Last week I had a little bit of doubt as to whether or not I was doing the right thing by attempting to go full time. Because things were slow, and because my fliers didn't generate immediate results, I began to question whether or not there would really be enough work to keep me busy. And not only did I question whether there would be enough work, I also questioned whether people would really be willing to pay the rates necessary to insure that I could stay in business. However, as of today, all that doubt is gone. Yes, there will be plenty of work, and yes people will gladly pay my rates to get the things done that they are wanting done.
While my phone hasn't rang off the hook this past week, is has at least rang enough to give me a little something to do almost every day. Though the results were not immediate, the fliers are slowly generating calls. Part of me wants to do a major advertising blitz. But the other part of me is truly afraid that I could quickly end up with more business than I can handle.
Here is a recap of how the past week went:
On Sunday, June 27, I helped a customer figure out the problem with a gas grill that wouldn't light (mentioned in previous post). Later that day, I spent a couple of hours painting the interior of a house for one of Karen's coworkers.
On Monday, I spent five more hours painting
On Tuesday, I received a call about a mowing job. It involved mowing a small lot, trimming some hedges and cutting down a branch. The job took just a little over two hours and paid $70.
On Wednesday, I received call to give a estimate on a gate repair.
On Thursday, I went to repair the gate. The repair was a small $45 repair. However, as soon as I was finished, the customer sent me to do some tree trimming and brush removal at some rental properties she ownes. By the end of the day, the $45 repair turned into a $265 day's work.
On Friday, I mowed one small lawn and looked at a proposed fence install job.
Totals for the week 2: $485 (grill repair - $30, painting $95, mowing, $70 and $25, fence repair - $45, tree trimming and brush removal - $220)
Today, I just finished the fence estimate and gave it to the customer. On the surface the job seems small; however, because of a tree, it may prove a little difficult. I will only be installing 20' of privacy fence (includes one 3 foot gate), but the estimate comes to a whopping $855 ($435 material and $420 labor). I expected the customer to flinch at the price and possibly reject the estimate. I expected wrong. She thought nothing of it. She said the price looked good and assigned me the job immediately. It is going to be interesting to see how this turns out. I based my estimate on twelve hours labor. On previous job estimates, I have underestimated actual labor time. I am hoping to at least be close with this one. However, those twelve hours can get eaten up real fast with material pick up, rental tool pickup, unforeseen challenges, etc. I will try to keep track of my time and report back as to how it went.
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