Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Steve_c on June 17, 2011, 05:54:46 pm
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What would you have done differently? Different System ? Learnt to trad/ better.
I would have certainly learnt to trad better than when i started, i think you need both skills WFP and Trad.
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Gone wfp sooner!
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Learn't to trad left handed after 3 days instead of 4 whilst up the ladder ;)
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I would have gone with carbon poles from day one.
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wish i'd looked at the glass in the direct summer sun after wfping and noticed all the spots on some glass
wish i'd not try and skimp't on water and scrubed and rinsed more
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I wouldn't have been so cheap with my pricing. I suffered for years because of that.
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WFP sooner and not spent so much on stuff i didnt really need as i DIY everything now.
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Same as Tosh, I didn't have the confidence to charge what I should have.
I will be selling up and moving to Eire in 6 weeks time and starting up over there, so I will make sure I don't repeat my past mistake of underpricing.
John.
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Same as Tosh, I didn't have the confidence to charge what I should have.
I will be selling up and moving to Eire in 6 weeks time and starting up over there, so I will make sure I don't repeat my past mistake of underpricing.
John.
are you gonna start from scratch canvassing or buying a round ? good luck by the way!
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What would you have done differently? Different System ? Learnt to trad/ better.
I would have certainly learnt to trad better than when i started, i think you need both skills WFP and Trad.
I'd do some consumer research, find out what people liked about their window cleaner and his service and the what they didn't like about it. Then armed with the information i'd set off marketing as they call it, or canvassing as i know it !!!
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i would of got a real job! ;D
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I'd canvas and offer to undercut their existing window cleaner
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Why are people saying gone wfp sooner?
If you are starting now, you can`t be doing things sooner.
You mean, gone wfp straight away?
Unless, you are re-writing history....eyes roll.
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What would you have done differently? Different System ? Learnt to trad/ better.
I would have certainly learnt to trad better than when i started, i think you need both skills WFP and Trad.
I would have done a lot differently.
WFP a lot sooner.
VAT register from the start because I will probably have to head that way eventually - though not for a few years yet.
Also, I would have looked out for a place to buy or rent for my business (impracticaL TO FILTER AT HOME).
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Why are people saying gone wfp sooner?
If you are starting now, you can`t be doing things sooner.
You mean, gone wfp straight away?
Unless, you are re-writing history....eyes roll.
Oh yes.
And I would have gone for WFP sooner :P ;D .
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What would you have done differently? Different System ? Learnt to trad/ better.
I would have certainly learnt to trad better than when i started, i think you need both skills WFP and Trad.
I would have done a lot differently.
WFP a lot sooner.
VAT register from the start because I will probably have to head that way eventually - though not for a few years yet.Also, I would have looked out for a place to buy or rent for my business (impracticaL TO FILTER AT HOME).
Why would you want that from the beginning? It's also my understanding that you can only register for VAT if reach or expect to reach the threshold within that year?
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You can voluntarily register for vat no matter what your earnings are
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You can voluntarily register for vat no matter what your earnings are
Ok. ;)
I can't see how this could possibly benefit a new start sole trading windy though? It would be hard enough without carrying a 20% handicap to the competition! ;D I don't think VAT reclaimed on start up costs would outweigh this & throw in the extra paper work & the vat man. :-\
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What would you have done differently? Different System ? Learnt to trad/ better.
I would have certainly learnt to trad better than when i started, i think you need both skills WFP and Trad.
I would have done a lot differently.
WFP a lot sooner.
VAT register from the start because I will probably have to head that way eventually - though not for a few years yet.Also, I would have looked out for a place to buy or rent for my business (impracticaL TO FILTER AT HOME).
Why would you want that from the beginning? It's also my understanding that you can only register for VAT if reach or expect to reach the threshold within that year?
Doing it from the beginning avoids that difficult middle phase when you have to wonder whether your customers will tolerate a 20% increase. At least you know that they are prepared to pay it from the start.
You can register a business of any turnover for VAT. Indeed, there are plenty of smaller businesses who buy and sell goods for whom it is a positive benefit. This is because they have to pay VAT on the goods that they buy so it would put them at a disadvantage if they couldn't claim it back. Without being able to claim it back, the price to the customer would still have to reflect that they had paid it out in the first place - whether or not part of the price to the end customer was VAT. So they might just as well reclaim it.
Not so clearcut in a service industry of course.
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You can voluntarily register for vat no matter what your earnings are
Ok. ;)
I can't see how this could possibly benefit a new start sole trading windy though? It would be hard enough without carrying a 20% handicap to the competition! ;D I don't think VAT reclaimed on start up costs would outweigh this & throw in the extra paper work & the vat man. :-\
Possibly, but being VAT registered would have also encouraged me to go for more commercial work as they can reclaim it. I believe that many customers would be OK with paying this from the start. It might be more of a problem if 20% was lumped on later though. It's possible that I'm referring to the sort of customer who wants the security of knowing that the guy who cleans their house as an officially registered business and deduces from that that they are more likely to be trustworthy and not a fly-by-night.
Of course you may be right. I'm not trying to present this as absolute fact but just putting it out there.
If computerisaTION HAD BEEN THE NORM WHEN i STARTED, I may well have gone for VAT. Without affordable computerisation (it was 1991), it wasn't practical though. Apart from that, it took a while for me to decide to stick with window cleaning.
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Same as Tosh, I didn't have the confidence to charge what I should have.
I will be selling up and moving to Eire in 6 weeks time and starting up over there, so I will make sure I don't repeat my past mistake of underpricing.
John.
are you gonna start from scratch canvassing or buying a round ? good luck by the way!
Thanks, GB.
I will be starting from scratch, canvassing. I will be taking my van and equipment with me when I canvass, as I want to start working as soon as I get a 'yes'!
I don't have a problem with door knocking. When I started up, all my initial customers were found this way (never leafletted) and it got easier as I went along!
John
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Good luck 8)
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got myself a good accountant in the first place
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Just a quick note ....I have seen a couple of references to VAT and thresholds...as Europe is effectively a big market ground...I see the day when the U.K follows most of Europe and VAT is charged from week1 day 1 regardless...I know this applies to Cozy in Germany and we are charged 19% from the off here in The Netherlands.
Just think how much additional revenue the UK Gov't is losing each and every day?...I'm not saying it's right but it's not so very far from home.
Hey I might write to the chancellor to suggest this as a addition to the next budget.... whaddaya d'ya fink? :P
Cheers
Dave.
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There are many things I would have done differently:
Bigger van from day 1, it cost me a fortune changing vans & kitting it all out again
Forget the trolley, I'd go van-mount from day 1
Fixed reel from day 1
Wouldn't have listened to Matt on the DIY forum saying a 50gpd RO would be plenty,.. I would have got a 400gpd pumped RO from day 1 & never ran dry!
I would never trust an inline TDS meter
I would be more careful about what other "cleaners" I worked with on big jobs, as their failing reputation could adversely affect mine by association.
I would have dumped a lot of custies on day 1 (took over a round of messers from my father in law!)
Gardiner poles & brushes from day 1, no messing with flagpoles & autobricks auto-brushes
Split charge relay from day 1
I would have bought a pressure washer & X-jet straight away, its a great wet weather earner.
Priced higher from day one, and concentrated on one off/irregular cleans. Where I am (Ireland) there is a lot more of this work than the standard 6 weeklys, and it can be priced a lot better too.
I would never work in schools again (Daily classroom cleaning, not windows) as the profit margin doesn't justify the stress.
I'd never do carpet cleaning again,.. too much equipment cost for the return if you're not doing it full time.
I'd pay the extra for a decent graphic design company to do the van signs instead of going with the cheapest.
Every mistake has taught me something though,.. so if I didn't make those mistakes then, i'm sure I'd be making new ones in the future!
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got myself a good accountant in the first place
how do you define a good accountant?
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i would go franchised,let them do most of the hard work(accountant,graphics,prices,etc) and i would just concentrate on customers
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i would go franchised,let them do most of the hard work(accountant,graphics,prices,etc) and i would just concentrate on customers
Very wise choice I would say bobplum :) :)
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i would go franchised,let them do most of the hard work(accountant,graphics,prices,etc) and i would just concentrate on customers
i will sell u a franchise mate ... u give me £10000 and supply ur own van though
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i would have started 25 years ago and missed the motor trade out altogether ... 12 months out of it and just getting over it about now ;D
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Just a quick note ....I have seen a couple of references to VAT and thresholds...as Europe is effectively a big market ground...I see the day when the U.K follows most of Europe and VAT is charged from week1 day 1 regardless...I know this applies to Cozy in Germany and we are charged 19% from the off here in The Netherlands.
Just think how much additional revenue the UK Gov't is losing each and every day?...I'm not saying it's right but it's not so very far from home.
Hey I might write to the chancellor to suggest this as a addition to the next budget.... whaddaya d'ya fink? :P
Cheers
Dave.
great idea, start a petition :D
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So that's 1 for the petition >>> Stu Mac...anyone else?
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i would have started 25 years ago and missed the motor trade out altogether ... 12 months out of it and just getting over it about now ;D
LOl I Know what you mean, 28 years in Print i don't miss printing one bit. Miss the lads as working on your own is a bit isolated.
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I would have started 10 years earlier.
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maybe have took the plunge and started my biz on the continent instead of locally . a REAL lifestyle change
im in a bit too deep now here,otherwise id quite fancy a weeks worth across the channel somewhere
i have a brother who made the leap into France a few years ago,loves the workstyle over there. granted he isnt cleaning windows though !