Question for ya... if a guy has a 40 hour a week job but is also doing ADC work, and the job has the option of alternating shifts quaterly; what would be the optimum shift to take to maximize being able to take calls ?

Been kind of wrestling with this one.

Aaron, You'd need to be most accessible during daylight hours. Obviously folks get emergency calls at night and weekends, but if you just look at a basic daily need to check equipment, traps, meet with clients, you need to have the daylight for most of that, so I'd say 6am-6pm is the bulk to at least gather the bulk of the calls to start out.

Again, folks call before and after that, so you can't really pin it down, but the bulk are in the "normal" hours.

My .02...

Justin

Thanks,Justin...this problem will iron itself out in a few years when I retire. But just trying to plan ahead in the mean time, during the start up phase .

Thanks again.

I work a second shift job and do wildlife control mornings, sunrise til noon. It's been working fine.

Justin called that one. My wife took a call at 6:30 tonight. We got the job but the customer wants to meet with us tomorrow during the day to set it up. Like sgs, I preferred 2nd shift. I used to work 40 on one job and 50 on the other. Now I try to get 90 hours of sleep a week. ( I would too, if it weren't for all those good TV shows )

Appreciate it , guys. Just trying to plan ahead here and think about some things. I currently work evenings and in all honesty , it's my preferred shift , so kind of in keeping with what sgs does , as well.

I think second would be best. Third would be tricky.

I work rotating 12 hour shift. Never fails, I'll get calls when I'm working. Never seems to be when i'm off.

I can't accomplish anything period when working that shift . Worthless.

I worked third for years and enjoyed having my days free but I never slept. I was a walking zombie for 5 years.

Exactly !! I'd get off work and think about all the free time I had...neglecting the fact you gotta sleep at some point.

you all are TTttttttttttoooooooo motivated.............

Literally never get accused of that...it's going on my eval

What killed me was when the plant I worked in was running short on work and my ADC work was backing up. They finally fired me and I don't blame them. I was not the sharpest guy on the floor by a long shot and they didn't want any of their other underpaid workers to go into business for themselves like I did.

I could have sued and won when they fired me but by that time I had so much business I didn't have time to go to court.

my boy works a rotating shift,,,, he can tell you what day/night/time he works on 09-03-2020...... Lots of hours cramed into long weeks.,,,,,,wish I was that disciplined,,,,,I get sick of a work place after 4 days.......

probably the reason I have been self employed since 1984....

Going into business for yourself is a big step with several doubts. Then when you see your business grow, you wonder why you didn't have the guts to do it a lot sooner like Vinke and a bunch of you other guys did.

Well said, Paul...ironically , partly what I'm afraid of.
" Agh !! So many years wasted !!!"

I have been self employed most of my life. However I would think having the mornings to work adc partime would be the best fit.

When considering a high percentage of animal pick ups that will be coming in for jobs that are open and that the majority of new calls we get are morning calls I would opt for working mornings with our line of work if having to consider all things.

But there will always be those customers that want you to make a service call for them when they are home after their 9-5 jobs also.

I worked the business part time for 12 years, I was a lineman for the electric company during the day. and worked the wildlife control before and after the day job. I was lucky as my wife answered the phones during the day and did a lot of scheduling and calming the folks down about the squirrels that was going to eat them and their kids. LOL wives like Paul's and mine are the saving grace to us. wives or office personnel will make your life some much easier, I know a lot of guys that work the business and a real job, that has a person answer the phones, but if your business in not allowing the other person to answer the phone and do the scheds and calming the customer, then mornings are most likely what you need the most. to get everything done and controlled. In my area most calls come either 7 to 9 am Or 3 till 6 pm calling the 3 to 6 pm people back may be hard in the mornings because they are working.