How's everyone doing right now?

[WillS]

Anyone feel anything in the economy has changed? Think people are not spending enough "luxury" right now? (Carpet Cleaning/Cleaning Services being one of those).

I ask, because we've been slower these last 2 months than last than last year. According to talking to our local cashier girls at our vendors, it's been slow on carpet cleaners coming in to buy products. 2 other cleaners I talk with in my area: same thing with the slow down. We aren't dying, but aren't fully booked on some days. People get in this panic mode, but after 5 years in July of us being open, I hate the feeling of slow.

Happening any where else?

 

[Cleanworks]

We're a little slow Will but probably has more to do with the weather than anything else. Been booking lots of commercial but residential dragging its feet. You think it's Trump?

 

[Small town janitorial]

Construction is up where I am. People seem to be spending money. Home values are up. The hardware store I do vct at says that sales and the rental department are up almost 10 percent over last year.

 

[dealtimeman]

Construction is booming we aren't slow but not running crazy.

 

[carpetcleaner]

Busier than last year

 

[BIG WOOD]

February and March were my slow months. I'm slammed right now. And for a piece of crap area that I'm in, that's good. As for you, in Vegas, I wouldn't worry. Your economy is killer over there. And if this is just your 5th year, you'll do fine. Don't worry about it. It'll get back to normal real soon.

 

[Desk Jockey]

February is slowed a little, March it flatlined. Been crazy busy ever since. I wish it could have been spread out better.

We were down abour 60k over last year to date. Not bad considering how awful March was. Too bad, if March would have been anywhere near normal we would be way ahead.

Ohh well, the year is still promising at this point.

 

[hogjowl]

We're slow. April was horrible. May only a little better. Got a lot of work on the books for June but it's all military move outs that pay 30 day out. I normally have plenty of regular jobs spaced in to pay the bills, but not this year.

Yes.

Something is off.

It's not just you.

 

[Russ T.]

It's been good here. We are capturing a higher end client, compared to past years.

Maxim has helped produce some big tickets too.

I never used to walk from a residential job with $600-$800. It's happening with some frequency these days.

Lots of repeat customers telling their friends.

And I've only flooded one basement so far!

 

[Old Coastie]

It is the Year of The Porty.

I'm worn out.

 

[Desk Jockey]

It is the Year of The Porty.
I'm worn out.

Its not worth winning if it kills you Stephen!

Find a helper who you can train.

 

[Desk Jockey]

You think it's Trump?

He is pretty volatile. I could see where it could have people scared.

 

[Mikey P]

@Monique how would you say Scruz is doing?

No patterns to compare to in NV.

 

[Mikey P]

Maybe some LVP professional cleaning promotion is worth testing.

 

[Ed Valentine]

Wills;

Honestly, we have never been busier for a decade now. Not kidding either. Business has been very very good for us. My theory is that we have someone in Washington who hasn't sold his sole to either party. This has therefore given the hard working man/woman a breath of fresh air, a brighter future, and hope!

Hang in there and things will surely improve.

Best;
Ed Valentine
cross-american corp.

 

[Old Coastie]

Its not worth winning if it kills you Stephen!

Find a helper who you can train.

I'm saving up for a Rotovac Ranger, so the physical labor is less. Meanwhile, it actually feels good to push hard. Something to do with being stubborn, perhaps.

 

[steve_64]

Saw in the news the economy is better now than ALL of the Obama years.

I'm working less making more.

 

[Mikey P]

Will what does SM say your repeat rate is?

 

[Papa John]

Our customers are waiting longer between cleanings. Now about every 15 months instead of 9-12 months-- a few wealthy ones see us every 6 weeks.
People are also moving out of SF.

Willis-- brace yourself-- the Millennials don't have extra money nor the desire to gamble and that is why Las Vegas is hurting.

People in Washington need to know that rich people dont create jobs-- Demand creates jobs-- having a large middle class with excess money drives demand and that is what made America great.. but Congress wants to give more tax breaks to the super wealthy (millions to loose health coverage so that a 56 billion tax break an go to the wealthyest family in US?) and place more burdin on the shricking middle class.

 

[WillS]

Will what does SM say your repeat rate is?

39% with a little over 550 homes serviced since Janury. Which we are running around 20k behind from last year.

 

[WillS]

We haven't changed much in advertising. Still running same amount of ad money through yelp, FB and even doing Adwords. More newsletters and ranking on each keyword for first page on Google. Tomorrow is a $1,200 day, then some days we barley hit over $400. It's just weird.

Even had our long time customer a rental vacation home management company that we do around 15k in cleanings for a year ask not to be billed til next week because they were having a slow down and wouldn't have money in til next week.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

I'm in a sheltered community so biz is pretty normal. The economy, on the other hand is in the shitter and has been for quite some time. Nothing was corrected since the last crash in 07-08 and the gov't has been blowing smoke up our arses for years with their phony GDP numbers as well as the phony unemployment numbers and many other economic indicators. The quantitative easing (dumping of trillions in cash into the economy through the banks) they did to prop up the economy is running out of gas and I don't think they can really do that again as effectively without massive inflation that we are about to see on some scale anyway. Of course the next crash will be blamed on Mr. Trump or wars or something--certainly not where the blame belongs which is the Federal Reserve and the very poor fiscal policy of the last several decades.

 

[Papa John]

the stock market might be up because the US is "selling" US citizenship to Chinese Nationals who invest large sums of money in the u.s. stock market. This program expires soon.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Don't worry about it, demand is like a rubber band.

Get ready for the inevitable rebound.

 

[steve_64]

I'm not cleaning as many apartments as years past, that's where I'm slower.

The banks have eased lending restrictions and household incomes are up, probably from all the millennials moving back home but heard salaries are up also.

 

[Chris A]

I don't buy the whole " millennials don't have any money" thing, at least not around here. Every single one of my wife's 7000 Facebook friends that we went to school with have gotten married, bought a house, most had kids etc. Out of my 10 Facebook friends only one still lives at home but he's a union laborer and makes good money, he's just a Mama's boy add likes toys. I've been self employed basically since high school so I don't have a lot of real world experience with finding a job, etc., but I would say the economy is doing just fine for most millennials in my area.

 

[Jimmy L]

Been slow around here so I decided to call my number to see if something was wrong. I answered and booked my house to be cleaned. : )

 

[FB7777]

I never complain about being slow to Maria

She'll do the same thing Jimmy

 

[steve_64]

I don't buy the whole " millennials don't have any money" thing, at least not around here. Every single one of my wife's 7000 Facebook friends that we went to school with have gotten married, bought a house, most had kids etc. Out of my 10 Facebook friends only one still lives at home but he's a union laborer and makes good money, he's just a Mama's boy add likes toys. I've been self employed basically since high school so I don't have a lot of real world experience with finding a job, etc., but I would say the economy is doing just fine for most millennials in my area.

What I see is, they are working but the wages are stagnate while inflation is up and banking and credit card fees are killing them as. Well as insurance, health and auto. Many of them are just getting by.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Wills;

Honestly, we have never been busier for a decade now. Not kidding either. Business has been very very good for us. My theory is that we have someone in Washington who hasn't sold his sole to either party. This has therefore given the hard working man/woman a breath of fresh air, a brighter future, and hope!

Hang in there and things will surely improve.

Best;
Ed Valentine
cross-american corp.

That's a bad sign right there!
Guys are buying more portables than normal, because they can't or don't want to afford TM's!
Or its people looking for extra income by cleaning carpet part-time with a portable.

Gawwwd help us!