[vermontpainter]

In this the busiest season for us all, how many hours per week are you currently spending on your business...estimating, purchasing, painting, scheduling, getting paid, and maybe a little scratching your head?

...lets not include hours spent on painttalk.com. For the purposes of this question lets consider those recreational hours.

 

[ewingpainting.net]

I spend 60 to 70 hrs a week. And that's if everything is going smooth. Last week I ended up doing 12 to 14 hrs a day and when I get home I'm in the books

 

[chrisn]

50 -60

 

[DeanV]

I probably spend from 7-5:00ish out and about looking at jobs, painting, running the crew, looking at potential jobs, networking group, etc. and then 2 hours or so working up estimates, running numbers, paperwork, etc. each evening.

 

[GMack]

Between 50 and 60 for me also. Some of the office work could be done much more efficiently, though. For example, right now I'm calling one customer and e-mailing another. Tough to complete these tasks while posting . . . Some things take priority!

The other part of the question that's tough is the "head scratching." Business is CONSTANTLY on my mind, from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep at night. Whether it's the situation of the day, planning for tommorrow, big picture stuff, whatever. It's always there.

 

[Wing 54]

50 to 70. Did 25 hours this weekend to help out another guy that was behind.

Butt is draggin' today.

 

[JNLP]

Average about 45ish. I like to keep it that way unless we get behind or have to get the next job started by an earlier date than the current jobs finish date.

 

[tsunamicontract]

sometimes I work in my sleep. I am still really just getting started so I don't have it all figured out yet. That doesn't help either.

 

[JNLP]

sometimes I work in my sleep.

Me too... My wife yells when I wake her up from yelling in my sleep for Tim to get off the phone & paint something. :w00t:

 

[tsunamicontract]

Me too... My wife yells when I wake her up from yelling in my sleep for Tim to get off the phone & paint something. :w00t:

:w00t::lol::lol::lol::lol:
I have fallen off ladders in my sleep (not in real life thankfully) and wake up by thrashing

 

[Pete's Painting]

50-70 hours for me. More last week. Saturday, Sunday and Monday alone I put in almost 40 at a spa that could only close for those 3 days.

I was back at it Tuesday morning on a ladder with my hands cramping and falling asleep. Never again......

 

[tsunamicontract]

50-70 hours for me. More last week. Saturday, Sunday and Monday alone I put in almost 40 at a spa that could only close for those 3 days.

I was back at it Tuesday morning on a ladder with my hands cramping and falling asleep. Never again......

you should have painted for spa services :yes:

 

[Pete's Painting]

You have no idea. When i gave the estimate they were rubbing my shoulders, told me I had strong hands etc. But, I stuck to my guns on price.
Well, not really. Actually, not at all.

Oh well,
But, it is great advertising when you consider that their customers will be asking who did the work.

 

[Housepainter]

45-50 hours per week. 35-40 are for painting the other admin. and marketing, follow-ups etc. Make sure my trips to paint store etc. are in the flow of going or coming in the afternoon or mornings. Also combine one or two sales calls into a lunch with customers or prospective clients. :thumbup::yes:

 

[RCP]

I don't know how you guys do it all. I handle the books, scheduling, customers, delivering materials if needed, while my husband and our one full timer handle the painting. I spend about 10 hours a week on that, during the summer (I teach), I will do prep for him as needed. He puts in anywhere from 30-50 hours.

 

[ProWallGuy]

I don't know how you guys do it all.

It, um, builds character. Yeah, thats right, character. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

 

[GMack]

It, um, builds character. Yeah, thats right, character. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Seems like there's a ton of character on this board, doesn't it? I was hoping that my 50-60 hours would be on the high side but it seems about average. This is the craziest time of year, however, and if you don't yet have the crew to really smoke your exteriors the way you know they can be, then it's really tempting to go old school: in the field 40 plus, paperwork at night. Not much of an existence but . . .

 

[premierpainter]

I get up at 5am and have coffee, try to relax for an hour or so. At 7:30 I am out the door, in the office at 8am. When 5pm rolls around I am out the door. I never work Sat or Sun. If there is an Estimate that needs to get looked at after 5 I will do it and then send the estimate out in the morning. My guys work from 8am to 6:30 m-f and 8 to 4:30 on Sat.

 

[DeanV]

I am going to be taking steps to change my schedule soon though. I am going to try to get to the point this year where I am painting half the time and doing the rest of the business work during the day. Life is too short and my family too important to keep doing it the way I have been.

 

[daArch]

It, um, builds character. Yeah, thats right, character. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Can I git me some o' that?

"third aisle, between the spines and fortitude"