Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Dean payne on March 20, 2012, 12:35:39 pm
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Hey
I have started a business which i have been doing only a few months, got vav, pure freedom trolley, back up trolley which is a backpack one fitted on small trolley, 15 barrels and all the kit to produce my pure water only got about 15 custs so far and been trying to build up on my days off which is only a tuesday and a sunday.
Full time job is Bus Driving which are bloody long days 12 hours which kill me plus bore me to death come home at 7pm and my soul is destroyed.
I am finding it hard doing both as i want to go full steam now into windows got myself some experiance and the results on all my windows is great in fact I did my own today as just moved into a new place, so I have had this move which has held me back as well as before getting pure water was tough as i was in a house share and in the end i was not able to get water, well now i have this new place of my own I feel now i have a chance to produce all the water i need, the only thing I dont have is Time.
The buses brings in a regualr wage each week of £325 take home, so i was thinking it should not be too hard to get that amount if i work I disagree off got out door knocking everyday, I have a site for the business, and thinking of putting an advery in local free mag which goes out to 1000s of homes each month in my local area.
My question is, would I be stupid to quit day job, or and I more stupid doing a 60 hour week which is holding me back from building up my round, the weather now is picking up and after doing my own windows today I thought I would be much better off not having to work the rest of the week on buses.
So far im finding like on my days off tuesday and sunday i have other things to do, and also its nice to have a day of leisure and to potter about like today, and sundays is not a good day i dont think to go door knocking so that just leaves me the tuesday.
I was thinking of doing 4 more weeks on buses then leaving to do this, what do you all think?
What would you do if you was me, Bus driving is doing my nut ealry starts and late finish day in day out.
Regards.
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Stick with the bus driving for as long as you can and canvass in you spare time.
It takes time to build a round with good customers if you don't have any bills go for it but if you do think hard about it with out enough money you business will fail.
Plus I have found local papers give a poor return on what it cost per new customer ;) ;)
Regards Paul
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Do you have any holiday left? if you had 3 or 4 weeks you could jump in nuts deep canvassing solid, BUT NOT with only 15 customers mate. work out the min a week you could survive on, then when you have that amount of work serve your notice take your 3/4 weeks paid holiday as a head start and off you go...Good luck.
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Ive only a week woth of holiday days, I have spoken to other half and she says maybe cut down hours on the buses to 3 days, which I was thinking as well, but if I had my way id just leave the dreded buses its a proper stress job.
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Where abouts u based ?
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At colchester , essex. why?
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I jacked a 30,000 a year job,with 6 weeks holiday,full sick benefits,only 4 weeks ago have no savings,I just wanted to enjoy work,I'm surviving and improving everyweek,obviously it helps to have custom before you leave,but its achievable with hard graft.
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The problem is when you jump ship - you won't have enough customers to survive! You need to be flat out in your spare time before you think of it. The only other way is to buy an established round. leaflet return can be dismal, one guy on here is putting out 100,000!
If you are lucky and work does pick up then I don't think you will regret it but it doesn't suit everyone.
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I would say fill up every tuesday to the brim cavass on sundays and don't spend any of the money you earn on the windows save it so you have a good few months money before jacking the buses
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How much money a week do you need to survive ???
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I was in your situation about 2 years ago ... had about 40 customers and was working in a well paid job I hated but in the end just took the plunge and went for it.
I took a job packing frozen food into vans that started at 4am and ended at 9am so had full day to canvass and work, also took a job in petrol station at night 3 nights a week .. didnt sleep much but brought in just enough to survive on along with a £3000 business overdraft.
If you a grafter then you will survive ... worst case scenario you go back to buses but a few grand in debt.
Perhaps way forward is to get a few more customers and drop buses down to 4 days ... get more customers and drop buses down to 3 days etc etc.
Best advice is to have missus 100% behind you as you will need the moral support.
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At colchester , essex. why?
cos if you were local may have passed some work onto you :D
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Want some advice go see your doctor say your nerves from the stress of work and long hours.Act like jabbering fool. Then BUILD YOUR ROUND IN THIS TIME.GO BACK TO WORK AND REDUCE HOUR AND BUILD UP YOUR BUSINESS.
not the best advice but it could work. :o ;D :D
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or start a bus drivers lottery syndicate ... just make sure u dont drop put though
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Want some advice go see your doctor say your nerves from the stress of work and long hours.Act like jabbering fool. Then BUILD YOUR ROUND IN THIS TIME.GO BACK TO WORK AND REDUCE HOUR AND BUILD UP YOUR BUSINESS.
not the best advice but it could work. :o ;D :D
Are you serious ?????????? ::)
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what i did was i was working window cleaning 8-11, then ful time job 1-9. i did that for 3 months and then i was window cleaning 8-1 and working part time 5-9. then 6 months later i became full time window cleaning. the transition is not fun, but its a lot better than staying a busdriver
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i work in colchester and really like it. my tip to you is canvass south colchester , the farther south the better it gets . if you live southside id go get work towards chelmsford for sure ,also focus on the curve front double bay houses ,theres plenty of those going begging i promise you
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I'm in a similar position to yourself just now, although I'm working part-time, it gives me the time me to go and build up a round. Can only imagine how difficult it is working 60hour weeks and trying to build a round. I find it difficult doing alot less hours than you.
If you can I would go part-time.
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Want some advice go see your doctor say your nerves from the stress of work and long hours.Act like jabbering fool. Then BUILD YOUR ROUND IN THIS TIME.GO BACK TO WORK AND REDUCE HOUR AND BUILD UP YOUR BUSINESS.
not the best advice but it could work. :o ;D :D
Depends what his sick pay from company is could be crap and same as dole,but you could always find a way of getting sacked ie: punch the boss,smash the bus up ;D then get sacked and go on dole and just canvass work for 2 months solid but dont clean them till you sign off dole cuz thats illegal ;D
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Want some advice go see your doctor say your nerves from the stress of work and long hours.Act like jabbering fool. Then BUILD YOUR ROUND IN THIS TIME.GO BACK TO WORK AND REDUCE HOUR AND BUILD UP YOUR BUSINESS.
not the best advice but it could work. :o ;D :D
Are you serious ?????????? ::)
he probably is :-[hate folk that think like that, there is a member on here who built his round while being on the sick and he got a payout as well, compensation claim, I won't name names though, he could't see he was doing anything wrong
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or start a bus drivers lottery syndicate ... just make sure u dont drop put though
;D ;D
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i left my job bought a very bad estate car and started window cleaning with 50 custies i payed for and they were crap 4 years later i have 1 fulltime employee and more work that we can keep up with. but you should have seen my wifes face when i told her i had left my job omg >:( >:(
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If I was you I would sit on the fence and watch how this drought situation is going to work out first in the south.
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Unfortunately you need to work harder for longer before you can reap the reward.
A lot depends on if you have any savings/money stashed away as you will probably need a financial back up if you leave buses now.
I would keep plugging away with canvassing set yourself a target of say a certain number of customers per week, say 20 for example. Explain to people you going to be round within a month and keep going hardcore dont stop, otherwise you'll never have enough customers to leave buses. That way if you know you need a 200 customers at £10 you can see the point you are going to get out of the job you hate.
If you do have some savings i would quit buses now and go canvassing hardcore everyday you will soon have a decent number of customers, in 2 weeks you could have 100/150 customers if you had enough time to get them. I wouldnt clean new customers straight away, give yourself 2 weeks of canvassing then you can sort everyone out into an order and then get cleaning. But you will need some money behind you as you wont be earning for the 2 weeks while canvassing.
Good luck
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IMO the only way your going to be able to build a round is if you go part time bus driving then use every min of time off canvassing/leafleting.
60 hours a week for £325?sheeesh!!thats awful!i usually work 25-30 hours a week "on the glass" and earn much more although ive been window cleaning for many years.
have you ever had your own business before?lots to think about,self assessment tax returns,no holiday or sick pay,etc.you need to have self motivation and drive too.
this job can get boring at times and winter can be hard for some of us.i dont blame you for not wanting to work 60 hours a week for a pittance.you better make your mind up before you get bitter and twisted!!
everytime i worked for someone else i worked really hard and never got any recognition for my efforts so i used to lose it and tell them to f**k off after a while.resentment used to build up over the course of a few months then id snap!!! ;D ;D.
go part time bus driving and make it happen.
best wishes
dazmond
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Worked it out that I can survive on £250 per wk that's all I'd need to earn window cleaning thinking should be fairly easy to get that if go out door knocking everyday?
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You may be able to get working tax credits to help you out initially.
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I'm getting very bad panic attacks driving buses as I think the stress of it and its no good having them and feeling faint when you have a bus load of people maybe I can get signed off for it...? Maybe I wld be able to get a tax credit to help while I build my work up...due to I can't do my day job as getting dangeruss?
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i need to earn £250 per week to survive cant be that hard to get that failry quickly at window cleaning ?
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If its as bad on the buses as you say,then stop messing on the forum and get out cleaning ,sounds like the choice is made for you.
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Want some advice go see your doctor say your nerves from the stress of work and long hours.Act like jabbering fool. Then BUILD YOUR ROUND IN THIS TIME.GO BACK TO WORK AND REDUCE HOUR AND BUILD UP YOUR BUSINESS.
not the best advice but it could work. :o ;D :D
Are you serious ?????????? ::)
he probably is :-[hate folk that think like that, there is a member on here who built his round while being on the sick and he got a payout as well, compensation claim, I won't name names though, he could't see he was doing anything wrong
Just shows who employs and who doesn't :)