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View Full Version : Spike in business...Spring is finally here



huggytree
04-14-2009, 07:08 AM
Anyone else noticing a spike in business lately?

last week was my first busy week in 4 months
this week i cant keep up. im working 10-12 hour days all week.
yesterday may have been my best day for incoming phone calls ever.
I signed 1 medium job, got 2 new builders w/projects calling, and had 6 new projects to bid on from existing customers.

i couldnt get work done because of all the phone calls. i was on a repipe and had no choice but to stay late to finish....people like to have running water.

Day after Easter....i assume its 'spring' and not 'the end of the recession'

last year the spring spending was 1 month earlier.

Ill know when the recession is over when new homes come back.

Steve B
04-14-2009, 07:30 AM
Last month you made a very similar post. I think it's just the nature of being in business for yourself - some weeks are good and some aren't so good.

It's tough for me to get used to after having a regular paycheck for 18 years. As soon as I start feeling like things are getting busy - the phone stops ringing.

Dustin07
04-14-2009, 05:44 PM
This month has been better for us too, but April is traditionally a good month. However, the rest of the year typically picks up from April till November or soo, so maybe this is a good sign!

Blacktalon
04-14-2009, 08:51 PM
My wife and I just purchased a new home where the closing date is a year away. They haven't even started digging yet!

We had looked at a few resales where, in addition to the purchase price, there was at least another $15,000 in renovations and upgrades to do. In a very tight economy, people aren't willing to spend more than they need to unless they absolutely have to. Thus the reason why we opted to go new rather than resale. Just a much more sound investment. (Actually, since we purchased the house, they haven't even broken ground yet and the home's value has gone up by $5,000 already in a week's time.)

New home sales probably do not account for a lot of your business, but people are indeed purchasing. Albeit cautiously.

The spring fever tends to melt away the winter blahs. I'd expect it to pick-up a bit more once it warms up and the days get longer still.

As for me, I think the state of Canada's economy is much different than that in the STates. My business continues to grow, regardless of what season or state of economy.

orion_joel
04-15-2009, 11:36 PM
I think it is sometimes a bit tough to go on one or two good days to consider that things are picking up. It is as you say a spike in business, with any luck it will leave you moving along at a higher level then previously but who really knows.

huggytree
04-18-2009, 08:26 AM
last month wasnt very good for me....so if i said the same thing last month i must have had 1 good day..hmmmm..maybe it was just alot of bidding...now its actual work.

ive had 2 very good weeks and next week is all booked up too....i worked 10-14 hour days this whole week....alot of bidding...one remodeler had 7 projects to bid....

i got a couple signed too....still all small/medium projects.....i have only 2 large projects this whole year so far (2 new houses)....

i heard a statistic that hardly anyone is spending their tax returns on new stuff....thats probably why march 09 was poor while march 08 was great for me. i didnt have the sudden spike..

i still only see the plumbing vans from the large price cutter plumber on the road...occasionally a service company too....usually id see 10 vans or more per day while on the road...i see 2 on average now...from talking with other owners it sounds like im the only one busy right now...i think its the benefit of having 26 small customers vs 2 big ones like most guys have..

orion_joel
04-19-2009, 02:04 AM
I think that similar problems exist a lot of the time. Australia currently is no exception. There are people that are busy as anything and then there are those that are flatout billing a couple of hours a week.

My brother works in the construction type industry, and cannot get any work at the moment (besides the fact that he is not trying does not help him at all). However the people that he does get work through have good weeks and bad weeks all the time. sometimes they will scrape for something to do, and sometimes they are fighting to get through all the work on their books.

There is little rhyme and little reason, however one thing is sure, there is work out there it is just being the one that can manage to get it.

huggytree
04-19-2009, 04:23 PM
i am taking every job even though im very busy....ill work 60-80 hours a week, weekends...whatever they want...i want to hoard as much cash as possible incase the economy dips lower.....next week is my 3rd busy week in a row. i have 2 new houses coming up, so its possible i could have 6 busy weeks in a row....

im finally signing medium sized projects again...ive been doing 2-5 hour jobs for months...now i finally have some 30-40 hour jobs coming up......still no large jobs other than the 2 houses....

im becoming a service/repair plumber...all learned on the job over the past 6 months..no one ever knew i didnt know what i was doing sometimes...i had to figure it out as i went.

orion_joel
04-20-2009, 12:53 AM
Getting through a lot of smaller jobs should be a good thing for your type of business. While it means more leg work and signing jobs and doing them and such. You are better off then the guys that only do new builds or reno's and may not hav work for a month then have 5 or 6 all in a very short period.

While i am aware of your stand on pricing and such, i wonder if it could be beneficial for you to quote better labor rates for larger jobs. Not so much saying your time is not worth as much, but more so the fact that if you do one 60hr job compared to a dozen 5 hour jobs, your office time both quoting and invoicing would be much less. It may also help you secure some of these deals, a bit easier.