Paying your helper?

[Johnnyboy]

I searched and didnt seem to find much info on this.

The other day I came into a situation that made me think, To start off, I dont have enough cars to be hiring a helper as I can manage what I have but the other day I had 3 jobs come in for hand washes and wax and even though I do by appointment, I couldnt turn them down......didnt have it in me. I was fine but was killing myself trying to finish the jobs and finish them without any flaws.

That day my father in law who is home and not able to find work saw what I went through and asked if he could help and I adv him I didnt have much work but that maybe he could help with the washing part as long as he goes by what and how I teach him but that I wouldnt know how much to pay him.

How many of you have a helper/s working with them and how do you go about paying them?

FYI....still not sure about letting him help anyways but I am curious though!

[Flannigan]

In the summers I get my nephew to help me, mainly just to help teach him good work ethics, and if you work hard you can make good money. That being said I only have him do things that cannot be messed up such as vaccuuming, dressing tires and so on. He is a good kid, and if he wants to as he gets older, I would be more than happy to let him help with polishing and so on. Usually I end up giving him about $10 an hour or so depending on how long he helps me out.

[Flash Gordon]

I searched and didnt seem to find much info on this.

The other day I came into a situation that made me think, To start off, I dont have enough cars to be hiring a helper as I can manage what I have but the other day I had 3 jobs come in for hand washes and wax and even though I do by appointment, I couldnt turn them down......didnt have it in me. I was fine but was killing myself trying to finish the jobs and finish them without any flaws.

That day my father in law who is home and not able to find work saw what I went through and asked if he could help and I adv him I didnt have much work but that maybe he could help with the washing part as long as he goes by what and how I teach him but that I wouldnt know how much to pay him.

How many of you have a helper/s working with them and how do you go about paying them?

FYI....still not sure about letting him help anyways but I am curious though!

You should be paying you FIL, especially under the circumstances he's facing. Depending upon how fast of a learner he is would depend if I paid a percentage of each job, or by the hour

[RFulmer]

In my business (plumbing) I find it more difficult to deal with family than others. I tend to over pay them and it can make things awkward if they screw something up, its hard to fire family.

[Bacon]

It sounds simple, but there are a lot of potential issues to consider including :

Is your business incorporated? If so, every dollar has to be accounted for.

• Do you plan on paying cash? This could get you in trouble and is often not legal.
• Will you 1099 his wages or take taxes out?
• What if he gets hurt at work? Do you have Workers Comp Insurance?
• I don’t want to be an alarmist, but these are just a few things to consider when you "hire" anyone to help you out, family or non-family.

good luck

[Flash Gordon]

It sounds simple, but there are a lot of potential issues to consider including :

Is your business incorporated? If so, every dollar has to be accounted for.

• Do you plan on paying cash? This could get you in trouble and is often not legal.
• Will you 1099 his wages or take taxes out?
• What if he gets hurt at work? Do you have Workers Comp Insurance?
• I don’t want to be an alarmist, but these are just a few things to consider when you "hire" anyone to help you out, family or non-family.

good luck

These are all things that should be considered for sure

If your just working out of your backyard, I wouldn't worry to much about it though

[shoeless89]

I have helped other detailers and I have had people help me when I get to busy or have a big job that needs to get finished in a shorter amount of time. I usually do a 70/30 or 60/40 split.

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[time_to_shine]

On the days that I'm swamped with appointment I do ask for my father in law to assist. He is retired so it gets him out the house. He is very thero retired military. He keeps his vehicles well maintained so I have no issues there. He will do everything but machine polish and wax which works out great. I pay him cash any where from 50 to 80 buck but he always give back 20-40 saying he just wants to help me business grow even though to me his assistance and time is worth that if not more...we usually work 5-8 hours which saves me 3-5 hours in the long run. during the summer I always have some joe blow come up to me and give me their number to call if I need a hand but as most on here know washing a car is not just washing a car. so inshort find good help. I always thought if i had a helper i would do shop time. here is the reason why. an hourly person will ride the clock or drag tail but on shop time is a job takes 4hr to do on average and you get it done in 3.5hrs I pay you on 4 hrs. So 4hr x $12= $48 3.5hr x $12 =$42 they get an extra $6. It gets them to work faster to earn more. In turn you get more vehicle completed and your profites increase as well. But I wouldnt sacrific quality..the job has to be done well and not a lick and a promise. Also by paying shop time you are paying that person when they work so no vehicles to clean they don't get paid and your not wasting man hours. they will then inturn recrute jobs for you because that is how they make money...win win all the way

Sorry for the many words

[Johnnyboy]

Good advice and info! It's not that I wouldn't want to work with him but it's just that he needs to do some "training" first. If he can't be as meticulous as me then it's a no go and he knows it. It's hard to find get the word out in this business and since for me it's a weekend thing for now, I can't afford to loose the few customers I have. If he learns "proper" techniques then I would even be able to schedule a few cars during the week also so he can take care of them. I know he can do it because he loves admiring the few cars I do but he has much to learn!

[toycar18]

It sounds simple, but there are a lot of potential issues to consider including :

Is your business incorporated? If so, every dollar has to be accounted for.

• Do you plan on paying cash? This could get you in trouble and is often not legal.
• Will you 1099 his wages or take taxes out?
• What if he gets hurt at work? Do you have Workers Comp Insurance?
• I don’t want to be an alarmist, but these are just a few things to consider when you "hire" anyone to help you out, family or non-family.

good luck