[*frank cannon]

We all know that a lot of ex sales reps general clerk types have been encouraged to come into window cleaning by suppliers selling starter packs ie van, wfp systems and one day training course then your a fully trained window cleaner....just wondering if anyone new of any professional people that had ended up as a "glorified scrubber/vision technician"

[clean]

"glorified scrubber" ??

[elite mike]

hi frank

we call them window cleaning prostitutes,round here

[*frank cannon]

Frank Cannon he was the tv detective in the 70s

not seen the show but thats who my old man named me after 

[mistersqueegee]

never liked it myself but he was a fat bloke with a bald patch,but always solved the crime 

Hey! I resemble that remark!

[mistersqueegee]

Touche! But that's hitting below the belt.

[Clive McDonald]

To get back on topic, the industry has benefited greatly by people like myself becoming involved. I did find getting going a bit of a come down, and the work has been quite hard too.Also this forum isn't always quite so respectfull as perhaps it should be..

But, i've started businesses before and they were just as bad. In fact i think it's a bit of a feature of how well you'll eventually do if you can put up with the intial nonesence.It's okay if you've got nowt, but if you have been quite successful in other fields it's very tempting to walk away in pique when you get an ear bashing over a six pound job.

There is a difference in the 'sales rep general clerk types', they approach this in a straight forward way and tend to out earn the stereotype window cleaning counterpart within about a year.Year two's all gravy.

[Pj]

What are you blathering on about?

[mistersqueegee]

Over here we have franchises like Fish Window Cleaning and they operate in a similar fashion. We've learned to just accept their presence although some of the franchisees are definitely not up to snuff as wcers.

[ftp]

Hey Discount - i actually understood your post!
I've come in from another trade alltogether and the first year felt very demeaning and i must say i felt like the glorified scrubber. Still get treated like one now and again but the returns out weigh the lower class feelings i had. Couldn't give a toss anymore i've earnt a weeks wages for some people in a day and a half this week so i'm off to scrub some more tomorrow!

[seandyer2003]

Hey Discount - i actually understood your post!
I've come in from another trade alltogether and the first year felt very demeaning and i must say i felt like the glorified scrubber. Still get treated like one now and again but the returns out weigh the lower class feelings i had. Couldn't give a toss anymore i've earnt a weeks wages for some people in a day and a half this week so i'm off to scrub some more tomorrow!

I was in manchester city centre today feeling like a bit of a scruff for being a window cleaner but then when i looked in the windows of a few job agencies i walked past and realised that 99% of them earned 18,000 a year max, i laughed and went home in the knowledge that i could do that working 2 days a week!!! Thats why im window cleaning, people where i work in richer areas almost feel sorry for me doing what i do- little do they know i did it out of choice, and it was a good choice, i think even if i was offered similar money to sit in an office id prefer this as i hate being inside- tried it and didnt like it, id only leave window cleaning to do an outside job that paid the same, with same flexibilty - but what is there!??

[Londoner]

You are always going to get a lot of new startups in an industry like this when things are hard elsewhere. Its natural, but it doesn't mean you have to like it.

I have said it before and taken a lot of flak for it but I believe a lot of franchises are just preying on the vunerable and the desperate.  

[*frank cannon]

no chief accoutants,high flying executives or even solicitors on board then??

[seandyer2003]

a chap who had my round in the past, he was an accountant who had been made redundant in a past recession, probably early nineties or something because he's almost 60 now...

[alanwilson]

Aeronautical Engineer come window cleaner.

I couldn't give a toss what people think of me - if they want to think I'm 'just a window cleaner' thats fine with me, personally I see myself as a businessman in the window cleaning trade - my son gets annoyed sometimes though, people he grew up with who think they are better than him, what they can't see is they are in jobs with no prospects (yes I include solicitors etc in this), they all have to work Mon to Fri for a boss who doesn't give a toss about them, they dedicate their lives to itheir profession - fair enough, at least my son has the sense to realise the more important things in life such as family and not to put too much stress on himself, enjoy life and all it has to offer.


oh nearly forgot - I pay him very handsomely (more than most of his "mates" get), bought him his car (m3 e46) and he will inherit my company when I retire.

would I ever go back to making travelling safer for the masses - never.

[Wayne Thomas]

Aeronautical Engineer come window cleaner.

I couldn't give a toss what people think of me - if they want to think I'm 'just a window cleaner' thats fine with me, personally I see myself as a businessman in the window cleaning trade - my son gets annoyed sometimes though, people he grew up with who think they are better than him, what they can't see is they are in jobs with no prospects (yes I include solicitors etc in this), they all have to work Mon to Fri for a boss who doesn't give a toss about them, they dedicate their lives to itheir profession - fair enough, at least my son has the sense to realise the more important things in life such as family and not to put too much stress on himself, enjoy life and all it has to offer.


oh nearly forgot - I pay him very handsomely (more than most of his "mates" get), bought him his car (m3 e46) and he will inherit my company when I retire.

would I ever go back to making travelling safer for the masses - never.

Good attitude Alan