[Allways Cleaning]

hi all,
just wondered how some of you started up wc. how did you get your first customers etc. did you get out and about leafleting?
just trying to get a few pointers need motivating to do wc i need a change have got trolley had a bit of practice now ready for the next stage getting paying customers!
regards
p.s. please keep replys as short as possible as interesting as they may be, as it makes for long winded reading! thanks

[beefy]

short answer- money -time- i was earning£6.50 labouring 40hrs +.then worked for a mate for £175 p/week for 9mths w/cleaning 
saw the possibillities saved & scrimped bought 600 a month  for 1800, since then its flew. if theres summat on at school i can go & see it & i dont need to ask

[S.C.S]

My Grandad was a window cleaner and got my dad into it then of course for me to earn my pocket money i had to go with my dad on scholl holidays and stuff like that.

Then left school in 1998 got a job in factory doing powder coating then in 2003 decided with a work mate to earn some extra cash we decided to clean windows on weekend then in 2004 was given a big round of a old feller who my dad new so i left work and went from there.

Theres now 4 of us and i havent look back since gets lonely sometimes and its hrad to get I disagree out of bed somedays but i get there.

Andy

[chris@c.m.s]

My brother taught me years ago, I find door knocking the best way of getting work, If you need motivating now you'll need a real kick up the backside 3-4 months after starting  

regards
p.s. please keep replys as short as possible as interesting as they may be, as it makes for long winded reading! thanks

You wait till Ian wakes up 

[Moderator David@stives]

My first window cleaning job was a £1000 job ,cleaning a campsite.

A woman (campsite manager) asked my wife while dropping our son off at school ,did she know a wc, came home told me, i turn up with bucket and sponge ,the rest is history

Dave

[paul mather]

Started with my brother 18 years ago. Left the Post Office Saturday morning and was cleaning windows that same afternoon. Now that was a serious culture shock. Couldn't believe how hard you had to work. 18 years on with a mortgage and 3 kids working harder than ever.
One thing that has worked for me. Was told a few years ago that if you ring up Thomson Local & put up with them trying to flog you ad space eventually they will offer you a free line in their next book. I have got some seriously good commercial work that way, worth a try.

[pjulk]

I first became a window cleaner 20 years ago.
I was on a YTS scheme doing boatbuilding.
I was only getting £25 a week and all my mate started getting cars and i could not afford one.
So went tothe job centre and see a window cleaning job which paid £50 a week i thought great double what im earning now.
Anyway i went to work for this chap for several months but he was a bit of a crook.
And was forever knicking stuff whilst we were cleaning so got out as im not that sort of person.

Anyway i hated where i lived Isle of wight so just passed my driving test my dad bought me a mark 3 cortina so i said im moving out and put my stuff in the car and drove to kent.
I was 17 at the time
I got a job the same day in a factory making nuts and bolts and got a bedsit also the same day.
did that for about 3 years then decided i wanted a job with more money so became a milkman and after work started building up a window cleaning round.

I would go into the rest but i don't want to bore you

Paul

[Paul Coleman]

hi all,
just wondered how some of you started up wc. how did you get your first customers etc. did you get out and about leafleting?
just trying to get a few pointers need motivating to do wc i need a change have got trolley had a bit of practice now ready for the next stage getting paying customers!
regards
p.s. please keep replys as short as possible as interesting as they may be, as it makes for long winded reading! thanks

It was 1991 and I had just been made redundant for the third time in two years.  There were no jobs around.  I had a rusty old hatchback and no tools.  Bought some hand tools from a janitorial shop. Borrowed a ladder from a plumber who was no longer plumbing.  Went door knocking.  Started from zero turnover at start of Winter in the worst recession in living memory for most people.  Grossly underpriced everything as had no guidance. Work built up slowly.  Then some luck.  Managed to get a self employed driving job going away one week a month.  Built W/C round around it.  When that finished, I had half a round so carried on.  Door knocked for nearly a year before referrals provided enough new work for full time business.  Did it the hard way as didn't know any better back then.

Not wanting to turn this into religious thread but I was brought up as JW.  Walked away at 16 as it wasn't for me (49 now).  However, when I went door knocking for work, I remembered a few things about technique from the old days and it served me quite well.  My experience from the old days was a bad one but at least I got something positive from it.

BTW.  Just in case anyone is wondering if they are allowed to communicate with me, I walked away unbaptised rather than being dissed.   

[mfwindowcleaner]

was sitting in a pub after telling my boss to shove his job (R/T Forklift driver)
got speaking to this guy next to me who turned out to be a w/c  ... he said he had a couple of days work a week if i was interested ........
8 years later i parted company after saving up enough for a van and all equipment .... knocked on doors for a fortnight solid ...........
1 year on ive now had to take someone on 2 days a week  ........havent looked back since

[ronaldo]

Started cleaning whilst on holiday for her majesty in Winson Green mad house.
Got myself put on the cleaning crew as a way of getting out of being shut up for 22hrs a day with a lunatic from Birkenhead.
Anyway after a few days on a mop and bucket i got promotion onto the Ateam or shiners as they were known and after my hibernation ended i tryed a few jobs and they were all crap so i thought #### it and bought some ladders and nearly ten years on and i,m still at it, and most of the time enjoying it. 

[Ian Rochester]

Well heres my route into window cleaning:

Got made redundant from  being a Factory Manager (Food Industry) in Nov 2002, was on £48k + bonus + Vauxhall Omega 2.5TD Elite.

Whilst waiting for another proper job to come alone I decided to keep myself occupied, so I bought a carpet cleaning machine (Extracta exel and scrubber), 6 months later whilst cleaning a carpet I got asked by a client if I knew of any window cleaners, as they had lost theirs.

Ah ha, thought I!  I've still got spare hours in the day, I could do that.

Started off with 6 houses in one estate, now got around 1200 properties ranging from £5 - £500+, three vans and currently 4 full time employees. 

We now do carpets, upholstery, leather (clean and restoration), windows (trad and WFP up to 60'), gutters, fascias, post build cleans, end of tenancy cleans, contract office cleaning (growing fast!), pressure washing, floor stripping, polishing and sealing........ the list goes on!

The only things we don't do is daily domestics and oven cleans, but I do use or recommend two local companies for this service.

Would I go back to running or working in a Factory, I think not, I love this job, even when I'm stinkking, wet and cold, or hot and sweaty!

[windows_chepstow]

After 17 years in the army I was a Staff Sergeant in a Warrant Officers post, and had done many six-month tours to Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo and I eventually landed a posting that I thought would be a cushy-little-number.

Well the ruddy firemen and their strikes put paid to that, along with Tony Blair and the shenangins in Afganistan; then Gulf War II was looming (I'd done my bit in Gulf War I), so thought sod this; I'm offski.

I 'PVR'd' (bought myself out) and it took two weeks to leave.  The Commanding Officer thought I was taking the 'urine', when he asked me what I was going to do and I told him, 'become a window cleaner'.

I leafletted the world; underpriced; had houses everywhere to begin with.  It's been a struggle, but it's now paying off.

[Ian Rochester]

Tosh,

Ex army myself, REME (Sgt - Avionics) came out in 91 after the first gulf conflict, didn't PVR just signed off after 9 yrs.

Only thing I miss is the lads and the mess do's, especially things like summer/christmas balls and Burns Night!!!

[windows_chepstow]

Tosh,

Ex army myself, REME (Sgt - Avionics) came out in 91 after the first gulf conflict, didn't PVR just signed off after 9 yrs.

Only thing I miss is the lads and the mess do's, especially things like summer/christmas balls and Burns Night!!!

Ah, so you were a 'tech'.  I spent two years with 1 Regt Army Air Corps in Northern Ireland and was friendly with a few of you 'air-techs'.

I was always jealous at how much you were paid and how quickly you gained promotion.

You must be a bright lad!  They don't let dunces fix helecopters; well not many anyway.

[windows_chepstow]

Lionheart,

I hated Mess 'Dos'.  I was frequently in trouble because of my behaviour at them. 

Once, the RSM asked all our guests to leave the table and then gave various 'telling offs' to certain mess members and finished on me.

He ordered me to leave and to take my guest with me!

Shocking.

It was the first time I'd EVER seen anyone kicked out the mess; and it happened to happen to me.  I couldn't believe it.

The next morning I ended up with ten 'extras'.

Then there was that time I wee'd all over a female warrant officer who was sat opposite me during dinner.  She was a top athlete, gorgous looking too; resplendant in her Mess Uniform.

I ended up in some bother over that and to add insult to injury she handed me the dry cleaning bill.

She smelt of wee all evening though, so it was well worth it.

[Ian Rochester]

Priceless!!

We'll have to meet up for a pint the next time you're back in Gods county (Big Market!!!)

[JohnL]

Lionheart

Got made redundant from  being a Factory Manager (Food Industry) in Nov 2002, was on £48k + bonus + Vauxhall Omega 2.5TD Elite.

what part of the food industry were you in?

just interested because I was made redundant in 1994/5 - forgotten now  I was in the packaging industry supplying most of the main supermarkets and the main food mfrs   

JohnL

[Ian Rochester]

I worked in the food industry from leaving the Army, firstly as an engineer, then as a manager at Twinings Teas (3 years), after that as a Shift Manager at a frozen pastry and processed potato manufacturer (4 years). then as a Factory Manager at a factory that  processed chickens for soups and pies/pasties etc (just over a year).  The last company I worked for made flavoured butter and frozen sauce pellets for inclusion in other products (ie: garlic butters for kievs and garlic bread)   They also made sauces for various industries (pizza toppings, fish sauces, etc)

Exciting stuff eh!!  But this is what the consumer wants now, home cooking went out of many houses a long time ago, personnally I prefer buying the base ingredients and cooking everything from scratch.

When I was a shift manager at the pastry plant, we used to make frozen sausage rolls, trust me, you don't want to know what goes into a sausage roll filling!! 

I have never eaten one since the day I first saw the process!

I also had the job of auditing all our suppliers, ingredients as well as packaging, so that was a good jolly every couple of months, may well have audited your factory at some point.

[julianbiggs]

I was a retail manager, abusive customers, pain in the **** staff, (30 of them) so thought there's got to be more to life having done it for 15 years, than working my balls off for my employer, so, i packed it in and became a window cleaner, obviously I started with 0 customers. Worked hard, canvassed, phoned people up and 13 months later ive got 4 full weeks work earning more than i was as a retail manager in charge of a £3,000,000 business!!!!

I used to have to worry about rotas, payroll, stock results, customers, staff, appraissals,budgets, customer service targets, cash handling, stocktaking, deliveries, hygiene, conference calls, directors visits, audits, health & safety, shopfloor standards and so on and so on... Now all i worry about is....shall i wear shorts or jeans, ham or cheese sandwiches and who shall i listen to on my Ipod!!!

[Andrew McCann]

Paul seems to be asking how we got into window cleaning and not why.

I had zero customers. Did a 10000 leaflet drop through the local free rag and sat waiting for the phone to ring.. errr  it did.. about 15 times  On  the bright side I ended up with a whole 13 customers.  

So.. I hit the streets. Every evening. I had decided to target rural areas because I felt that better prices would be achievable and there would be less window cleaners than in the towns. I was right to do this. Although there are loads of window cleaners everywhere around this area. In general my prices seemed to be 50 to 100% more than others charged. I always wore my uniform (printed tee-shirt and decent trousers and shoes) Some nights I did well..others I didn't but I just kept going. I deliberately worked Saturdays cleaning..  you get noticed far more on that day.. the "can you clean mine as well" brigade were good to me on Saturdays.

Before too long I had a decent income although nowhere near what I used to earn. The referalls started to come in nicely but I always made time for doorknocking 2 or 3 evenings a week. Within 10 months I had more work than I could cope with every 4 weeks. Took on a partner... BIG MISTAKE.. Dont have a parter now but have enough work for 3 guys.

My honest opinion is that you just cant beat doorknocking for building a window cleaning business from scratch. OK its not the most pleasant job in the world but "selling" window cleaning is an absolute dawdle compared to other doorstep selling. You just keep going until you have reached your target..  a target is essential. Without one its so easy to give up when the going gets tough.

Cheers

Andrew

[Ian Rochester]

Andrew

I still remember reading you "diary" on here when you first took on your partner and were marketing/doorknocking to try and hit £200/day/person

[Andrew McCann]

Yup Lionheart.

It was on the "other forum" I was at the stage where too much for me but not enough for 2 so I went for £2000 every 4 weeks new business by doorknocking. Started between Xmas and the New year  2004.. in the dark.. sometimes wet etc. I think I missed out 1 night because of really bad weather if i remember correctly. I had decided to get the target by the end of Jan.. well in fact I had to to pay our way. I think it was achieved with about 10 nights to spare.

I've only ever had 1 rude idiot answer the door so i gave myself the luxury of using the Queens English to the full   

Andrew

[david68]

Use to work Plaster Decorative Moulding fitting and supplying.
Was diagnoised with cancer.
Docs said to keep away from the plaster, No good for my type of cancer.
Docs said have a rest.
So i thought wc as it will keep me very active.
Brought around couple a months ago, but had to get my money back from the bloke who sold it me because is round was only half left.
Now re approaching the is old customers and getting some good results.
So slowly but surely im starting to rebuild it.

Regards Dave

[JohnL]

David68 best of luck to you 

Lionheart

sausage rolls mmmmm  -  yummy,   -  pig-snouts

and 'formed ham' even yummmier  - mmmmmmm  .  .  .   aaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh

if people really knew what supermarkets were selling them '' because thats what the customer wants ''  blah blah blah

I arrived in the WC world after a pretty tortuous route following the little swim Robert Maxwell took some 12 years or so ago. I ran one of his £20,000,000 a year packaging companies running 24-7 363 days a year and was on call for all that time so WCing etc is a little easier on the sole now

JohnL

[Cleaner Windows]

I started wc about 6 years ago now, with nothing but a car, bucket, 2 cloths no money behind me just a need to do something with my life as i was drinking heavily and on the dole at the time.

at first I could only clean bungalows as i didnt have a ladder (or one of your pole systems i hear about)
it was very slow going at first with only about 3 customers that I got from knocking doors but eventually it picked up and I could afford to buy some roof bars and a ladder...I was well chuffed

[Allways Cleaning]

Greetings all, many thanks for your replys. i am sorry i have not replied earlier but i lost my broadband connection for severall days due to an incompitant decorator (me!) so a big thank you to all who have replied i have read them all and taken on board the various ways you have entered the heady heights of window cleaning!!
to sumerise
Beefy.
you made it work for you! and i could to, thank you.
SCS.
its in your blood you have made a good business a template for success? well it should be.
Chris@cms.
mmmmmmm motivation.... the key   
Dave@ST-IVES.
Great start.... hop u still enjoy it.
Paul Mather.
like the Thompson idea, hope u like w/c still.
Paul Griffin.
Bum start in w/c you did alot in 1 day , You are very determined man!
The Shiner.
Door knocking seems to be the way...my x neighbour was royal mail and jw now w/c and jw loves it to bits..
Mfwindowcleaner.
would love to tell W***** boss to shove it! door knocking again there seems to be a pattern....keep going.
Ronaldo (sorry not keen on the name at the moment no offence meant)
So you can learn some thing usefull when on holiday   10 years on and going strong so u must be good!
Lionheart.
made a top business in 4 years seriously good....
Tosh.
Why did u pick w/c when u left the army was there a sound business reason.. you probably could have had the pick of many jobs in both private and public sector..but your doing well as far as i can read
Julianbiggs.
canvessing... again seems the way..retail yep done it and servicing miss it sometimes though.
Andrew McCann.
yes you are right i was after how people got into w/c the mechanics as it were but have enjoyed the replys all the same. ah hah the answers i was trying to get ie doorknocking no partners keep going till u get the ammount you want to earn and some, work on a Saturday mmm ok its all comming togeather now... thanks good info
david68.
one way to keep fit ... does it help? see what you mean about buying round (what would u do?) hope u have got your money back now its a risk i can see that but have no money to invest in buying a round so will have to build mine from scratch. glad to see u are getting some old customers back.
JohnL.
was w/c the first job you thought of when bob went for a swim? or was it pot luck how did u get your customers?
denisholden.
so i take it door knocking was your way of expanding your round and i take it worked? after 6 years do u regret getting into w/c? or are u going to keep with it. ever thought of getting a water fed pole there very good...
thanks all hope i have not left anyone out appologise if i have anymore contributions on how u started up and expanded your rounds would be most welcome dont be shy now just a few lines will do.
regards
Paul.

[Paul Coleman]

A question for you Paul Vernon.  I may have the wrong guy but did you used to live in or near Crawley (the one near Gatwick NOT the one in Hampshire) ?

[Allways Cleaning]

hi Shiner allways lived in hants. well allways in southampton is there a dopple ganger about mein gott what next
regards

[Paul Coleman]

hi Shiner allways lived in hants. well allways in southampton is there a dopple ganger about mein gott what next
regards

There was a window cleaner around this way a few years back with the same name as you.  I've no idea if he's even still trading as many W/Cs seem to come and go.

[Fast 1 *]

left school,went straight into the building trade working for my dad,which didnt work out.specialised in brick work,plastering,dashing etc.Always wanted to work for myself,but at the time i was more interested in clubbing and women.Worked for various builders,but nine times out of ten resented it because of the money they were making out of me.Tried going it alone,but work dried up,so worked on sites for a while,which completely put me off bricklaying.Then my mate asked me if i wanted to go into window cleaning with him and i thought why not.Went knocking every night in january,and pulled in a nice bit of work.Unfortunately the partnership went pear shaped,so we went our seperate ways and split the work in half.Have still got alot to do,but i know it will get there(as long as there is no ladder ban)Sometimes it gets you down,but all in all,it was the best thing i ever done.I talk to people,and they constantly moan about their boss or their salary,and that keeps me going....

[shammy davis jnr]

was a welder till ravens craig shut  got offered a good paying job in germany with balfour beaty  but had just bought my first house at the time and did not want to leave
thought long and hard about it  mmmmmmmmmmmmmm let me think work twelve hours a day  working behind a four inch blacked out bit off glass breathing in toxic poop all day our do some thing totaly diff
the next day i borrowed ladders a bucket  and fifteen years down the line i have two vans and five books in employees
whish i could still weld lol
its brilliant window cleaning wish i had done it when i left school all the best for future  yours  the davis

[mark dew]

Was doing factory work through agencies. Never knowing if i had work the following week.
Girlfriend suggested WC.
Our own WC gave moral support and told us his price per window. (50p)
Cleaned 1st window around may 2004 using bucket, sponge and chamois leather.
Started off with no customers and advertised for 1 month in local paper.
Got a little poor quality work scattered all over town.
Put another advert in a parish magazine and picked up work in the villages.
Dumped all town work never to return and leafletted villages where i had work.
After 2 weeks of using a sponge and chamois leather my arms felt like they were going to fall off and was introduced to scrim and squeegee. Saved!!
1st job a bungalow took 3 hours!!! 2 years later takes 15-20 minutes trad and now 10 wfp.
Took me over 6 months to consistently earn £10 an hour.
Found this forum and never looked back.
The quality of my life has never been better.

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

hi all

i started in nov of 2004 less than two months before getting married , gave up my job after a fualty drill at work went through my hand  and when i told my boss he said if it was fautly i should of been more careful. so gave him my notice right there and then and worked straight out . took me sometime picking up work but got there in the end. my very patient wife ..has been a great help ....now i have a nice van a pole sytsem and can choose who i want to work for or  not.. and growing nicely.

shawn

[Allways Cleaning]

Hi The Shiner
OOh how strange i havnt got the most common of names so that suppries me i do know there is another person in southampton with same name so perhaps i am more common than i first thought 
but the fact he was/is a window cleaner is a coincidence in as much i am still trying to find the best method to get customers and start window cleaning hence this post.
Fast One
OOOOh i know what u mean co i work for makes loads a money out a me i dont get holiday pay or sick pay and have to take any old s*** they give me to do so work has dried up a bit i work on railway loads of blokes out of work not  good depressing or what
most of the guys moan about where we go from Waterloo to Exeter big area and we are working in south london etc booo. so u went door knocking for work seems to be the best way to get work..
Shammy davis Jnr
i am constantly amazed how many people on here just say bugger it and just go and do it no ifs or buts just start w/c you must like it or you wouldnt do it which generally seems to be the pattern. When i left school (long time ago) my career advisor never mentioned w/c. Thank you for the reply the davis the replys which i recieve spur me on even more.
mark dew
hi mark parish magazine good idea, was thinking of trying one of those trade boards that b+q and the like run, where you have a stack of your cards in a holder on the wall. wondered if anyone has had any success with them.
all in all its been a good move for you thanks for reply
shawn
shawn you dont say now you managed to get your customers. did you door knock to begin with? its nice to read about all these happy and successful window cleaners it allways takes time to build a round and get some decent money in so i must stick with it when i get going!! thanks for reply