I’m so glad my name isn’t Bob
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i Always like reading stories or watching a window cleaning vid where a bucket bob type appears,often in the background . they are the HUGGY BEARS [ if you watched starsky back in the day you know who im on about]. the unsung hero -the underdog -striving to be someone it matters not if he achieves it
by contrast i rarely am impressed by anyone acting all smug and professional - anyone who makes vids on youtube [
that doesnt laugh at themselves] is mostly a real "look at me and do like i do " bore
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True. And many guys struggled to make it where they are, but are content there. Really, to stay a solo operation, you have to find the balance that keeps you content.
So, for me, I am not going to hire anyone soon. That means I have a defined amount of work that I can take on. For me, that is about 75% storefront. Once that threshold is reached, I am not looking to grow larger. So I don’t advertise. I may or may not even need lettering on my vehicle or custom t shirts. And since I’m set where I am, I don’t get caught up in the ‘new and improved’ stuff that the vendors may be pushing at the moment. This doesn’t make guys like me any less. We are just a different operation than you with different business goals.
Look around at you local businesses-you’ll see the same principles. Find your niche and excel in it. Do it your way and make it work. Stay so busy and focused on your own goals that you don’t have to worry about anyone that is a ‘lesser’.
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…or better… Doesn’t matter anymore
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Hey guys. I know Josh did not mean to upset anyone. I have so much respect for anyone that has their own business. Regardless if it is window cleaning or anything else. Being a business owner is not easy. As long as you can support yourself, family and pay your bills I don’t care how much you charge.
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he mentions a local bucket bob -could be that hes actually really jealous of him! and the jobs he has got -hed deny it of course . somewhere along the line a bucket bob has affected him enough to make a vid mocking bobs
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Who knows, maybe we’re all suckers and bucket bobs. He could be doing 7 figures and think we’re all a joke. Lol
It’s kinda like Einstiens theory of relativity. Perception is relative to the observer.
It sparked a good conversation either way
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But i heard you’re a liar…
now THAT did make me laugh ! i got edited in and later edited out but now im back in again hurrah after i wrote somewhere i considered that [jonny alden likes to lie] was actually a compliment
thing is you cant go makin vids if you arent able to laugh at the pathetic-ness your own vids
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Haha, I like that, a bucket Robert.
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Okay, so I haven’t finished listening to the episode (I’ve listened to almost all of em so far; I like the podcast; am grateful for it). But I haven’t heard anything overly offensive in what Mike has said so far. He even admitted that we “all” were bucket bobs to some extent. And he qualify’s that, to him, a bucket bob is someone who doesn’t appreciate efficiency (among other things). I can personally agree that that would be a lousy trait to have as a business owner- subjectively speaking. Anyways, as I said, I’ll finish up listening to it later, but I think its a good talk so far. At least it keeps us thinking…
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Just do happy to not be a Steve
Sensitive culture?
Agree with above. Personal challenges have zero weight with ones business
And as for the “risk” talk and not being able to afford tools.
You are in business for yourself; therefore massive risk taken, why handicap yourself? What I am hearing is excuses
So I love the conversation!
Being a Bob, In my head, is someone who doesn’t want to learn. Everyone on this site wants to be better, that’s why they are here. There are people out there that are hacks. In every industry, window cleaning has got them, pressure washing has them, and even landscaper’s have them. We have all seen them out in the field. AND you are absolutely right that there is a place for them. BUT if you don’t want to be one, don’t.
The Benji guy is a genuinely good dude. His business has really taken off. The reason I give him so much crap, is because he has admitted he wants to do things his way, and never ever takes the advice of the people on the groups that he is part of. Which is cool, but you will catch some flack. He argued the fact that he wants to clean twice as many homes, or twice as hard then doubling his prices (to be at the industry standard). I think that is an awful plan, but like I always say, you can’t be wrong. It’s YOUR business, whatever YOU do is right.
And remember, you really shouldn’t have 100% the same beliefs as someone else, there are usually things you agree with and things you don’t.
Would you agree that there are such things as Bob’s in our industry? And if there are what would you consider a trait of a Bob?
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Hmm 
that’s going to be a tough one…
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In Scotland, aren’t they Bucket jordie-boys?
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Josh, I agree about someone not wanting to learn or being a subpar quality guy. And yes, I encounter a lot of guys that have no real clue how to clean glass. And I happily take their jobs from them if they come my way.
But I don’t look down on them.
Where you lost me was the comments about not wearing tshirts with logos or having marked or wrapped vehicles. Your attitude was somewhat demeaning. I’m not sure of your age or years in the business, but surviving the recession in 2009 changed my view of things. Many of us that made it through did so because of loyal relationships with our customers and being properly priced. Not shirts or wraps. There was no way to advertise your way through it - you worked harder for a little less. I lost very little of my business, but definitely sweat my way through it.
In the end, I don’t need to build myself up by standing on the shoulders of those working around me. And listening to a podcast that seemed to do that was irritating.
BTW I have custom shirts that I usually wear on commercial jobs and vinyl lettering on my vehicle. But I don’t look at someone who doesn’t as a lesser.
As a suggestion, why not do a podcast on the intricacies of overhead. And compare the differences between sole operators and companies. Also, consider the difference between operating in NJ and Texas. Or California and Kentucky. This might drive the point home to some about why the pricing is so different and why they get undercut by others.
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In general.
If you can not afford a tool in this industry then you should not be able to afford the time to post here and facebook
$1000 is NOTHING
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$1000 is a lot. And there shouldn’t be an amount that you need in order to post. Everyone started somewhere with very little. Just like the comment about charging $99 not $300 for a job. Not everybody is killing it every second of the day.
Lol
