cos we are dead.
all the satellite men are suicidal, all the alarm men are hibernating, and now that the government have halved the solar tarriff, the installers are up shyte creek without a paddle.
We have had our busiest season ever, but not without difficulty. Weekend bookings down, weeks with schools etc we have worked our socks off for some new trade. Lots of other outdoor centres closing, and I think we are picking up some of their trade, plus it is a real survival of the fittest/hardest workers/best value.
Despite all this, cash is tight due to the huge increases in the food and energy bills.
A lot busier in November than we were expecting.
Ton I wish Id known you did alarms we just had a whole new system installed.
Looking for another one at Adel if you want to give me a call.
(Ed – Crosstrax)
Good, best year since 2007-08. Although that is more down to a couple of flukey large jobs, had I not been in the right place at the right time it would have been at the other end of scale. Next year could go either way at the moment.
Ton I wish Id known you did alarms we just had a whole new system installed.
Looking for another one at Adel if you want to give me a call.
(Ed – Crosstrax)
Good but in very selective markets. I supply a service that is more luxury than necessity for 70% of my clients, so I’ve noticed some cutting back on the levels they choose.
November has been great, October was absolutely dire but overall a good enough year. Thankfully people can’t stop buying mobile phones, and they can’t stop buying them for their kids either.
Cheaster where i work has had a cull of a lot of banking jobs and local council jobs, theres massive unemployment, shops are closing every day, and its really grim, nobody wants new locks or carpets or even rear gates at the present time to protect their xmas presents.
The usual – hectic at the start of the year when people come back all through of optimism, quiet over the tail end of the summer through autumn whilst they are faffing with kids n school holidays, followed by late autumn/pre Christmas PANIC WE HAVE TO GET THIS SITE SORTED YESTERDAY IT JUST CANT WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR….lots on atm.
Being a small company it’s always famine/flood/famine/flood.
It’s been horrendous since May – I do freelance management consultancy in the charity and public sector areas and its by far the worst period in over 10 years of doing this.
I also do voluntary work for a couple of charities and they are busier than ever providing services, but doing it with less money.
Since May it’s been very quiet. However I set up another small business last year and that’s starting to get going and filling in the gaps. http://emmyjane-design.blogspot.com/
As Matt says
plus it is a real survival of the fittest/hardest workers/best value.
it’s so hard as a one man band to compete against some really big firms who can afford to take losses in certain areas.
I think things will get better when people realise that Cheap stuff from China is no longer inexpensive and start to buy British.
Customers want top quality stuff for nothing and I’m not willing to work for a wage that comes in under the minimum just because I’m self employed (which is what a lot of small business people are doing).
In my second year of running my own business. Turnover was 180% of what I projected in the first year and in my second year I’m looking like doing 200% of projected turnover. When the government stops building roads that need lighting, then I may struggle.
In my second year of running my own business. Turnover was 180% of what I projected in the first year and in my second year I’m looking like doing 200% of projected turnover.