[geefree]

Hi ,

To the guys who have recently started up, and have begun posting on here,

I hope you find this forum as helpful as i do, .. i have only been doing w/c for two years... and the help on here is brilliant, and you could not ask for a better bunch....

But i have a couple of question for you new guys......which may be of interest to us all...

Has the credit crunch forced you to change your line of work ( have you been made redundant?)

Have you simply decided on a change of career?

And how did you come to the decision that window cleaning would be your preferred line of work?

Cheers.

Gary.

[AuRavelling79]

Very good question Gazza - come on guys enquiring minds want to know...

[simon knight]

To me pretty obvious:

1. Low start up costs.
2. Earn from week (day?) one.
3. Good repeat business.
4. Experience not required.
5. Lots of cash...how honest you are with IR is up to you!
6. Lots of stories on sites like this of guys earning £200 plus per day :
7. You can never be made redundant/sacked again.
8. You're your own boss.
9. You get lots of days off in winter because of poxy weather.
10. It's better money than Work Seekers Allowance.

[simon knight]

Oh in case you're wondering why I'm at home on a Tuesday lunchtime in good weather and not earning my usual daily £500 it's because our poxy bolier has yet again decided to pack up and I'm waiting for the Brit Gas man who tells me he'll be here sometime between 11 and 4....

...."Hello Mrs Smith I'm coming to clean your windows tomorrow."

"Thanks Simon what time do expect to be here?"

"Oh, sometime between 11 and 4".

Mrs Smith's phone: CLICK

[Alex Gardiner]

I was just speaking to a guy yesterday who was cleaning a place opposite from where we were working. I have known him for about 15 years, he used to work for the DSS. I was quite surprised to see him out window cleaning. I asked him why he changed, he said that in March he was offered voluntary redundancy and he fancied a change. He bought a 3-4 day a week round off of another friend who also fancied a change and had gone into a high-powered sales job.

I asked him how he was getting on with it since he started in April. He said it was hard work, but he liked the freedom, he did say he wanted more work though as he was able to do the £500 weekly work in just 2 long days (8-4.30). He said that it didn't feel right not working for 3 days of the week.

I think that about sums up why people are starting up. From day one he has earned £500 a week from 2 days a week. He had to buy the van/gear/round, but his redundancy sorted this for him. He did have the advantage of buying a well established and profitable round.

[RSWindows]

im new to this forum but been doing the job for about 7 years. But only recently went on my own and started my own business thanks to financial backing from my old boss

[Dean Taberner]

im new to this forum but been doing the job for about 7 years. But only recently went on my own and started my own business thanks to financial backing from my old boss

Sound good 

[ok cleaning]

hey Gazza how did you manage to send 3602 replays in two years ant you busy enough so spend to much time replying to posts

[Tosh]

4. Experience not required.

This is where your lack of experience shows.  In two-years you will think very differently; if you last that long.

Oh, added later; I suspect you maybe posting this line as an example of what is required for when you go for an employed job interview; sorry; I thought you were hinting that window cleaning is an easy 'no brains' occupation. 

But the daft thing about experience is, you never have it when you need it the most.

[simon knight]

4. Experience not required.

This is where your lack of experience shows.  In two-years you will think very differently; if you last that long.

Oh, added later; I suspect you maybe posting this line as an example of what is required for when you go for an employed job interview; sorry; I thought you were hinting that window cleaning is an easy 'no brains' occupation. 

But the daft thing about experience is, you never have it when you need it the most.

Er with respect Tosh I've been doing this job for 5 years and my round is right where I want it.  And I didn't at any point say or imply that w/c is for the brain dead.

But the fact is Tosh 5 years ago I went from an office worker who was afraid of heights to a window cleaner with 50 customers in one week.

I remember my very very 1st job...Mrs Jones (who I still clean for to this today). A 3 bed semi that took me well over an hour...now it's 20 mins if I'm in lazy mode.

How much experience does one actually need to wash a bit of glass? Perhaps with wfp there's a bit of skill but with trad the only skill is to get quicker and safer.

Sorry mate, w/c'ing is a good earner for those who don't mind the graft but seriously don't make it out as more than it is!

[Tosh]

Sorry mate, w/c'ing is a good earner for those who don't mind the graft but seriously don't make it out as more than it is!

Simon, I apologise if I offended you, but I disagree with what you say.  I'm no big-hitter, but there's a lot more to a window cleaning business than just being able to clean a window; which is what you're implying.

[Tosh]

How much experience does one actually need to wash a bit of glass? Perhaps with wfp there's a bit of skill but with trad the only skill is to get quicker and safer.

Trad takes far longer to master than WFP too. 

[simon knight]

Sorry mate, w/c'ing is a good earner for those who don't mind the graft but seriously don't make it out as more than it is!

Simon, I apologise if I offended you, but I disagree with what you say.  I'm no big-hitter, but there's a lot more to a window cleaning business than just being able to clean a window; which is what you're implying.

You most certainly didn't offend me...promise

I don't run a business. I'm self employed, have a good round and from it make my daily crust.

So I was spouting-off from that view-point.

Businesses are different and I'll leave them to people with more brains than me to operate

[Clive McDonald]

like malc i was impressed with gazza's question and very much wanted an answer. Although there have been some inteligent comments no newbs have bothered. I find this irritating, they want all our info, but don't share theirs.

[Mike 108]

Simon

I think you were 'spot on' with your reply.

Tosh

I think you you misunderstood what Simon was saying when he said "No experience necessary".

I would think that he meant - 'No experience necessary to start up' - and he's right about that.

Obviously, it's harder, and slower, to learn on your own - but it's possible!

And then there's always CIU.

Mike

[simon knight]

Just been having supper and have been thinking of the "skill/experience" aspects of the job:

I don't think there's any real skill in cleaning glass...at least no skill that can't be mastered in a week or so.  As I say with trad it's a matter of safer and faster. With wfp I think there's more experience required and with the experience comes skill...if you follow!

But overall (trad or wfp) if there's any skill to be learned it's to GET AND KEEP the work in the first place...and of course price it just right.

[krave]

I love being out in the open, and i dont like knowing someone is earning more out of me than myself. I have started window cleaning because i know i have a good business mind and can do alot of things that i want too, but lack of paperwork behind me has stopped that. I like the challenge and the tasks of finding customers, working out best ways to approach different people, and keep on the move with different scenery each day.

Window cleaning has allowed me to do the things i want in work, and in a sense a chance.

Excuse my spelling etc, but my keyboard is naff, and some buttons only work when they want.

[ftp]

I started two years ago because:

1. no training nessesary whatsoever
2. simple to learn
3. no ladders at all (wfp)
4. all maintenance cleans so once you get the work you no longer have to look for more, with the advantage of being able to predict your annual earnings.

Lessons learnt: dealing with the public isn't straightforward, weather is a drawback, ladders are needed even if only for access, collecting is a pain, there was a stigma attatched to the job, it can become boring and motivation can be a problem.

I had no idea of the earnings potential (good or bad), no idea how to run a business or how to price up work and still struggle with customers who mess me about.

[JSMC]

i done it for a total change. I liked my job and had good prospects, salary and final salry pension.

i always wante dto work for myself so made the decision at star tof year to leave job and get on with things.
i was given work form Gf's dad who has clenaing company and i enjoy my work  each day.

[Clive McDonald]

Other than you mention the part about the current Credit crunch your questions could apply to all, we all were/are new to window cleaning at the beginning. 

No i had a choice and still operate a profitable pre existing business, the opportuntiy i saw was partly what simon says, but more that i wanted in on the start of new tech and legislation, a classic opp situation, then i found that the internet had changed the way of doing biz too- no collecting, desktop publishing made my own leaflets easy etc.

It's a bit annoying that i should go to the trouble of figuring all this and some herbert can arrive at the same place just because they are out of work or are unemployable and this is their only option.

The most interesting replies would be the 'i am a time served electrician' and I am now window cleaning because....