This month I’ve got several topics I want to touch on. To start with, it’s that time of year again, when one should take a few minutes to examine the accomplishments and failures of the year gone by and to set new goals and expectations for the year ahead. I always find this to be a useful exercise that helps me stay focused on where I should spend my time and effort. I find this t helps me get things done instead of just thinking and talking about them. I don’t always do that good a job of it, at the same time, I do find that putting my personal and business goal in writing and then reviewing your progress on monthly basis, will help you achieve more of the success you desire in 2016. I hope you’ll do the same and find the process an effective way to better use your time, to get more done. (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM March 2016

Sometimes thing just don’t work out. Everything looked good when you bid the job, it all started well, but over a few days to a few weeks or months for one reason or another, you find that you are spending too much money to get the work done properly and keep the customer happy. (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating, Self Employment by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM March 2016

Regardless of the size of your business or geographic location, the hospitality industry is a large and growing market for building service contractors. Examples of this market segment include hotels, motels, resorts, amusement parks and cruise ships. Some may expand this market segment to include large apartment and condominium complexes, hostels, drilling rigs, and private work camps. In the past this work was and is still primarily done by in house staff; however this is starting to change. A good way to get your foot in the door in this market is to offer specialty services that are costly and difficult for potential customers to do with in house staff because special equipment, skills or training is needed. This includes such services as window cleaning, pressure washing, landscaping, hard floor care, stone (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM February 2016

When seasons change and the wet and cold weather come your way, it’s time to alter your carpet care program to meet the changing needs that ice, snow and moisture bring with them. Regardless of the weather, season or type of facility, ongoing carpet care is critical to extending the useful life of building surfaces as well as maintaining acceptable standards related to appearance, safety, health, and cost control. Cleaning and maintenance programs or a lack there of have a direct impact on surfaces and are under the control and responsibility of custodial and maintenance departments. (more…)

Filed under: Carpet, Floor Care by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM January 2016

Welcome to the New Year, may 2016 be better for you than 2015.
This month I am going to address several questions from readers:

Q: A client wants me to submit a bid for a new project that they have coming up in early 2016. However, they still have invoices from 2015 that remain unpaid. How should I handle this situation?
Sally in San Diego (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating, Self Employment by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM January 2016

Where is the Big Money at in Cleaning?
That’s a fairly common question I get from both those just starting and those who have been operating a cleaning business for some time. As a consultant, I have researched, studied and worked with many different types cleaning businesses. I also have attended 100’s of conventions and tradeshows for many different specialty segments of the cleaning industry. So I do have a pretty good idea of who’s making the big bucks when it comes to cleaning.

In general, the higher paying jobs are those that involve a specialty type of service that requires more detailed training, where the risks a higher and where the number of competitors is limited. Other factors that drive up costs and profit include; providing services that are dangerous, hazardous, uncomfortable, offensive, repulsive, and nasty, off hour’s work and those that no one else wants or knows how to do drive up the price and opportunities for higher profit. When you have these factors involved, it’s generally work that pays better than the run of the mill services such as cleaning homes or offices on a daily or weekly basis. (more…)

Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM December 2015

When I was in Portland OR last month to attend the Cleanmed Show, I noticed that there was a solar energy conference at the same convention center. Being I have an interest in solar energy, I wandered over to see what I could learn. To my surprise there was a presentation on bidding and estimating, so I got a press pass and sat through the presentation. Even though it was targeted to solar energy construction contractors, much of the information and concepts presented apply to cleaning contractors. Here’s an overview of my notes from the presentation by Leslie Shiner, who has a book titled “Turning a Profit as a Contractor”. You can order Leslie’s book at www.moneymazebooks.com Or contact her via email: L_Shiner@ShinerGroup.com Ph: 415-383-6255
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Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM July 2015

Production Rates and Cost per Square Foot
Seldom does a day go by that someone doesn’t ask me about pricing and production rates for the cleaning of commercial buildings. Sometime it’s about a small space or building and other times it’s hundreds of thousands or even millions of square feet and the reality from my perspective doesn’t change.

There is an almost endless list of variables in each building that need or should be taken into consideration when calculating a realistic price or production rate for cleaning services. An even more important and overriding factor is how you go about doing the work. The issue of how you workload the building and what equipment and processes are used, have an equal or greater impact on determining the amount of labor and costs required to get the work done in a way that meets the cleaning specifications.
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Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM May 2015

There is a revolution going on in hard floor care that will have a major impact on how floors are cleaned and restored in the future. We are in the beginning phases of eliminating the need to strip, burnish and refinish hard surface floors. For those of us who grew up on the handle of a floor machine, with layers of wax on our boots, it’s hard to envision floor care without stripping and refinishing, but the handwriting is on the wall and will soon reach the floor.

Destructive Innovation
The speed and depth of change is creating turbulence and uncertainty for manufacturers, business owners and department managers as the cleaning industry transitions from the familiar ground of “how things have been done in the past” to the uncertainty of an unknown future that is rapidly evolving.
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Filed under: Floor Care by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM April 2015

Every building has a floor and sooner or later it will need more than daily or routine cleaning to remove heavy soil, scratches, scuffs and restore that like new shine. Hard floor care is one of the most profitable service specialties and if you ask for the work, is often an automatic add on for janitorial and residential cleaning services. If you have the skills, staff and equipment needed to provide periodic and restorative maintenance and your price is reasonable, chances are you will get the work. Sometimes floor care is included in the contract, but many times, floor care provides an opportunity for additional income and profit. If you can’t personally do the work, consider subcontracting with another company to provide the service and add 20%-40% to the cost as your markup for managing the project.

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Filed under: Bidding and Estimating, Floor Care by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM April 2015