[careless.david@gmail.com]

I am 44 & did exactly what you are planning last year.

Basically, think very carefully about it, it's not as easy as most people on here make out.

The weather can be cruel & unworkable at times, lots of customers prove too be a right pain in the arse, equipment is an ongoing expense that bites into income, there is lots of competition & it's hard on the body.

Giving up your job will swap security & stability for a maybe - hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

[Paul Coleman]

Hi everyone. first time on this forum

I am 44 years young and I am looking at a career change - I have been in financial services for most of my working life.

I have been offered redundancy and to be honest I am going to take it - I have hated my job for a few years now - so looking at alternative employment.

I quite like the idea of running my own business and window cleaning whilst I would imagine is quite a physically demanding job, I really think its something up my street (excuse the pun)

I dont like climbing ladders - so its WFP for me!, and I have seen some set up for sale on ebay for between £5000 and £6000 - even though I think I can set everything up myself for a lower price.

But in your opinion have I left this a bit late?

44?  You're far too old and decrepit to start window cleaning.  How do you expect to hold a pole and a zimmer frame at the same time?  Sheeeeeesh !!  Some people !!

£5k to £6k to start up may be OK depending on what you are getting for it.  If there's a half reasonable van in with the deal then it may be OK.

BTW.  I'm 54 

[dazmond]

if your pretty fit and like working outside(ive worked outside since i was 13 on farms,nurseries,landscaping.)and have self motivation then it could work.

the reality is that many dont last as its hard manual work and can get tough at times during the winter months due to bad weather,then theres no holiday pay,sick pay etc,etc.self assessment and tax,insurances to sort out.

theres more to window cleaning than actually cleaning the glass thats for sure!

i love it most of the time but its took years to build a half decent round with loyal good paying customers.it is a simple business to run compared with a lot of others though.

best wishes and good luck!hope you like canvassing!!


dazmond

[bobby p]

as you are an office boy,your body wont be worn out,i would say go trad and i promise you it will get you very fit-this is a very nice feeling to have,   even if the getting fit initially is tough  for the first year or more

[spotless2000]

I started when I was 36 (6 years ago).  Total career change.  The best thing I ever did.

I learnt a lot from this forum and also spent a morning with a guy in Nottingham who introduced me to WFP.

I'm in Kettering (not to far from you).  If you want to spend a few hours seeing how we do things, you are more than welcome.

Steve

[Ian Lancaster]

I can't claim that I started in this job late in life, my first try was about the age of 22, but after having worked on my own for umpteen years I started at the age of 61 to develop the business.

Five years on and "Ian Lancaster Window Cleaner" is now on 10 vans and still growing.

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

[Spruce]

The thing is we are all different. What applies to you won't apply to the next person, so it's not a question we can answer for you. My personal opinion is that if you are Mr Average you aren't too old to start window cleaning, but starting now will be more difficult than 5 years ago.
At 44 you are only half way through your working career. The good thing about starting a window cleaning business from scratch is that as your round grows, so will your upper body strength develop which is fine for WFP. So apart from those initial aches and pains, it should be relatively easy.

The main thing which I believe is more difficult is the mental stress that will come from getting your business going so you can earn a reasonable wage from it. The weather can be a big factor, especially when it's warm and dry inside. In the business world you can 'hide' in the system for a day or two if you aren't feeling so good and not be noticed. When you work for yourself each hour you don't work means less money at the end of the month. In the business world you get paid annual holidays as well as paid bank holidays. When you work for yourself you get "zip."

Then you still have to put up with customer's cancellations because it's going to rain/snow etc with a smile because you can't afford to dump them from off your round as messers as you still haven't a big enough customer base.

Most of your new business will be initial cleans, which aren't the easiest and you will also have a steep learning curve when it comes to handling your equipment. Just do a search of Dazmond's posts over the last year (the same Dazmond who has made a comment on your post). He is an experienced trad window cleaner who moved over to WFP. To start off he was slow and I remember him questioning whether he did the right thing.

In this job you have to be a 'good all rounder'. You will be a salesman as you have to sell your service. You have to be the tradesman that gets the job done. You have to be the debt collector and keep a good accounting practice with paper trail for the tax man at the end of the year.

Take the guys near you up on their offer for a day's on the job training. They will give you tips on the best way to handle a brush on a pole at height. You will also get an idea of what you can expect price wise for an average house in your area. They will help you to spot problems that you must consider when quoting. Don't use the excuse that you can't afford it.

Another thing you must do is register with the Receiver as a sole trader and enroll on a tax training course they do for new businesses from time to time. They will give you an idea what you can claim for against tax as business expenditure and what you can't. They will also explain how to write off business equipment and depreciation against income and how to deal with the 'private use' element of this equipment.

Good luck

Spruce

[combat1]

I'm 60! took voluntary redundancy three years ago when our little boy was born, how about that first baby at 57, planned as well!
Basically I've always done window cleaning alongside a full time sales job, but the move over to more or less full time window cleaning was the best move i've ever made.
I'm so happy now as my own boss and handle the work easily.
Recently started making my own water and am almost all wfp now, previously used a trad pole and backflip, havent used a ladder for 15 years.
If you want to do it - you can and the best of luck to you.

[groundhog]

I can't claim that I started in this job late in life, my first try was about the age of 22, but after having worked on my own for umpteen years I started at the age of 61 to develop the business.

Five years on and "Ian Lancaster Window Cleaner" is now on 10 vans and still growing.

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

Your an inspiration to us all Ian!!    How about writing a book, I'd buy it thats for sure!!

[boshravie]

The thing is we are all different. What applies to you won't apply to the next person, so it's not a question we can answer for you. My personal opinion is that if you are Mr Average you aren't too old to start window cleaning, but starting now will be more difficult than 5 years ago.
At 44 you are only half way through your working career. The good thing about starting a window cleaning business from scratch is that as your round grows, so will your upper body strength develop which is fine for WFP. So apart from those initial aches and pains, it should be relatively easy.

The main thing which I believe is more difficult is the mental stress that will come from getting your business going so you can earn a reasonable wage from it. The weather can be a big factor, especially when it's warm and dry inside. In the business world you can 'hide' in the system for a day or two if you aren't feeling so good and not be noticed. When you work for yourself each hour you don't work means less money at the end of the month. In the business world you get paid annual holidays as well as paid bank holidays. When you work for yourself you get "zip."

Then you still have to put up with customer's cancellations because it's going to rain/snow etc with a smile because you can't afford to dump them from off your round as messers as you still haven't a big enough customer base.

Most of your new business will be initial cleans, which aren't the easiest and you will also have a steep learning curve when it comes to handling your equipment. Just do a search of Dazmond's posts over the last year (the same Dazmond who has made a comment on your post). He is an experienced trad window cleaner who moved over to WFP. To start off he was slow and I remember him questioning whether he did the right thing.

In this job you have to be a 'good all rounder'. You will be a salesman as you have to sell your service. You have to be the tradesman that gets the job done. You have to be the debt collector and keep a good accounting practice with paper trail for the tax man at the end of the year.

Take the guys near you up on their offer for a day's on the job training. They will give you tips on the best way to handle a brush on a pole at height. You will also get an idea of what you can expect price wise for an average house in your area. They will help you to spot problems that you must consider when quoting. Don't use the excuse that you can't afford it.

Another thing you must do is register with the Receiver as a sole trader and enroll on a tax training course they do for new businesses from time to time. They will give you an idea what you can claim for against tax as business expenditure and what you can't. They will also explain how to write off business equipment and depreciation against income and how to deal with the 'private use' element of this equipment.

Good luck

Spruce

Great in dept explanation spruce,  (cleaning buddy) I think you should really take note of what spruce have said on here. GOOD LUCK.

[Steve_c]

I was working in the print from 1983 - 2009, started age 43 a month after our daughter was Born. I was made redundant, go for it i love what i do, i love being my own boss. I knew what i was going to do a year before i was made redundant. Do your research and ask lots of questions. What part of MK do you live? I used to live on Crownhill.

[Cleaning Buddy]

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and your words of warning / wisdom

Steve (spotless 2000) thank you for your offer - I think I will take you up on your offer and will email you to discuss further.

The most surprising point of all this is my friends and family - they seem to think its a job below me and almost look down their noses!. I have always thought a window cleaner was honest work and honest pay - still F*ck em thats what I say.

It was good to read other people from financial services background doing so well at this job.

I got a booklet today from BWA which gives a good spreadsheet of expected turnover etc - what I really need is a good spreadsheet of typical costs in running a one man band small business - does anybody have anything like that they could share?

Also, someone mentioned canvassing - this seems to be a bit of a topic on here - I have never canvassed door to door before, so that should be interesting.

So much to do ....

[Andyt79]

Hi Cleaning Buddy,
I too have experienced the views from friends and family of window cleaning being "below" me! I don't come from an office background but I am a welder and trained for many years to gain that skill. However this country is still in my eyes deep in recession as only this week I had a 20% paycut at work. (I only clean windows part time at present)

Luckily I kind of saw this coming and worked on the idea of a back-up plan and came up with window cleaning . I don't for one minute think this is below me in fact I see this as a new career path and the chance to develop a business and myself as a person. I will continue to work as an employee until I'm asolutely sure I can stand on my own two feet with window cleaning, I just can't take the risk jumping in head first.

Have you considered buying a small amount of work? That's what I've just done and I intend to build my round and gain experience from there. I'm also starting traditional only to start with the intentions of going WFP late this year, finances and customers permitting!

All the best whatever path you chose.

[Cleaning Buddy]

Thanks Andy.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and your words of warning / wisdom

Steve (spotless 2000) thank you for your offer - I think I will take you up on your offer and will email you to discuss further.

The most surprising point of all this is my friends and family - they seem to think its a job below me and almost look down their noses!. I have always thought a window cleaner was honest work and honest pay - still F*ck em thats what I say. Hi there - I had exactly the same issue when I left Financial Services. I think being a window cleaner at least we do an honest days work. The best you can say about Financial Services is that it's pointless paper pushing  It was good to read other people from financial services background doing so well at this job.

I got a booklet today from BWA which gives a good spreadsheet of expected turnover etc - what I really need is a good spreadsheet of typical costs in running a one man band small business - does anybody have anything like that they could share?

Also, someone mentioned canvassing - this seems to be a bit of a topic on here - I have never canvassed door to door before, so that should be interesting.

So much to do ....

[Paul Coleman]

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and your words of warning / wisdom

Steve (spotless 2000) thank you for your offer - I think I will take you up on your offer and will email you to discuss further.

The most surprising point of all this is my friends and family - they seem to think its a job below me and almost look down their noses!. I have always thought a window cleaner was honest work and honest pay - still F*ck em thats what I say.

The bit I've highlighted tells me you will be OK.  It's very important to push aside other people's misplaced snobbery and to be your own person.
That bit alone tells me that you will be fine.

[Perfect Windows]

Few things having gone through this at a similar stage in my life.

You'll miss the office.  Not initially but eventually when you're stuck with your own company a lot of the time.  You'll also miss it when you're dragging yourself to your last clean of the day on your knees with exhaustion, one of them phones you and you realise that they are still being paid while they chat with you.

You'll have to come home knackered and still find the energy to generate new customers.  Initially it won't be a problem as you won't have work on but filling the last third will make you wonder what the hell you are doing.

You need to generate a new respect for money and separate turnover from profit.  So, when you do a job for a tenner, you need to realise that expenses will take a quid of it and holidays will take another.  Get into that mindset from the start or you'll end up never taking a holiday.

You'll discover strengths and weaknesses that you never thought you had.  You need to address the weaknesses as you find them.  No-one will be covering for you.

You'll find stress in areas you never thought possible.  Gaining work too fast is one that's hurting me at the moment...

On top of all this, you'll get moments of pure joy when a customer comments on your work or passes you on to a friend by way of recommendation.  You'll know that the money you have is money earned.  And finally, if you think it through and get going with the right prices (which you will be able to do in MK) you'll be able to earn enough that you won't give a tinker's cuss what your friends and family think.  

If you think you have the strength and depth of character required, do it.

Vin

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

Agree with what Vin says although I felt that I missed it more initially and miss it less as time went on...
I have to say though in that awful weather in December, I certainly had a few moments when I thought I'd like to back to getting paid whatever!
However, 90 - 95% of the time, what I do now is far more rewarding than what I did before and anyone who looks done on me or any other window cleaner can sod off. I think some of them are just plain jealous because they are too scared to work for themselves!

[davids3511]

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and your words of warning / wisdom

Steve (spotless 2000) thank you for your offer - I think I will take you up on your offer and will email you to discuss further.

The most surprising point of all this is my friends and family - they seem to think its a job below me and almost look down their noses!. I have always thought a window cleaner was honest work and honest pay - still F*ck em thats what I say.

It was good to read other people from financial services background doing so well at this job.

I got a booklet today from BWA which gives a good spreadsheet of expected turnover etc - what I really need is a good spreadsheet of typical costs in running a one man band small business - does anybody have anything like that they could share?

Also, someone mentioned canvassing - this seems to be a bit of a topic on here - I have never canvassed door to door before, so that should be interesting.

So much to do ....

My brother in law laughed out loud 4 years ago when I told him I wanted to be a window cleaner. He didn't laugh last year when I paid to have his mothers boiler replaced when he couldn't.

[Cleaning Buddy]

Thanks everyone, thats all brilliant and very reassuring. All I got to do first is decide on a trolley system or a van system.

Seen a good van system and what looks like a good set up on Ebay for £6250 - but seems a lot of money. Any thoughts anyone?