Travis Reed wrote:I have one that I pay that mark...but it ain't no bargin..although he has never been to school...he pulls and clinches he slows me down and it cost me money to work him...my hope is that I could get him far enough along to make money off him...
Travis, while I completely understand your point I have a different view of a "helper".
In short, I would not take on a helper with any expectation of making more money for myself. That could only happen if we serviced more horses per day. I schedule clients well in advance and typically have a fixed number of clients per day to work on. Taking on an apprentice would not change that.
I view a helper/apprentice as temporary. The helper will eventually want to move on with their own business. If I had taken on additional clients presuming the helper would support the additional workload, I would have no way to manage those clients once the helper moved on.
Perhaps the reason for our different views is the intent. If the intent was to grow your business via a larger clientele, then a "helper" becomes a permanent investment that must earn their keep and provide a return on that investment. If the intent is to give a young person a hand up in the learning process then the best we can hope for is that the cost of the helper makes our day a bit easier and that they learn something along the way.
The discussion goes to the heart of apprenticeship opportunities in this country. Working farriers argue that a few months of school isn't enough to qualify the student as ready to begin a business. They should apprentice with someone after school. We also argue that it takes years to learn this trade (and it does!). In contrast to that need, an apprentice can't be expected to work for years with zero income.
The only reasonable solution is that the working farrier either subsidizes the cost out of his/her own pocket, settling for a reduced workload in the exchange and presuming only occasional, short-term apprentice participation or... the working farrier adds additional clients to the business, increasing revenue to cover the helpers salary. That means you'll need a steady stream of apprentices to manage the increased workload. Probably not a good business model as the apprentice skill level will vary widely and may or may not support that increased clientele.
he has a chance to go with another farrier friend and he will pay him 100 a day...for this farrier he will drive ..sweep and pull shoes..so now I will loose him for a week while he goes out of town...now.
If you had a chance to double your pay for less work would you do it? It's only a week and gives the helper a chance to learn a bit more from someone else. Seems a good opportunity for the helper.
I feel like I have wasted my time...although my pay is lower to him my work was steady and pay would go up as money could be made off the guy...
Why do you feel you have wasted your time? He was learning from you and making money while doing it. After only one week he'll be back and continue to learn. Did you hire him to give a hand up to someone or are you trying to build a multi-farrier business? If the latter, I understand your frustration but would ask, did you make it clear to your helper that you viewed his position as a permanent business relationship with growth potential for both of you?
when he gets back next week I'm sure he thinks he will pick up where he left off with me but that's not gonna happen...
Why? What did he do wrong?
so I might as well have thrown that time and money out the window.....I have one guy that I pay 20percent of the days take...he makes around 140 to 200 a day now but he was willing to stick it out untill he could learn enough to make money....only he can't work full time because he is a vet tec at the clinic.... so see I found the 50 bucks a day is and was a waste but the guy makin 20 percent is a deal to me...
Average vet-tech salary is less than $25,000 per year. That's about $12/hr. If he can earn $17 to $25 per hour working for you, why is he keeping the vet-tech job?
If $140-$200 is 20% of the days total revenue, then $50 per day would represent 5 to 7 percent of that same total revenue. The $50/day person, presuming even a minimum of skill, is still the bargain helper.
Cheers,
Mark