What would happen if Mom left Pop?

[Mikey P]

How many of you all are true Mom and Pops?

Pops does the clean work while poor Mom does all the dirty chores like answering the phones, paper work, banking etc..?


What if Mom one day said enough! and either got her own job or line of work or worse, left you for a guy who doesn't come home smelling like Garfield every night?








The next thread in this series will be for guys like Marty whom I believe do it ALL by themselves and still have time to post 15,000 times here.

 

[Jim Martin]

I would find some one to drive the truck and take over what she does.......

 

[Guest]

We at Lillards are hiring! Why Hagopain's?

 

[Jimbo]

Mom DID leave about 9 years ago...life has never been this good!

 

[-JB-]

Been there done that.

Hire someone for the phones... way cheaper. LOL!

Mom DID leave about 9 years ago...life has never been this good!

AMEN MY BROTHER!

 

[Mikey P]

We at Lillards are hiring! Why Hagopain's?

As I see it Michigan is about one of the the only states where a Chimp can afford to own a decent home and save for retirement.


Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I've seen the tragedy you outlined occur numerous times over the years.

Whether its the fault of an impatient woman or a poorly motivated man, the business rarely survives.

Its never always the fault of an impatient, greedy woman or a poorly motivated, disorganized man; sometimes its a little of both, or sometimes its just something that was inevitable anyway.

 

[Jim Martin]

I've seen the tragedy you outlined occur numerous times over the years.

Whether its the fault of an impatient woman or a poorly motivated man, the business rarely survives.

Its never always the fault of an impatient, greedy woman or a poorly motivated, disorganized man; sometimes its a little of both, or sometimes its just something that was inevitable anyway.

I agree.....but our company does great and I strongly believe that it is because we both work 2 different ends of it and know NOT to get in each others way........the only time we have problems is when I get to close to her desk or she gets to close to my steering wheel....It took a hard year to put this in place.....But I do not believe for one second that our company would be where it is in the 5 years we have had it if it was not for both of us....I see to many cleaners trying to balance to many things and end up missing other important items that need attention...IMO a good company has got to have a good balance.......and I think we found ours

 

[Mikey P]

Jim Martin


Do you plan on expanding soon?

How about getting a helper?

Let me remind you that you're as old as dirt buddy.




I am jealous of your wife's involvement. Paula sees it deep down as "my" business and she does as little as possible really.

 

[Art Kelley]

While my wife has never worked in the business, up until a year ago I have had a gal take my calls and book my jobs for many years. It was a great luxury and time saver for me, but now I do it all myself, and it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I just answer my cell which has my call forwarded business line while I work and talk to the 1 or 2 customers who call me per hour.

 

[Guest]

she does as little as possible really.

Lemme guess, she takes her money out of it and leaves the details to you?

My wife answered the phones when I started.

For about a whole twenty minutes!!!!!!


She quit right after that.

 

[Jim Martin]

Jim Martin


Do you plan on expanding soon?

How about getting a helper?

Let me remind you that you're as old as dirt buddy.




I am jealous of your wife's involvement. Paula sees it deep down as "my" business and she does as little as possible really.

I will be 45 next month..not quite in the dirt stage but I am getting a little dusty....

Sooner or later I will expand...It is something that we have been working toward..but for now I still have a few holes to fill in the company and I am not at the point to where I can not handle it myself....

 

[rhyde]

it sure help having a spouse that worked for others in “the trenches” for 13+ years and knows where the rubber meets the road she walked into our business knowing her role. We meet while we where both working for a local cleaning company. She worked her way up the company from a secretary answering phones/paper pusher, rug repair to be the full charge bookkeeper for the whole company that employed about 60-70 people with 4 locations. The owner & the general manager that trained her for the accounting job are both CPA’s each with a decade + work experience with Price-Waterhouse.

 

[hogjowl]

My company has survived because we don't both work there.

One, or the other, of us would have killed the other by now.

PS And, I've seen what a wand can do to a woman. There's something about a plumbers crack that just doesn't make me want to grow old with it.

 

[Ken Snow]

The only problem is that we don't hire experienced cleaners and certainly not former owner operators. It is true our people can afford to buy a home here, in fact with all the foreclosures in MI, a crack mother could.

Ken

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Here's another issue:

Some "Mom's" leave the business (but not Pop) to get a real job when she becomes tired of being underpaid (or not paid). With that "real job" she also can provide health insurance, so it ends up being better for them both that way.

20 years ago, there were quite a few Mom and Pop businesses. Now I see more and more of the "Mom has the real job" pattern.

 

[Guest]

There's something about a plumbers crack that just doesn't make me want to grow old with it.

WHAt?
Why you HAtin'?

 

[Scott]

I've seen the tragedy you outlined occur numerous times over the years.

Whether its the fault of an impatient woman or a poorly motivated man, the business rarely survives.

Worse is when neither the business nor marriage survives.

Scott

 

[Scott]

I've seen the tragedy you outlined occur numerous times over the years.

Whether its the fault of an impatient woman or a poorly motivated man, the business rarely survives.

Its never always the fault of an impatient, greedy woman or a poorly motivated, disorganized man; sometimes its a little of both, or sometimes its just something that was inevitable anyway.

 

[Spurling]

The best way to expand is to get yourself off the truck and become the general manager..(kinda like the general contractor) hire the sales guy/gal to get the jobs, hire the guy/gal or guys to do the jobs and hire someone to take the calls... if you're taking the calls or doing the jobs.. you wont have time to grow your business.. (you may have time for sales)

I know we say we cant afford to pay someone to do something we can do.. but your time is worth much more than being the scrubber. If you're busy scrubbing.. you wont have time to grow..

 

[Scott]

Mikey, if I may ask a couple of questions:

1) What tasks does Paula do in your business?
2) What would she do if she didn't work in your biz?

I'll have some follow-up questions after you answer these 2.

Scott

 

[LeeCory]

What if mom one day said enough?

Most guys have a backup machine of some sort in case of an emergency.

Same holds true for "Mom".


LOL

 

[Mikey P]

P answers the phone and cashes the checks/card processing.

Pays Chimpers and things related.

For the past year she has him input the jobs every two months or so.



Fire away.

 

[The Great Oz]

And there's a point in business where the best bet is to fire mom so the techs don't have two bosses with different viewpoints. One's enough.

 

[R W]

My business has been me, myself, and I for the last 20 years. I've asked my wife more than a few times to start coming out on jobs, or helping in some way, but all I get is "forgetaboutthat"! She has brought in jobs by talking up the business and handing out cards, but no labor what so ever. Of course, she was home raising our 6 children over the years while I worked GM and carpet cleaning.

I don't care to be busier, or work 7 days a week, 10 hours a day. I'm happy with the referals and current customers I now have.

 

[Doug Cox]

The only thing my wife does is answer the phones, although we go out on late afternoon jobs together sometimes. I love working with her.

 

[John Watson]

The way you put it, I guess I would have to answer, There is Mom and pops like you describe and then there is like Helen and me. Sure I can do like most single truck operators go work the truck alone, do the job by myself. Naw, Think I would be doing something else.

I also understand Helen and I don't have the same criteria as most.

We got put on the truck out of desperation.

In 2002, our son Jay did the majority of cleaning, I would be the 2nd on the trk when needed or have the 2nd truck in busy times. Otherwise I pre-estimated every new job, did 90 % of our water damages, ran the mini rug plant and was the boss. Helen ran the office like you described.

Helen was having some sort of health problems, was going to the DRs alot. We were busy as all get out. A client called and had just inherited an elderly couples home which had 22 old ori rugs of various sizes she wanted to be picked up and cleaned. Jay slipped packing a rug down the spiral staircase. We finished moving the beds, dressers and sofas to remove all the rugs. This was a Friday, Monday Jay couldn't walk. (He also tried to play Basket Ball on Sunday) He had a torn ACL and Maniscus.

He was not allowed to do his job for 10 months. Helen, after a few trips to the emergency room was finally diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and was put on heavy medication. Our daughter and granddaughter move 300 miles away to add to Helen's depression. She couldn't answer the phone without crying, she couldn't function so I was now doing all the work and had to baby sit Helen too. Couldn't leave her at home without some one to watch her. So I took her on the truck with me. It took almost 10 months for her doctor to get her perscription doses down pat and after a 2 year period she has 1-2 bad days a month or even every other month.

We found we worked very well on the truck together and our clients said they really enjoyed us also. Is it perfect? Heck no but it sure beats doing it by my self..

 

[Kevin B]

[quote="Steve Lillard":2yw7ttg5]We at Lillards are hiring! Why Hagopain's?

As I see it Michigan is about one of the the only states where a Chimp can afford to own a decent home and save for retirement.


Correct me if I'm wrong.[/quote:2yw7ttg5]

Texas too..

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks for that Post John.


Now you don't seem like quite the prick you portray on TV.

 

[XTREME1]

My wife will be outside the office and yell to me oustide "your phones ringing" that is the most she does and the most I want her to do.

She does have access to some really professional part time staff that I use in the office a few times a month and one that will be coming on part-time sales