Im in South Lanarkshire mate, pm me if your interested.

Hi David. Im quite a bit away in Forfar but I would be prepared to help you out to get you started.
pm me if I can help.
stu

i know everyone is against partnerships in general but it can work, my dad and brother both went self employeed around the same time, but because my old man had been a regional window cleaning manger for a large firm he had all the contacts and started winning some decent contract work so he and my brother teamed up as a lot of my old mans time was taking up tendering for work etc and back then bribing etc was the norm now 20odd years later my old man is retired and my brother runs the company but my old man still takes a wage and does vat return, wages etc

anyway if one if you is a natural sales person for example it could work,  but saying that i wouldnt do it and davies advice is sound, and ronnie made a great offer there so make sure you follow up on it

As Stu says, different people have different skills which compliment each other, and I believe that combined you'll rip up any opposition. But at present, it looks like you'll be buying in to your son's business (van and wfp gear) which doesn't have the resources to expand on it's own merits. Harsh but true from what I've read, but I'm happy to be corrected.

I am in a separate partnership (nothing to do with the business I broadcast on here) and we meet up with him and his wife twice a year, which is enough for me and Val, but are in contact by email at any time. We both have differing views on how that business should advance, and because my main business provides me with an ample income, (and in fact is the funding source for another income stream, which led to me being involved in that venture) I'm sort of happy to let the other bloke make some financial mistakes. Because until he actually realises the mistake is down to him, it's not his fault - that's just the way he is, if you know what I mean. At first he'll discount any differing views from his own, some time later I'll suggest something which would improve the situation in a roundabout way, once it's been rattling around in his head for a while it's suddenly his fantastic idea. Hey Ho - there's more than one way of skinning a cat! If we were both of the same mind-set, the partnership would have imploded by now.

To be brutal, you need to set up something legal for this arrangement with your son - to protect both of you from each other, and from yourselves. I'm happy to give you a copy of a four-way partnership agreement drawn up by a Scottish solicitor, just cut and paste it so it applies for two partners, not four. You're best to have your own legal person scan it over in case there are things in your situation which haven't been accounted for in mine.

Send me a Personal Message, (see MY MESSAGES in the bar at the top of the page) or put your email in your profile and I'll send you a copy.

I know this sounds all doom and gloom, in fact I'm sure you'll be a roaring success, but in your situation especially you need to have the ground rules written large.

Wise words indeed Davie who waves, to think 3 weeks ago I thought you were just power hungary mod.
Was it something I said . . .    I got press-ganged, honest!

Youv obviously been round the block a couple of times.
And back! Twenty six years on the tools this summer, and I've still got punters from year one - how depressing is that, over 300 times doing the same scratchy panes

Thanks for your input on this forum, Iv enjoyed reading your posts as well as a few others on here. Cheers.
Thankyou darling, I'm sure we'll meet up sometime and drinks might flow.

ps... ok you too Suart.
Dinnae encourage him, he's fae Falkirk, ken.

whos suart

Hello Again,

Thanks to all - lots of interesting views and opinions. So -

agpm06  - that was some good stuff I hadn't thought of, but I didn''t expalin myself propery. As I said each of us would be doing a round each but then we would pool the takings at the end of the week and split it ( minus costs ). If one of the runs has some acess problems or is more tricky than the other, we swap around fortnightly so that it isn't a constant struggle for the same person ( also the customers get used to seing both of us ). I know this only adresses a couple of the potential problem areas, but I'm sure a bit of flexibility like that would help keeping things even ( hopefully ! )
Although you have given me an idea - Boness must have a lot of windows and potential customers, all I would need is a Boness-ese to English phrase book....Hmmm - might be worth the drive...  ( please don't take offence, just kidding... )

WavieDavie - again, more great info. We have been to the local Business Gateway, and are preparing a Business Plan which we will submit shortly. We've also attended three or four of their free courses which were good. Our adviser did give us the heads up about partnerships and suggested stongly the we get a Deed of Partnership drawn up and notarised by a solicitor. Would like to take up your generous offer of the partnership deed and will PM you - thanks for the help.

Can you believe ronnie - he lives, as far as I can tell, only three or four miles away - same area ! getting help like that is above and beyond ! - I think it will be a free bar for him all night at his chosen hostelry. I'll be calling him this afternoon to set things up ( will need to get some sleep now, was night shift last night - I'm pooped )

Look forward to more input and opinions but it's bed time for me

G'night all - David

Ps Kinky - my son had me out on Monday doing some of his round trad - he even sent me up the ladders, no respect for age these young 'uns. Will be out again next week on my days off. I did enjoy it, after 20 years of working in factories, so am getting the practice and more practice and more practice and more etc etc. Thanks for the advice K

you been talking to my missis ?   

ah i see you got the master to help you

i am but a humble grasshopper in comparison

WavieDavie - got your PM thanks.
No probs, my consultancy fee will be with you by the end of the month 

As part of redundancy free re-training is offered,
I'd sort of got that impression . . .

so I'm doing an IPAF scissor lift and boom platform course - could help the business, you never know.
It certainly will - get as many certificates under your belt as possible for so long as they're free. See if you can get some health and safety training wrapped up in amongst that lot too. If you're going to be hitting commercial, that, and the stuff you're already signed up for, will stand you in excellent stead.

Do you know how JEALOUS I am of all the help that comes out of this forum? When I was a boy, we had to grow our own flax for the scrims, I'll have you know 

conjours up rustic images of buxom village maids and lustily besmocked window cleaners.....
Stick around David, I've never been lustily besmocked before!

I can only dream of getting the runs you have !
Well avoid the Spanish restaurant we were in last night