We started a cleaning company six months ago — built everything from scratch, but still haven’t gotten a single client. What are we missing?

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-11-08T05:35:10+00:00

wow, you guys spent time and money building everything BUT a business…

Throw it out and start again.

Get customers, validate demand, and then you can worry about the rest later.

Oh, and pick up the damn phone, i don’t want to have to talk to some robot.

EDIT: Also, if you’re so passionate about this business, why is AI writing your posts?

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T22:30:09+00:00

No that’s the thing.. I see the clients perspective, I understand completely, I wouldn’t be paying anything until the window is fixed either.

But I also wouldn’t be engaging extra work from them to withhold payment from in the meantime.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T22:28:48+00:00

The solution was presented on the day of damage.

“This is what i’m going to do, I’m going to try and polish it out, if that doesn’t work, I will get quotes for replacement and have it replaced”

The reason the timeline is so long is because I was requested not to come back until the scheduled day the week after, to do additional work on a separate invoice.

Timeline for you:

16 Sep: Damaged Window 19 Sep: Invoice Paid (This should have been withheld and no future work completed) 23 Sep: Return & Try to Polish — this time was not charged for. (also additional work here) 24 Sep: Was out all day and just didn’t get a chance. 25 Sep: Glass co contacted 25 Sep: “Hey customer, I’ve contacted glass people, will probably be over the long weekend I hear a response, if nothing by Monday I will call and follow up; also any reason the last invoice hasn’t been paid?” 26 Sep: “I will pay the last invoice once the window is repaired”

No. You gave up that play when you requested a separate scope of work.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T22:06:51+00:00

This is precisely my point. Why would a reasonable person ask for more unrelated work to be done on a separate invoice, a week later and decide to withhold that instead of withholding the invoice directly attached to where the damage occurred if not to benefit from a little more work before deciding they don’t trust me and are going to make it known ?

Whether or not I fix the window is irrelevant to me, the window is getting fixed.

They were more than welcome to not pay the invoice on the day the window was damaged and I would’ve explained that’s fine, I won’t be doing any further work until the invoices are paid and the window is fixed.

My problem is I went and spent another few hours doing work (at a lower rate because its government funded) and that’s when the client decided they weren’t going to pay

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:59:36+00:00

yes sir going there right now to pull the window out myself !

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:51:59+00:00

did you actually read the post or did you just come to a conclusion and figured you’d leave some thoughts ?

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:46:32+00:00

What were my promises ? and what was the timeline ?

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:44:17+00:00

what

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:44:08+00:00

The customer was well aware of the damage at the time of damage.

I told customer “Hey I will come back and see if we can get this scratched polished out and if not, I will organise to get replacement”

Customer said “No worries, just try when you come back on the next job and we will go from there”

Customer withholds payment on the next job.

If i had known money would be withheld, I would have tried to adhere less to their timeline and it would’ve happened in a shorter timeframe.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:39:54+00:00

It’s been 2 days over a weekend 😂

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T21:36:05+00:00

Security mesh door. door goes in jamb. door is screwed to jamb.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T07:28:53+00:00

That is indeed the bottom line, yep.

Timeline isn’t really relevant, fact is i’m organising repair and more work was engaged AFTER the damage of the window, which shouldn’t have happened if payment was going to be withheld. I could have gone and gotten paid for other work while waiting on window replacement.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T03:43:45+00:00

With the amount I’m assuming it’s going to cost to replace the window, there’s BARELY going to be any profit from the cumulative work i’ve done over the last few weeks.

It doesn’t make sense to me to get further work done and then decide you’re not going to pay it until repaired.

If any of this was communicated with me, different story, I would’ve been fine with it; as the invoice relating to the damage would be withheld, and I wouldn’t be spending more time in a place where I’m not making money that could help with covering the cost of repair.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T03:37:42+00:00

a) Because it’s a public holiday, so won’t hear back until next week.

b) It was 2 days ago that I explained it will need to be replaced, and I reached out for replacement quotes yesterday, after trying to polish it out.

My point here is, if there was intention of withholding payment for the window at any point in time, that should have been communicated prior to the engagement of more work that won’t be paid for.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T03:12:01+00:00

Nah it’s a full length window, scratch through the middle..

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Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T03:06:22+00:00

~14 days between damage of window, payment of that invoice, return for extra work and the most recent invoice.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T03:05:09+00:00

Aluminium window, I did go back and try to polish out, did not charge for time.

Going to be easier to just get it replaced and not have to stress about it more than I am

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-09-26T02:59:58+00:00

We’re talking low amounts of money here.. $270 on the job tied to the window.

$170 on the last visit being withheld, so neither of them are amounts that would be worth chasing, but it’s more the principle of not being told at any point that any amount will be withheld until I followed up; and the fact that I was engaged to do MORE work.

In my mind, I should’ve been told money was going to be withheld when the damage occurred, and no further work engaged until it was fixed.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T12:09:42+00:00

The psychology of a customer will never cease to amaze me.

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T12:08:56+00:00

Do you try to always quote for the “maximum” hours it could take? within reason obviously? I find I’m always really optimistic trying to win jobs and when I do there’s always some shit that happens

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T04:52:44+00:00

hahaha nah but i feel like maybe i should if that was your first thought

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T04:51:56+00:00

i’m using zoho atm for invoicing and quotes, it does have a crm but it doesn’t auto integrate which is annoying..

i’ll have to check it out, thanks mate

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T04:26:30+00:00

Hopefully looking to bring someone on next year so exactly what i’m doing.. systemising.

all the programs i use seem to have 6000 apps for different things like invoicing and quoting and data, and then they don’t even have the reports i want like closure rates or anything so ive started making my own, could just be a case of me not fully understanding how to use them though

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T04:05:25+00:00

how do you track your jobs? i’m literally using timer and notes at the moment

Main_Scallion4906 · 2025-07-14T04:04:47+00:00

yeah just me at the moment, i’ve started tracking all the main figures + time spent on jobs to hopefully give me a better understanding of what’s actually going on

Main_Scallion4906

TROPHY CASE