OK for context I(TM19) am a small business owner. My business targets the 40 to 90 year-old demographic and does everything from landscaping to house chores. A lot of my clients are retired and disabled so basically I’m the person that they call if they can’t physically do something and it involves manual labor. This is my second business with my first being at 16 working as a clown and expanding that with three employees on payroll and several town councils who use my services for community events.
I have had this business for about a year now and my clients absolutely love me. I get paid in cash and baked goods and it’s awesome. I love my job and a lot my clients are lonely so they treat me like a friend or a grandkid. Especially the older folks where I have built a rapport with them. They give me the list I putter around getting it done and they’ll sit on their porch or on their couch chattering away. Occasionally the more able bodied ones work with me and gets the job done faster and teach me tricks of the trade from this job I’ve learned how to lay sod, paint sheds and more.
This is where I run into my issue. I’m getting up to the point where I have too many clients to be physically able to do everyone at once. There is ten of them that are frequent callers and only one of me.
a lot of my clients are on schedules for things like snow shovelling and dog poop pick up so I hired a couple kids to do that. The problem is they only trust me. I had one of my clients say that if another one of my employees showed up on his doorstep instead of me, he would end up calling the cops on them because he only trust me.
I understand the fact that getting a business off the ground is not easy, but I run into the problem where I can’t go on vacation to see my family and have my employees pick up the slack because my clients would rather wait for me to come back than let one of my employees step foot on their property.
Let alone do a job for them. Old folks are stubborn and unfortunately, I am going to have to put my foot down soon because it’s getting to the point where there’s just too many of them and I can’t afford to turn anyone away because this is my income. But at the same time if I do this, I will lose a lot of of my foundation customers that I’ve had since day one.
So my question is WIBTAH for putting my foot down on this? Or should I just start managing my time more?
NTA. They have to learn that you are growing and building, and that you wouldn’t be sending someone you knew you couldn’t trust.
NTA but there is perhaps a way to fix this. It’s not the fastest and in the short run costs money, but if you AND the employee come together a few times, they can build the same rapport with that person. You’d have to be organized and get each employee a set of people who are comfortable with them as well. I completely understand that a one-person show simply doesn’t scale, so you have to get creative about this now. Might also help to have a logo/shirt that people wear so they are recognized as your employee.
And for new customers, send your employees from the beginning. There could be some problems with having your employees collect cash.
Sounds like you’re not charging enough to me.
Anyone who insists that it be you should be paying twice what they are.
I charge 20 bucks an hour for manual labour
$30 per driveway for shoveling
$10 for dog poop pickup
$40 a lawn depending on the size
As well as have discounts for those who are on pension and struggling. I also have a pay ahead program where they pay at once for hours owed or they can give me something of similar value that they don’t want anymore. I’ve gotten mowers a bike and a 1950’s sewing machine this way. In a town of less than 1500 people it’s a pretty sweet deal
NTA,
How you handle this is what matters.
Have a sit down with these clients. Explain to them that the nature of the job makes it so it’s not just a job. You care about them. They are also your friends.
Your business is grown. You want to take care of all of them. But it’s gotten to the point where you are unable to take time off and see family, take vacations, or help more people. You are stretched then and you need to hire your help.
Offer to invite your The employees over so they can meet them and get to know them. Have your employees stop and chat with him each time they visit for 15 to 20 minutes. Pay them for it.
Senior citizens definitely hate change. I would remind them that they would hate it more if you had to stop showing up at all.
YWNBTA. You might want to bring your employees around to meet some of these older folks and explain your employees have your trust, and if there are any problems with their performance, you will address it personally.
NTA. It’s a business. They might treat you as a family member, but you are running a business. Tell them that you can either provide service a) personally, for a premium, b) with an employee, or c)they have to find someone else.
NTA, but also, business is business. If you “put your foot down” your customers may do the same and find someone else to do the job.
If your business is targeting the elderly as your customer base, then you need to know your customers to be successful. This means understanding their generation, and understanding what they value and….what they fear! Then, figure out a way to use that to your benefit.
The elderly are often targets of scams, theft, and crime. Who they trust is important, because they know they are vulnerable.
If you want them to accept your employees, then you need to introduce your employee to them in personal….face to face. Bring them with you for a day. Let them watch you interact. “Train” them in person (not because Dylan doesn’t know how to pick up dog poop, but because the customer observing the interaction sees the interaction and relationship and it helps them to earn trust).
NTA for handling it this way going forward.
Y T A if you sent along an employee without letting the person who hired you know that would be someone other than you attending.
Ideally, the first time this happens for each client, you should also attend to facilitate introductions and make sure everyone is comfortable with each other.
This is all about how you communicate when you accept and allocate jobs.
You will have to tell them that you are unable to service your accounts personally, especially for everyday chores that don’t require your personal attention. However, make sure you have identifying clothing to make it clear your employees are authorized people.
Perhaps a company logo’s vest and a company ID.
You could also clarify the security measure in your hiring process without your service agreement – perhaps make sure your clients know your employees have been background checked and let them know if you have any follow up procedures (random drug testing? – I don’t know – particularly with regard to employees that must enter your clients’ homes.
NTA. But your customers concerns bring up a vaild point – I hope as you grow your business you’re doing background checks etc on your employees as you’re liable for your staff. If they get hurt on the job, do damage to the property or steal anything it’s on you. Make sure you grow your business responsibly.
Take your employee with you, introduce them. and let the senior know, “Im going to be away from x-y days. This is Joe and he is going to cover for me while I’m gone. Sending a stranger to a senior’s house may be a bit scary for them. They are more vulnerable than younger people.
Tricky one – your customers do need to know that you can’t be everywhere at once but I understand their reluctance to have a new face turn up that they don’t know. Being older can feel like being very vulnerable and, tbh, there are a lot of people out there who would take advantage.
I wonder if it would be possible to do a kind of phase in for some of your customers – perhaps the more confident ones? So this would mean, for a while, you and your employee going to the job while your customers get used to the new face. Then you can send your employee on their own to do the job. Also make sure your clients have your contact number so if there’s a problem they can contact you immediately (this also might have its problems but you’re running a business and that means managing it). It means things might be a bit intense for a while for you but in the long run could help ease the situation.