[Llaaww]

When I started I didn't have a ladder, so I washed all the downstairs windows in the area. One of the punters leant me his ladder for a couple of weeks until I could afford my own.

I walked about all day everyday for a month until I had enough dough to get a knackered old vauxhall cavalier with 3 months mot and a bleak future.

I worked my conkers off and got exactly the same car but newer. In the end I had about five of those.

In 06 I moved down to sunny cornwall with enough dough to get a van and wfp.

[Ian Lancaster]

After some inspiration .

What's your start up story and where your at now?

Late 1960's.  I was in my mid 20's and couldn't keep a job - didn't like being told what to do, was sure I knew better

I lived on a boat on the Medway, and the bloke on the next boat worked what hours he pleased, winter time only (spent the summers messing about in the boatyard) doing London schools for a firm called A F Cheese & Co.  Having just walked out on the latest idiot office manager I asked him next door if I could go with him.........

A year of so later decided to set up on my own - dead easy in those days - got a few hundred leaflets printed that said "I'll be canvassing in the next few days, if you're likely to be out please put this leaflet in the window"

Got better than 40%

Life caught up with me: got married, had kids etc.......

Tried a few other jobs over the years but always came back and started a new window round.

Got divorced.   Met someone new........ same old story.

Carried on window cleaning, on and off for 30+ years.  Mid 2000's started thinking about what I'd do when I retired.  Set up my own franchise network.

Now have 10 franchisees - would have had loads more, but who wants to graft that hard at my age?

[colley614]

After some inspiration .

What's your start up story and where your at now?

Late 1960's.  I was in my mid 20's and couldn't keep a job - didn't like being told what to do, was sure I knew better

I lived on a boat on the Medway, and the bloke on the next boat worked what hours he pleased, winter time only (spent the summers messing about in the boatyard) doing London schools for a firm called A F Cheese & Co.  Having just walked out on the latest idiot office manager I asked him next door if I could go with him.........

A year of so later decided to set up on my own - dead easy in those days - got a few hundred leaflets printed that said "I'll be canvassing in the next few days, if you're likely to be out please put this leaflet in the window"

Got better than 40%

Life caught up with me: got married, had kids etc.......

Tried a few other jobs over the years but always came back and started a new window round.

Got divorced.   Met someone new........ same old story.

Carried on window cleaning, on and off for 30+ years.  Mid 2000's started thinking about what I'd do when I retired.  Set up my own franchise network.

Now have 10 franchisees - would have had loads more, but who wants to graft that hard at my age?

Ian I honestly thought you were in your 30's. Don't know what gave me that impression.

[Richard Neal]

I had a completely different business with huge overheads and when i started a family i just couldnt make enough money, my wife suggested trying window cleaning so i started while still running the other business and realised after a year that this was the way to go!

 so i got rid of my unit, vans, staff and got on with the windows!

after 3 years i went wfp and i now have a good solid round and a lot less stress! the best thing i did was throwing my old business phone in the sea, i will never go back to my old trade  Cheesy

Richard - What was your old trade?


Andy

Andy I ran a caravan and motorhome repair workshop for 21 years

[magic moments]

Any more?

[Rob_Mac]

I am not a window cleaner but I was a window cleaner.

I remember saying to the guys I used to work with that £6.00 an hour was a good wage. Then I got to thinking that there was more out there.

I bought a set of domestic ladders for £20.00 and because I worked shifts I cleaned and leafleted before and after I went to work.

Within twelve months I had packed my job in ( I had equalled my salary by that point) and gone it alone. Within two months I had doubled my turnover and then ended up with a 700 strong domestic window cleaning business, with lots of medium sized commercial outlets and Britannia Building Society head offices.

I had a call from a client to look at Supermarket cleaning and decided to sell the window cleaning to an employee and concentrate on the supermarkets.

Into my 6th year of supermarkets and I would say I have pressure washed and cleaned nearly 200 of them, every year it has got busier and busier and i have no regrets.

I am away from home a great deal but the reward is worth it. In Southampton tonight and till Wednesday next week.

This is my thirteenth year of being self employed and apart from not seeing my wife as often as I would like I have just about everything I ever dreamed of!!!!

Rob

[boshravie]

Me? Oh thought you'd never ask! well I was a rebel as a kid, never went to school (unless it was art) so consequently found myself underqualified for any job other than factory work/petrol pump attendant (remember those days?) so I gave up and dropped out, punk rock, living in a squat, drugs etc.. went off to the states, married a cuban in Miami, ended up in Cal. Come home did a year in college (art & design) then started looking for work, had a painting exhibition in Greenwich, carried on looking for work, courier, bikes, vans ect. My girlfriends bro was a windy, carried around 2-3 wooden ladders at any time on his shoulder and worked like a demon, and had cash!! then the penny dropped, no boss, have a day as and when, so I teamed up with a west Indian mate and called ourselves zebra cleaning, he dropped out and became an art teacher, I brought his half of the round. In between then and now I have had three falls, so WFP came along, cheap trolley (fell apart) nissan van kitted out (stolen, stripped and burnt) brought another, sold it to the mate who carried three wooden ladders, and now Ive got a long wheel based traffic, 900 litre jobby, Gardiner lite weight poles, couple of honey pot websites, missus goes out once a week to canvas (legs and eyelashes) living in a four bed detached rent/mortgage free. working partime, wishing I was an artist!!

That’s a cracking story REACH 

[boshravie]

After some inspiration .

What's your start up story and where your at now?

Late 1960's.  I was in my mid 20's and couldn't keep a job - didn't like being told what to do, was sure I knew better

I lived on a boat on the Medway, and the bloke on the next boat worked what hours he pleased, winter time only (spent the summers messing about in the boatyard) doing London schools for a firm called A F Cheese & Co.  Having just walked out on the latest idiot office manager I asked him next door if I could go with him.........

A year of so later decided to set up on my own - dead easy in those days - got a few hundred leaflets printed that said "I'll be canvassing in the next few days, if you're likely to be out please put this leaflet in the window"

Got better than 40%

Life caught up with me: got married, had kids etc.......

Tried a few other jobs over the years but always came back and started a new window round.

Got divorced.   Met someone new........ same old story.

Carried on window cleaning, on and off for 30+ years.  Mid 2000's started thinking about what I'd do when I retired.  Set up my own franchise network.

Now have 10 franchisees - would have had loads more, but who wants to graft that hard at my age?

That’s a great story   

[colley614]

You had a productive day Magic?

[magic moments]

I gave a job to another windy today as it was out of my way and couldn't park,so after 10 mins of stressing went an approached my first other windie and offered him the house he was grateful and made me feel good,so on the way home pulled into a side rd ,banged the first door and a deal was made ,knocked the rest and nothing.

[CLEANCARE WC]

I gave a job to another windy today as it was out of my way and couldn't park,so after 10 mins of stressing went an approached my first other windie and offered him the house he was grateful and made me feel good,so on the way home pulled into a side rd ,banged the first door and a deal was made ,knocked the rest and nothing.

sorry magic your now banned, you have broke the first rule of CIU.....Its dump and replace with 2 

[Roy Cauldery]

I gave a job to another windy today as it was out of my way and couldn't park,so after 10 mins of stressing went an approached my first other windie and offered him the house he was grateful and made me feel good,so on the way home pulled into a side rd ,banged the first door and a deal was made ,knocked the rest and nothing.

sorry magic your now banned, you have broke the first rule of CIU.....Its dump and replace with 2 
 

[colley614]

I gave a job to another windy today as it was out of my way and couldn't park,so after 10 mins of stressing went an approached my first other windie and offered him the house he was grateful and made me feel good,so on the way home pulled into a side rd ,banged the first door and a deal was made ,knocked the rest and nothing.

sorry magic your now banned, you have broke the first rule of CIU.....Its dump and replace with 2 

Oh My God!! Wait until Tosh hears of the Blasphamy, where's the report to moderator button...........

[magic moments]

Well I forgot to mention,I got one from Ian Lancaster on here as well yesterday so I did get 2 more does that count?

[colley614]

Phew..... You were nearly in trouble then!

[CLEANCARE WC]

Well I forgot to mention,I got one from Ian Lancaster on here as well yesterday so I did get 2 more does that count?

Ok Magic Im willing to let this one go  I just thought I would see what its like to be a mod for a couple of posts 

[magic moments]

Cheers mate,I can only apoligise and if get In that situation again I know what do  lol.

[magic moments]

So many members so few storys come on guys and girls.

[Perfect Windows]

Army straight from school 6 years. Worked in a factory making Chinese meals, trust me the best by far not..after that. Security and door work for around 4 years. Old man always said to me, u can't beat a little window round. One day woke up and done just that, I got my mate we knocked doors all week after buying a start up kit for 30 quid, which I still use today...best move I did, as we all know with a good round the money is silly and hours are awesome. We now have 2 vans fully kitted out with wfp and vacs ect, and hold some very good contracts in the commercial sector.

And from the thread "What was your job prior to window cleaning?"

Tax office 14 years.
Benefit entitlement 2 years

Inconsistencyfrom London Cleaners?  Surely not!