Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ian101 on December 01, 2011, 06:11:53 pm
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So said some school lads this afternoon, so called them over and said oh yeah you rekon
"yeah really crap job that is"
so asked the mouthy one what his dad did for a living
"fork lift truck driver" came the reply
was sooooo tempted to show em the days sheet with the total figure on but just laughed at them instead
:D cheeky feckers !
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it is a losers job, i tell every one they shoudl get a proper job
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My stepson said about 6 months ago that his dad had £100 in his pocket and he bet me i didnt have that much (he had just got back from visiting his dad for the weekend).
Told him i didnt have £100 in my pocket like his dad had... a little smirk came up on his face.
I said to him i have £645 and pulled it out of my pocket ... he was gob smacked !! had not long got back from doing alot of collections that i hadnt kept up with for a couple of weeks, was good timing though ;D
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I came across this form someone who i thought was a very good friend. I started to buy hand tools and practice on my house and neighbors and the odd friend as i could see our jobs in Printing coming to an end. When i told him what i was up to, he said how can you do that S*** F***ing job? its for low life scum not skilled workers. 3 years down the line he's working in the co-op on terrible money working nights and weekends.
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I had it a few months ago,2 mouthy little kids saying i couldn't have gone school to become a window cleaner,its a boring job etc.
i just laughed and said beats working in factories or living off the dole!
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keep telling them how bad it is ,dont want them all starting up,let them sign on ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I bumped into a bloke I webt to school with last week, hadn't seen him since we left 20years ago. Conversation got round to jobs, when i told him what I do he said he could get me a job working in the local pizza factory, no interview as he was the line manager.
I asked him if he offered 1k a week for 30 hours, if not I wasn't particularly interested.
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Public perception works in our favour. It if was a more glamorous occupation, what do you reckon would happen?
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I get the impression sometimes that nearly every customer looks down on me and there was a time I felt the same way - window cleaning is for numptys with sh*t wages.
I say carry on and feel sorry for me ;D
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So said some school lads this afternoon, so called them over and said oh yeah you rekon
"yeah really crap job that is"
so asked the mouthy one what his dad did for a living
"fork lift truck driver" came the reply
was sooooo tempted to show em the days sheet with the total figure on but just laughed at them instead
:D cheeky feckers !
I was one of those people back in 1998. I was working in a mobile phone shop, the window cleaner came and cleaned the shop windows and collected his 3.50 from my boss.
I thought to myself id never want to do a job like that, i even joked about it to mum and dad when i got home from work ' durr im a window cleaner luv? got any change?'
They wernt that impressed to be honest, and when i look back, i think to myself you idiot.
Would never change this job for the world, get up go out come home dosh in bank.
done. no worries. no office politics, no stupid boss, free man, earn us much as you want.
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the only reason i started my window cleaning business is because a mate told me how much he earnt trad window cleaning,
i had always thought it was a job for numptys and dolers :-[, how wrong i was ;D
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Public perception works in our favour. It if was a more glamorous occupation, what do you reckon would happen?
i agree tosh! this is what i say to people, im glad theres a stigma against this trade... more work for me!
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well i had enough and selling up after xmas. :o
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them hoodies were a waste of money then :P
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I worked as an Aeronautical Engineer for my sins.
Money was very good I have to admit, I was chief design engineer in my department and I was in charge of loads of other slaves like me. Salary was close to 6 figures GBP and good holidays. One big problem though, I worked hundreds of miles from home, I saw my wife and kids every other weekend and it put a lot of stress on our marriage. I decided in the end that I had to choose between my job or my wife and family - I chose my family.
Handed my notice in, my "superiors" (a pack of french kn0b5) went nuts - I was offered just short of £150k a year to stay, I couldn't, I needed my family more than anything.
Came home, met a guy cleaning windows the following weekend cleaning windows of a travel agents in Edinburgh, thought that looks alright, asked him what he thought of his work - fully expecting the usual hate my job reply but got 'love it mate, all the freedom I want'.
I was so took back by his reply I thought I'd give it a go, bought a few hand tools off the net, cleaned my mums windows (for free I may add), took me an hour and to be honest it felt like 5 mins, I liked it. Asked mum how much her window cleaner charged and she said £15 - thats ok, I can make a living from that.
Got 2 vans, 2 employees and my son working for/against me now. Ok the money isn't just as good as what I could have been making but I've more than enough to live comfortably, I have no mortgage and never felt so good, so healthy. My marriage is strong and I get to see the ones who matter to me every day.
You can always make more money - you just need to work smarter, its the other things in life that matter most.
Alan
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Good for you Alan.
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its always going be the same with some window cleaner looking the way they do when working,in football shirts,rusty old bangers for a run around how can people look at them and think 'christ i bet he's doing well for himself'
i saw 2 young lads this week cleaning just noticed 1 of them in dirty trainers,white trackey bottoms i looked at them and thought scum,some just have the very basic equipment to clean,
my uncle does windows and earns the same as i do,lives in nice houses plenty of money in bank etc,but he wont buy anything new unless its un useable i saw one of his scims once and nearly fainted ;D and he works in a blackpool football shirt and shorts most the year,customers just cant see how we earn good money its just the way at lot of cleaner come across
oh and another cleaner who comes in my street has a vauxhall corsa with nearly every panel a different colour 4 lads squashed in it and poop loads of ladder on the top crazy
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i used to work for my mates dad when i left school and hated it, i dont know if i was embaressed about it? the money wasnt very good? or the fact i was worked to death haha! ended up leaving and being in and out of different jobs i hated so i thought id start working for myself.....
THE BEST DECISION EVER!!!!
im 23 got m own business, choose my own hours, earn decent money (will be better by end of next year im sure but hey ive only just started) but im proud of who i am, what i do and where my lifes going...
who cares what anyone else says at the end of the day were in a business that we know is better than what outsiders think
And good work alan
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Who cares? I don't. But you are right about the perception. I talk to an old mate from school from time to time and his attitude is soooo obvious, even down the phone. He once said "well I suppose somebody has to do it"
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Less people in the know the better lol
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Less people in the know the better lol
very true ;D
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I worked as an Aeronautical Engineer for my sins.
Money was very good I have to admit, I was chief design engineer in my department and I was in charge of loads of other slaves like me. Salary was close to 6 figures GBP and good holidays. One big problem though, I worked hundreds of miles from home, I saw my wife and kids every other weekend and it put a lot of stress on our marriage. I decided in the end that I had to choose between my job or my wife and family - I chose my family.
Handed my notice in, my "superiors" (a pack of french kn0b5) went nuts - I was offered just short of £150k a year to stay, I couldn't, I needed my family more than anything.
Came home, met a guy cleaning windows the following weekend cleaning windows of a travel agents in Edinburgh, thought that looks alright, asked him what he thought of his work - fully expecting the usual hate my job reply but got 'love it mate, all the freedom I want'.
I was so took back by his reply I thought I'd give it a go, bought a few hand tools off the net, cleaned my mums windows (for free I may add), took me an hour and to be honest it felt like 5 mins, I liked it. Asked mum how much her window cleaner charged and she said £15 - thats ok, I can make a living from that.
Got 2 vans, 2 employees and my son working for/against me now. Ok the money isn't just as good as what I could have been making but I've more than enough to live comfortably, I have no mortgage and never felt so good, so healthy. My marriage is strong and I get to see the ones who matter to me every day.
You can always make more money - you just need to work smarter, its the other things in life that matter most.
Alan
Well done Allen, very inspiring .
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ohh garsh, thanks guys.
but I do mean it - nothing worse than having nothing, I know that - I grew up in a house where we as children, we had very little - I got my first pair of NEW shoes when I was 19, my father worked his backside off his whole life to put food on the table, my mother raised us best she could with so little. Glad to say my parents are both well and us 'kids' (maybe a bit old to call myself that) all provide for them, just as they did for us.
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Imagine what people say when I tell them 'We train window cleaners'
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I used to be a used car salesman so window cleaning feels an improvement in status ;D
could be worse and be an estate agent
Definition of Status = When you buy something you dont want or need to impress people you dont like with money you have'nt got
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i make a nice living from working part time hours
yep its a losers job and happy with it
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some great posts here ;D maybe we should organise a "window cleaners ball" once a year (when its raining)
where we can all get together trads one side wfp the other for a knees up or elbows up if your a wfp windy? ;D
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some great posts here ;D maybe we should organise a "window cleaners ball" once a year (when its raining)
where we can all get together trads one side wfp the other for a knees up or elbows up if your a wfp windy? ;D
haha :)
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What a cheerfull thread. I think the common strand is being in charge of your own destiny. No Dilbert Cubes! :-)
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The more people feel sorry for us the more money we'll make... It's like 'our' little secret.
I was watching the draws for the 2012 Euro championships earlier and thought to myself, "Great, I can enjoy that next year; I'll work round the games." I appreciate I only work part-time but even so, what other job would enable you to do that so easily?
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The more people feel sorry for us the more money we'll make... It's like 'our' little secret.
I was watching the draws for the 2012 Euro championships earlier and thought to myself, "Great, I can enjoy that next year; I'll work round the games." I appreciate I only work part-time but even so, what other job would enable you to do that so easily?
That's the bit that I love too. I can work fairly flexi hours and work it in with whatever my lifestyle is at the time - including but not limited to, football ;D .
Take today for instance. In November I worked very hard and it felt like it. So I've had an easier start to December doing the equivalent of a couple of half days. I will be going out later today to do another part day. I will be knocking off around 12.30/1.00 ready to go and see my local team (Crawley) at home in the second round of the cup. It wasn't so long ago that we would have to play maybe six or seven matches in pre-qualifying to get this far. Now though, we get entry at the first round stage as a league club. We should win today (but never take anything for granted) and if we do, it could be anyone next round. Another trip to Old Trafford? Nice to dream. Maybe get them at our place and turn them over this time? ;D .
Do I hear Archer waiting in the wings?
And as for the money cleaning windows, well it's OK really. If I wasn't servicing a high level of debt for making mistakes in my personal life a few years ago, I would have quite a nice lifestyle indeed. As things stand, it is still OK though. Work hard, live a bit frugally, and it comes right in the end.
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My perception was changed when I worked in a jewellers about 18 years ago there I was selling watches to snooty people for thousands on very little money but somehow (to my shame) I looked down on the windy.
He was talking to us while we waited to open one day.
He was going to be off for a few weeks and a mate would cover.
Where was he going? Florida.
It was only then that I started to think he wasn't doing this for free.
That planted a seed in my mind to grow later.
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some great posts here ;D maybe we should organise a "window cleaners ball" once a year (when its raining)
where we can all get together trads one side wfp the other for a knees up or elbows up if your a wfp windy? ;D
Im happy to organise a day at Chester Races for next year ... organised something simlair a few years back for Ascot on Ladyies Day and we all hired the top hat and tails then the challange was to see who could bunk into the Royal Enclosure without being shot ... happy to report I managed it along with 1 other but got nabbed after 20 minutes and "removed" :D
Any takers for Chester Races ?
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id be up for it ian.im not too far from chester!!nice to put a face to the names on here!!i bet you all look nothing like what i think you all look like!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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some great posts here ;D maybe we should organise a "window cleaners ball" once a year (when its raining)
where we can all get together trads one side wfp the other for a knees up or elbows up if your a wfp windy? ;D
Im happy to organise a day at Chester Races for next year ... organised something simlair a few years back for Ascot on Ladyies Day and we all hired the top hat and tails then the challange was to see who could bunk into the Royal Enclosure without being shot ... happy to report I managed it along with 1 other but got nabbed after 20 minutes and "removed" :D
Any takers for Chester Races ?
never been...........so thats my excuse to go,im in
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some great posts here ;D maybe we should organise a "window cleaners ball" once a year (when its raining)
where we can all get together trads one side wfp the other for a knees up or elbows up if your a wfp windy? ;D
Im happy to organise a day at Chester Races for next year ... organised something simlair a few years back for Ascot on Ladyies Day and we all hired the top hat and tails then the challange was to see who could bunk into the Royal Enclosure without being shot ... happy to report I managed it along with 1 other but got nabbed after 20 minutes and "removed" :D
Any takers for Chester Races ?
[/quote
me
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they could have a window cleaners races for people to bet on, winner gets the contract for the racecourse!!!!!!!!!!!
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Best way mate otherwise all those kids will be your competition in a few years lol
my mates a magician they have a magic circle thing going on where no one els can be shown the tricks no friends no family we should have a pole circle lol keep our unique trade a secret too! better for us :)
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Crystal, in this special circle you want to start do we just show each other our poles and what techniques we use.....sounds abit funny to me :-* ;D
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they could have a window cleaners races for people to bet on, winner gets the contract for the racecourse!!!!!!!!!!!
thats a ;D good idea ,chester is a lovely city and fantastic racecourse,
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I worked as an Aeronautical Engineer for my sins.
Money was very good I have to admit, I was chief design engineer in my department and I was in charge of loads of other slaves like me. Salary was close to 6 figures GBP and good holidays. One big problem though, I worked hundreds of miles from home, I saw my wife and kids every other weekend and it put a lot of stress on our marriage. I decided in the end that I had to choose between my job or my wife and family - I chose my family.
Handed my notice in, my "superiors" (a pack of french kn0b5) went nuts - I was offered just short of £150k a year to stay, I couldn't, I needed my family more than anything.
Came home, met a guy cleaning windows the following weekend cleaning windows of a travel agents in Edinburgh, thought that looks alright, asked him what he thought of his work - fully expecting the usual hate my job reply but got 'love it mate, all the freedom I want'.
I was so took back by his reply I thought I'd give it a go, bought a few hand tools off the net, cleaned my mums windows (for free I may add), took me an hour and to be honest it felt like 5 mins, I liked it. Asked mum how much her window cleaner charged and she said £15 - thats ok, I can make a living from that.
Got 2 vans, 2 employees and my son working for/against me now. Ok the money isn't just as good as what I could have been making but I've more than enough to live comfortably, I have no mortgage and never felt so good, so healthy. My marriage is strong and I get to see the ones who matter to me every day.
You can always make more money - you just need to work smarter, its the other things in life that matter most.
Alan
Top post there Alan,its great to see someone get their priorities spot on,well done mate
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i agree hats off to ALan , that brought a tear to me eye!!......