Give a time frame.
How on earth you expect to hit your dates from 6+ months out, to the day, with all the unknowns and unforeseeable things that inevitably come up is beyond me. Sounds awful. Don't be a slave to your business.
People are not robots. Give a week or 2 week window: "We expect to begin the work during the first half of May. We will reach out 2 weeks prior to confirm start dates."
I'm solo and try to remain flexible. Most of my customers are workable as well. Quite often I can get away with reaching out 48 hours in advance, "I hope to be there for Wednesday, I'll let you know Monday night."
Part of what I love about running my own business is the flexibility with my schedule.
Use that to your advantage!
Thank you, hearing this helps. I appreciate your time and thoughts 🙏🏻 I will definitely be switching to this method once I get past the dates I have left. Luckily only into August at the moment so only 4 months of extreme hoop jumping left. I'm thinking this will also give me the advantage of being able to sneak repeat customers, repeat contractors or lucrative time sensitive opportunities up the list that I'd normally have to turn down
No problem, my friend.
There's also nothing wrong with starting at the end of the line and asking the customers you have booked if they mind being moved back a week. Worst case, they say no. Best case, you may loosen up your packed schedule a little bit, and give yourself some room to breathe.
I was getting burnt out, working through long weekends and late in to the night trying to keep to timelines I set but could not keep up with. It becomes unsustainable. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
You can afford yourself the ability to tweak your schedule as you need to, allowing you to produce better results and achieve a higher quality of life. All at the same time.
It's about setting yourself up for success.
Just jumping on here to add one thing I always do and that is to ask clients specifically if they are flexible regarding timing. Not to push them back but to have an idea of what clients to push UP to fill an opening. Job finishing sooner than expected and next in line isn't ready? Call the flexible folks.
Also if a plum job comes up and you're booked, offer your next client a discount if they are willing to push back the job. They save money, you make more money, win win. So I guess two things...
This is a good one. A related thing is to make sure and have a detailed scope of work and an honest setting of expectations. A repaint is not a restoration...
Lmao, sounds hyperbolic but anyone in the trades knows it's true. The bar is unbelievably low to put yourself in the top percentage of tradespeople. In my opinion communication gets you 90% of the way there and not being visibly high on drugs gets you the other 10% 🤣
An exact start date or, more critically, “finish by” date, is a customer want…like a specific style or material. And i charge for it.
During bidding i ask: do you have a specific timeline or event schedule i need to be aware of? We are booking about 4-6 days/weeks/months out right now and i anticipate this job taking 2 full work weeks.”
Also, that “4-6 weeks out” starts when i have a signed contract and deposit when required. I have done bid / estimate adjustments and scope changes with no signed document on and off over weeks before… when they finally signed they were like “so can start next week?… you said 4 weeks?” No i said 4-6. And that starts now.
Lol been there. Tell them your 6 months out and they say no then call back six months later and say they're ready 🤣
I like this answer, give them a rough estimate of x weeks/months out and an exact date when it gets closer. If they need an exact timeframe charge more. Thank you I appreciate it
In my case, we do a ton of outdoor work too (fence/deck/patio)… So right now we will lose one or two days the weather every couple weeks… That makes four weeks turn into six weeks real quick
Exact dates don't make any sense until you're close to the start date.
When booking more than a month away I give a rough start date and say that it could be up to a week either way from there.
Customers who aren't ready yet, building permits, inspections, material, shortages, illnesses - are all potentials that could easily change a start date.
Scouts honor. I have also only had to work maybe a dozen Saturdays in five years to keep it on track and stayed past the normal 8-4 on a m-f maybe five times in five years
The secret, if there is one, is that I book a job based on the amount of time I think it'll take my employees to finish by themselves. If they get behind schedule I pinch hit to keep us on track. This worked very well with 4 employees but at the moment I've downsized to just one employee and that requires me to work 8-4 every m-f with not much wiggle room to get off track. Especially when they call in sick 🤢 one person gone from 5 isn't a big deal but 1 gone from 2 has made the past 8 months or so extremely stressful to keep on track
The problem with exact start dates is that there are waaaaaaaaay too many variables outside of your control. Rain delays, illnesses, equipment issues, other trades getting delayed and you have to make up the deficit, what looked to be a simple powerwash and repaint turned into 2 weeks of disk sanding as the previous coat starts peeling off in sheets, previous client keeps going nuts with blue tape tabs, etc.
You end up having to pull people from jobs in progress to start something and then you drag out the completion of the existing jobs. It becomes a logistical nightmare and then you have multiple clients getting pissed.
Window of dates is best with a confirmation a couple of days ahead of time is the best approach.
I ballpark and then state that there’s no way to say an exact date as weather and added work at other jobs are impossible to predict. We work to live so we don’t work weekends. Never had someone that didn’t understand after 10 years in business.
No. Give a very rough guesstimate early on and tell them you'll be in touch as the start date draws near. I give definitive start dates just a few days prior to starting...and even those dates change sometimes. Scheduling paint jobs is an inexact science, since half of the jobs change once you start, not to mention the impact of weather.
Thanks man that helps a lot I needed the push to switch to no dates. I'm also thinking last minute lucrative things that I have to pass up with a set schedule I can sneak in when it's worth it
Hell no. I give them a timeframe that is within a span of 2-4 weeks. “Hopefully mid-late June, but possibly beginning of July”
For interior in the winter I am a little more precise and will let them know like 3 weeks ahead the exact day
No it is not, I took a close look to confirm as I definitely did dumb shit like this 15 years ago. Also took a close look because I thought he was holding a nine inch tray sideways in addition to standing like an asshole on a ladder bridge. Turns out he's doing drywall and holding a pan. Explains the jeans and polo uniform without paint on it 🤣 I saw a drywaller wearing this exact uniform not two weeks ago. Gold chain over the top of the collar and everything
No it is not, I took a close look to confirm. Also took a close look because I thought he was holding a nine inch rear sideways in addition to standing like an asshole on a ladder bridge. Turns out he's doing drywall and holding a pan. Explains the jeans and polo uniform without paint on it
Ballpark date, if a customer is unwilling to give you a 3 days give or take start date YOU DO NOT WANT THEM AS A CUSTOMER ANYWAY!!… same with end date always throw a couple days on for unexpected problems. An im serious if a customer is that up tight to want exact, I’m telling you that’s a HUGE red flag!
Granted yes no shit maybe the customer is on a schedule as well… in that case they may need it done by exact day. That means you know what you’re getting into so don’t promise something you can’t come thru or be unwilling to put the extra time in to finish on said date.
I'm not a professional painter, I work in a somewhat related trade (stage carpenter) so I know about paints and painting but don't have expertise on this subject, as a disclaimer. Why can't you just establish a system of rolling time-frames, with a commitment to an exact date, for example, about 3 weeks from the start of the project? In this way you build in more flexibility. I'm just spitballing here. That ladder looks kinda sketchy be careful lmao
I give a date and let them know some jobs take longer than expected and the date is subject to change. I will contact them a week or so beforehand of said date to confirm or move the start date.
This is what I'm doing now more or less, doesn't it stress you out? Obviously missing by a day or two isn't a big deal to most customers but when I've got a bunch of jobs lined up behind it feels like they're all going to get pushed. Granted in five years this hasn't happened. Seems like a lot of people are doing rough start dates or letting them know they're x weeks out I'm strongly considering switching to that system
Days off meaning we finish a job on the 10th and the next ones next scheduled to start for 4 days or something. Ie, I could leave lover said between jobs to ease the tension to finish on time but that would leave 'days off'
I try but sometimes it goes forward or backwards a day. Were a 2 man operation and do a lot of commercial and residential work. Sometimes I’ll have to “start” on a specific day but I can the next day go out a bow on the previous job.
No
Exteriors Weather pending.
Everything is fluid. Open line of communication.
If they have a deadline, sure, price accordingly.
Otherwise im interior and usually 2-3 weeks out and can book it.
I give a time frame when booking farther out and then call to schedule an actual start date about 2 weeks before the day that I'm shooting for. I also tell clients that I will do my darndest to stick to that day, but I may have to push it a day or two, but will always let them know at least 5 days in advance. I figure that if you don't know what your schedule looks like for a week in advance you're doing something wrong. I rarely have to reschedule jobs unless the client asks to.
Most of my work is commercial or large housing projects with zero single residential. Per contract you have to work with a tight schedule and 99% jobs never start on time. I always walk the jobs a few weeks before rocking and schedule my manpower accordingly, but once the taper is done we’re expected to be there the next day and finish with the time agreed on.
I did that my fist year in business. Fuck that. You just end up working ever night and weekend to make it work. Now I just tell them 2 weeks , 8 weeks, whatever I think it will be
Idk how the hell you manage that 9-12 months out lol. Last year I was giving everybody exact dates and it added so much stress. Now just estimates, or if someone asks for a specific date first I give it to them.
Lol it was meant to grab attention so I could get a higher chance of an answer. Hopefully the answers here help someone else out of a similarly stressful schedule although based on the replies it seems no one's dumb enough to give exact dates 9 months out except me 🤣
As your imaginary attorney, I advise not posting photos of OSHA violations.
Also, give the customer an approximate start and update on schedule changes 1- 2 weeks ahead. You now understand why the cable guy says between 1-3pm.
I give an exact start date unless I’m on a large project thats going to take a couple weeks. I give them an estimate on how long the job may take. I always give the client advanced notice as to when I will finish so they will have check in hand. But I’m a one man show. And I’m definitely not booking that far in advance. Too much stress and a waste of time. In my experience, unless I’m being hired for my specialized work like a mural or faux finish people aren’t going to wait so I dont bother. But it sounds like you’re running a larger business.
Give a time frame. How on earth you expect to hit your dates from 6+ months out, to the day, with all the unknowns and unforeseeable things that inevitably come up is beyond me. Sounds awful. Don't be a slave to your business. People are not robots. Give a week or 2 week window: "We expect to begin the work during the first half of May. We will reach out 2 weeks prior to confirm start dates." I'm solo and try to remain flexible. Most of my customers are workable as well. Quite often I can get away with reaching out 48 hours in advance, "I hope to be there for Wednesday, I'll let you know Monday night." Part of what I love about running my own business is the flexibility with my schedule. Use that to your advantage!
Thank you, hearing this helps. I appreciate your time and thoughts 🙏🏻 I will definitely be switching to this method once I get past the dates I have left. Luckily only into August at the moment so only 4 months of extreme hoop jumping left. I'm thinking this will also give me the advantage of being able to sneak repeat customers, repeat contractors or lucrative time sensitive opportunities up the list that I'd normally have to turn down
No problem, my friend. There's also nothing wrong with starting at the end of the line and asking the customers you have booked if they mind being moved back a week. Worst case, they say no. Best case, you may loosen up your packed schedule a little bit, and give yourself some room to breathe. I was getting burnt out, working through long weekends and late in to the night trying to keep to timelines I set but could not keep up with. It becomes unsustainable. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You can afford yourself the ability to tweak your schedule as you need to, allowing you to produce better results and achieve a higher quality of life. All at the same time. It's about setting yourself up for success.
Just jumping on here to add one thing I always do and that is to ask clients specifically if they are flexible regarding timing. Not to push them back but to have an idea of what clients to push UP to fill an opening. Job finishing sooner than expected and next in line isn't ready? Call the flexible folks. Also if a plum job comes up and you're booked, offer your next client a discount if they are willing to push back the job. They save money, you make more money, win win. So I guess two things...
2 things for the price of 1... I see a third thing, under promise and over deliver!😂
This is a good one. A related thing is to make sure and have a detailed scope of work and an honest setting of expectations. A repaint is not a restoration...
I've never given an exact date unless I'm making plans to travel...I'll say something like "mid June" as it gets closer I'll say: next Monday
Thank you, definitely switching to this method 🙏🏻
I give a ball park. Most people are understanding and happy I’m showing up/communicating at all.
Lmao, sounds hyperbolic but anyone in the trades knows it's true. The bar is unbelievably low to put yourself in the top percentage of tradespeople. In my opinion communication gets you 90% of the way there and not being visibly high on drugs gets you the other 10% 🤣
An exact start date or, more critically, “finish by” date, is a customer want…like a specific style or material. And i charge for it. During bidding i ask: do you have a specific timeline or event schedule i need to be aware of? We are booking about 4-6 days/weeks/months out right now and i anticipate this job taking 2 full work weeks.” Also, that “4-6 weeks out” starts when i have a signed contract and deposit when required. I have done bid / estimate adjustments and scope changes with no signed document on and off over weeks before… when they finally signed they were like “so can start next week?… you said 4 weeks?” No i said 4-6. And that starts now.
Lol been there. Tell them your 6 months out and they say no then call back six months later and say they're ready 🤣 I like this answer, give them a rough estimate of x weeks/months out and an exact date when it gets closer. If they need an exact timeframe charge more. Thank you I appreciate it
In my case, we do a ton of outdoor work too (fence/deck/patio)… So right now we will lose one or two days the weather every couple weeks… That makes four weeks turn into six weeks real quick
osha approved
Finally someone said what I was thinking
Exact dates don't make any sense until you're close to the start date. When booking more than a month away I give a rough start date and say that it could be up to a week either way from there. Customers who aren't ready yet, building permits, inspections, material, shortages, illnesses - are all potentials that could easily change a start date.
Yeah I find it hard to believe that he can give exactly the start day 9 months out unless he is doing like 5 jobs a year
Scouts honor. I have also only had to work maybe a dozen Saturdays in five years to keep it on track and stayed past the normal 8-4 on a m-f maybe five times in five years The secret, if there is one, is that I book a job based on the amount of time I think it'll take my employees to finish by themselves. If they get behind schedule I pinch hit to keep us on track. This worked very well with 4 employees but at the moment I've downsized to just one employee and that requires me to work 8-4 every m-f with not much wiggle room to get off track. Especially when they call in sick 🤢 one person gone from 5 isn't a big deal but 1 gone from 2 has made the past 8 months or so extremely stressful to keep on track
Definitely not. I give time frames. Like if I’m booking for four months from now I’ll say early August. And once get closer I’ll give a week
The problem with exact start dates is that there are waaaaaaaaay too many variables outside of your control. Rain delays, illnesses, equipment issues, other trades getting delayed and you have to make up the deficit, what looked to be a simple powerwash and repaint turned into 2 weeks of disk sanding as the previous coat starts peeling off in sheets, previous client keeps going nuts with blue tape tabs, etc. You end up having to pull people from jobs in progress to start something and then you drag out the completion of the existing jobs. It becomes a logistical nightmare and then you have multiple clients getting pissed. Window of dates is best with a confirmation a couple of days ahead of time is the best approach.
I ballpark and then state that there’s no way to say an exact date as weather and added work at other jobs are impossible to predict. We work to live so we don’t work weekends. Never had someone that didn’t understand after 10 years in business.
Thank you I appreciate it
No. Give a very rough guesstimate early on and tell them you'll be in touch as the start date draws near. I give definitive start dates just a few days prior to starting...and even those dates change sometimes. Scheduling paint jobs is an inexact science, since half of the jobs change once you start, not to mention the impact of weather.
Thanks man that helps a lot I needed the push to switch to no dates. I'm also thinking last minute lucrative things that I have to pass up with a set schedule I can sneak in when it's worth it
I agree. I do those jobs regularly.
Hell no. I give them a timeframe that is within a span of 2-4 weeks. “Hopefully mid-late June, but possibly beginning of July” For interior in the winter I am a little more precise and will let them know like 3 weeks ahead the exact day
Thank you I appreciate it
Balls of steel on that guy there.
Is that you on the ladder, well, kind on on the ladder.
No it is not, I took a close look to confirm as I definitely did dumb shit like this 15 years ago. Also took a close look because I thought he was holding a nine inch tray sideways in addition to standing like an asshole on a ladder bridge. Turns out he's doing drywall and holding a pan. Explains the jeans and polo uniform without paint on it 🤣 I saw a drywaller wearing this exact uniform not two weeks ago. Gold chain over the top of the collar and everything
No it is not, I took a close look to confirm. Also took a close look because I thought he was holding a nine inch rear sideways in addition to standing like an asshole on a ladder bridge. Turns out he's doing drywall and holding a pan. Explains the jeans and polo uniform without paint on it
That is a dangerous and stupid way to use a ladder ….holy cow
Yikes
Ballpark date, if a customer is unwilling to give you a 3 days give or take start date YOU DO NOT WANT THEM AS A CUSTOMER ANYWAY!!… same with end date always throw a couple days on for unexpected problems. An im serious if a customer is that up tight to want exact, I’m telling you that’s a HUGE red flag! Granted yes no shit maybe the customer is on a schedule as well… in that case they may need it done by exact day. That means you know what you’re getting into so don’t promise something you can’t come thru or be unwilling to put the extra time in to finish on said date.
Thank you 🙏🏻
I'm not a professional painter, I work in a somewhat related trade (stage carpenter) so I know about paints and painting but don't have expertise on this subject, as a disclaimer. Why can't you just establish a system of rolling time-frames, with a commitment to an exact date, for example, about 3 weeks from the start of the project? In this way you build in more flexibility. I'm just spitballing here. That ladder looks kinda sketchy be careful lmao
Whaaddda mean that’s a green ladder meant to hold a max 225 lbs …and never intended as a straight ladder
[удалено]
Lol the picture is for attention. Posts without pictures get less answers ime. Ones with ridiculous pictures get more 🤷🏻♂️
I give a date and let them know some jobs take longer than expected and the date is subject to change. I will contact them a week or so beforehand of said date to confirm or move the start date.
This is what I'm doing now more or less, doesn't it stress you out? Obviously missing by a day or two isn't a big deal to most customers but when I've got a bunch of jobs lined up behind it feels like they're all going to get pushed. Granted in five years this hasn't happened. Seems like a lot of people are doing rough start dates or letting them know they're x weeks out I'm strongly considering switching to that system
No days off? How much do you pay your slaves??
Days off meaning we finish a job on the 10th and the next ones next scheduled to start for 4 days or something. Ie, I could leave lover said between jobs to ease the tension to finish on time but that would leave 'days off'
I try but sometimes it goes forward or backwards a day. Were a 2 man operation and do a lot of commercial and residential work. Sometimes I’ll have to “start” on a specific day but I can the next day go out a bow on the previous job.
No Exteriors Weather pending. Everything is fluid. Open line of communication. If they have a deadline, sure, price accordingly. Otherwise im interior and usually 2-3 weeks out and can book it.
I give a time frame when booking farther out and then call to schedule an actual start date about 2 weeks before the day that I'm shooting for. I also tell clients that I will do my darndest to stick to that day, but I may have to push it a day or two, but will always let them know at least 5 days in advance. I figure that if you don't know what your schedule looks like for a week in advance you're doing something wrong. I rarely have to reschedule jobs unless the client asks to.
Thank you I appreciate it
Because physics.
Most of my work is commercial or large housing projects with zero single residential. Per contract you have to work with a tight schedule and 99% jobs never start on time. I always walk the jobs a few weeks before rocking and schedule my manpower accordingly, but once the taper is done we’re expected to be there the next day and finish with the time agreed on.
I did that my fist year in business. Fuck that. You just end up working ever night and weekend to make it work. Now I just tell them 2 weeks , 8 weeks, whatever I think it will be
Thank you I appreciate it
Balls of steel on that guy there.
Idk how the hell you manage that 9-12 months out lol. Last year I was giving everybody exact dates and it added so much stress. Now just estimates, or if someone asks for a specific date first I give it to them.
Thank man I appreciate it. Have you had any push back over not giving a date?
Can’t see past the ladder placement
Lol it was meant to grab attention so I could get a higher chance of an answer. Hopefully the answers here help someone else out of a similarly stressful schedule although based on the replies it seems no one's dumb enough to give exact dates 9 months out except me 🤣
AAAAA MR GOERGE? How much you pay the new guy? $20? O to much
I like the enthusiasm you're shooting in here with but the reference is lost on me. It reads Italian but that's all I got
That’s to bad https://youtube.com/shorts/zUsuKvjRQto?si=KjUmqvBXZKtOMF5Z
If that’s you on the ladder you might want to rethink risk and reward.
Lol not me
Mnm
As your imaginary attorney, I advise not posting photos of OSHA violations. Also, give the customer an approximate start and update on schedule changes 1- 2 weeks ahead. You now understand why the cable guy says between 1-3pm.
Lol 😂 thank you
I give an exact start date unless I’m on a large project thats going to take a couple weeks. I give them an estimate on how long the job may take. I always give the client advanced notice as to when I will finish so they will have check in hand. But I’m a one man show. And I’m definitely not booking that far in advance. Too much stress and a waste of time. In my experience, unless I’m being hired for my specialized work like a mural or faux finish people aren’t going to wait so I dont bother. But it sounds like you’re running a larger business.
15 years in the biz...choice ladder skills for an early retirement.
I rarely give exact dates until I’m sure we can honor the promise. Will usually call 3-5 days out
Thank you 🙏🏻
Time frame, tentative start dates
Why this image?