[ian kev]

Hello everyone and what a brilliant site this is.Been trolling through the site  for a week now and reading some great stuff on here.to be honest i didnt relize the stuff you could learn about cleaning windows.Ive been thinking for a while now of starting out doing windows and it wasnt until i started a factory job about 3 months ago that i now really want to give it a go as im just not not cut out to be indoors packing boxes under strip lights,no windows never see the daylight,on a minimum wage.i know i should be greatfull i got the job but believe me i think im going mad.so i really want to give this a try and just want your help on a couple questions please.
firstly, there is an advert for a cleaning round fairly near to me and the guy is asking for 6 grand for it.theres no van or tools just the round.it says he earns around 300-400 pounds per month which i worked out it would take 15months to pay back.its also in a large area so lots of driving involved.is it me or does this seem like alot or would it be a good starting point.my other question(sorry to waffle) is that there is another guy in my town who has been doing windows for donkeys years,and i know him fairly well but do you think i ought to tell him that im going to start a round up just to keep things freindly as dont want to feel awkward,and i also thought he may be ok about it and maybe pass on some custys he cant be arsed with.(maybe).Anyway sorry for the waffle, i was only going to say hello
cheers ian

 

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Ian, welcome.
I started back up just over a year ago.
Dont buy a round!!!!!!
Get out there in your spare time and leaflet or knock on doors.
IF you put the work in you can get 400 worth in 2 month
just get out there!!!!

[Smudger]

Leaving the factory behind is the best thing you could do - BUT self employment is not for everyone

personally i wouldn't spend a penny buying a round,  start by door knocking at the w/ends and get a few
custy's - clean them at the w/ends and in the evenings as the longer days get here.

if you like it - dump the job and go all out - only spend what you need NOT on what you would like to have

try to get some savings behind you - to cover bad weather, sickness etc..


Darran

[Tom White]

Three-to-four hundred quid a month's work for £6K sounds well overpriced to me.  I reckon he'll probably just dump it when he can't find a buyer.

Why not offer him £1K for it, rising to £1.5K tops?  It'd be a good start to build upon.

But most new window cleaners can't hack it; it's not an easy job when you first start.

[steve rix]

When buying a round I dont look to pay any more than 3 mths turnover domestic and 10mths commercial
Just bang out some leaflets and see how you get on.
Unless its around here!!!

[windiewasher]

m8 dont waste your money get knocking or canvassing.
i work 4 nights a week in a job,i have been cleaning windows for 9 months now and have a decent round that is building up with a few commercials but mainly domestic.
 Im asking to go down to a 3 nights a week at work so i can fit some more window cleaning work in then about may my plan is to go full time window cleaning and driveway cleaning!
 Im on £100 a night so ive worked out on my extra day off each week i plan to canvass £100 a weeks worth of window cleaning work,i also a canvassing company who is getting me some good work too.
 Dont pay for a overpriced round and have lots of travelling too,its worth no more than £1200 tops!

[ian kev]

Thanks for the quick replys guys and for the encouragement. I think i may ring this chap and make an offer of around a 1k, at least then if he has no luck selling maybe 1k is better than nothing..but i think your right, its a case of getting out there and building up my own round really.

Can i just ask you guys as well, were any of you a bit nervous about knocking on doors to start with,i know it sounds a bit daft but although im a week or two away from actually going canvassing  i feel very nervous about it .have any of you had the same thoughts and does it get any easier after a few doors??.i dont know why as im not normally nervous/embarrassed.Anyway cheers guys.

[g newton]

i dropped my job before xmas i hated it and was spending no time with the family and was stressed and moody
went knocking and leafleting for 3 weeks prior to xmas and right up to middle of jan now have around the 70 mark customers
ive had to take a less stressful and demanding job part time whilst building my round
to cover general bills etc whilst building and ill start dropping days as the windy work comes in

it was the best thing i ever done no stress always happy and spending more time with the family

i should have done it years ago

i would say keep your your whilst building good luck

[Jackal]

nothing wrong with buying a bit of work start you off to pay the bills while you build the round up,,but you would regret buying to much as you can pick enough work up through canvassing and people just seeing you out working that will be better priced most likely,when i started just over a year ago i paid 4x value £2500 for £600 worth a month compact work,then in october i saw a round for sale cheap and paid £300 for £300 worth a month but last year i proberly picked about another 60 -70 customers up,only problem for me now is im getting to the stage where i cant fit much more in,i want to carry on building the round but dont want to employ

[windiewasher]

good stuff m8!
sounds like your doing well m8!
im aiming for 50 custys a month for the next 3 months and then see where the rounds at!
Do you do any other stuff like driveway cleaning?

nothing wrong with buying a bit of work start you off to pay the bills while you build the round up,,but you would regret buying to much as you can pick enough work up through canvassing and people just seeing you out working that will be better priced most likely,when i started just over a year ago i paid 4x value £2500 for £600 worth a month compact work,then in october i saw a round for sale cheap and paid £300 for £300 worth a month but last year i proberly picked about another 60 -70 customers up,only problem for me now is im getting to the stage where i cant fit much more in,i want to carry on building the round but dont want to employ

[Jackal]

i do upvc cleaning/ conservatories which i love doing as its works out a nice earner,i only did 1 days door knocking didnt like it picked 2 custys off that and proberly dropped about 2500 leaflets,iv got a bit lazy now so dont even leaflet drop,i like me weekends to chill

[P @ F]

Ian kev , where abouts in devon are you chap ?

Rich

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

nothing wrong with buying a bit of work start you off to pay the bills while you build the round up,,but you would regret buying to much as you can pick enough work up through canvassing and people just seeing you out working that will be better priced most likely,when i started just over a year ago i paid 4x value £2500 for £600 worth a month compact work,then in october i saw a round for sale cheap and paid £300 for £300 worth a month but last year i proberly picked about another 60 -70 customers up,only problem for me now is im getting to the stage where i cant fit much more in,i want to carry on building the round but dont want to employ

plenty ov guys in stoke who can clean windows
 

[windiewasher]

nice one,i think the more stuff you do the better your business is!
i do a few conny roofs here and there and a few driveways
i do a bit of canvassing and if my m8s working with me if one is doing the windows the other one goes and leaflets the street!
picked up 4 like this just delivering leaflets,got chased after down the street wanting a quote!
ive just ordered 5000 a6 leaflets from printmarket £45 designed printed and delivered!

i do upvc cleaning/ conservatories which i love doing as its works out a nice earner,i only did 1 days door knocking didnt like it picked 2 custys off that and proberly dropped about 2500 leaflets,iv got a bit lazy now so dont even leaflet drop,i like me weekends to chill

[Jackal]

nice one,i think the more stuff you do the better your business is!
i do a few conny roofs here and there and a few driveways
i do a bit of canvassing and if my m8s working with me if one is doing the windows the other one goes and leaflets the street!
picked up 4 like this just delivering leaflets,got chased after down the street wanting a quote!
ive just ordered 5000 a6 leaflets from printmarket £45 designed printed and delivered!

i do upvc cleaning/ conservatories which i love doing as its works out a nice earner,i only did 1 days door knocking didnt like it picked 2 custys off that and proberly dropped about 2500 leaflets,iv got a bit lazy now so dont even leaflet drop,i like me weekends to chill

thats very good price i paid £100 for 5000,just keep at it mate and when you got enough work that your happy with you can just sit back if you want, and the work just keeps coming in anyway,your doing it the best way tho from scratch as your setting the price you want

[windiewasher]

yes best to try from scratch.get the best prices you can get average near £10 a house so not bad!
i want 300 houses aswell as commercial work,although at the moment commercials are only bringing in £300 a month so need to double that atleast!hopefully spring and summer i will get a driveway clean a week.

nice one,i think the more stuff you do the better your business is!
i do a few conny roofs here and there and a few driveways
i do a bit of canvassing and if my m8s working with me if one is doing the windows the other one goes and leaflets the street!
picked up 4 like this just delivering leaflets,got chased after down the street wanting a quote!
ive just ordered 5000 a6 leaflets from printmarket £45 designed printed and delivered!

i do upvc cleaning/ conservatories which i love doing as its works out a nice earner,i only did 1 days door knocking didnt like it picked 2 custys off that and proberly dropped about 2500 leaflets,iv got a bit lazy now so dont even leaflet drop,i like me weekends to chill

thats very good price i paid £100 for 5000,just keep at it mate and when you got enough work that your happy with you can just sit back if you want, and the work just keeps coming in anyway,your doing it the best way tho from scratch as your setting the price you want

[mattflashmatt]

dont buy work your costomers want to know whos cleaning there windows and you want to build on that. i havnt ever brought work not to say that its a bad thing but why would i sell work being a window cleaner? only if they where bad payers and like you said there spaced out all over the place alot of driving so that surgests they are the odd ones he wants to get rid of.

[Moderator David@stives]

Why not buy ?

I bought a £500 p month round then

 I paid £3 K for £1500 worth of work, net result I was taking £400 a week  from day 1.

My guys go door knocking occassionally and they are lucky if they get 2 customers per day

[ian kev]

Nice one peeps, thanks again for the replys, its great getting all the feed back.Ive now got the wifey trying to sort out a few designs for leaflets(as im pants doing that sort of stuff) and then i will be out and about (nervous) knocking a few doors. One thing im finding quite funny at the moment is that when ive been out walking down the roads or shopping im staring at the windows saying ..."they look filthy" or "they have been cleaned recently".the mrs thinks ive gone mad.maybe i have.right.....dinner break over.....cheers