Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jakey boy on February 06, 2015, 11:17:13 am
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I left college and took a gap year before uni, did some window cleaning with a family friend, enjoyed it, realised it's got some good perks, money, own boss etc. the rest is history.
*This thread will not apply to hummer the bummer, he's a Chernobyl victim who thinks he's a window cleaner. Deluded.*
So what's your story Into the world of window cleaning? Most of us don't grow up wanting to be window cleaners! So Interested to see why and how you chose it as a 'career'
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Yep, my goal in life is to be a bucket merchant window cleaner, just like you.
M0ng ;D
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I'm a 3rd generation window cleaner. Left school at 14 went to work with grandad and dad. Had a gap where became a aircraft engineer, hated it long hours and working away. Ended up cleaning windows with them then took over there rounds.
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I'm a 3rd generation window cleaner. Left school at 14 went to work with grandad and dad. Had a gap where became a aircraft engineer, hated it long hours and working away. Ended up cleaning windows with them then took over there rounds.
Good story, nice to keep it in the family
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Yep, my goal in life is to be a bucket merchant window cleaner, just like you.
M0ng ;D
This thread doesn't apply to you bummer boy, bog off.
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My window cleaner was poop. So I thought I could do a better job. Boy was I wrong.
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My window cleaner was poop. So I thought I could do a better job. Boy was I wrong.
Lol
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Yep, my goal in life is to be a bucket merchant window cleaner, just like you.
M0ng ;D
This thread doesn't apply to you bummer boy, bog off.
Tough luck. I'm here to stay. ;D
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I got Into window cleaning by pure chance, bumped in my cousin who was working for national, asked me I was interested, had ago got good left company 2 years later and set up myself.
Got very busy very quick with commercial work and away I went, always said to myself while the work is there am up for doing it................. Been working 7 days a week since then with odd day off every other week.
15 years later - I now realise that you no better off for working all the hours god sends.
Set your self a weekly/ monthly/ yearly target and be happy,
I am goin to practice my own theory.
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I too just wanted to be me own boss 33 years later still at it do talk to myself a lot more though these days but won't change now 52 now hopefully on the home straight will be mortgage free in next couple of years WC been v good to me
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I got Into window cleaning by pure chance, bumped in my cousin who was working for national, asked me I was interested, had ago got good left company 2 years later and set up myself.
Got very busy very quick with commercial work and away I went, always said to myself while the work is there am up for doing it................. Been working 7 days a week since then with odd day off every other week.
15 years later - I now realise that you no better off for working all the hours god sends.
Set your self a weekly/ monthly/ yearly target and be happy,
I am goin to practice my own theory.
Whats your yearly target Matty L?
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Window cleaning with 1 staff 30 hours an myself full time £60k
I have recently culled a bit if work, other bits I am currently working notice and have set a lad on his way with work. Other 2 lads sacked.
Pressure washing work on my own I am targeting £40k, I say this but I already have a massive job to do which could potentially be half this amount.
Maybe a few cleaning contracts - just unsure weather I can be bothered with staff £75k - sounds a lot but there's not much profit
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I went down the Gym one and looking in one of those mirrors i really fancied myself. So much so that I married me. Eventually there was only one thing to do - it was obvious really - I became a shiner.
End of story.
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Well, I started out from school as a brain surgeon. I found I didn't like it. One day my window cleaner told me how much he earned. As I needed a pay rise I packed up the surgery and went window cleaning.
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Family business went bump in 2008 with the recession so I was left with no real qualifications and no prospects in the same field as the family business. (Long story)
Took a job with a commercial window cleaner earning £50 a day 3 days a week. Did that for 12 months and learnt how NOT to run a business, he was a nice guy but a terrible business man. Set up my own WC business and 5 years later am probably 60% to where I want the business to be.
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Got a job with a firm and after a week I thought I could do this for myself, so built up a really good round then sold up to make my fortune in a transport partnership only to lose everything, then had a few different jobs but once you've been a windy you hate working for someone else with set hour etc so I'm back not looking to make a million just want to be comfortable and call the shots.
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I was made redundant 3 time in 4 years with the property slump. At my age no one would give me a job. Sitting at home with little or no cash our windy to came to clean our glass. I thought to myself it cannot be that difficult so used all the credit on my card it was only 250 quid. Bought a ladder and tools and set out. Still got the ladder and some of those customers today seven years later. Went Water Fed Pole with in 12 months with a Harris pole and and a back pack. Bought a van cash 2 years latter. Now 65 years and still going for it.
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I was made redundant 3 time in 4 years with the property slump. At my age no one would give me a job. Sitting at home with little or no cash our windy to came to clean our glass. I thought to myself it cannot be that difficult so used all the credit on my card it was only 250 quid. Bought a ladder and tools and set out. Still got the ladder and some of those customers today seven years later. Went Water Fed Pole with in 12 months with a Harris pole and and a back pack. Bought a van cash 2 years latter. Now 65 years and still going for it.
Good for you mate, God loves a tryer. :)
Lal
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Been a bricklayer all my working life apprentiship and all that. 2008 The building went into recession. Found this forum rest is history. Not one of the big earners but can make as much as bricklayers are making now and its booming now. Had loads of help off this forum especially from one of the members who lives close to me.
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got offered a job with a company at 18, i thought working outside all day beats warehouse work... lol. slaved for 2years at 10quid an hour, towards the end of the first year i was cleaning 150 a day for 50quid, and thought theres an extra 100 to be earnt here... saved up for a whole year, got a loan, and made the company an offer they couldnt refuse for £1000 monthly of work, and for the next year i worked 2 days a week for the same money i had been getting for 5 days and felt like a king. then i met the mrs, went canvassing my butt off for a month straight and hey ho here i am
p.s bummer... wobble wobble go line up your paperclips and stamps for tomorrow or the post office will sack you
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My dad started in the awful winter of 63
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Plumber for a national company, Homeserve, in 14 months was on three different contracts and all the time i was working longer and earning less, spoke to my daughters boyfriend who is a windy and asked if he could canvass work for me, which he did and i rented it off him ended up buying it and moved on from there
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got offered a job with a company at 18, i thought working outside all day beats warehouse work... lol. slaved for 2years at 10quid an hour, towards the end of the first year i was cleaning 150 a day for 50quid, and thought theres an extra 100 to be earnt here... saved up for a whole year, got a loan, and made the company an offer they couldnt refuse for £1000 monthly of work, and for the next year i worked 2 days a week for the same money i had been getting for 5 days and felt like a king. then i met the mrs, went canvassing my butt off for a month straight and hey ho here i am
p.s bummer... wobble wobble go line up your paperclips and stamps for tomorrow or the post office will sack you
Bummer the post office worker lol!
Some interesting stories, funny how no one has said 'I left school and really wanted to be a window cleaner' lol
Good job, as when people find out how much can be earnt they jump at the change to build a round, we don't want it to become a popular job! It's certainly more popular now than ever in my opinion, round my area anyway.
Bummer the post office worker, why do you come on this forum? Are you lonely? So you need help? Go back to Chernobyl you fugly muppet!
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Left school at 16...started cleaning for this guy,,,started off him and me doing full 6x days then he started dropping me off in mornings then picking me up bout 5pm after he finished golf,,,mmmm
so by 18 i got a driving licence and started on my own....first week made £75 ,next week made 1.75p...
hard at first but now ....wouldnt do anything else..31 yrs trading now..
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Left school started working in an office. Did that til I was 21 then left and started labouring, just fancied being outside. Got a sales job at Thomson Directories which was a laugh but just didn't want to do it forever. Went back to labouring for a couple of years. Dislocated shoulder, back into sales for a media company for a year and a half, earned decent wedge but again got bored so traveled Europe and lived in Sweden for a year. Came back, ummed and arred and ponced about for 2 years. Met my now nearly wife and aged 29 decided to go for it properly, put myself under a lot of pressure by privately renting a place to make sure I didn't slack. Built a good solid base of window cleaning work with a really tatty van, got lots of pressure washing jobs and gutter cleaning as well and subbed it to a guy who had all the gear and no work, re-invested and re-invested constantly and got all my own gear, good quality stuff. 4 years down the line now (age 33 for those a bit slow of the up-take) and it's nice to be in a position that if we can't work because of the weather/holidays/van fixing it's no longer a stress or a problem. Last year was excellent so I intend to keep doing what I'm doing, plus other plans in the pipeline to keep things exciting. It's easy to throw in the towel early on but just got to get on with it.
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Window cleaning with 1 staff 30 hours an myself full time £60k
I have recently culled a bit if work, other bits I am currently working notice and have set a lad on his way with work. Other 2 lads sacked.
Pressure washing work on my own I am targeting £40k, I say this but I already have a massive job to do which could potentially be half this amount.
Maybe a few cleaning contracts - just unsure weather I can be bothered with staff £75k - sounds a lot but there's not much profit
Good targets Matty L, let's hope you over achieve! Take it your VAT reg or going to be soon?Do you swallow the VAT on domestic work?
What do you mean about the £75k bit? Your targets equal £100k..?
Tom
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I studied computer maintenance and programming at college for 2 years. What a bore, decided not to go uni so at 18 took a window cleaning job at a new shopping centre in Plymouth, it would take a whole month to clean all the glass before I started at the beginning again.
At 22 moved to Hampshire, worked for a couple of cowboy window cleaners for £80 a day. At 25 set up for myself in the back of an old astra with just a couple hundred pound of trad gear.
I'm now 29, van, wfp system and earning a decent wage.
The more I do this job the more I enjoy it, not many jobs can you go out at 9 and be home by 3 to pick kids up from school and still be earning a decent wage.
My missis is also in a 30k a year job and because of my flexibility we have zero child care costs. Win win situation all round, love it.
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Yes tom vat reg. been vat reg for 10 year, I am commercial window cleaning my turn over for last 10 year had been approx £120 - £150k per year. Working hard long hours, I have culled a lot of window cleaning starting jan 1st with further cuts to come, looking to just run my van with pressure washing starting up.
I already have a big pressure washing job waiting to be done, with further on going work.
Cleaning wise, you can have a few jobs that total £100k but you may only make 10% profit! sometimes a lot of work with little profit.
I think it would be quite easy to hit them targets, once you in with commercial work, work seems to come to you.
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I started in the late 70's when I found myself unemployed, I worked for a bloke I met in a pub doing mostly commercial contracts
I ended up running the biz for him as he was a lazy poop and stay at home all day whilst I did all the work, I ask him for more money as I was doing all the work and he refused me, so i went out got my own ladder and started to build up my own domestic round
several years later I got fed up with it even though I had a big round and employed 2 young guys and just dumped it all, in them days rounds were not sold on then (big regret on my side)
as the years went by I did a few other jobs but was never truly happy, I they left England and lived in Tenerife for a while, when I finally decide to move back to England I had no work so went back into the game again (about 12 years ago now) and back on the ladders again
within 6 months of my return I changed over to wfp the best thing since sliced bread
i'm now 61 and have a very big business along with my partner and it's growing daily, so much so we will soon have to start turning new work down if this trend continues
my intention is to carry on until I get to the point I can no longer lift a pole because of old age and when that time comes I will sell up and retire, hopefully not for a few more years lol
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I started in the late 70's when I found myself unemployed, I worked for a bloke I met in a pub doing mostly commercial contracts
I ended up running the biz for him as he was a lazy poop and stay at home all day whilst I did all the work, I ask him for more money as I was doing all the work and he refused me, so i went out got my own ladder and started to build up my own domestic round
several years later I got fed up with it even though I had a big round and employed 2 young guys and just dumped it all, in them days rounds were not sold on then (big regret on my side)
as the years went by I did a few other jobs but was never truly happy, I they left England and lived in Tenerife for a while, when I finally decide to move back to England I had no work so went back into the game again (about 12 years ago now) and back on the ladders again
within 6 months of my return I changed over to wfp the best thing since sliced bread
i'm now 61 and have a very big business along with my partner and it's growing daily, so much so we will soon have to start turning new work down if this trend continues
my intention is to carry on until I get to the point I can no longer lift a pole because of old age and when that time comes I will sell up and retire, hopefully not for a few more years lol
My dad turns 64 this year, and STILL puts in the hours. No chance of him giving up. Old school bud, he enjoys work and knows if he stops working he will end up like everyone else who retires (fat and round or rounder)
Biggest life safer for my dad was poles, hes been using extreme poles since launch. Massive advantage.
Yesterday he did, block of offices. 3 gutter vac jobs and some domestics.
He is Hardcore lol
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I left school and studied for five years and got a BA in squeegeeing I then went on to get GCSE in scrimming, after that I got a City & Guilds in window cleaning. I'm currently attending an Open University course in Chemistry and have been studying the effects of FROFF on glass. I'm currently suffering with Hydrophobia but daily showers seem to help. Once I can overcome **ck! Hose Taurettes I will get seven vans on the road.
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I left school and studied for five years and got a BA in squeegeeing I then went on to get GCSE in scrimming, after that I got a City & Guilds in window cleaning. I'm currently attending an Open University course in Chemistry and have been studying the effects of FROFF on glass. I'm currently suffering with Hydrophobia but daily showers seem to help. Once I can overcome **ck! Hose Taurettes I will get seven vans on the road.
Dave your posts always amuse me ;D
Your a great example of how people can be funny without resorting to insult others.
There's a few guys on here who should read through your posts and find out what true 'wit' is. Top man.
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Yes tom vat reg. been vat reg for 10 year, I am commercial window cleaning my turn over for last 10 year had been approx £120 - £150k per year. Working hard long hours, I have culled a lot of window cleaning starting jan 1st with further cuts to come, looking to just run my van with pressure washing starting up.
I already have a big pressure washing job waiting to be done, with further on going work.
Cleaning wise, you can have a few jobs that total £100k but you may only make 10% profit! sometimes a lot of work with little profit.
I think it would be quite easy to hit them targets, once you in with commercial work, work seems to come to you.
Thats good stuff mate.
Most of my work is domestic, last year similar T/O to you, getting more commercial in now as well. The higher end domestic work I work the VAT element into the price. I'm not up for working long hard hours though truth be told, I think theres good money to be earned without having to do that. I agree about work coming to you. Do a good job and treat your contacts respectfully goes a long way.
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got offered a job with a company at 18, i thought working outside all day beats warehouse work... lol. slaved for 2years at 10quid an hour, towards the end of the first year i was cleaning 150 a day for 50quid, and thought theres an extra 100 to be earnt here... saved up for a whole year, got a loan, and made the company an offer they couldnt refuse for £1000 monthly of work, and for the next year i worked 2 days a week for the same money i had been getting for 5 days and felt like a king. then i met the mrs, went canvassing my butt off for a month straight and hey ho here i am
p.s bummer... wobble wobble go line up your paperclips and stamps for tomorrow or the post office will sack you
Bummer the post office worker lol!
Some interesting stories, funny how no one has said 'I left school and really wanted to be a window cleaner' lol
Good job, as when people find out how much can be earnt they jump at the change to build a round, we don't want it to become a popular job! It's certainly more popular now than ever in my opinion, round my area anyway.
Bummer the post office worker, why do you come on this forum? Are you lonely? So you need help? Go back to Chernobyl you fugly muppet!
Nope. Unlike you and your gay joey, I have a proper job. Anyway, enjoy breaking the ice off your buckets tomorrow gay boys ;D
Ps it's lovely how you and your bum chum work together ;D
Err bummer boy, I have a wfp system? Are you forgetting that already? Chernobyl has really affected your health.
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got offered a job with a company at 18, i thought working outside all day beats warehouse work... lol. slaved for 2years at 10quid an hour, towards the end of the first year i was cleaning 150 a day for 50quid, and thought theres an extra 100 to be earnt here... saved up for a whole year, got a loan, and made the company an offer they couldnt refuse for £1000 monthly of work, and for the next year i worked 2 days a week for the same money i had been getting for 5 days and felt like a king. then i met the mrs, went canvassing my butt off for a month straight and hey ho here i am
p.s bummer... wobble wobble go line up your paperclips and stamps for tomorrow or the post office will sack you
Bummer the post office worker lol!
Some interesting stories, funny how no one has said 'I left school and really wanted to be a window cleaner' lol
Good job, as when people find out how much can be earnt they jump at the change to build a round, we don't want it to become a popular job! It's certainly more popular now than ever in my opinion, round my area anyway.
Bummer the post office worker, why do you come on this forum? Are you lonely? So you need help? Go back to Chernobyl you fugly muppet!
Nope. Unlike you and your gay joey, I have a proper job. Anyway, enjoy breaking the ice off your buckets tomorrow gay boys ;D
Ps it's lovely how you and your bum chum work together ;D
Err bummer boy, I have a wfp system? Are you forgetting that already? Chernobyl has really affected your health.
;D
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Left school started working in an office. Did that til I was 21 then left and started labouring, just fancied being outside. Got a sales job at Thomson Directories which was a laugh but just didn't want to do it forever. Went back to labouring for a couple of years. Dislocated shoulder, back into sales for a media company for a year and a half, earned decent wedge but again got bored so traveled Europe and lived in Sweden for a year. Came back, ummed and arred and ponced about for 2 years. Met my now nearly wife and aged 29 decided to go for it properly, put myself under a lot of pressure by privately renting a place to make sure I didn't slack. Built a good solid base of window cleaning work with a really tatty van, got lots of pressure washing jobs and gutter cleaning as well and subbed it to a guy who had all the gear and no work, re-invested and re-invested constantly and got all my own gear, good quality stuff. 4 years down the line now (age 33 for those a bit slow of the up-take) and it's nice to be in a position that if we can't work because of the weather/holidays/van fixing it's no longer a stress or a problem. Last year was excellent so I intend to keep doing what I'm doing, plus other plans in the pipeline to keep things exciting. It's easy to throw in the towel early on but just got to get on with it.
He's lying... He still just does an early morning paper round 6 mornings a week
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I left school at 15 with rubbish GCSE's... Worked with my dad in his mobile green grocery business for a few months... Then became an early morning cleaner for Rentokil when I was 16.
After a few more months I landed a YTS job doing basic office admin for a software house... Earning £30 a week!!! Because I had a flair for IT I somehow became there IT engineer... At the age of 18 they gave me a company car, phone, laptop etc.. and I was moved to their office in London.
Got fed up of working in London so left there... Then had IT jobs at IBM, Alcatel and Zurich Insurance.
Then I became an IT contractor... Worked for First Choice Holidays, Vodadone and Mars.
Finally got bored of IT and working in an office so didn't renew my Mars IT contract in October 2005... I had 2 months money behind me and just started canvassing for window cleaning customers.
Window cleaning has had its ups and downs, but I wouldn't swap it for anything else... I like the flexibility - and the money that can be earned is very good if you put the effort in.
Sometimes I wish I had started up straight from school - but then I wouldn't have got the working experience which I think has helped me a lot in life. I'm 37 now...
My aim is to Franchise the business and be semi retired by the age of 55.
Andy ;)
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me dib no go to scool so i wimdo clanem.
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Left school started working in an office. Did that til I was 21 then left and started labouring, just fancied being outside. Got a sales job at Thomson Directories which was a laugh but just didn't want to do it forever. Went back to labouring for a couple of years. Dislocated shoulder, back into sales for a media company for a year and a half, earned decent wedge but again got bored so traveled Europe and lived in Sweden for a year. Came back, ummed and arred and ponced about for 2 years. Met my now nearly wife and aged 29 decided to go for it properly, put myself under a lot of pressure by privately renting a place to make sure I didn't slack. Built a good solid base of window cleaning work with a really tatty van, got lots of pressure washing jobs and gutter cleaning as well and subbed it to a guy who had all the gear and no work, re-invested and re-invested constantly and got all my own gear, good quality stuff. 4 years down the line now (age 33 for those a bit slow of the up-take) and it's nice to be in a position that if we can't work because of the weather/holidays/van fixing it's no longer a stress or a problem. Last year was excellent so I intend to keep doing what I'm doing, plus other plans in the pipeline to keep things exciting. It's easy to throw in the towel early on but just got to get on with it.
He's lying... He still just does an early morning paper round 6 mornings a week
But its better than delivering the free papers in the evenings for £3.75 per week :)
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Sometimes I wish I had started up straight from school
Me too.
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Guys, there's been a few complaints about the childishness of your on-going puerile feud.
Can we give it a break?
Thanks.
Start another topic if you wish, but I'm locking this one.