Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Daniel Watson on September 06, 2010, 12:24:01 pm
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i started 6 months ago,
i earn more than i ever have done before,
i work less hours than ever before,
i dont suffer from stress any more,
i have an amazing tan,
i have built up so much muscle mass on my upper body that my love life has took an upward shot,
My friends have told me that my attitude has changed (for the better, not as highly strung now).
I have to admit, I am one of the many who stumbled into WCing due to the recession, but i cant remember ever being this happy in my work (and life).
THIS IS NOT A BRAGG, I just simply want to share how happy this career choice has made me.
any similar stories?
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I was going to say you lucky bugger, Im sat in the office wondering whether to quit my job and start wc before I get sacked, I guess it took loads of hard work canvassing or did you buy work?
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I didnt buy work, i couldnt bare to part with that much cash lol.
I had 2000 leaflets made up professionally and put 1000 through doors- I got 4 phone calls.
I then decided to knock on doors and offer them a leaflet like i mentioned in the other post- I get about 3 custies an hour, on two occasions i have come home empty handed but usually i get somewhere every time,
I would never suggest to just quit your job and start up, If you have kids or a mortgage then you have priorities. I moved into my dads house and got a job in a bar while i built up my round.
what do you do for a living at the moment? i am from a sales background so canvassing came naturally to me.
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At the moment Im working in a finance department, I thought I wanted to be an accountant but Ive been thinking its wrong for me for a couple of years now. Its fulltime and Ive asked to go part time but they wont let me. Ive got enough savings to last about 8 months. Ive been on probation in my new job for 6 months and just had my end of probation job interview and basically they said they werent happy and I needed to improve in just about everywhere. They have extended my probabtion for a month to see if I improve but to be honest I dont see how I can and my hearts not really in it. Im thinking I should quit now rather than get sacked in a month and put all my effort into canvassing. I do have a mortgage but no kids and my wife works.
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I should add Ive done a few jobs in the past including sales - I sold bathrooms for dolphin and did door knocking for NPower ( for which I apologise to all out there ! ) so I have no probs knocking and selling myself and I think Im going to buy about £250 / month work end of sep, also Im looking for a temp postie job over xmas and am prepared to do any part time job to make wc work. Ive also been a builders labourer over a couple of winters so I aint going to give up cos my fingers are a bit cold! I think I just need to grow a set! Part of the reason for quitting and doing wc 100% is I think I need to do this otherwise Ill puddle on driving myself mad/stressed until Im sacked.
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then i say do it, Im wfp and my equipment cost me about 2k including a van and all promotional stuff.
If you really want to do this then canvassing will be easy. you wont come home until you get what you want.
worse comes to worse, if you find its not for you then sell your stuff to me (lol) and go do summat else.
you will be in no worse position than you are a month from now.
my email is durbish@durbish.com if you want any advice with kit or canvassing
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I think it was your Im so happy post that finally did it for me, I ve heard lancaster / morecambe area has pretty bad unemployment and I guess if thats true its been hit worse than most areas so if you can make it work there Im damn sure I can do it down here.
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Hi Martin
You sound like a very determined positive person.
Good luck
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i dont venture that far with my route. i work within a 10 mile radius of my house at present. but i have seen some nice looking professional vans in lancaster so it must be good business round there.
I go clubbing in sheff quite regularly and it does look like a good area for business in the surrounding towns
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Im thinking I should quit now rather than get sacked in a month and put all my effort into canvassing. I do have a mortgage but no kids and my wife works.
You may as well stay for the month and get paid?
Andy
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Thanks for that kate, I generally am, ive had my confidence knocked with this job for the last 6 months which is why Im dithering with this decision and now I just want something I can do well and a business I can say I built up and its all down to me.
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good point Andy but if I have to get a part time job if I dont get custys fast enough I would rather not have to say I was sacked from my last job, Id rather admit I couldnt do it so left of my own accord rather than freeload for a month?
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martin build your business up part time and then when your ready to go full time you have a business set up ready.
Im part time but have 2 canvassers out from this week in the hope to go full time in march or april next year!
I have built a steady round up which is getting stronger,i clean windows 4 days a week so have the oppurtunity to get upto 250- 300 custys before i need to go full time so theres going to be no stopping me now!
Aslong as you are determined you can do it,you have a reason as you dislike your job!
If you want a trolley and pole i can sell you them at a good price,then all you need is ro and di and bottles,jobs a good un!
Having a tolley you could work out your car from day 1!
good point Andy but if I have to get a part time job if I dont get custys fast enough I would rather not have to say I was sacked from my last job, Id rather admit I couldnt do it so left of my own accord rather than freeload for a month?
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Daniel... Good on you mate :)
I'm not endorsing this at all just telling you my story...
I lost my job through the resession. I have a wife, 2 kids and a dog to feed. For a month I applyed for any job I saw and couldn't get an interview.
I started, knocked & posted leaflets for the first few weeks till I had about 40 customers. I then started the cleaning and when I had done I knocked again till 8pm each night (6am - 10pm). Within 8 months I had built up my round to £2k per month. It was a dam hard slog I'll tell you now.
I did all that, dropped the kids off at school, picked them up, took my wife to paces if she needed to go somewhere (I was using our one and only car).
From the first month I covered the bills by window, fascia & conservatory cleaning.
I did this out of nessesity... I had no other options...
If your going to jump into it, you need the full support of your wife martin ( i had the full support of mine, but then she knew there wasn't another option really) You will also need to look at your finances too. Personally I'd have got a partime job if I could have and worked that until I had to give it up.
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Hi Doctor
I appreciate what youre saying but I work full time, I can canvass in the evenings but am limited to cleaning sat/sun, sat is prob ok but do people want their windows cleaned sunday? also if it rains Im screwed! so there is a limit to how much I could do before I quit anyway.
You say you clean 4 days a week that nearly is full time! I presume you cleaned less and did something else to start. Im interested to know how you started out and made the transition? Also are the canvassers working / bringing in good custys? cheers
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Hi Bluefrog
Now that is determination, I hope Ive got some of that in me. My wife is behind me and she suggests a pt job but its getting one! As I say I have enough savings to live on assuming no income for 8 months, it took a long time to save it but if it means getting out of this job and into a better lifestyle ie my own boss, get out what I put in, job satisfaction and more time with my wife it will be worth spending it but without tempting fate I cant see me emptying my bank account and not getting any work in 8 months?
Ive worked out that if I get 20 regular customers a month ( net ie after one off cleans and time wasters) at average of £6 I will be earning enough to pay my bills ie break even in 6 months ( inc tax, ni, ins, petrol ) and it will cost me about 40% of my savings). From then on its profit. Can you tell I work in finance? Not boring at all. I also enjoy bus spotting and have a collection of tartan thermos flasks! And a sense of humour still, just about - but its fading quick! Anyones comments would be much appreciated thanks
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1 I work a nightshift job 4 nights a week!
2 I used to work 5 nights a week but gone down to 4 to concentrate more on my business,been going since april,clean driveways and patios too.
3 Sunday is not a problem a lot of people like you to do them at weekends and also you see lots of the neighbours who then see you are doing a good job and ask for a quote!
4 I have 2 canvassers working for me from today (hoping for 15 to 20 new custys a day)
i've told them to do 3 days this week and 3 days next week to give me chance to get around to cleaning them all before next week else i will be struggling to fit the round in!
and also my wife will be knocking from tommorow as and when she gets a chance,i shall also be going out door knocking next week for 3 days as i have booked some days off work!
Just go for it m8 you wont regret it and your not too far from me!
Hi Doctor
I appreciate what youre saying but I work full time, I can canvass in the evenings but am limited to cleaning sat/sun, sat is prob ok but do people want their windows cleaned sunday? also if it rains Im screwed! so there is a limit to how much I could do before I quit anyway.
You say you clean 4 days a week that nearly is full time! I presume you cleaned less and did something else to start. Im interested to know how you started out and made the transition? Also are the canvassers working / bringing in good custys? cheers
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THats very good going bluefrog!Pat on the back m8 that is real good determination you had to build that amount of work up!
Martin you should look for higher than £6
my minimum is £8 and average around £9 to £10
Get your prices right and earn a good living m8!
Hi Bluefrog
Now that is determination, I hope Ive got some of that in me. My wife is behind me and she suggests a pt job but its getting one! As I say I have enough savings to live on assuming no income for 8 months, it took a long time to save it but if it means getting out of this job and into a better lifestyle ie my own boss, get out what I put in, job satisfaction and more time with my wife it will be worth spending it but without tempting fate I cant see me emptying my bank account and not getting any work in 8 months?
Ive worked out that if I get 20 regular customers a month ( net ie after one off cleans and time wasters) at average of £6 I will be earning enough to pay my bills ie break even in 6 months ( inc tax, ni, ins, petrol ) and it will cost me about 40% of my savings). From then on its profit. Can you tell I work in finance? Not boring at all. I also enjoy bus spotting and have a collection of tartan thermos flasks! And a sense of humour still, just about - but its fading quick! Anyones comments would be much appreciated thanks
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Doctor
£6 was a sort of average just for a bit of a business plan, Im assuming worse case scenario then I can only be pleasantly surprised! I hope!
Where abouts are you then I lived in Coventry for 15 years.
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cleethorpes m8!
Well m8 you can aim for minimum £8 average to perhaps £10 so you will be atleast £2 better off per house minimum!
Doctor
£6 was a sort of average just for a bit of a business plan, Im assuming worse case scenario then I can only be pleasantly surprised! I hope!
Where abouts are you then I lived in Coventry for 15 years.
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Doctor
I looked at your profile and it said Midlands so I thought you might know Cov but I guess not! Bit far from Cleethorpes!
Sounds like the canvassing / custys are coming in ok for you without the additional canvassing? Is there much competition round you?
Are you wfp or trad?
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im wfp but have trad tools too if needed!
theres a lot of window cleaners but thousands of houses 50,000 in cleethorpes aloane plus other big areas around within my 10 mile radius!
i used to live in leicester untill very recently,reasons for doing cleaning as i dislike my job!
Doctor
I looked at your profile and it said Midlands so I thought you might know Cov but I guess not! Bit far from Cleethorpes!
Sounds like the canvassing / custys are coming in ok for you without the additional canvassing? Is there much competition round you?
Are you wfp or trad?
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customers are rolling in yes,i have some good days where i get one house on a street ive not cleaned on then 2 months later have 7 or 8!
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the other half had a few weekend customers back in the 90's. Basically, he had a big fall out with his employer and it was get demoted or go. He went - that was 1994 and we're obviously now working together. He canvassed and canvassed and after a few months it was OK. We had just got married so very little savings but we managed somehow.
If I was you Martin J I would go for it - I cannot tell you how glad I am that I gave the office job the heave ho although it isn't easy to start with :)
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Thats good going Bluefrog
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Hi A&J
Thanks for your support. Yes I'm under no illusions it will be canvas,canvas, canvas solid for the first few months at least and Im going to take the attitude that if I get no custys one day at least Ive crossed off another area and on to a more productive one. I tend to try and look on the positive side like I know the clocks will go back and Ill be canvassing in the dark but like someone else on here said you can see lights are on so you dont knock on houses where no one is in.
One of my favourite quotes is when Thomas Edison was asked how he kept going when he had over 2000 failed attempts to invent the lightbulb ( true! ) he replied something like they werent failures I just discovered 2000 ways how not to make a lightbulb.
Although Id like to earn more and work less Im more after a better quality of life eventually ie more in control, not sat at a pc for 8 hours a day, job satisfaction and more time with the wife ( no Im sane honest ) and daft as it sounds I always wanted a dog which I cant have if I have to leave it for 8 hours a day.
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Some good stories here. I was called into a new build area recently, one lady who reported her neighbour was also interested. Just down the road, nice big houses, but small easy windows. Good combo. I thought I'd do it as a Saturday morning, a little "project" if you like. The whole surrounding area had only just moved in within a few weeks. When cleaning the windows of the 2 custies booked in, I was approached by 2 more. I door knocked another dozen or so people who had just moved in. Picked up 5 that day, another few said "once the dust has cleared". On going house building you see. That was about 4 months ago.
I am now sitting pretty with 15 or 16 houses in that road. Bar the social housing, I only didn't get maybe 4 or 5 houses. They are still building, so the project is ongoing.
The only snag was a few of them wanted it done trad. That was fine with me as the small windows are so easy to clean. I am doing the 3 stories wfp and trading the rest right now.
If you can get into new build areas you will clean up. I really made sure I bent over backwards on the first cleans. Sure enough other window cleaners came round, but most didn't even get the chance to put a price in. Some people reported me being dearer than the compeition, but they are still with me. Haven't lost one so far. I think doing those jobs trad really gave me an edge in keeping the custom. These 4 bed detached with small windows are like 20 mins whether trad or wfp. Very nice. The 3 story jobs are 20-25 minutes work. I'm not cheap, so its pretty sweet.
I have found in the past the novelty wears off with these new home owners. At first you have the lot, then its "can you come every 2 months" etc etc. They always tend to thin out I have found.
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Yeah agree with Nigel,keep your peepers open for new estates.There's a new cul-de sac near me which is off the beaten track.After only delivering leaflets there I only had one for about 3 months.Then I got the next door neighbour and it snowballed so I got 11 out of 15 of the houses there.Nicely priced as well so a really easy,well paid days work.In reply to the OP,I have to echo his sentiments.I started about 16 months ago and only wish I'd started much,much sooner.The only down side I have experienced so far is the unpredictability of the weather.Last winter,my first obviously,was an eye opener.Hopefully I've learnt some lessons for this year.
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I'll add to it that I sold up, moved and started all over again ! All for the love of a good woman !!!
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Well I had three redundancies in two years thanks to the recession before I went self employed and started window cleaning. I'm referring to the recession of 1991 - and I'm still window cleaning. I've grown a little more cynical with the years but honestly, I wouldn't swap it :)
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i dont venture that far with my route. i work within a 10 mile radius of my house at present. but i have seen some nice looking professional vans in lancaster so it must be good business round there.
I go clubbing in sheff quite regularly and it does look like a good area for business in the surrounding towns
where are you based in lancaster ? I used to live there and morcombe, friary and ferkin was next door to business serve where I worked, now owned by b-1st which I helped start up ;D
My inlaws live there still ;D
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That's the great thing about this job, having your eggs in so many baskets.
My lad had been working in the fishing industry since he left school, we are talking big bucks here, he has been doing the job for over 20 years earning in excess of 50k a year. He's just been told that the ship has been sold and he is out of a job.
I am gutted for him, from 50k to dole is a hell of an adjustment. nobody can do that to us, only an accident or ill health can take it away from us.
I have never earned 50k in a year, and never will, but I know my job will be there tomorrow.
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i dont venture that far with my route. i work within a 10 mile radius of my house at present. but i have seen some nice looking professional vans in lancaster so it must be good business round there.
I go clubbing in sheff quite regularly and it does look like a good area for business in the surrounding towns
where are you based in lancaster ? I used to live there and morcombe, friary and ferkin was next door to business serve where I worked, now owned by b-1st which I helped start up ;D
My inlaws live there still ;D
I live in bentham, north yorkshire really but lancaster is the closest city,
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i started 6 months ago, ................................................ me too
i earn more than i ever have done before, ..................................... I earn less
i work less hours than ever before, ................................................ me too
i dont suffer from stress any more, ................................................ no stress just impatient as want it all now
i have an amazing tan, ........................ me too on my arms and face only though too shy for shorts :)
i have built up so much muscle mass on my upper body that my love life has took an upward shot, ... still fat but lost 2stone
My friends have told me that my attitude has changed (for the better, not as highly strung now)..... dont have friends
I have to admit, I am one of the many who stumbled into WCing due to the recession, but i cant remember ever being this happy in my work (and life)...................... me too so very happy and looking foward
THIS IS NOT A BRAGG, I just simply want to share how happy this career choice has made me.
any similar stories?
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Hi Ian
Whats your story then? How / why did you get into wc? Did you start canvassing from scratch or buy some customers?
I am a nosey bugger but also want to get different stories / opinions before I take the plunge, ta
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Tell yer later ;D off to do my bit for charity ;)
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Tell yer later ;D off to do my bit for charity ;)
that rotarty club again m8 lol ;D ;D
can u reccommend me m8 ??????????????? bell me 2moz wiv verdict
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I took vol redundancy brought wfp system with van took a part time job stacking shelves fri and sat night. built up a round in 6 months when supermarket supervisor had a dig at me for not stacking to his liking I took company shirt off called him a c!*t and threw shirt in his face. Lovely
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I took vol redundancy brought wfp system with van took a part time job stacking shelves fri and sat night. built up a round in 6 months when supermarket supervisor had a dig at me for not stacking to his liking I took company shirt off called him a c!*t and threw shirt in his face. Lovely
You faced up to the supervisor rather than facing up the shelves? ;D .
I did a bit of stacking part-time myself a few years ago in one of the old Safeway supermarkets. I'm astonished I lasted six months. They were often getting on my case. I had forgotten what it was like working in such a place. If I needed a reminder how much I have gained through being self-employed then that was it.
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Dont leave your job .Let there get rid of you at least you can get jobseeker and the new deal cash when you start your business officialy.They will send you to Business link which will help with business know how.IT is 56 quid a week and you paid in N I for it.It will all all help,good luck.
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Go to your Docter and tell you are stressed and need a break you feel very down get some paided time off from your company.Use this time to canvice.