how to manage jobs when things get busy

[huggytree]

seems like im sitting around all week or buried with work all week.

This week is nothing & next week is burried.

I got a call today oking a job for Next Tues., problem is i already have Tues booked up....its above a food store and they only have certain days i can work on the project and Mon/Tues are it...its a special situation...also the project needs to be done in 2 weeks...so it cant be delayed a week.

Either i open up Tuesday or lose $3,500 and possibly a good customer who bent over backwards to get me this job (he bumped another plumber because he likes me).

I bumped my Tuesday up to Monday...problem is he may not be ready and now im pushing him...he's working Sat. just to get it ready for me on Tues.
i offered to give him until noon on Monday and ill work late.. He is also a good customer, and more flexible.

when you get busy you have to pick & choose 1 customer over another...im not going to lose $3,500 in this economy either...the good guy who's flexible got moved and the guy who called at the last minute got his way...there was no good way to handle this one...only the lesser of 2 evils...

as i get busier i will need to come up with a policy and stick to it. When i get more employees it will get easier too (i think) because i can split up people and put out multiple fires at once.

[rezzy]

I think creating some kind of policy can help you better manage these sort of things. If someone calls and needs service tommorrow, you can charge one rate and another for other instances.

It sounds like you place priority on the money coming from the job, which is fine. You might want to be aware of those type ofthings when making your policy.

[Steve B]

I doubt you're going to come up with a policy that will help you much. The situations will always be different.

Having some part-time and flexible employees has helped me a lot. Of course, this requires some duplicate equipment. Find a couple retirees who will be glad to work when you have it and glad to take off when you don't. In this economy there are lots of people that will take what they can get.

[Vivid Color Zack]

I doubt you're going to come up with a policy that will help you much. The situations will always be different.

Having some part-time and flexible employees has helped me a lot. Of course, this requires some duplicate equipment. Find a couple retirees who will be glad to work when you have it and glad to take off when you don't. In this economy there are lots of people that will take what they can get.

Totally agree with entire post. Part time laborers you can trust (especially if it's not too complicated of a job) means you can pay them and still make money, you said it's a 3500 dollar job how much of that is profit? How much would you have to pay someone else to do it if you supplied parts?

[huggytree]

Profit may be $600-750 range(just a rough guess)...its very complex...i have to do it...

the other project i bumped would be the one id pass on to another one...

i dont know if i can hire part time with union rules....working part time would hurt their unemployment....probably wouldnt do it..

they are making me angry lately. the negs are starting to climb.

[phanio]

Instead of hiring part-time - can you refer one of the jobs to another person/company you trust? If so, maybe they will return the favor when you have down time (make sure you ask them to repay the favor) Also, explain to the customer why you are doing this and that you want to make sure they get good work - it will still keep you in their mind.

[Steve B]

I thought you owned your own business? Why do you have to follow the union rules? Are you still in the union even though you are an owner - I'm not sure how that works.

[SteveC]

Most businesses work on the 80/20 rule... in that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers... once you know who these companies are you work to please these and fit all of the others in as best you can.

[Spider]

Whichever job was allocated the time should be given priority (Job 1 on Tuesday.)

The next job would be allocated the next available time slot.

If that is not acceptable and Job 2 had to be done in Job #1's time slot, I would see if Job #1 client would accept a new time. If not, Job #2 is refused.

It doesn't matter how much money is involved, if you are a man of your word (and every business person should be) then you keep the commitments you make.

Once you start getting known as someone who cannot be trusted to do the work they promised to do when they promised to do it, you might as well fold up your business and go back to being an employee.

[huggytree]

I am a union contractor....basically i stayed in the union for insurance.so i have to follow their rules

other than the insurance the reason i stay is i can get a worker tomarrow....1 phone call and someone's here in 24 hours or less.

the apprentice training is all handled through the union...i dont know how to handle it outside the union...some tech school would probably do it....i pay myself union wages and always plan to....

They are making me mad lately and not releasing my 401k...i want it moved to my own retirement...they say im a Union Member and its locked in....of course Im only a union member when it suits them...i cant go to union meetings or vote.....so im only a part time union member....100% when it helps them, 0% when it helps me...I have a lawyer fighting to get my $ right now..I may be looking into non-union because of this...

im just lucky this time that the original Tueday job #1 was a flexible guy....if he wouldnt be id have to lose the job and potentially lose the customer..ive fought to get in deeper with this customer and its working...it would be depressing to lose them when things are on the upswing with them...

[cocoy]

Whichever job was allocated the time should be given priority (Job 1 on Tuesday.)

The next job would be allocated the next available time slot.

If that is not acceptable and Job 2 had to be done in Job #1's time slot, I would see if Job #1 client would accept a new time. If not, Job #2 is refused.

It doesn't matter how much money is involved, if you are a man of your word (and every business person should be) then you keep the commitments you make.

Once you start getting known as someone who cannot be trusted to do the work they promised to do when they promised to do it, you might as well fold up your business and go back to being an employee.

I agree with this. Contractors already get a bad rap for their scheduling and how they don't/can't finish the job in the scheduled time.

[huggytree]

im perfectly organized...its the people i work for who arent.

you cant just call and demand 1 day w/ 5 days notice....3 weeks notice and i can give you anything you want...5 days and its a crap shoot..

i work weekends and late nights to hold schedules...i do what it takes...some day when i get big and successful i may not be willing to bend so much, or else charge extra for this type of service...right now im just glad to have work

[Spider]

Not especially pertaining to this situation regarding scheduling work, but in a general way, I think it is important to start off in business as one means to continue. It is very easy to say, "Now that I am small, I need to behave in this way, but when I am big I can act differently." It generally doesn't work that way.

Now that I am small, I cannot afford to share the profits of my company with my employees, but when I am bigger I will. --- A typical small business might make $20,000 profit. Sharing that 50/50 with one's employees would result in a $1,000 bonus to each of 10 employees. But later, as a bigger business, a $250,000 profit shared 50/50 with 30 employees would result in a $4,000 bonus to each. If one "cannot afford" to pay out $10,000 in bonuses, how eager is one going to be paying out $120,000 in bonuses?

Likewise -- I cannot afford to make charitable donations at the moment because my income isn't high enough, but when I am earning big money I intend to donate 10% of my income to charity. --- If one cannot donate 10% of $1,000, how likely is one to donate 10% of $1,000,000? I'm sure $100 is easier to part with than $100,000, no matter how much one makes.

It is only by acting now as one means to act in the future, that a business can grow into something worthwhile in the future.

[Dan Furman]

Not especially pertaining to this situation regarding scheduling work, but in a general way, I think it is important to start off in business as one means to continue. It is very easy to say, "Now that I am small, I need to behave in this way, but when I am big I can act differently." It generally doesn't work that way.

Now that I am small, I cannot afford to share the profits of my company with my employees, but when I am bigger I will. --- A typical small business might make $20,000 profit. Sharing that 50/50 with one's employees would result in a $1,000 bonus to each of 10 employees. But later, as a bigger business, a $250,000 profit shared 50/50 with 30 employees would result in a $4,000 bonus to each. If one "cannot afford" to pay out $10,000 in bonuses, how eager is one going to be paying out $120,000 in bonuses?

Likewise -- I cannot afford to make charitable donations at the moment because my income isn't high enough, but when I am earning big money I intend to donate 10% of my income to charity. --- If one cannot donate 10% of $1,000, how likely is one to donate 10% of $1,000,000? I'm sure $100 is easier to part with than $100,000, no matter how much one makes.

It is only by acting now as one means to act in the future, that a business can grow into something worthwhile in the future.

This is great advice.

[Murtaza]

Just manage your company sharply daily as any laziness on your may result in loss of concentration on your employees' side.

[Ad-Vice_Man]

Tight Scheduling and getting something done for a good client is part of many jobs.

I would be sure to provide some sort of "Thank You" or Incentive to the first guy who had to hurry to get you in on Monday. Get him tickets to a ball game, or a nice dinner or something that shows beyond a doubt that you appreciate this "Favor" from him.