Upsides and downsides of hiring a summer helper?
I am thinking about hiring someone to help me in the busy season and the idea of a high school kid as a summer job sounds like a promising idea. I wouldn't have to pay them a crazy salary, they are like sponges with information and they are typically more physically full of energy. I wouldn't be able to send them on their own, but they could help me get a few more jobs done in a day. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and what would be the pros and cons of doing it?How active are you on your social media?
I wonder how active other business owners are on social media, and if there are any cases where a majority of leads are generated through it? How active do you have to be to make that a viable source of leads coming in? What content are you posting? Are you using other apps to edit and create posts?Is anyone else using Homestars? What has your experience been like?
I have been using Homestars and I must say, it has generated me a lot of calls. I would say it's bringing in about 80% of my business right now. I took a lot of time to perfect my profile and always ask for reviews and that has really paid off. A lot of people have said the reason they requested or hired me was because of my profile and reviews. My only issue with them is tire kickers and dead leads. People who post a job then shortlist you and don't respond, shortlist multiple pros or people who are "just looking". I wish they had more of a guarantee or verification system. Also getting a refund used to be a lot easier, but they changed their system to make it harder. Is anyone else using Homestars? Any tips or tricks on how to succeed better on there? If anyone is interested in it but has questions, feel free to DM me or reply here for my advise also!Roll Call! Meet & introduce yourself to other Cleaning and Property Maintenance pros
If you’ve ever thought, “How are other businesses like mine handling this?” you’re in the right place! This space is for Cleaning and Property Maintenance industry pros to connect, compare notes, and talk shop with others who understand the day-to-day realities of running your type of business. 👋 Introduce Yourself Drop a comment and tell us: Your name Business name Industry Years in business Location (City/State/Province) Let us know if you’re joining us for LIVE networking on March 17 (more details below) The more context you share, the better connections you’ll make. 🙌 Pro tip: Search your city or state in the forum to easily find other pros in your area. 📅 Want to connect LIVE? We’re running a pilot to host virtual weekly LIVE Industry Networking starting on March 17, running until April 7. If you’d be interested in joining for the first or following sessions (don’t need to commit to all but you're welcome to join!), make sure to let us know in the comments. 🤝 Culture of this space Think of this forum board like a room full of peers who understand your world. Share what’s working. Ask real questions. Talk through challenges. The goal is to power your success and raise the standard of home service industries together. 💬 Looking for conversation starters? This space works best when conversations are industry-specific and experience-based. You might jump in with something like: “How are other [industry] pros pricing this service right now?” “Is anyone else seeing this shift in their market?” “What’s been working for you when it comes to ____?" 🤔 Why are industries grouped together? We’ve intentionally clustered similar industries to keep conversations active and relevant. These groupings reflect shared business models, operational challenges, and pricing conversations so you can learn from peers who “get it,” even if they’re not in your exact trade. If your question applies to all home service businesses, feel free to post in our broader forum boards. Pro tip: Check out the industry tags to get even more specific Looking forward to seeing this space come to life. 🚀Who is a better employee, old school or new school?
I have 2 people who are interested in a position I posted for a apprentice/helper. I took each of them on a one day ride along to see what they thought about the position. One is an old school guy, hard working, knowledgeable, rough around the edges, "get it done" mentality, just your typical guy who grew up in a different time. The other is a 24 year old, energetic, absorbing of information, helpful with technology, very much one of those cell phone kids. I would say that those are are the pros of these two but they also have cons. The older guy is set in his ways, smoker, hard headed, know it all. The younger guy showed up 10 mins late, on his phone all day, had to stop for lunch, complained about getting dirty. I did like them both and saw advantages to both, but also disadvantages. I wonder if anyone else has experience with these types of guys? Am I missing something that I should reconsider? Maybe neither one is the right fit? Maybe for context also, I am 40. I maybe have a foot in each each of their worlds which is why the decision isn't as easy as I thought.
