service guy

This poll is for the one-truck service operations out there.

What is your opinion on having a helper? Sometimes I really wish I had a helper, for things like water heaters, bigger jobs, crawlspaces, digging jobs, etc.
Other times I really enjoy the peace and quiet of working alone, and getting to keep the money I would normally have to pay the helper.

So, is it worth it to have a fulltime helper if you are a one-man-shop? Or is it better to work alone, and either hire out temporary labor when needed (companies like Laborready), or just turn away jobs that require two men?

Cal

I would love to have a full time helper . The problem is ,,,

Not a lot to do on most jobs for a helper .

CAN'T find someone who wants to work hard 5-6 days in a row or 50 weeks a year.

Good driving record . NOT

Willing to put in the time to learn the trade .

Cal

I'mYourTourGuide

I can't find anyone that can stay sober long enough to get a job completed around here, lol.

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super plumber

Can't someone who wants to get dirty or crawl under house with bugs, mice, sewage, etc.

muck

im a loner. reather be by myself

para1

Cant't stand working by myself, I'm my worst enemy.

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ft. worth plumber . plumber dallas . keller plumber . plumber benbrook. plumber arlington

Song Dog

I chuckled at that. It is crazy true for the most part.
P&M Mag did a statistic that if you tell people that you drug test and background check, 53% will walk away or never return.
If had 100 apply to work and I tell them that, 53 will walk away. UNREAL.
That statistic was a national number. Before I got to that number I came up with my own # for what I have witnessed in our area. I wa guessing somewhere in the 60's.

Back on topic
I have a good friend that I can call to lend me a hand for a few minutes.

In Christ,

Song Dog

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Teaching my kids to hunt and shoot-PRICELESS!

TDB

for a one man shop I think its an absolute must. If you have the work, that is... The company I work for would be in trouble if we had no helpers. We currently have 2 and their is a couple 2 man jobs everyday. Usually 4 or 5 jobs a day that need a couple guys. The boss has to decide who gets the helpers in the morning

I prefer to not work with a helper cause I have to charge half rate for their time. Usually when a helper rides with me for the day, I only bill out about 2-3 hours for them if we are just doing service calls. I'd rather just bill out for me because I know the customer is getting their monies worth. Charging for a guy standing around does not sit well with me which is what most helpers end up doing.

Wiser

If you cannot use a helper the majority of the time, you are charging your customers (or reducing your profits) to have the luxury of a stand by helper. We avoided two man jobs for this reason. However, when just an extra pair of hands were needed (water heater in an attic), we used a guy we knew who could help out a few hours here and there.

TradeQualified

I normally work alone, but when I get a big job, I have two guys that I always hire their services to help me, they have little plumbing knowledge, I normally use them to the hard work, digg whole and stuff like that. I wish I could hire one of them permanently but with all this crisis.........

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