricing. I`ve found that the best way to work less and make more is to simply keep raising you prices until you have got just the right amount of work that meets your business objectives.



Think about it this way. And this is just an example. If you were to raise your prices by 50% you would only have to do half as many vehicles in order to make the same amount of money. And you would only have to work half as much of the time. Okay, so it`s a little scary to go out there and raise your prices.



Now listen closely and I let you in on a little secret. The key is not to raise your prices on your bread and butter customers. You know the ones I mean. They`re the customers that you hear from over and over again. Do not raise the prices of your steady customers.



If you look closely at your income from detailing, you`ll see that 80% of your income comes from servicing your steady customers. It`s the 80 - 20 rule. Basically, 20% of your customers generate 80% of your income. Don`t believe it? Take a close look at where your income from detailing is coming from and you`ll quickly see that it`s true. Yes, 80% of your income usually comes from 20% of your customers.



What you do is begin to overprice the 80% of customers you don`t hear from too often. Hey, that`s what they get for not calling you on a regular basis. You`ll also want to consider overpricing any new customers too. The key is if you`re going to take on any new work, then why not get them priced at a premium. Sure you`ll scare off some new prospects, but that`s all part of the plan.



Remember, it`s all about making as much money as you can for every hour that you work. It`s not about volume and being busy. Hey, I`d rather be half as busy making twice as much money. It`s all about maximizing you efforts so that you can make more money per hour. That way you can work less hours and make more money.

[imported_themightytimmah]

Here`s what I do: I only work 5 days a week, up to 10 hours a day, regardless of who wants work done. If you have business in excess of that, raise prices until you don`t have more than 40-50 hours per week of work. I usually work friday to tuesday, cause most of my business is on weekends. Theres no sense in making 2000 a week if you can`t be around to enjoy it, IMHO.

[Superior Shine]

Please review this site - http://www.e-myth.com/



I bet the info here will help you out.

[Intercooled]

Please review this site - http://www.e-myth.com/



I bet the info here will help you out.

Excellent read!!! It basicly says that good technicians aren`t exactly good business people. It explains how to seperate being a good technician and running a business.



I own & operate my own plumbing company. I understand exactly where your coming from.



Believe it or not I have also learned alot from "Anthony Robbins". Hes a great motivational speaker. His books and CD`s have helped me with my business and some of my decisions.