How bad did your business get hit in 08-09?

[BIG WOOD]

I'm just wondering if and when the next recession hits, how bad the cleaning industry will be damaged. My business took a big hit then, but I wasn't fully established yet, which makes sense, since my customer base was very low and I wasn't active online yet.

I'm just curious how some of you veterans survived. Any numbers on how much $gross$ was lost during those years?

 

[Jim Williams]

I had only been in business 4 years at the time but my gross revenue dropped around $10,000 a year. I still did pretty good during those times. People were trying to salvage carpet instead of replace.

 

[hogjowl]

You’re going to die a slow horrible death.

 

[Hack Attack]

I'm doing some preemptive pruning now on some of my commercial, trying to get 2 year contracts on ones I want to keep.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

We weren't hit at all, just tighter margins on higher fuel and related costs

More affected by my own issues

 

[D Luke]

Hoping the next major recession takes me from booked out 6 weeks to booked out 4, but who knows?! The unknown is half the fun!

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

IDK about the cleaning industry, but at the time I was a junior superintendent....
Our construction company went from 190 employees, to 11....
I was VERY lucky to keep my job.
All major projects came to a halt....
It even got to the point where there were a few of us going over to the owners home, cleaning out gutters, mowing the lawn, painting the wrought iron fence, etc....
Scary times...
I hope it doesn’t come down to me throwing on a tool belt, and travelling for work....

 

[hogjowl]

I bought my Vortex the very week of the crash. I drove it across country, for three days, and my phone didn’t ring once. I pulled into my office to learn I’d lost all my school system business, which is why I bought it in the first place. $30,000 a year gone. Took me two years to get rid of it.

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

I bought my Vortex the very week of the crash. I drove it across country, for three days, and my phone didn’t ring once. I pulled into my office to learn I’d lost all my school system business, which is why I bought it in the first place. $30,000 a year gone. Took me two years to get rid of it.

Ouch...

 

[Hack Attack]

wasn't self employed but in viticulture, made redundant 3 times in 5 year period as was a long hangover for the industry.. was considering to get back into cleaning when got made redundant the 3rd time, decision made

 

[Lee Stockwell]

At least in business for ourselves we only get made redundant a little bit at a time, not all at once.

 

[Hack Attack]

At least in business for ourselves we only get made redundant a little bit at a time, not all at once.

its one thing to know your redundant, but its rude when someone else points it out

 

[Mikey P]

We went considerably UP

 

[FB7777]

I bought my Vortex the very week of the crash. I drove it across country, for three days, and my phone didn’t ring once. I pulled into my office to learn I’d lost all my school system business, which is why I bought it in the first place. $30,000 a year gone. Took me two years to get rid of it.

You just made that story up to make me feel good and have a good laugh didn’t you?

 

[hogjowl]

You just made that story up to make me feel good and have a good laugh didn’t you?

Of course.
Now that Taco is gone, everything is all about you.

 

[Papa John]

I didn't get hit until August 2010-- After I just invested over 10K in refurbishing my Vortex.
I then parked and rarely used it for the next 9 years.
It was hard for me to let go.

 

[Jimmy L]

Recession is already here

 

[steve_64]

I started in January 06. Started my divorce in 08. I was still growing and didn't notice the crash

Business is down this year though. First decrease in 5 or 6 years. Carpet cleaning has taken a big hit for me. But I'm not unhappy about that. Just shift my focus to other things.

 

[steve_64]

Recession is already here

The recovery has already started.

 

[Cleanworks]

Never affected me. Thngs get slow, I get off my ass and do some sales.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I bought my Vortex the very week of the crash. I drove it across country, for three days, and my phone didn’t ring once. I pulled into my office to learn I’d lost all my school system business, which is why I bought it in the first place. $30,000 a year gone. Took me two years to get rid of it.

I had something similar happen to me. I ordered a rider scrubber, bought an Avalanche, and trailer to do Lowe’s over Oklahoma. I knew better. Before I did the second store, the DM got transferred. I kept them for 1 1/2 yrs., long enough to pay for the scrubber.

 

[DAT]

Im so happy i got a used truckmount system. Its all paid off.

 

[Nomad74]

I owe $19k on my Promaster. Almost there.

 

[hogjowl]

You’ll buy something else

 

[Mikey P]

Grout color sealing was all the rage at the time.
I knew the dip was contrived as our millionaire clients were still obsessed with their grout color matching their drapes

 

[Living The Dream]

I hired out on the railroad in July of 2008 and was furloughed April of 2009. I was recalled in Aug. The economy was much slower to come back then but I felt like it was stronger by the time it came back. It feels like our economy right now is a house of cards and so many things could wipe it out. This election could make things interesting this Winter.

 

[Nomad74]

You’ll buy something else

You can thank me for keeping the economy going

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Im so happy i got a used truckmount system. Its all paid off.

And I’m glad I didn’t take the ppp loan!!!! And 3/4
of the son of a bucks I would’ve tried to protect are gone!

 

[steve_64]

Genny has been emailing a$30,000 a year customer letting them know we are ready to quit. It's the new construction account that we do a whole lot more for.

General contractors a liar and a dueche.

She's going off on the owner right now lol.

 

[Nomad74]

Genny has been emailing a$30,000 a year customer letting them know we are ready to quit. It's the new construction account that we do a whole lot more for.

General contractors a liar and a dueche.

She's going off on the owner right now lol.

Good luck