Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Blackadder on July 06, 2014, 07:23:00 am
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Hi all, I'm just about to spend out for all my kit to begin the window cleaning life, was looking for some advice on the best pieces of kit that you all use? I want a static 500ltr tank for my shed? Best pole? From reading a lot of posts, it seems as the the SLX 25 extreme is popular? What else would you consider essential? Thanks in advance.
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Customers.
Have you done window cleaning before? Have you been self employed before?
Darran
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Nope and nope, redundancy has allowed me the chance to try and build a business of my own, so any early advice is very welcome.
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Have you got a van? 5ooltr is a big tank to start with. Whats the water like where you live. Buy a round, then your work is compact.
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Got a vw caddy and will be running off a trolley system, taking 25ltr tubs out with me. Had a franchise offer but it seems way too expensive to me, I was hoping to build from scratch, my wife works and earns half decent money allowing me a little time.
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Well, before spending anything on equipment I'd do some market research first,
You also need to know how much work you need to bring in to sustain a living, how long it will take you to get those customers, can you canvass? Have you tried? Are you relying on leaflets??
Can you clean windows, sounds silly, but it's not for everyone, esp, water fed pole it takes time to get the correct technique
The most important piece of equipment is you and your ability to get customers.
Before buying any equipment and blowing your redundancy
Darran
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get a part time job possibly in early hours then do the canvassing / cleaning ......... what you canvass today clean tomorrow morning then canvass in afternoon and repeat.
It can be done I build up to 80 customers then went bank borrowed money and bought a round.
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Ok, thanks guys. A few things to ponder over. I've never tried canvassing but consider myself quite personable so hoping I'd be ok, from what I read, it seems that leaflets are a waste of time and money, I will get some postcards made up and go door knocking every night at first and see where that takes me. I'm enrolled on a course to give basic training.
I've spent my married life being the cleaner in our house and actually enjoy it, so why not go and try and earn some money doing it 😄
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Sorry we sound negative, but really before blowing cash on equipment
See if you can at least generate customers.
You can always trad the first 30 or 40 For very little outlay
Darran
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No worries, the negative are probably better than the positive as the downsides of window cleaning are necessary to know....the upsides (according to a few) is grossing up to £4k a month lol!!
But seriously, I'm going to go for it anyway as it's what I want to do and will do whatever it takes to make a go of it.
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Personally, i wouldnt go with a trolley system , go straight for a van mount.
Because if you make a go of window cleaning you will end up with one.
And as everyone else has said, customers,
Have you worked out a pricing plan ( if you get it wrong you will resent doing the job )
Also, if you have a van mount, its easier to clean add ons, like con' roofs, gutter fascias etc
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Pricing is the one thing that bothers me, read lots about under pricing to get the work then resenting doing it after a few months, it's the desperation to get customers on board that'll make you do that, do you set yourself a minimum and if you don't get the job, so be it? I'd like to know the best tried and tested way of pricing.
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How much do you have too spend, ball park figure
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Pricing is a regional thing ( where are you )
Eg, Scotland would be cheaper than London.
But i would say, to get you into the hang of pricing, try
£1 per window,£2 per patio door, 50p small bathroom window/ back/front door.
These prices can be adjusted + or - according to where you are
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Anywhere between £0 and £8k Bob.
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And in the south east Steven, that was a pricing system that I'd read about, seems as good as any, thanks.
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Hi all, I'm just about to spend out for all my kit to begin the window cleaning life, was looking for some advice on the best pieces of kit that you all use? I want a static 500ltr tank for my shed? Best pole? From reading a lot of posts, it seems as the the SLX 25 extreme is popular? What else would you consider essential? Thanks in advance.
As per the others.
First bit of equipment to buy is a genuine tds meter. When you test the tds of your tap water you will then have a good idea in which direction you will need to take with regard to water purification (r/o and di or di only). An SLX pole will be fine. The SLX extreme is a lot lighter and more rigid but also a lot more expensive.
You will find used clean 1000 litre IBC tanks to be more available than a 500 litre tank and probably cheaper as well if you can find one locally.
Door to door knocking and canvassing is the only sure way to get a round going. We have never found much interest comes from leaflets. Remember the 3 c's that have become popular with users on this forum - canvass, clean, cull.
I agree with the 2 posts Steven has put up - go van mount straight away and a pricing structure guide.
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Just to add, you can get 600 ltr Ibc's if you are limited for space.
As for water production/storage,
Kent will be a high tds so water production quality will save you money,
Eg, if you use a Merlin ro, it will make water quite fast but will make high tds ro water, meaning it will use alot of Di resin, costing you money.
A 40/40 ro is expensive but better product water.
I petsonally use a booster pimped 450 gpd Ro-man ro, which is relatively slow, but produces really low ro water, which means i dont use a Di.
You also have to think of where you store your water,
Have you power/ water supply/ heating for the winter, insulated water pipes etc
Pumps to transfer water
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I see that you are in Kent. I believe the water there is moderately hard but may be very hard if it comes from the chalk area. This points to investing in an RO setup fairly early on - though you may be able to get away with resin only for a short period while the customer numbers are low.
I have found that van mount plus a backpack (for the odd awkward job) works best for me. If you already have the trolley system though, I'm sure it will serve you well while still building up the work. As for pole, I reckon the Gardiner 27ft is a decent compromise between weight, cost and length - though you may want to get an 18ft one as this will save you energy on jobs where the shorter pole is fine.
Just my opinion. I haven't tried everything that is out there.
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Get in touch with some shiners just out of your area.
offer a few days free labour in return for a bit of knowledge/advice.
A couple on days on the tools would be worth 10,000 hours on CIU.
It may be difficult finding someone willing but if you do, it'd be priceless.
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Yes, can vouch for the fact leaflets don't work. Impossible to build a brilliant round that way. ::)roll
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Poleking has given you the best course of action , Because until you know what it is like you are looking through rose tinted glasses .
I would not spend more than £200 before giving it a real go , WFP has given the impression that it is easy to window clean which to a point it is .
Its the running a business that is the maker or breaker crap weather no payed holidays or sick pay and all the other crap that goes with it is what breaks most new start ups in any business .
You are willing to spend 8K and you have not cleaned one window and have no clear idea if you are going to like it more so in the winter which is the real test .
Enjoy your day ;D ;D ;D ;D . Mike
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Mark, get a 600 IBC for your shed - a 1000 is cheaper if you have the room.
Put a 400L in your Caddy if it's payload is 700 or more.
Use a reel. Not barrels/trolley. (I've done trolley, backpack, trailer and van - van is best, followed as a poor second by trailer.)
Get an SLX30. The adjustment of an slx is better/easier than an extreme (IMO) in narrow gaps on domestic. Take the two biggest sections off and use it as an SLX20 on 90% of your domestic work and add any of the other sections as needed.
Canvassing: (wear smart casual or logo'd polo shirt - carry a folder/clipboard)
"Hi, I'm Mark Stone the window cleaner, I've got some customers your area already and I'm expanding a little to make a full weeks work out of it - do you need a window cleaner?" (Shut up and wait.) They will say:
1. No thanks. ( I do my own, I've got a windie, etc)
2. Had one - unreliable. (This can mean "no" or "convince me")
3. How much? (green light)
HTH - if it works, send me a six pack of Wadworths 6X.
;D
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I would agree with getting a van mount straight away, I started with a trolley and they are pointless really, just hassle lugging them about and changing barrels etc.
And if you are in Kent then you should have no probs building a decent round that could earn you £4+ a month, but it won't be easy mate, 2 or 3 years of hard graft and hour upon hour of canvassing. It will be the toughest few years of your life but if you have the will to succeed you can end up with a really good and well paying business.
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Don't read the "i earn £x" posts on here.
Do a plan and work out how much you NEED and take it from there.
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Do not get a trolley system, so much faffing around you will regret it. Start as you mean to go on and buy a tank and system, its easy to build your on set up with some decent research
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Thanks guys, really appreciate the input.
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Mark,
Couple of things:
1. Speak to Ian Lancaster - loads from him and about him on here. He franchises and guarantees you all the work you need. He's in Rochester. I don't think anyone on here would have a bad word to say about him. Yes, you'll pay a price for the help but you'll be up and working and full quicker than you can possibly imagine.
2. Leaflets work. Plenty of threads on here. Leaflets delivered for you are excellent once you're filling up, as they are gaining customers for you while you work. Before the arguments start, I'm not suggesting that canvassing doesn't work, just that a statement like "leaflets are a waste of time and money" demands a response.
Vin
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Agree with Vin, Leaflets do work its what you put on them that defines whether they work or not i picked up loads of work from my leaflets which exceeded the average response rate . Mike
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The pros and cons of starting up myself, buying a round or buying a franchise have kept me awake at night! I realise how tough it is to start up yourself and how soul destroying canvassing and winter time can be through what I've read and heard, although a franchise seems like a great start and earning immediately, I fear that giving between 23% - 40% a month back each month would become grating after a period of time? I wonder how many on this forum went down the franchise route and have never once regretted it?
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Leaflets work alright but I have found the build-up of customers to be much slower than canvassing - the flip side being that a leafletted customer is more likely to be a stayer. Canvassing should get you customers more quickly - which may be vital for cash flow with a new start-up. Expect to get a higher number of messers though. By the time my round was full, I had a fairly lengthy "to be dropped when no longer needed" list. But my start was all canvassed by me and the rest was referrals and walk ups.
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just be aware that building a very profitable round requires very compact work or highly priced work. Im not trying to put u off but window cleaning is so competitive these days mainly due to everyone on here boasting how much they can earn. Practice technique a huge amount as wfp can get terrible response if used badly. it helps very much if u can trad as well as some jobs will require u too and customers will have more confidence in you. try not to step on other windies toes as in my 25years experience its a whole lot easier if u get on with other local window cleaners. U don't want a competition undercutting each other all the time as this benefits no one long term. Good luck with your venture but don't spend to much until u know if its for u or not first.
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The pros and cons of starting up myself, buying a round or buying a franchise have kept me awake at night! I realise how tough it is to start up yourself and how soul destroying canvassing and winter time can be through what I've read and heard, although a franchise seems like a great start and earning immediately, I fear that giving between 23% - 40% a month back each month would become grating after a period of time? I wonder how many on this forum went down the franchise route and have never once regretted it?
Mark,
Not trying to push you down this route, but give Ian Lancaster a call. If I recall he has about 13 franchisees; all of them (I think) have chosen to renew when their franchise terms is up, which suggests happiness. He'll also let you speak to them so you can hear the truth.
I franchise in Southampton - my guys have a full round in three/four months with no effort on their behalf bar cleaning windows. They don't have to worry about the kit they need, I do all that. They are given very clear instructions on how to run their business and they won't make the mistakes I made (one of which cost me £6,000). Yes, they pay 20% of turnover for that but it's a business on a plate.
Vin
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earnings threads shows the potential of what can be earned window cleaning but most of us that get near the figures have been window cleaning for many many years,embraced wfp and are highly motivated individuals who work hard and have solid customer bases and work in affluent areas.
if i were you i wouldnt even consider starting up window cleaning on my own yet.id go and get a job window cleaning for someone else first for 6 months or more.learn the techniques on how to clean windows to a good standard in a good time both wfp and trad.see if you can hack it.
if you do like it then id buy a cheap van(min payload 900kg),500L TANK,100m hose and reel etc,25ft slx.get it signwritten,business cards,leaflets etc and BUY SOME WORK TO START YOU OFF and canvass hard for 6 months most weekends or when you have time.
keep the redundancy money in the bank for now.thats what id do.
best wishes
dazmond
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I dont see how you can lose,it is really easy,you dont need to loose any sleep.
Buy what you need and you will soon make that money back when you start working,If it's not for you sell the gear and van.
As long as you can canvass rellentlessly you will build a business,but dont be afraid of this,some days you dont pick up any,other days you get a few,when you pick up your first few you get a massive buzz then it becomes easy an you just keep going.
A guy who worked for me had built a round in no time in Kent,very good prices,I could work one day a week on what he charged.
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What part of a Kent are u Mark ?
I might be able to give u a days work and see if I can put you off lol
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Haha, I'm in Rainham mate, I can travel though, currently out of work! Let me know.
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By the way, just on a quick note, all of you guys who said van mount is a must, do ever having parking problems? i.e busy streets, double yellows etc? Are there health and safety issues? I only say this as I saw a van mount doing a house up my street last week, he was round the back of the house but his hose was flapping about waist high across the path? Somebody walking down the street would have had to leave the path to get round it? Looked like a liability claim waiting to happen!! 😊
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By the way, just on a quick note, all of you guys who said van mount is a must, do ever having parking problems? i.e busy streets, double yellows etc? Are there health and safety issues? I only say this as I saw a van mount doing a house up my street last week, he was round the back of the house but his hose was flapping about waist high across the path? Somebody walking down the street would have had to leave the path to get round it? Looked like a liability claim waiting to happen!! 😊
A Backpack is what you will need for occassional use like when there are parking problems, customers with no access other than through house etc, but a van mount will do 99% of work.
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By the way, just on a quick note, all of you guys who said van mount is a must, do ever having parking problems? i.e busy streets, double yellows etc? Are there health and safety issues? I only say this as I saw a van mount doing a house up my street last week, he was round the back of the house but his hose was flapping about waist high across the path? Somebody walking down the street would have had to leave the path to get round it? Looked like a liability claim waiting to happen!!
Just bad workmanship there's no need to have a hose waist high across a path.
A van mount is a better option (not a must) because its a lot easier on your spine.
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I agree with Sean.
That a just bad practice. With a van mount and reel (100meters of hose) you should have no issues at all with parking and reaching a job.
Backpacks are handy for those odd jobs with no rear access and you need to go through the house but this is very rare
Darran
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The pros and cons of starting up myself, buying a round or buying a franchise have kept me awake at night! I realise how tough it is to start up yourself and how soul destroying canvassing and winter time can be through what I've read and heard, although a franchise seems like a great start and earning immediately, I fear that giving between 23% - 40% a month back each month would become grating after a period of time? I wonder how many on this forum went down the franchise route and have never once regretted it?
I don't know who's quoted you these sort of Royalty charges, ours is a flat 20% of the value of work you've achieved, payable weekly 4 weeks in arrears.
You're right to be sceptical - one of the questions we ask people enquiring about a franchise is: "Why do you want to buy a franchise with us when you can set up on your own like thousands of others have?"
If you feel you have the drive and stamina to go it alone, then franchising is definitely not for you.
Best of luck.
Ian
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Thanks Ian, and thanks all for the invaluable info.
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Email me Mark might be able to help u .
Not promising anything . Very busy at moment but I'll see what I can do
pnthynne@btinternet.com