[davids3511]

I just stick to the services that are related to window cleaning. i.e gutters, conservatories, fascias.

Makes you look more professional IMO

Totally agree. People don't won't jack of all, master of none....

Like that Ian Rochester fella. I heard he can't get a full window cleaning round together so had to diversify into domestic cleaning, leather cleaning/repair, carpet cleaning, wheelie bin cleaning and wait for it........ renting bikes out, christ how desperate must he be? Poor fella, had to take on 22 staff too.

[davids3511]

I just stick to the services that are related to window cleaning. i.e gutters, conservatories, fascias.

Makes you look more professional IMO

Totally agree. People don't won't jack of all, master of none....

but that's different. If you don't want to expand, say that, not rubbish those who do as 'jack of all trades'. That's what's rubbish.

garbage!!!!

Mlscontractcleaner: If you want to be a multi national offering all types of cleaning services, fine, but I prefer to be working on my own as a sole trader and so sticking to the type of work associated with window cleaning is as much work as I need. So don't just come on here and quote other peoples opinions as garbage!

But that's different. If people don't want to expand, say that, not rubbish those who do as 'jack of all trades'. That's what's rubbish. It's not staying a sole trader that's garbage, it's rubbishing those who don't.

[Smudger]

when starting out i did windows and gardening

within 2 months the 2 didn't mix with grass cutting/gardening running to a different cycle to windows and to be honest
the gardening side operating at much less p/h

now after 3 years we offer gutter clearing and all cleaning connected to windows - conny roof - cladding - solar panels etc..

now we have expanded and taking on new staff over the next few weeks we are considering pressure washing as now
the extra bodies are available for this service

Darran

[roundbuilder]

Everyone has there own needs and ways of doing things. I for 1 dont have time to do gardening, jet washing, carpet cleaning, office cleaning, i have no interest in adding those services. Con roofs, gutter cleans yes but thats as far as i go with extras providing they are regular customers as 1 there isnt enough hours in the day and 2 even if there was i prefere having repeat regular monthly simple work without hasstle.

[roundbuilder]

I just stick to the services that are related to window cleaning. i.e gutters, conservatories, fascias.

Makes you look more professional IMO

Totally agree. People don't won't jack of all, master of none....

garbage!!!!

Mlscontractcleaner: If you want to be a multi national offering all types of cleaning services, fine, but I prefer to be working on my own as a sole trader and so sticking to the type of work associated with window cleaning is as much work as I need. So don't just come on here and quote other peoples opinions as garbage!

Well said that man.

[Smudger]

Controlled expansion into other areas is perfectly ok and for a growing biz it's certainly a way forward - all the nationals offer
'One Stop' maintenance contracts ( even if they sub out )

some are happy only window cleaning and being a sole trader - others want to go bigger

personally i love the one off conny cleans that the customers regular windy wont do...

it's premium pricing all the way 

Darran

[GB Window Cleaning]

Everyone has there own needs and ways of doing things. I for 1 dont have time to do gardening, jet washing, carpet cleaning, office cleaning, i have no interest in adding those services. Con roofs, gutter cleans yes but thats as far as i go with extras providing they are regular customers as 1 there isnt enough hours in the day and 2 even if there was i prefere having repeat regular monthly simple work without hasstle.

My thoughts too mick, when a custy asks " can you clean my fascia's etc" i roll my eyes at them. Its too much hard work, But i still do it for relular custys. I dont mind conny roofs as much though

[neil kellett]

If carpet cleaning machines i.e portys could be left on the van, then perhaps it could be a runner.  But there are too many electrics, vaccs, motors and components on these new high end machines for them to be left on the van over night or for any extended period of time even in this weather - they can pack in.  If I get a call to do a carpet, ive got to strip out the gutter vac, the hose reel, and all the other bits and bobs, stand off etc to make way for my extractor, turbo dryer, chems, agitator, and all the attachments wands etc.  And all you have to do is forget one thing and your screwed - suppose you forget your stair tool, or the heads off your rotovac? It happens, Iv had to improvise more than once. Thousands of pounds worth of gear and that thing on your roofrack, whats it called - oh yeah - a ladder can make you just as much cash on a money for old rope gutter clean. 

[telfordwindowclnr]

Read all of the previous with interest. Must say that looking more professional just doing window cleaning is a load of tosh though. I am not 'a jack of all trades, master of none.' Like many others on here, I do lots of trades and am master at all. Why add it to my business unless I do it well?

My OCD tendencies suit cleaning. To do a naff job at one of my bolt on services would deeply offend my sensibilities. I like to leave every job thinking it is a thing of sartorial elegance, be it windows, fascias, solar, driveways, whatever. I take it personally when a customer is not happy with the standard.

My staff are uniformed, my new van sign written very well, I use professional standard equipment and chemicals without expense spared, my websites are professional, my business stationary well thought out and presented.

When I concentrated solely on window cleaning, I used DIY ladders, walked on roofs with dodgy angles, scrimped on my kit, didn't have a uniform, nothing. Offering more services has made me more professional and my business more profitable.

I frequently get an email asking for driveway, patio, decking, fascia, conservatory roof and regular window cleaning all from the same customer. I ask everyone why they picked me off the Internet and without fail they say they want to deal with one company who can do it all in one go.

I market my business, no longer as a window cleaning business, but a property cleaning business.

Guys who concentrate on windows can be very professional. Just because some of us offer more than windows does not make us less professional. Some may think it makes us more entrepreneurial...

[neil kellett]

 Some may think it makes us more entrepreneurial...


Yeah, until they see you pull your Karcher/ rug doctor out of the van.  Thats not a swipe at you  personnally no offense I don't know you but lots of  guys are not gonna invest in the right gear for their employees to wreck. A one man show who is passionate may well build up the gear.  But stripping out one set of tools to make way for another can be very cumbersome - hence the logic - get van mounted, get a full round and specialise in services that compliment WC. Does that make sense?

[telfordwindowclnr]

Some may think it makes us more entrepreneurial...


Yeah, until they see you pull your Karcher/ rug doctor out of the van.  Thats not a swipe at you  personnally no offense I don't know you but lots of these guys are not gonna invest in the right gear for their employees to wreck. A one man show who is passionate may well build up the gear.  But stripping out one set of tools to make way for another can be very cumbersome - hence the logic - get van mounted, get a full round and specialise in services that compliment WC. Does that make sense?

Absolutely it makes sense. It's unfair of some, and it is only some, to tar all with the same brush. I have worked for 2 years solid and made a very small profit. The rest has been ploughed back into the business. It pays to have the best kit though. I can do a a job in half the time with my £1400 pressure washer as opposed to my £500 petrol pressure washer AND the job is better.

If you are branching out, it takes time to do it properly, but you can diversify and be good along the way too...

[neil kellett]

Yeah, a jet washer is more robust, one with a Honda engine gx 390 or 340- bullit proof and could be left on the rig with a quilt or tarp slung over it.  it can be used in conjunction with a  gutter vac and compliment these out door services, washing down brick work on a conny clean or the like.
Carpets and windows just don't mix, someone with 3 or 4 grands worth of CC gear would probably be better off selling it and ploughing the money into marketting for the windows.  Let the body adapt to the one service.  Wanding needs to be done fairly regularly, if not done for a while a sudden once off can be touchy as the specific core muscles could atrify.

[Smudger]

i agree with Neil that carpet cleaning and window cleaning don't really mix - but that is my opinion based more likely
on the fact that i have no interest in carpet cleaning 

however as a biz you could have a van dedicated to CC and a van for WC - it's about planning.


Steve - love the post - rings true about the customer - cant stand it unless they are 100 % thrilled with the job
( being happy - is just not enough !! )

Darran

[mlscontractcleaner]

i agree with Neil that carpet cleaning and window cleaning don't really mix - but that is my opinion based more likely
on the fact that i have no interest in carpet cleaning 

however as a biz you could have a van dedicated to CC and a van for WC - it's about planning.


Steve - love the post - rings true about the customer - cant stand it unless they are 100 % thrilled with the job
( being happy - is just not enough !! )

Darran

Windows and carpets mix fine; I can't imagine where you get your information from. No need for separate vans, no need to buy cheap and cheerful equipment; we drive a Transit van and everything fits in fine, and stays in there what ever the weather. This has been the case for more years than I care to remember with no problems at all.

I didn't come on here saying peoples opinions were garbage I stated that some of the comments made were garbage and just shows a lack of experience.

[dazmond]

at the end of the day its up to you whether you want to diversify into offering other services.whether you want to expand or stay as a sole trader.

me?well i mainly just offer maintenance window cleaning with the add ons that i can do with the existing equipment i have like solar panels,conny roofs and fascias and soffits.

that way as a sole trader i dont have to buy other equipment and a large van to carry it so keeping overheads to a minimum.

i really like to keep things simple and concentrate on doing my main service of window cleaning well.reliable and trustworthy with the option of the add ons for my customers when they ask me if they accept my price.

some peoples remarks on guys that offer gardening,jet washing,office cleaning etc,etc because they dont have full rounds is ridiculous!!

some people actually want lots of different work,hassle and employees!coupled with higher earnings than they could earn as a sole trader.good luck to them!

im happy to work on my own.

[rg1]

i agree with Neil that carpet cleaning and window cleaning don't really mix - but that is my opinion based more likely
on the fact that i have no interest in carpet cleaning  

however as a biz you could have a van dedicated to CC and a van for WC - it's about planning.


Steve - love the post - rings true about the customer - cant stand it unless they are 100 % thrilled with the job
( being happy - is just not enough !! )

Darran

Windows and carpets mix fine; I can't imagine where you get your information from. No need for separate vans, no need to buy cheap and cheerful equipment; we drive a Transit van and everything fits in fine, and stays in there what ever the weather. This has been the case for more years than I care to remember with no problems at all.

I didn't come on here saying peoples opinions were garbage I stated that some of the comments made were garbage and just shows a lack of experience.

Well my "lack of experience" provides an income that allows me to live very comfortably, feed my family every week and take them on annual holidays. So I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong.

[neil kellett]

Carpet cleaning is not as straight forward as it looks on the business end to the naked eye i.e wanding.
To do it right there is a lot of prep and equipment (porty, airmover,counter rotator, vaccuum, power wand, steamer.
Attachments (floor wand, stair tool, solution vacc hose etc)
Extras (sprayer, tool box, perky groomer, stair brush, extension leads, vacc bags, flexes. 
not to mention the chems- presprays, rinses, stain removers de foamers, powders.

All this has to be hand balled four times - from shed to van, from van to job - do the job - and vice versa.

This is ok for someone who is only offering carpet cleaning.  But when youve a 650 ltr tank built into the chassis?  Obviously with the larger firms with multi vans its a go'er.  The OP was referring to one man bands was he not?  Even hardened, established cc'ers are struggling to generate work now, just look at all the second hand gear on the market.  Towels are being thrown in all over the place.

[mlscontractcleaner]

My gripe was not folk who don't want to offer anything other than window cleaning; that's fine and entirely up to them.

It's the muppets who stated that those who do offer other services only do so as a result of not having enough work to do, are desperate for the money, don't look professional, etc, etc.

If you do it properly you can make a very nice living from it. Even when the weather is doing it's best to blow the poles from your frozen hands you make money. Every day of the week we're in a night club, and have been for twelve years, keeping the place clean. Half a dozen times a week we're in someone's house or office cleaning their carpets. Six days of the week we're out cleaning windows.

These things definitely mix well, and jobs that started as a window cleaning client have turned in to five days per week contract cleans, with the price obviously going up considerably.

So, like I say, if you want to be a window cleaner and only a window cleaner that's your business. To slate those of us who offer more just shows plain ignorance.

[neil kellett]

Yeah, fair enough.  You might want to look at getting yourself a good Truck mount so if your that busy, if you hav'nt already.  I'd love to get The Prowler and link it in with the system to flush the carpets with pure.
I use the alltec advance but its a heavy little beast on account of it being twin vac.

Regards,

Neil.

[Nameless Drudge]

I think the gist of the original few posts are that when starting out then offering other services might hinder the development of a full window cleaning round,the "holy grail".

I have heard householders quite clearly state that they have not responded to leaflets or ads that offer multiple services and the reason being given was quite simply that they appeared to be "a jack of all trades".This leaves a doubt in their minds and if they want a window cleaner they feel more confident in replying to an ad for window cleaning only.

I therefore agree with some of the sentiments expressed by posters earlier on this thread.

This allows me to also become a "muppet"