[truk]

its good to see all this advice, i might chime in with, dont let that backlog get you depressed. after all, it is job security. then again it is a relief to be caught up with nothing to do but make yourself an expresso with ice cream. my average backlog can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 45 days, with some back-burner jobs pushing several months. some people push which ussually results in a longer day and full price, it took some experience to give real estimates, in the early days i was a bit more critical, but now has become second nature and i am not afraid to be honest with the customer, i figure if you give them enough info, they will realize they are dealing with a proffessional. if they don't realize it then , i ask them how much they want to spend, kinda brash, but effective, ,,, after all, that is the bottom line. repeat customers are the best, they know how you work and i enjoy dealing with them, they are appreciative and i give them preference when possible,
on scheduling, i give the standard answer of 2 weeks, this lets me shuffle what i actually do,or don't do, includes interuptions, other people's "emergencies",
quick and simple jobs get priority,and keep your customers calling, its kinda fun to see their jaws drop when you tell them to wait while you do it, some times an unforseen hour, but worth it when they don't have to make the trip again,
good weather, good health are factors also,,,,
there are times too when i am suprised at how well things are going .
and then there are hiccups ,snags,and snafu's which are always costly.
all in all, work is still, ,,work,,