Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: paul alan on December 11, 2017, 07:45:29 pm
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What would be bringing in more money?
I mean in realistic terms, something you could qualify for in 3 years college or even something you wouldn't have to go to college for that still brings in a lot of dough( like window cleaning).
I'm not thinking of giving up, I just get bored from time to time and like learning new stuff.
I have been thinking about doing some sparking as I know a little already and have some experience. Plumbing NVQL2 as well
but like I said I get bored easy. I think its being off since Thursday last week.
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why have you been off since last thursday paul?no work due?
ive no interest in being a plumber/electrician/builder or any of them sort of trades.i see them every day when im window cleaning and i think "sod that!".it all looks like too much hassle and hard work to me.i often think "thank god im a window cleaner!" :)
no doubt you can earn as much as window cleaning(and more)if you put the effort in but its not for me.
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You can do most degrees in 3 years.
You can do anything you want.
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After being self emoloyed for so long, i would hate to go back into employment thats for sure. Run round like a headless chicken following orders for less than a tenner a hour ???
Knowing that you can make that in ten minutes.
Also being a sparky or plumber seems good because they do a job and get paid at the end of it. Thats why I like pressure washing. Customers have a different mind set because its a bigger expense, clean someone's drive for say £300 and job done, money in you hand and go to the next one.
Window cleaning depending how people collect, that tyoe of money comes in dribs n dabs
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What you want to do is make your money earn money for you ....
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why have you been off since last thursday paul?no work due?
ive no interest in being a plumber/electrician/builder or any of them sort of trades.i see them every day when im window cleaning and i think "sod that!".it all looks like too much hassle and hard work to me.i often think "thank god im a window cleaner!" :)
no doubt you can earn as much as window cleaning(and more)if you put the effort in but its not for me.
well I did a bit Friday morning but its been too bad here in north wales we got hit hard.
I took today off although could of worked just kids school was shut so decided to take he day off too, ramping down for the break now. Taking 2 weeks off so I'm not worried about the schedule getting out a bit, worked hard this year.
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Was a bricklayer served a 5 year appretiship. In 2008 had the recession started window cleaning part time. The rest is history as they say. Wouldn't go back to it although could start tomorow if I wanted crying out for them.
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What would be bringing in more money?
I've got a little sideline with events photography. I get paid to photograph a series of night running races; about six of them every winter, and a couple of day time races on top.
I was flattered when asked, so didn't get greedy and under priced myself. It's not just window cleaners who make that mistake when they're new.
It's my 2nd year of doing it and I'm angling around for more of this kind of work.
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I gave up doing a degree to be a windy :D
Was 2 years into a 4 year I.T degree
Made the decision to be self employed simply because the world's your oyster and because I didn't want to be stuck in an office for the rest of my life being a wage slave.
Thought about doing other stuff but it's only a change of graft.
I think the question you should be asking yourself is what can I invest in or what businesses can I build rather than thinking of learning a new career and going out to graft in it.
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Prostitutes earn good money.
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A mate of mine is an air conditioning fitter and engineer. He earns more than me.
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I’ve followed a number of topics on this section, eg: ‘£400 a day’ etc so have a good indication on the earning potential of windows cleaning and I don’ t want to start a them against us type topic and I say this with the upmost respect but carpet & upholstery cleaning has the potential to easily top window cleaning in the earning stakes, I moved out of carpet cleaning completely last May, at that time £400 days was reached a couple of times a week this was the cultivation of 20yrs in the business and having a well established business.
I moved into a more profitable area pressure washing.
A couple of other jobs that have a good potential...
Car radio decoding and dashboard resetting, s few years ago my mate offered a service for premium cars that reset the ‘service due light’ he drove around the country meeting people at service station and did the reset.
Security light fitting, another mate fits security lights for home owners. he does 3 a day and his top of the range service (included armoured cabling or channeling ) earns him £380 a light and it’s his best seller
Next year i’m Starting a environmentaly friendly weed killing service which I have high hopes for
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It's a lot area dependant.
No way could I earn 400 a day cleaning carpets round here. Justwont happen. Tried it for over a year.
I also seriously looked into locksmithing last year was considering doing some courses and starting up as talk of 100 quid an hour I heard. However when looking into it in my area, the market was saturated and speaking to various training centres, locksmiths and suppliers the average call out fee was more like 40 an hour. Which when you factor in costs and the fact you are on call and not flat out all day it wasn't any better than cleaning windows.
You see plumbers on 80k -100k a year but it's down south....
Same with pressure washing, gutters and any other trade like plastering, decorating etc I'm sure good money can be had but only in the right areas. Also looked at fencing and landscaping, same deal really
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I think I’m most trades , there will be a limit in earnings , even with Lee Pryor he’s going to reach the ceiling in earnings.
The trick is to have your fingers in many pies
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I enjoy writing fiction. The likelihood of eventually earning an income from it is pretty slim because traditional publishers are highly risk-averse these days. However, Amazon, Goodreads and others have opened the door to free self-publishing in recent years, so I will tout my wares on there when I'm ready.
At best it will only be a supplemental income. People who have trodden this path before me say that the extracts I've shown them need only minor tinkering. Honestly, even if I never make a penny piece from it, I'm doing something I enjoy. Unlike with window cleaning, I'm learning new things regularly, so it keeps the mind active as I start ageing.
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It's a lot area dependant.
No way could I earn 400 a day cleaning carpets round here. Justwont happen. Tried it for over a year.
I also seriously looked into locksmithing last year was considering doing some courses and starting up as talk of 100 quid an hour I heard. However when looking into it in my area, the market was saturated and speaking to various training centres, locksmiths and suppliers the average call out fee was more like 40 an hour. Which when you factor in costs and the fact you are on call and not flat out all day it wasn't any better than cleaning windows.
You see plumbers on 80k -100k a year but it's down south....
Same with pressure washing, gutters and any other trade like plastering, decorating etc I'm sure good money can be had but only in the right areas. Also looked at fencing and landscaping, same deal really
the reason being adam is a lot of trades "big up" their earnings.the ones earning top dollar are working extremely hard and have been in their line of business for many years.most will earn nowhere near the figures quoted.
unfortunately theres no easy way to make a good honest living.it takes years of hard work,discipline and sacrifice.
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also when trades talk about £100 an hour etc.ITS THE ODD JOB WHERE THE VE EARNED THAT AMOUNT,NOT A CONSISTENTLY HOURLY RATE.
if it was that easy everyone would be doing it.
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Prostitutes earn good money.
After seeing photos of you, Slacky, you could earn a small fortune.
It would all be in 10p coins though.
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It's a lot area dependant.
No way could I earn 400 a day cleaning carpets round here. Justwont happen. Tried it for over a year.
I also seriously looked into locksmithing last year was considering doing some courses and starting up as talk of 100 quid an hour I heard. However when looking into it in my area, the market was saturated and speaking to various training centres, locksmiths and suppliers the average call out fee was more like 40 an hour. Which when you factor in costs and the fact you are on call and not flat out all day it wasn't any better than cleaning windows.
You see plumbers on 80k -100k a year but it's down south....
Same with pressure washing, gutters and any other trade like plastering, decorating etc I'm sure good money can be had but only in the right areas. Also looked at fencing and landscaping, same deal really
the reason being adam is a lot of trades "big up" their earnings.the ones earning top dollar are working extremely hard and have been in their line of business for many years.most will earn nowhere near the figures quoted.
unfortunately theres no easy way to make a good honest living.it takes years of hard work,discipline and sacrifice.
Just to comment of the bold section, I know a lot of carpet cleaners who big down their earnings or just don’t comment and I earned top dollar without working extremely hard. But I do agree massively with your final sentence... hard work, discipline and (a little bit of ) sacrifice do often lead to good earnings
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What would be bringing in more money?
I mean in realistic terms, something you could qualify for in 3 years college or even something you wouldn't have to go to college for that still brings in a lot of dough( like window cleaning).
I'm not thinking of giving up, I just get bored from time to time and like learning new stuff.
I have been thinking about doing some sparking as I know a little already and have some experience. Plumbing NVQL2 as well
but like I said I get bored easy. I think its being off since Thursday last week.
I'm similar, in that I find window cleaning bores me a bit over time. I like learning new skills.
Earlier this year I did my tree felling licences and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm qualified to cut any tree, even the most dangerous type, ie, severed roots and windblown trees, from the ground. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Plus you aquire new knowledge and skills.
I'd say, if you can make the time, learn what you have an inkling for doing, why not? Mix it up a bit!!
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Over the years i’ve Kept an eye on the chimney sweeping business, there has been a massive growth in the popularity of wood burning stove ... they are getting very trendy :)
But I haven’t seen a big increase in the amount of chimney sweeps, so the one already going could be raking it in.
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Over the years i’ve Kept an eye on the chimney sweeping business, there has been a massive growth in the popularity of wood burning stove ... they are getting very trendy :)
But I haven’t seen a big increase in the amount of chimney sweeps, so the one already going could be raking it in.
Most folk in my street have a fire of some description; the houses are all of that age.
We have two, one in the dining room and one in the living room; because we're very sophisticated.
But most folk like me rarely use them.
We had our chimney cleaned about 10 years ago and because we rarely light the fires, we haven't had it done since.
And the price of hardwood isn't cheap either.
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Tosh if you had a fire lit and it burnt your house down would it invalidate your home insurance? I think it would prove negligence on your part.
my son rents a house as part of his tenancy agreement he has to have the chimney swept yearly and on vacating the property.
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Only a need to do it yearly if he lights the fire regularly.
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Prostitutes earn good money.
After seeing photos of you, Slacky, you could earn a small fortune.
It would all be in 10p coins though.
I understand your point and the truth of the matter is it’s a valid one. However, past experience had always told me I’d be giving refunds, regularly, so financially, it seems a non-starter.
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It's a lot area dependant.
No way could I earn 400 a day cleaning carpets round here. Justwont happen. Tried it for over a year.
I also seriously looked into locksmithing last year was considering doing some courses and starting up as talk of 100 quid an hour I heard. However when looking into it in my area, the market was saturated and speaking to various training centres, locksmiths and suppliers the average call out fee was more like 40 an hour. Which when you factor in costs and the fact you are on call and not flat out all day it wasn't any better than cleaning windows.
You see plumbers on 80k -100k a year but it's down south....
Same with pressure washing, gutters and any other trade like plastering, decorating etc I'm sure good money can be had but only in the right areas. Also looked at fencing and landscaping, same deal really
the reason being adam is a lot of trades "big up" their earnings.the ones earning top dollar are working extremely hard and have been in their line of business for many years.most will earn nowhere near the figures quoted.
unfortunately theres no easy way to make a good honest living.it takes years of hard work,discipline and sacrifice.
Just to comment of the bold section, I know a lot of carpet cleaners who big down their earnings or just don’t comment and I earned top dollar without working extremely hard. But I do agree massively with your final sentence... hard work, discipline and (a little bit of ) sacrifice do often lead to good earnings
So, if you are earning top dollar without working hard why are you looking at other avenues?
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It's a lot area dependant.
No way could I earn 400 a day cleaning carpets round here. Justwont happen. Tried it for over a year.
I also seriously looked into locksmithing last year was considering doing some courses and starting up as talk of 100 quid an hour I heard. However when looking into it in my area, the market was saturated and speaking to various training centres, locksmiths and suppliers the average call out fee was more like 40 an hour. Which when you factor in costs and the fact you are on call and not flat out all day it wasn't any better than cleaning windows.
You see plumbers on 80k -100k a year but it's down south....
Same with pressure washing, gutters and any other trade like plastering, decorating etc I'm sure good money can be had but only in the right areas. Also looked at fencing and landscaping, same deal really
the reason being adam is a lot of trades "big up" their earnings.the ones earning top dollar are working extremely hard and have been in their line of business for many years.most will earn nowhere near the figures quoted.
unfortunately theres no easy way to make a good honest living.it takes years of hard work,discipline and sacrifice.
Just to comment of the bold section, I know a lot of carpet cleaners who big down their earnings or just don’t comment and I earned top dollar without working extremely hard. But I do agree massively with your final sentence... hard work, discipline and (a little bit of ) sacrifice do often lead to good earnings
So, if you are earning top dollar without working hard why are you looking at other avenues?
Because enough is never enough
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i’m a businessman just because I have a business does not stop the Entrepreneurial spirit burning inside me, I enjoy investigating different ideas.
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
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Tosh if you had a fire lit and it burnt your house down would it invalidate your home insurance? I think it would prove negligence on your part.
my son rents a house as part of his tenancy agreement he has to have the chimney swept yearly and on vacating the property.
I didn't know that. Cheers.
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I like the security lighting idea cos I do like sparking.
A lot of the old folk around here are security conscious, I have also thought about alarm installation and intercom with camera device installation.
I know some thing about food and nutrients and have pondered learning more and going the dietitian route as I foresee the doctors of the future prescribing diets instead of drugs, can earn some good money without doing anything physical.
I would rather be a pimp than a prozy though any day.
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
Aye roofing is good money. Know quite a few lads who have worked as roofers.
Last time I checked a good roofer round here can earn 150 to 200 a day. Which when you consider that is just as an employee in the north of England that's very good money. So just think what the boss will be earning doing roofs in more affluent areas of the country.
Likewise like you I am looking to employ and build more of a business than stay on the glass forever.
I'm only 3 years into this game but I know I don't want to be doing it forever.
I've just turned 36 but by the age of 40 I want to have a couple of employees and dipping my toes into something completely different.
Window cleaning is good, it's a good way to start out in the world of business but it's not the holy grail. There has to be better ways to make money out there
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After being self emoloyed for so long, i would hate to go back into employment thats for sure. Run round like a headless chicken following orders for less than a tenner a hour ???
Knowing that you can make that in ten minutes.
Also being a sparky or plumber seems good because they do a job and get paid at the end of it. Thats why I like pressure washing. Customers have a different mind set because its a bigger expense, clean someone's drive for say £300 and job done, money in you hand and go to the next one.
Window cleaning depending how people collect, that tyoe of money comes in dribs n dabs
The best reason to do window cleaning is that your income is repeated every cycle be it 4 or 8 weekly all those little hits Have more value overall than 1 off hits where you constantly chase NEW work and customers and spend to keep advertising ( £15 window clean x 12 times a year is £180 and equals approx 4 hrs work and you possible have this for years ) a driveway at £300 may only take you 3 hours but that usually means that’s the only job that day and possibly won’t repeat for 18 to 24 months and if you included resanding it’s a second visit plus cost of sand ( 20 to 30 quid )
Darran
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After being self emoloyed for so long, i would hate to go back into employment thats for sure. Run round like a headless chicken following orders for less than a tenner a hour ???
Knowing that you can make that in ten minutes.
Also being a sparky or plumber seems good because they do a job and get paid at the end of it. Thats why I like pressure washing. Customers have a different mind set because its a bigger expense, clean someone's drive for say £300 and job done, money in you hand and go to the next one.
Window cleaning depending how people collect, that tyoe of money comes in dribs n dabs
The best reason to do window cleaning is that your income is repeated every cycle be it 4 or 8 weekly all those little hits Have more value overall than 1 off hits where you constantly chase NEW work and customers and spend to keep advertising ( £15 window clean x 12 times a year is £180 and equals approx 4 hrs work and you possible have this for years ) a driveway at £300 may only take you 3 hours but that usually means that’s the only job that day and possibly won’t repeat for 18 to 24 months and if you included resanding it’s a second visit plus cost of sand ( 20 to 30 quid )
Darran
by far the best thing, repeat business!
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
all sounds so easy doesnt it?the reality is very different.anybody making 3k in a morning is ripping people off without a doubt.
if your regularly turning over £350 a day why are you not happy with that marc?
is it not you thats always moaning your skint?(apologies if ive got the wrong guy!) ;D
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
all sounds so easy doesnt it?the reality is very different.anybody making 3k in a morning is ripping people off without a doubt.
if your regularly turning over £350 a day why are you not happy with that marc?
is it not you thats always moaning your skint?(apologies if ive got the wrong guy!) ;D
Nope not me mate.
I have suffered with depression though.
But i am much better now.
I have pointed out how expensive it is to live down here in surrey in the past perhaps your referring to that.
But no..im not skint, but im certainly not wealthy either..i just pay myself what i need to live on from the business and thats it for now, both my wife and i are on a monthly salary on payroll.
Profits are left in the business and if i need some extra cash a draw a directors loan and write it the total down as a dividend at the end of the year.
Been in this game now 15 years. 15 years of any job is enough. So like i said my plans to employ are really the next stage..
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
all sounds so easy doesnt it?the reality is very different.anybody making 3k in a morning is ripping people off without a doubt.
if your regularly turning over £350 a day why are you not happy with that marc?
is it not you thats always moaning your skint?(apologies if ive got the wrong guy!) ;D
Nope not me mate.
I have suffered with depression though.
But i am much better now.
I have pointed out how expensive it is to live down here in surrey in the past perhaps your referring to that.
But no..im not skint, but im certainly not wealthy either..i just pay myself what i need to live on from the business and thats it for now, both my wife and i are on a monthly salary on payroll.
Profits are left in the business and if i need some extra cash a draw a directors loan and write it the total down as a dividend at the end of the year.
my brother lives in surrey and bought a house a few years ago.£380,000 for an end terraced house!(not far from epsom race course).you could get the same round here for £100,000-£120,000!
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Rollerdisco.
I would open a rollerdisco.
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Roofing is very good money.
My brother in law can sometimes get a roofing job that would make him 2-3 grand in a morning. Thats for flat roofing felting. Very good money.
Tile replacement 300 quid for a few tiles be on and off done and dusted in 130 mins.
Whole Roof replacement cab bring in 20 grand and take a month.
Hard work though.
Carpet and upholstry cleaning is good money. Specially the van mounted stuff.
Tbh Window cleaning is still good. I regulary turnover in excess of £350 per day. I work 4 days a week. Its no pryor money but its ok for unskilled work.
I am at the end of my window cleaning career though and i am looking to get another van next year and employ as i am fed up with it. If i cant make it work by employing ill sell up and do something else when i hit 40.
all sounds so easy doesnt it?the reality is very different.anybody making 3k in a morning is ripping people off without a doubt.
if your regularly turning over £350 a day why are you not happy with that marc?
is it not you thats always moaning your skint?(apologies if ive got the wrong guy!) ;D
Nope not me mate.
I have suffered with depression though.
But i am much better now.
I have pointed out how expensive it is to live down here in surrey in the past perhaps your referring to that.
But no..im not skint, but im certainly not wealthy either..i just pay myself what i need to live on from the business and thats it for now, both my wife and i are on a monthly salary on payroll.
Profits are left in the business and if i need some extra cash a draw a directors loan and write it the total down as a dividend at the end of the year.
my brother lives in surrey and bought a house a few years ago.£380,000 for an end terraced house!(not far from epsom race course).you could get the same round here for £100,000-£120,000!
Honestly its a joke here.
I rent. I actually dont think i will ever own a home here. In fact i dont think i want to. Its stupid money
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Over the years i’ve Kept an eye on the chimney sweeping business, there has been a massive growth in the popularity of wood burning stove ... they are getting very trendy :)
But I haven’t seen a big increase in the amount of chimney sweeps, so the one already going could be raking it in.
At one of my customers today a chimney sweep was putting up the outside xmas lights, turns out he was their son, says he has been mad busy all year, didnt mention income thou.