Take a close look at how most successful portable sanitation businesses operate, and you’ll discover an owner who runs a “lean machine.” Efficiency and cost-effective practices are the hallmarks of a profitable operation.
One of the most important means of saving money is maintaining control over the cost of your supplies. Because your supplies are a variable cost (you spend more on supplies as your sales increase), it’s critical to find the best prices to start with.
Supplies include:
Make periodic projections of the amount of supplies you need, especially as your business grows. Projections become automatic after you’ve done them for a while.
Blue and toilet paper are the supplies that “move” the fastest. Total the number of weekly cleanings you are doing and the number of units in any special events you’re servicing.
Since each unit typically requires 3-5 ounces of blue, 1 gallon of blue provides 25-42 cleanings. Each weekly service usually includes 1 roll of toilet paper (2,500-sheet roll) and 2 new rolls for special events.
Keep an extra case or box of all your other supplies in the shop. It won’t take long until you’ll have a feel for when your supplies are running low.
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Do your homework and compare prices. Make a list of all your supplies, then call suppliers and ask what their prices are because, most likely, you won’t find prices listed on websites.
Don’t sacrifice quality for a lower price. Decide which products perform to your service standards, then compare prices.
Make sure to compare apples to apples, especially when it comes to quantity. Look for these pricing opportunities:
Keep the pricing information you gather on file.
A good price on a product can be offset by high freight costs, so look for the best deals you can get on shipping.
You can realize significant savings by smart shopping. Even small savings add up over time.
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