I work on my own, I manage a few fortnightly jobs , to be honest think fortnightly maintenance is chasing your tail and I find everything has to be done- grass/weeds/hedges/blowing etc. The customer is not paying alot to maintain over the year. Plus heavy rain seems to always get in the way and sometimes miss a visit or cut short due to this. The grass in 2 weeks grows quick so my main time is spent just doing lawns, strimming, edges etc. I had a client turn around and have a go at me about the weeds in the garden and that I had not been keeping the edges neat... I was exhausted just doing the bits i had to do, and didnt need this putdown, she compared it to winter saying they paid me the time then. I suggested a few weeks ago shall i come each week, I get back I cannot afford that and theres not enough work for you! The client suggested to come on a morning instead which i thought was ridiculous its not going solve the problem.
Most of my work is weekly contract work , and so glad I can keep on top of things without feeling its growing over my shoulders, this itself is a huge challenge maintaining fairly large sites on my own. Ive often thought am I holding back, not employing staff to help me out, im maxed out with work and have no room for any more clients but i have tried temporary staff working with me before these fortnightly jobs and others the hours get halved and then i feel i am chasing around even more knackered trying please the client in the even less amount of time!
Dont know to drop these few fortnighly jobs and just have a bit more free time and not be rushing around so much and then when it does rain I can alter jobs accordingly which I cant do at the moment.
Any suggestions.
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My opinion, for what its worth, is to be straight with them, lay it on the line. Tell them YOU want to see the garden looking good all the time. But cutting the grass etc every 2 weeks means, because its growing so quick, its getting out of hand and that you really need to visit every week. And that if you do, that each visit will be shorter than the fortnightly ones.
Don't worry if they moan and whinge, STAND YOUR GROUND, Think to yourself-take it or leave it. You can't get blood out of a stone. If they want it looking good all the time emphasise the point that that is what you want too but to achieve that they will have to pay a bit more for it. You get what you pay for.
Whatever you do always keep the quality up and you'll always have work, but quality costs!
I'm always tired at this time of year but that's the job I think as in a few weeks things slow down and if you want to earn decent money through the year these 2-3 months have to be got past!
I would drop them if they are that much hassle.
Good advice already received.
However if you drive to these customers every week for just one hour your doubling your miles, petrol and time to get there. You will be running at a loss. If your customer is getting quite aggressive and insulting then its time for a divorce.
If I understand you correctly the customer also pays you in the winter months? And you do less work because of the winter? Customer now expects you to work those less utilised winter hours in the summer to keep up with the garden? I would bump her up on her rate for the summer or wait until your contract is done and drop her or arrange a new contract. Maybe a lower rate for winter and a higher rate for summer? (This is one of the reasons I dont do these kind of contracts, also because I am not around in the winter months.)
If you are that rushed off your feet then its time to raise the prices big time. You will lose some customers. Others paying more will be making up for the loss. You have more time getting round and less stress. Any new customers you start at an even higher rate. If they agree, fine. If not, its no loss to you.
Sounds like you are at the end of your tether and you need to take control. Seems like the business is running you and not vice versa. But its good though that you are busy.
Hope all goes well.
I have a lawn guy that also does my hedge work only the type of hedges that need hedge cutters on. He charges £10 an hour and i charge him out at my rate this means i get ontop of the serious horticultural stuff with out worrying about the lawns, it was a huge relief when i decided to do this and because he subcontracts i dont have to worry about salary tax etc...... and im earning a bit out of him each time too. Or like i have done many times ditch the client you are self employed now you dont have to take this crap anymore its very liberating!
I would be very careful as HMRC don't always look at subbies being self employed....
I don't have any fixed arrangements where the lawn is cut every X amount of days, as the amount it grows varies so much, at the moment i am cutting the clients who want it kept neat about every 8 days, have noticed that with the heat and drier weather (in my area at least) the spring flush of grass growth has calmed down, it still needs cutting but there is less quantity of clippings coming off the lawns, assuming they are under control to a large extent, the ideal maintenance cycle for many of these gardens with a bit of hand weeding, weed spraying etc would seem to not be weekly as that is too often, but fortnightly not often enough somehow, i realise that would play havoc with contract schedules etc however
That is sensible. I try to do the most prominent areas first which can be seen from the entry or from windows (kitchen, dining, livingroom). And leave the rest for the next visits.
i try to keep 3 days a fortnight free to cover for wet days and to be able to do the one off work but the last few weeks even this is not giving us chance to keep up with the grass growing at an alarming rate in the nine years we been going i never seen grass grow like it is at the moment . fortnightly cuts are 4to 5 inches high where we can i saying that we have to cut weekly for a while
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