Winter Time at EasyPro

Ron Musgraves said:
I can Say this, 100% of the lease is the right off. I'm not sure he will need that much unless he does increase the Gross.

I didnt build my new shop last year because of the economy. Its dirt with a foundation. Ground work is done but I held off on the 350,000 dollar build.

I own the dirt and rent the building next door to a tile contractor. He went from 500gs a month to 55 . he is back up around 365 again and climbing, but his flipping houses is what has kept him afloat. ( also got my rent paid)

I have empty homes and commercial places I own. I purchase all the buildings I have ever occupied. Rent is a great way to start and I did rent my first place and had the oportunity in times like this to buy. I struggled to get the 5000.00 together for my first place. I sold it for 475,000 to a large corp four years later.

I will never say Dj has made a poor choice, early on the rent motivated me to sell. The fuel sayings payed the rent. Separating the work place from home is a great thing. It will give you focus to follow thru with busines plan.

If you didnt have the landscape biz and couldnt find your own house to accomidate I like the idea.

Owning your own home would be a investment for the future. The tax write off would be great also. The lease is a great write off also, but no future in leases.

Increase your gross and try to raise your net is the name of the game.

Make the location work, use the store front to market for sure.

I think your going to be ok, 600 like henry said is not a huge commitment. If it becomes a burden dont be affraid to cut loose.

Good Luck Dj, I think all in all your going to make it work. Nice Shop
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I'm planning on buying a house next year and try to buy my shp the year after that ....
 
Oh let's please not turn one more thread into a my pee-pee is bigger than yours again. This started off as a really decent comparison.

WHO gets to define how successful YOUR company is? Not me, not any org, not any bbs. When you begin a business you set your goals - those are personal choices not something out of a how-to book (which, really, are just someone else's opinion). If your business model is to run multiple crews and never touch a wand, then you must do certain things to grow and control that growth. If you want to have a business you can ditch in 5 years when the tax write-offs stop(ish), you DON't grow your butt off. If you just want to provide for your family, and don't want to expand - then so be it.

The only time someone is doing something wrong in their business is when it's not part of their plan.

Tony, great for Chris - he has had help, seriously. And he has the motivation of a new baby. (PS - You really need to lighten up - you've been awfully overbearing this past couple months.)

DJ - great for you! I still maintain that you will be one of the ones that doesn't just cut a path, you'll plow one (no pun intended). But remember - confidence is an asset, arrogance will get you buried. Humility will take you farther than anything.

Just saying.
 
CarolinaProWash said:
Oh let's please not turn one more thread into a my pee-pee is bigger than yours again. This started off as a really decent comparison.

WHO gets to define how successful YOUR company is? Not me, not any org, not any bbs. When you begin a business you set your goals - those are personal choices not something out of a how-to book (which, really, are just someone else's opinion). If your business model is to run multiple crews and never touch a wand, then you must do certain things to grow and control that growth. If you want to have a business you can ditch in 5 years when the tax write-offs stop(ish), you DON't grow your butt off. If you just want to provide for your family, and don't want to expand - then so be it.

The only time someone is doing something wrong in their business is when it's not part of their plan.

Tony, great for Chris - he has had help, seriously. And he has the motivation of a new baby. (PS - You really need to lighten up - you've been awfully overbearing this past couple months.)

DJ - great for you! I still maintain that you will be one of the ones that doesn't just cut a path, you'll plow one (no pun intended). But remember - confidence is an asset, arrogance will get you buried. Humility will take you farther than anything.

Just saying.
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Thanks C, I'm not trying to start a pissing match i was just simply stating that I'm rocking and it will be hard to find someone that has come from where i have and will do what i have yet to accomplish. Words leave the tongue easily, but it is actions that accomplish tasks!
 
PWI used to be known for its camaraderie and fun times. Now the overriding characteristic seems to be trending toward unwarranted insinuations, snide remarks, and outright attacks.

It makes me sad.
 
DJ Carroll said:
Are you drunk? :confused:

Tony great for your son but honestly i don't give a flying rats ass about how much he net, gross, buys, sells or what ever.

How bought this? Is he power washing or is he building a business? I am going to say he is just washing like his dad. . . Tony your son may net more than me this year .. (woowhoo!) but lets compare in 5 years? These board are a lot of talk and only time will show who can walk the walk. Could have i sold more this year hell ya, BUT my company wasn't ready for the growth. I am creating a training program, safety program (good luck getting osha to certify your yard as a place of business lol ) flow charts, business plans, cash flow projections everything a business NEEDS to GROW and SURVIVE! Hell tony if some one did 300k fantastic, I DON"T CARE!!!! You see I have a new way of looking at things, you may call it patting my self on the back or what ever but I'M ROCKING bro and i'm not gonna let any one else tell me different and the sh!t you posted is only fueling the beast!


See you in five years bro! Then we will compare success !
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You know what DJ. You are right. I don't know a thing. We're all a bunch of idiots on these boards and if we had a lick of sense we would close up shop and start over by returning to college and attending positive thinking seminars.

You keep rocking "Bro" and keep doing what you are doing. It will make for good bar room laughs in the future at roundtables. Your lack of morals and your superior knowledge of all business matters already make for some good conversation.

Keep your head up. Maybe next year you will make enough to pay for dinner too, and not just lunch money.

And by the way, say hello to your local OSHA rep when they stop by this week. My OSHA rep here, (John) says hello and wants you to tell him whats wrong with my house as a place of business? He's sat at my dinner table before and looked out at my "place of business".

And, by the way, my son, married, two kids, great wife, happy, moral, responsible says DJ who?
 
This started because DJ was putting himself on a pedestal as a "real" or "legitimate" business because he has a commercial location.

Instead of rethinking his position on the matter he chose to reveal how he really feels about all of us who "aren't serious" business owners.

For example I'm now a "power washer" instead of a business owner.

He reaps what he sows. He's a punk.

Sorry to have offended you Thad. I know you are sensitive.
 
Okay everyone, calm down.

I do think that the idea that you are not professional if you operate out of your house is a bad idea. I have a yard I keep my equipment at, but, my employees come to my house to check in every day. Most of them do not even turn their vehicles off when they are checking in, because it is that fast. Now, if rents were as cheap here, as they are in Kentucky, I could probably justify an office. If I was paying rent for a place to live, I would have to justify it. I can't justify it, right now, becxause it does not make sense.
You want to talk gross or nets, just say, I have multiple contracts that, any one of them, would pay for my families needs. Since I have four kids, all but the oldest teenagers, or close, I would say that can be substantial needs. My oldest is your age.
As a new contractor, I think it is presumptuous to lecture people that have been in business as long as you have been alive, on what they need to do to operate their business.
 
aaarrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
 

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... good for everyone, at least everyone is doing well with their businesses!

:tongue:
 
He's got a good reason for not running it out of his house. He doesn't have a house...or an apartment. There's nothing wrong with running it out of a commercial spot if he doesn't have a house to run it out of. Most people would consider moving into a place of their own and buying their own food would have a higher priority than renting a shop.

But, hey, It is 2010 around the corner. 50 year old successful businessmen living with mama is the new gauge of success. (just using mama as an example, could be daddy, uncle joe, aunt suzie, whoever.)

But there is something wrong with coming to the very place that helped bring DJ from nothing to a little more than nothing and look down his nose on all the guys that helped him get started and insult them by saying things like:

i would NEVER send the equipment home with my guys that's to me isn't professional.

having guys meet at my house in the morning i don't feel is professional.

would feel more secure with a career at EasyPro if they had a place of employment instead of "ya we meet at my bosses house every morning"

I want this to be a place of business.

Look at every successful wash co. land care co. or what ever.... they have a place of business.


I just feel this is me moving one step closer being a true COMPANY.

To me you HAVE to have a place of business to be considered a true business in my book. .. .

Then he goes on to brag to everyone what a great businessman he is and to predict his vast future fortune!

I'm rocking and it will be hard to find someone that has come from where i have and will do what i have yet to accomplish. Words leave the tongue easily, but it is actions that accomplish tasks!

But yet he is offended to hear that maybe there are others who are doing as well or better than he is.

i don't give a flying rats ass about how much he net, gross, buys, sells or what ever.

Then once again he turns to insults.

Is he power washing or is he building a business? I am going to say he is just washing like his dad.

This explains a lot:

I have a new way of looking at things

Yes, you have found a new set of mentors that are failures in business who are feeding your head with garbage about what it takes to run a successful business.

I'M ROCKING bro and i'm not gonna let any one else tell me different and the sh!t you posted is only fueling the beast!

Yes DJ, you are rocking. You keep believing that. Don't take anymore advice from anyone who's been where you are years ago. You got it all figured out man. I'm listening to you from now on.

We all need to listen to DJ. He holds the key to our success. As a matter of fact I'm calling my mama right now to see if she will take us back in her house so I can go out and rent me a big ol' shop and I can add all that money I waste on shelter, utilities, food, clothing and toiletries on my family to my NET!!!! I want to ROCK like you man!!!

Where can I learn everything about this "new way of looking at things" you found DJ?
 
Tony Shelton said:
Mark, I would spend the rest of my life with the arrangement I have now if it remains possible.

I really like having every thing at my house, don't get me wrong on that part.

We had employees in our home beginning at 5am and ending as late as 2am when we had the dry clean delivery service. I never even heard them unless I went out there to check up on them. They rarely bothered us. At first the delivery vehicles stayed at our place, then eventually I sent them home with the guys.

The work area had it's own bathroom, eating area, etc so there was no need to come into the main house. A private parking area and entrance behind a wall kept the neighbors from questioning what we were doing. (Except for one old drunk neighbor, but that's another story)

I recently visited a similar company to ours that is the largest evaporative cooler service company in the state. The owner has always run it out of his home and even has lockers, break room and uniform service for the employees there.

I don't have that kind of facility here. If I have guys in the shop during the day and they need to use the restroom, it is in my home. I don't like that.

One question would be this. If you have the ability to run it out of your home why wouldn't you take the full writeoff without the added expense of a rented space?

My shop is 100% isolated from my mome, I even put in a sub meter for power usage. I pay myself rent to the tune of 1.00 sf. plus utilities. And yes, it is all legal.

If you are keeping your books straight you don't have much to fear from an audit except the time it takes to do the audit. (And that isn't so much if you have everything out and ready and just turn the auditor loose in a room and tell him to call you if he has a question)
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I just don't like having hood's, fan's, scrap steel and what ever laying around my yard. Having run a welding and fab shop for years out of a free standing facility, I will say that there is nothing like separating work from home. I also know that if my shop / office were elsewhere, I would never see my daughter and it would be extremely difficult to work around Kim,s work schedule. So as it stands, I am happy with what I have.

As far as DJ's situation goes, TONY, what ever works for him. He does not feed my family or pay my bills, so if he is happy with his arrangement, and it works for him, welll then God Bless Him! Tony, I agree with a lot of your political views, but dude, you are getting kind of carried away with taking things to personal. He is a kid for crying out loud. A little to vocal for my point of view. He will learn though. Hopefully not the hard way.

On a side note, from a guy with almost 3 decades worth of business experience, I would not hire DJ if he presented me with the attitude he has were I the customer. Like Celeste said. A little humbleness can go along way. And some times people get humble, and NOT by their choice.

DJ, I still like your facility, and I think you can make it work well for you. Now start buying salt by the ton and not the bad. Wayyyyy cheaper.
 
Hey Mark, you and I have talked a bit and I think you understand I didn't start on his case for getting a shop.

If you need a shop you need a shop. Same goes for you Mark. I wouldn't want a bunch of sharp stuff laying around my yard either.

But to get a shop to PROVE you're better than someone else is just unearned arrogance.

DJ is not only spreading himself thin (four TYPES of businesses)

He's also master of NONE of them.

Two commercial accounts and he's a master pressure washer

15 yards a year ago and now he's the landscaping guru

A couple of classes in college and some seminars and he's the master of all marketing and ready to open a business showing all his mastery.

I don't have any idea what it takes to be a master snowplowman, so I will concede that he might just be that.

It's the condescending attitude towards guys who didn't mind helping a young kid out that is the problem.

I don't care whether he has a shop or not.
 
Good Lord, 55 posts why DJ was wrong or right, One thing is for certain the office Dj has is nice but... I agree with Tony, just because I don't have a "shop/office" doesn't make me any less a business man then any one else. maybe if I could find a shop the size of DJ's minus the huge office and more storage for $600 a month.. but thats not happening around here that would go for at least $1500 a month min.
But if DJ can afford the shop and thinks he needs it great for him.. Hope it brings him much weatlh in the future, cause I know my "shop" in my garage will profit me and not cost me a extra dime! and I dont feel one bit less professional cause the guys meet me that the house.. the good thing of having my shop at my house I am never late to meet the guys. the bad thing though is they know where I live on payday....lol
 
Some like cherries and some like pie.
 
welder said:
On a side note, from a guy with almost 3 decades worth of business experience, I would not hire DJ if he presented me with the attitude he has were I the customer.
QUOTE]

Why not?
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From a customer's perspective, I would question his age and time in business (which would equate to experience & education) I'm not hiring him for his business classes to landscape my yard - nor would I be interested in his plowing for washing my house. Being so young and thinly spread would only cause a question of how good are you actually at the work itself after you take away the pretty package?

DJ - I am definitely not downing your building or company appearance - I'm just saying that a truly discerning customer may wonder how you are supposed to be the most qualified if you're doing so many different things at your age - kind of jack of all trades, master of none?

And honestly, with that said - I would DEFINITELY be more inclinded to hire DJ with his professional appearance and book smarts before I hired some nasty t-shirt, creepy black van driving person!

Celeste
 
CarolinaProWash said:
From a customer's perspective, I would question his age and time in business (which would equate to experience & education) I'm not hiring him for his business classes to landscape my yard - nor would I be interested in his plowing for washing my house. Being so young and thinly spread would only cause a question of how good are you actually at the work itself after you take away the pretty package?

DJ - I am definitely not downing your building or company appearance - I'm just saying that a truly discerning customer may wonder how you are supposed to be the most qualified if you're doing so many different things at your age - kind of jack of all trades, master of none?

And honestly, with that said - I would DEFINITELY be more inclinded to hire DJ with his professional appearance and book smarts before I hired some nasty t-shirt, creepy black van driving person!

Celeste
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I would have to red flag this one, as a personal attack on Plain Painter, except he does not come on this board.
 
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