[The Jester of Wibbly]

Well I have noticed over the years that the stigma of being a window cleaner has improved a little (only a little) with the help of wfp.

Instead of a giggle when you tell people what you do seems to have been replaced by questions and admiration on how the wfp system works.

What do you guys think about our stigma?

[John Mart]

Well I have noticed over the years that the stigma of being a window cleaner has improved a little (only a little) with the help of wfp.

Instead of a sblack person when you tell people what you do seems to have been replaced by questions and admiration on how the wfp system works.

What do you guys think about our stigma?

My dad was a window cleaner. At school it was an ongoing method of insult to say "your dad's just a window cleaner". I reckon I probably have the "inferiority thing" more than most on here because of it.

[Richard Groves]

I fully embrace the "stigma".
People can think what they like. At the end of the day I'm self employed and free from the shackles of an employer and the 9-5 hum drum. I have as much free time as I like,, a nice home and a good quality of life. People can think I'm thick as sh£t and scraping by a living for all I care 

[dazmond]

who cares?i dont....is "wide boy" a term of endearment?as quite a few of my customers have called me this in the past!

[Richard Groves]

Any perceived stigma says more about you and your insecurities than anything anyone else thinks.

[nathankaye]

When I left my previous work backgrounds and went back into window cleaning my kids had that problem at school. So I told them some truths and basically they turned round to the other kids and said we don't care because we know how much he earns in a day being his own boss and your dad's would be jealous!
My kids weren't afraid to say their dad's a window cleaner.    I'm not fussed either, for many years I  have successfully run my own business which has grown each year dispite turbulent times.

But I agree, over the years and esp since wfp. People seem to take more pride in their work and appearance which all goes towards changing the general opinion of the public, compared to the trackie bottom, smoking / drinking, scrim tucked in trouser trad cleaners (tho sadly these ones are still around)

[John Mart]

Any perceived stigma says more about you and your insecurities than anything anyone else thinks.

I agree totally. 

[AuRavelling79]

Daz gets so upset with the stigma of being a window cleaner he has six foreign holidays a year to get over it. 

[Richard Groves]

Any perceived stigma says more about you and your insecurities than anything anyone else thinks.

I agree totally. 

My advice to anybody feeling that way would be not to let what you do for a living define you. What defines you is your work ethic and courage. Many have to be quite brave to take those first steps to being self employed. Leaving behind  job security and salaries, paid holiday, sick pay etc.
For that reason alone you should have respect for yourself and from  others. The ones who look down on you are all about status and materialism and tend to  be in the least admirable professions anyhow. Be proud that you're not like that.

[Slacky]

Daz gets so upset with the stigma of being a window cleaner he has six foreign holidays a year to get over it. 

Daz is away on holiday so much he’s beginning to think he actually works abroad in the U.K.

[Stoots]

Just go ltd.

Then you can be the director of a cleaning company. 

[dazmond]

ive noticed more people taking an interest in window cleaning due to WFP but not enough to want to start up themselves....

its a simple straightforward business....too simple for most people...

[Marc Stock]

Just go ltd.

Then you can be the director of a cleaning company. 

Ditto.

 

[Marc Stock]

When i started window cleaning way back in 2002-3 i had prev held a well respected job in the city of london.

When my peers heard about me becoming a window cleaner; it did alienate me a bit from them as i no longer had anything in common as we all had similar careers at the time; and they found it strange.

And you can kind of see why, its like a doctor deciding to become a rag and bone man, you sort of take a double take..and wonder why; and it is amusing tbh.

Window cleaning is a good job, but even more so its a simple business model.

Nearly 16 years later; am i a bit sick and tired of window cleaning? Yes of course but any job for 16 years becomes tedious.

To be honest with you all, until Lee Pryor started with his plans to sell his house and invest the money into his business, and show us all what can be done even with a simple humble window cleaning business i was looking for a way out of window cleaning all togther as i hit a wall.

I have an engineering business with my father as well, and for a period of time i focused on the engineering business as a possible way out of window cleaning. Tell you what isnt fair, engineering companies struggle to turn over £25-40 per hour per job, as its so competitive, you really need a lot of work and machines running at the same time to make any profit, and then you got materials costs and breakages, and you break a tool in a mazak lathe, or a haas mill, its not £50 down the drain, or even £500 sometimes it's a couple of grand you have to swallow on the job to replace that tool and keep it going. Window cleaning i easily turn over £60 to £120 per hour on some jobs..now thats not fair is it??.

In conclusion, you are either a business owner or a worker. Im sticking with my goal to grow my window cleaning business, and eventually have some other fingers in pies aswell.

Btw i am less than 5k off my 60k target now..

😁😁😁😁

[joe34]

I use to be a Tower crane Driver and people thought I was crazy to leave that job to become a window cleaner. Fact is I earn more doing this I have loads more time to myself i love it. Let people think you don't earn much

[John Mart]

Mrs 8weekly would never say I’m a window cleaner, but rather she’d say “we run a window cleaning business”. Bearing in mind she’s from Patchway it’s rather amusing.  I say I’m  a window cleaner if asked.

[alank]

It don't matter what you do for a living or what business you run some people may try and look down on you, let them it's there problem not yours. 

[Phil J]

Long may the stigma continue. I'm only a window cleaner, don't have two pennies to rub together and I'm dumb as dirt.

[Johnny B]

I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about what I do for a living.

I've been in this game 21 years, I love what I do (how many people can say that?) and it has made me  quite proud to think that I built my current business up from scratch in a foreign land in the middle of a recession, when I was told I was wasting my time and I would fail.

John

[robbo333]

The stigma of being a window cleaner doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I have 300 customers who have a much higher opinion of me! That's what's important 

[Pete Thompson]

This so-called stigma is (in my opinion) a very good thing.

It's only because folk look down on window cleaning (and therefore don't generally know what window cleaners earn) that more people don't do it.

Long may it continue.

[Walter Mitty]

If there is a stigma attached to window cleaning, it's not one that bothers me.  I can earn decent full-time money for part-time work and, more importantly for me, have the time to pursue other interests that I enjoy.
Anyway, stigma can be beautiful.  Below is a link to some lovely pictures of them:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/flower-stigma?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=flower%20stigma

[Soupy]

When asked I tell people that I'm a window cleaner (I've not cleaned a window for money in many years), it's extremely rare that anyone's reaction to that is negative in any way.

I'd never tell someone that I'm a "company director" because I'd feel like a bell end.

If you're going to judge me for being a window cleaner you're not someone that I want to be chatting to anyway.

[alank]

Well said soupy.

[dd]

When i started window cleaning way back in 2002-3 i had prev held a well respected job in the city of london.

When my peers heard about me becoming a window cleaner; it did alienate me a bit from them as i no longer had anything in common as we all had similar careers at the time; and they found it strange.

And you can kind of see why, its like a doctor deciding to become a rag and bone man, you sort of take a double take..and wonder why; and it is amusing tbh.

Window cleaning is a good job, but even more so its a simple business model.

Nearly 16 years later; am i a bit sick and tired of window cleaning? Yes of course but any job for 16 years becomes tedious.

To be honest with you all, until Lee Pryor started with his plans to sell his house and invest the money into his business, and show us all what can be done even with a simple humble window cleaning business i was looking for a way out of window cleaning all togther as i hit a wall.

I have an engineering business with my father as well, and for a period of time i focused on the engineering business as a possible way out of window cleaning. Tell you what isnt fair, engineering companies struggle to turn over £25-40 per hour per job, as its so competitive, you really need a lot of work and machines running at the same time to make any profit, and then you got materials costs and breakages, and you break a tool in a mazak lathe, or a haas mill, its not £50 down the drain, or even £500 sometimes it's a couple of grand you have to swallow on the job to replace that tool and keep it going. Window cleaning i easily turn over £60 to £120 per hour on some jobs..now thats not fair is it??.

In conclusion, you are either a business owner or a worker. Im sticking with my goal to grow my window cleaning business, and eventually have some other fingers in pies aswell.

Btw i am less than 5k off my 60k target now..

😁😁😁😁

If you can "easily earn" £60-£120 per hour surely you should be earning over 60k annually, especially after 16 years.

[Marc Stock]

When i started window cleaning way back in 2002-3 i had prev held a well respected job in the city of london.

When my peers heard about me becoming a window cleaner; it did alienate me a bit from them as i no longer had anything in common as we all had similar careers at the time; and they found it strange.

And you can kind of see why, its like a doctor deciding to become a rag and bone man, you sort of take a double take..and wonder why; and it is amusing tbh.

Window cleaning is a good job, but even more so its a simple business model.

Nearly 16 years later; am i a bit sick and tired of window cleaning? Yes of course but any job for 16 years becomes tedious.

To be honest with you all, until Lee Pryor started with his plans to sell his house and invest the money into his business, and show us all what can be done even with a simple humble window cleaning business i was looking for a way out of window cleaning all togther as i hit a wall.

I have an engineering business with my father as well, and for a period of time i focused on the engineering business as a possible way out of window cleaning. Tell you what isnt fair, engineering companies struggle to turn over £25-40 per hour per job, as its so competitive, you really need a lot of work and machines running at the same time to make any profit, and then you got materials costs and breakages, and you break a tool in a mazak lathe, or a haas mill, its not £50 down the drain, or even £500 sometimes it's a couple of grand you have to swallow on the job to replace that tool and keep it going. Window cleaning i easily turn over £60 to £120 per hour on some jobs..now thats not fair is it??.

In conclusion, you are either a business owner or a worker. Im sticking with my goal to grow my window cleaning business, and eventually have some other fingers in pies aswell.

Btw i am less than 5k off my 60k target now..

😁😁😁😁

If you can "easily earn" £60-£120 per hour surely you should be earning over 60k annually, especially after 16 years.

 £60 to £120 per hour on some jobs

Why dont you read it properly?

[Martin Lane]

Been window cleaning 37 years, love it even after all them years, never worried what people think, this year two weeks in Orlando Disney hotel in July, then a week in New York in August, there is good money to be made in anything as long as you put the effort it

Martin

[dd]

Ding Dong

I never suggested you earn £60-£120 per hour all the time (if you can be bothered to read my short post properly), but when you make that kind of statement about what you earn it implies you are generally earning quite a high hourly rate.

Personally I have never earned over £60 per hour but have a reasonably high annual income.

[Marc Stock]

Ding Dong

I never suggested you earn £60-£120 per hour all the time (if you can be bothered to read my short post properly), but when you make that kind of statement about what you earn it implies you are generally earning quite a high hourly rate.

Personally I have never earned over £60 per hour but have a reasonably high annual income.

First of all i was comparing the hourly turnover of some jobs window cleaning a relatively unskilled job vs engineering a very specalist and skilled job.

Secondly, wind your neck in. I dont earn anywhere near 60 per hour. Some rounds bring in a TURNOVER of 60 or 100 an hour ( you only need to do 4 £30 houses an hour, which is quite typical in surrey)

As for my earnings. I am on a fixed salary on paye from my company as is my wife.

So why dont you just calm down.

Jees.

[dd]

I generally get fed up when people start posting about their hourly rate etc on here because when you do the math it generally does not add up with their actual yearly income, or the way some people complain about prices of equipment etc when they seem to be earning £50/hour or so.

If I could earn up to £120/hour from cleaning windows the last thing I would do is post it on a public forum.

I question your math and all you do is essentially insult my ability to read.

[windowswashed]

People need to take a reality check at two things: 1 how low the minimum wage is and 2 the average wage. Typical example: a refuse collector earns more than a delivery driver for under 7.5 tonne. Most low paid jobs are unskilled. I am happy there is a stigma attached to our job which defers others from jumping on the bandwagon so to speak. I've paid off my mortgage alone in this job, I'd never have managed it doing welding, not by a long chance. I'm sick to death of this job after 20 years but it pays better than the average so I will stick at it until my illness gets the better of me and just stick two fingers up to all them people with fancy job titles who earn less. We only get out of this job what we are prepared to put into it so why shouldn't we run it like a business and earn as much as we can and laugh at the muppets who look down upon us.

[NWH]

I was speaking to an electrician last week when he told me what he was earning a day and bragging about it I had to smile to myself,if something is good tell someone if something is excellent keep it to yourself a bloke once told me. IMO especially tradesman are realising what  WCs are earning,the thing is with this job as I’ve said countless times you can’t just start WCleaning and earn really good money by the time we’ve all packed up that’s when we will have the last laugh when the type of people your talking about realise they’ve been earning half at best than you as a poxy window cleaner 😉

[LT carpet cleaning]

I was speaking to an electrician last week when he told me what he was earning a day and bragging about it I had to smile to myself,if something is good tell someone if something is excellent keep it to yourself a bloke once told me. IMO especially tradesman are realising what  WCs are earning,the thing is with this job as I’ve said countless times you can’t just start WCleaning and earn really good money by the time we’ve all packed up that’s when we will have the last laugh when the type of people your talking about realise they’ve been earning half at best than you as a poxy window cleaner 😉

Yawn.

[Marc Stock]

I generally get fed up when people start posting about their hourly rate etc on here because when you do the math it generally does not add up with their actual yearly income, or the way some people complain about prices of equipment etc when they seem to be earning £50/hour or so.

If I could earn up to £120/hour from cleaning windows the last thing I would do is post it on a public forum.

I question your math and all you do is essentially insult my ability to read.

Like i said to you in my original post, i was comparing the fact that a window cleaner can earn more per hour than an engineering company does and that isnt fair considering the amount of training and experience needed in engineering.

I havent insulted your ability to read, i simply made a comparison between two trades which by the way i can do becouse i am going to and fro between the engineering business and my window cleaning business.

You are quick to take offence, the figures i have posted are true, and in surrey its not unheard of or particularly extraordinary to turn over £60 an hour on some rounds.

I still dont have a full schedual, and im working now around 4 days a week, fully booked up id be probbably turning over around 80k a year but that would drive me nuts working full time doing this job.

My plan to get to 60k is so i can afford to employ spmeone to grow my business in a smaller fashion to Lee Pryor so i can eventually do other things.

You don't seem to understand the difference between turnover and earnings.

I can tell you now, my earnings are very modest as i take what i need to live on from the business and no more.

I don't know what rattled your cage DD but its clear you dont like anything i say.

So that is my response to you.

[Shrek]

I generally get fed up when people start posting about their hourly rate etc on here because when you do the math it generally does not add up with their actual yearly income, or the way some people complain about prices of equipment etc when they seem to be earning £50/hour or so.

If I could earn up to £120/hour from cleaning windows the last thing I would do is post it on a public forum.

I question your math and all you do is essentially insult my ability to read.

Like i said to you in my original post, i was comparing the fact that a window cleaner can earn more per hour than an engineering company does and that isnt fair considering the amount of training and experience needed in engineering.

I havent insulted your ability to read, i simply made a comparison between two trades which by the way i can do becouse i am going to and fro between the engineering business and my window cleaning business.

You are quick to take offence, the figures i have posted are true, and in surrey its not unheard of or particularly extraordinary to turn over £60 an hour on some rounds.

I still dont have a full schedual, and im working now around 4 days a week, fully booked up id be probbably turning over around 80k a year but that would drive me nuts working full time doing this job.

My plan to get to 60k is so i can afford to employ spmeone to grow my business in a smaller fashion to Lee Pryor so i can eventually do other things.

You don't seem to understand the difference between turnover and earnings.

I can tell you now, my earnings are very modest as i take what i need to live on from the business and no more.

I don't know what rattled your cage DD but its clear you dont like anything i say.

So that is my response to you.

Can I ask - what is the point of turning over all this money if your just taking out 12k a year and leaving the rest in the business?
Why don’t you take it all out and live like a king 👑

[dazmond]

True that marc....you can earn more per hour window cleaning than a lot of other trades/jobs but it takes years to get a decent round together
to make enough for a half decent living unless your gonna spend a lot of time and money getting customers......

People can look at me and think I'm doing great(which I am).....but it's took me a long time to get where I am today(a lot longer than more business minded guys would take)....

[AuRavelling79]

I generally get fed up when people start posting about their hourly rate etc on here because when you do the math it generally does not add up with their actual yearly income, or the way some people complain about prices of equipment etc when they seem to be earning £50/hour or so.

If I could earn up to £120/hour from cleaning windows the last thing I would do is post it on a public forum.

I question your math and all you do is essentially insult my ability to read.

Of course it doesn't add up to their (our) yearly income.

It's a bit like saying steam engines topped over 120 mph in the 1930's. It was a rare occurance.

But they could average 60 mph on the fastest scheduled runs.

But Thomas the Tank would plod around at 30 mph.

Now if he (DD the Dutiful engine) is turning over 55k as a single operator he's got his round very well sorted.

Well chuffed, I'd say.

 

[Marc Stock]

I generally get fed up when people start posting about their hourly rate etc on here because when you do the math it generally does not add up with their actual yearly income, or the way some people complain about prices of equipment etc when they seem to be earning £50/hour or so.

If I could earn up to £120/hour from cleaning windows the last thing I would do is post it on a public forum.

I question your math and all you do is essentially insult my ability to read.

Like i said to you in my original post, i was comparing the fact that a window cleaner can earn more per hour than an engineering company does and that isnt fair considering the amount of training and experience needed in engineering.

I havent insulted your ability to read, i simply made a comparison between two trades which by the way i can do becouse i am going to and fro between the engineering business and my window cleaning business.

You are quick to take offence, the figures i have posted are true, and in surrey its not unheard of or particularly extraordinary to turn over £60 an hour on some rounds.

I still dont have a full schedual, and im working now around 4 days a week, fully booked up id be probbably turning over around 80k a year but that would drive me nuts working full time doing this job.

My plan to get to 60k is so i can afford to employ spmeone to grow my business in a smaller fashion to Lee Pryor so i can eventually do other things.

You don't seem to understand the difference between turnover and earnings.

I can tell you now, my earnings are very modest as i take what i need to live on from the business and no more.

I don't know what rattled your cage DD but its clear you dont like anything i say.

So that is my response to you.

Can I ask - what is the point of turning over all this money if your just taking out 12k a year and leaving the rest in the business?
Why don’t you take it all out and live like a king 👑

Yes of course.

Its all about business discipline.

I am not growing my business so i can have the latest TV or car, 3 holidays a year and trendy designer clothes. To me that is a waste of time and money.

I am growing my business so it can support a team of window cleaners eventually with my minimual input.

So by taking a modest wage of 15k a year each for both me and the missus i am leaving money in the business to grow it.

[Dry Clean]

Say you don't care what others think with one breath and then brag about earning the next and you're only fooling yourself,
if you're ashamed of what you do for a living then money wont make a difference.

[Go]

True that marc....you can earn more per hour window cleaning than a lot of other trades/jobs but it takes years to get a decent round together
to make enough for a half decent living unless your gonna spend a lot of time and money getting customers......

People can look at me and think I'm doing great(which I am).....but it's took me a long time to get where I am today(a lot longer than more business minded guys would take)....

I reckon in year two it’s easy to hit £30-40 k pa. about the same as the self deployed trades around here.

[NBwcs]

Any perceived stigma says more about you and your insecurities than anything anyone else thinks.

Insecurities on both sides, only an insecure individual would feel any "superiority" from looking down at a window cleaner. I have far more respect for any person who has the balls and ability to go it alone  doing any sort of business than someone who  bows and scrapes to those that pull their strings.

[windowswashed]

I can't understand the logic in concentrating on building a window cleaning business  to expand to earn more money when investing in property is low hassle apart and earns a profit from day one. If I was starting over again I would make as much as possible and reinvest in property to let. Quite a few of my customers are property developers and they don't work much at mid life. Know which I'd choose. Most profit, least day to day hassle and inconvenience for not so much profit.

[Marc Stock]

I can't understand the logic in concentrating on building a window cleaning business  to expand to earn more money when investing in property is low hassle apart and earns a profit from day one. If I was starting over again I would make as much as possible and reinvest in property to let. Quite a few of my customers are property developers and they don't work much at mid life. Know which I'd choose. Most profit, least day to day hassle and inconvenience for not so much profit.

Absolutely right.

But some of us just dont have that option.

Im never going to be a property owner again, and  as each year goes by the notion of that just gets ever smaller.

There are a few so called "affordable" properties being built round the corner starting at around 600k.

Its a complete con.

[NBwcs]

Worst case I can recall is when we met a couple on holiday. Got on really well, he owned his own pharmaceutical company, a fact his wife crowbarred into the conversation within the 1st 2 mins of meeting them. After a couple of days she found out what I did for a living and basically never spoke to me again. He was great, no airs and graces, just a down to earth bloke who'd done very well for himself. She didn't work, a true parasite who lived off her partner and dined out on his status, yet looked down on me. I tell people what I do fairly quickly these days so as I don't have to waste precious time on total dick heads, life's too short.

[Missing Link]

I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about what I do for a living.

+1