Question from a wanna be Villager

[r_foye]

Hello everyone, I've been watching for awhile but this is my first post. My wife and I are hoping to move to TV when junior goes off to college next fall. I'm a retired police officer in California and I used to own a carpet cleaning business as well. I was thinking about going back into that business once I'm in TV. I'll be a low overhead business so I like to think I can offer a fair price with great service. My plan was to just concentrate my business in TV. Do you folks think this idea is workable or are there already a dozen retirees that had the same idea? Any input would be appreciated, thank you.

[The Great Fumar]

Actually , a dozen might be conservative .....however the first two we've tried , we have not been thrilled with and are about to try a third very soon ........

Fumar

[rshoffer]

:agree:Actually , a dozen might be conservative .....however the first two we've tried , we have not been thrilled with and are about to try a third very soon ........

FumarI agree

[downeaster]

Any service that is priced right and provides a competent service should survive in The Villages. Any business that can do better than that can become very successful.
IMHO, word of mouth advertising is key to a successful business such as yours. As evidenced by this forum, we share all kinds of information. If you are good, word will get around. Conversely, if not, you will fail.
Best of luck.

[billethkid]

be sure to emphasize you are a resident of The Villages.
I have switched almost all of my services and maintenance to folks like yourself who are residents. They are mostly one person businesses...they do the work...they have the old ethic and do it right the first time...the over head is low and the price is right....
So let 'em know your one of us.

BTK

[captain1202]

I agree with the previous posts. One thing to be aware of is that the price for most services here is ridiculously LOW (IMHO). Here are some examples:

Lawn maintenance: $45-$55/month includes about 4 cuttings/mo in summer and 1 or 2 during the winter as well as trimming and edging each time. Our guy spends about 20-30 minutes with 3 people. Is he making any money?

Pressure Wash House: $45-$65 Guy usually spends upwards of 2 hours doing the whole house.

These are not TV people. As someone form New England I can't get my arms around these CHEAP services. I know others are equally cheap. I would think you would think the same way being from CA.

This having been said, if you are doing the work yourself and are simply looking for extrra income and not too worried about your actual hourly return, these types of things probably are good little home businesses.

In general, wages here are far lower than other areas of the country.

[Best Mom]

I have used the biggest advertizer in the local paper. Kids did a terrible job. So, there are many people who get their rugs cleaned. I don't think you would get rich but if you do a GOOD job, word of mouth will keep you busy.

[Barefoot]

I hear that the going hourly rate in TV is $7 or $8 per hour. The Captain is right, prices for services in TV are very low. I think most peeps that continue working do so because they're bored, not expecting grand profits.

[r_foye]

Thanks for the input everyone. I still have a lot of research to do on this subject. I'm going to be calling around to find out what some of the cleaners in the area are charging so I can get a feel for the business. I have a pretty simple business philosophy, if you don't like my work you get a do-over or your money back, no questions. I also reward customers by doing their house for 50% off if they send me five referrals. Thanks again, Rich.

[Sidney Lanier]

When we bought a resale here a year ago, the sellers offered to have the carpeting cleaned and suggested a national, well known carpet cleaning company that based on the name I would have used too. The sellers, though already out of the house, paid (honorable people) and we were really surprised to find that this company did at best a marginal job. Later, we called a small local company based on a flyer in the door; two young people showed up, looked at the issues that had remained, and promised that when they were finished, the issues would be resolved. They did an excellent job! While I agree with earlier posters who suggested saying that you live in TV, I also agree that word-of-mouth is your best advertising, and that personal recommendations among Villagers will count for more than any extensive advertising you do.

[GatorFan]

Since you have law enforcement experience, you may consider contacting local law enforcement: Sumter & Marion County Sheriff's Dept or Lady Lake Policie Dept about working part time within The Villages.