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The Plumbers Daughter

9K views 77 replies 25 participants last post by  Optimus Primer 
#1 ·
Hello Gentlemen,

I am inheriting a plumbing company here in Central Florida. We do a decent business but there is so much room for improvement. I sometimes feel like I am stuck in the stone age.....

Anyway I joined this site for some forward thinking plumbing advice.

Cheri
 
#4 ·
I started with my father answering phones and book keeping when I was 14. I'm 43. We do about 100K per month and are growing. I have been around the "trades" forever. I'm not a plumber but I can bill and keep books with the best of them. I understand enough about the pay rates to know what we are doing is not best for the company. I posted a thread regarding commissions and would love to have some input.
Thanks
 
#6 ·
Understood. When you said "inheriting a plumbing co" it wasn't clear if you had any prior knowledge of the business practices.

Edit: I have officially retracted my "welcome"
 
#11 ·
Welcome to PZ! Look forward to your input and contributions.

If you are doing $100,000.00/mo., the company must be doing something right. ;)

As you suggested, there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Recently, in one of the trade publications, there was an article about daughters in plumbing. A very good read and a warning to the established dinosaurs of yesteryear.

Women in plumbing is here to stay. Underestimate their worth at your own peril. :yes: Wishing you much success in taking your inherited company to the next level.

You go girl!
 
#20 ·
Welcome to PZ! Look forward to your input and contributions.

If you are doing $100,000.00/mo., the company must be doing something right. ;)

As you suggested, there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Recently, in one of the trade publications, there was an article about daughters in plumbing. A very good read and a warning to the established dinosaurs of yesteryear.

Women in plumbing is here to stay. Underestimate their worth at your own peril. :yes: Wishing you much success in taking your inherited company to the next level.

You go girl!

How nice! THANKS
 
#14 ·
DUNBAR PLUMBING said:
I can see commission as a carrot on the string to perform, with the same notion that if they have callbacks, it clearly goes back on them as a situation where there's no hourly, no base pay to cover their time.

That should be the governing rule of commission.
??? If an employee has a callback, he fixes it without compensation?!?

:blink:
 
#18 ·
my hourly guys get call backs, the guys who are on commission rarely!

and yes if you didnt fix it right why should I eat your mistake and you get paid???????
If a auto shop doesnt fix your car correctly do you pay him to refix it? If the lawn man forgets to cut your back yard do you pay him to come back and cut it?

I like commission it keeps everyone on the same page. you make company money and company pays you exactly what % you negotiated. if you have a bad day it reflects when you buy groceries. It keeps folks from having alot of bad days just because they can. My guys that are on hourly are LAZY and have every excuse imaginable for why they couldnt sell an expansion tank with a water heater even though manufactures specs call for one. the guys on commission do it with out even blinking!!!! every single time.
 
#19 ·
MDgirl400 said:
my hourly guys get call backs, the guys who are on commission rarely!

and yes if you didnt fix it right why should I eat your mistake and you get paid???????
If a auto shop doesnt fix your car correctly do you pay him to refix it? If the lawn man forgets to cut your back yard do you pay him to come back and cut it?

I like commission it keeps everyone on the same page. you make company money and company pays you exactly what % you negotiated. if you have a bad day it reflects when you buy groceries. It keeps folks from having alot of bad days just because they can. My guys that are on hourly are LAZY and have every excuse imaginable for why they couldnt sell an expansion tank with a water heater even though manufactures specs call for one. the guys on commission do it with out even blinking!!!! every single time.
That is as sleazy as it gets! You cannot be sending people out to work for free!

Everyone makes mistakes.
When they do, you haul them in the office, give them the "do you know how much your screw up just cost me..." speech and demand an explanation.

Repeat offenders get fired.

As for how much to pay your employees...

Pennies; that's all you deem them to be worth!

Good luck with ruining your fathers' company while breaking labour laws at the same time. You'll do well!
 
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#21 ·
That is as sleazy as it gets! You cannot be sending people out to work for free!

Everyone makes mistakes.
When they do, you haul them in the office, give them the "do you know how much your screw up just cost me..." speech and demand an explanation.

Repeat offenders get fired.

As for how much to pay your employees...

Pennies; that's all you deem them to be worth!

Good luck with ruining your fathers' company while breaking labour laws at the same time. You'll do well!
GO AWAY! MY FATHERS CO Is DOING WELL BECAUSE OF ME! I DIDNT START YESTERDAY, 29 YEARS AGO I GOT IN THE BUSINESS! ITS BEEN MY BUSINESS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS! HE HAS JUST BEEN THERE TO ADVISE AND KEEP US OLD SCHOOL! JEALOUS JERK!
 
#22 ·
Welcome aboard!

I'm a commission guy myself and I like it...

Accepting responsibility for your own destiny is a good thing IMHO...

Keep the callbacks and expenses low, and looking for additional work is a good thing for everyone...

Even when the customer doesn't buy the additional work the seed is planted... :thumbup:
 
#23 ·
MDgirl400 said:
GO AWAY! MY FATHERS CO Is DOING WELL BECAUSE OF ME! I DIDNT START YESTERDAY, 29 YEARS AGO I GOT IN THE BUSINESS! ITS BEEN MY BUSINESS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS! HE HAS JUST BEEN THERE TO ADVISE AND KEEP US OLD SCHOOL! JEALOUS JERK!
:laughing: I'm not going anywhere...

As for being jealous? Of you or you employees? :laughing:

Jerk? I've been called much worse by much, much better...

ALL THE CAPS IN THE WORLD DON'T COVER UP ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND POOR ETHICS!!!

:laughing:
 
#27 ·
MDgirl400 said:
you are a union worker and have no concept of what i am even talking about! you show up and get a check, regardless of how much you produce! you will never face the challenges Ive delt with in the last month much less the last 29 years!

GO AWAY!
Ahh... So someone has sent you a PM, telling you what they think they know about me.

I work out of a hiring hall so I am automatically deemed lazy. Write me off just as quick as you do your employees...

:laughing: I know more about your unscrupulous way of life than you think you know about me.

Again, I'm not going ANYWHERE!

:laughing:
 
#31 ·
ckoch407 said:
As for the call back/commission:
So long as the total pay divided by total hours spent does not fall below minimum wage, it is perfectly legal. They may still clear a pretty penny even with the callback time included. No sense in assuming it's underhanded without all the facts.
Minimum wage here is based on a per hour basis. Every hour! Union or not, them's the rules round here...
 
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