[frames to panes]

Following on from another thread - how long did it take you to build your round to your optimum goal? I'm talking from scratch i.e. not buying work.

[Rob_Mac]

I am selling my round on March the 1st. Seven years to build it up from scratch.

We are in the process of handing over now.

I started off Feb 1st 2001 with a Vauxhall Vectra and a set of 20 quid ladders and no customers. I worked full time on shifts and worked the window cleaning between this.

Got to £700.00 per month and packed in full time work and bought my first transit van.

I have come full circle and will do no more residential work and my round has realised what I believed it to be worth.

Rob

[frames to panes]

so just commercial from now on?

[Rob_Mac]

Yes but we are going into other areas with some of the capital amount.

We will be buying equipment for chewing gum removal, sand blasting and drain jetting equipment and shall run this alongside our supermarket cleaning programme and another project that has nothing to do with cleaning.

Rob

[Rob_Mac]

I have 3 vans at present and to staff them and run them and all the associated costs there is not enough profit margin.

All of the areas we are looking at have high profit margin and can be very highly charged on the day rate or hourly.

Basically there is more money to be earned keeping away from residential and I am in the fortunate position to be able to grow all the areas without sweating about cash coming in.

Rob

[ok cleaning]

A'nt you the lucky one ?

[Blackbushe Windows]

Domestic - reliable bread and butter work though.


Peter

[Rob_Mac]

Ok Cleaning

I ain't the lucky one - I've busted my backside for the last seven years - there is no luck in life only what you make it.

Blackbushe - very true but i am at the point where I really do not want to clean a residential window ever again and I have done all I wanted to do with residential work. I will never say never because it might go wrong and I may need to go back to the tried and tested but for now we have the opportunity to take a gamble and spread wider with, hopefully, better paying services.

The capital is not life changing but it is enough to enable us to look in other directions and give us some working capital until we can establish another income stream.

This is what I wanted and I've got there - I really have to pull my finger out now and get some decent accounts in.

Rob

[Blackbushe Windows]

Midas, hope it works out as you wish. All the best with the commercial work.


Peter