[Walter Mitty]

The 3 year old van with tank fitted cost me £10.5k originally.
Poles must have cost me another £3k over the years (I include one pole that was £1.7k.)
A trolley, backpacks, reels, a non-standard size holding tank (so it could fit through the door), membranes, resin, water, unit rental etc., I dread to come up with a number really.
And don't get me started on van repairs and vehicle hire.
Ouch!
Whichever way I slice it though, apart from the first year when I converted to WFP, the profit has always been more than trad bevcause the higher turnover far outstrips the higher expenses.

[SeanK]

What he's really trying to  say is five k on crap n rest off its on vision that's y he's  slating  it because  he wants it all to himself  lol 😆 😆 😆

 

[SeanK]

Easily around the £20k mark and easily £5k of that on crap like Dragonflys and Brodex alloys.

20k?for a sole trader?what van have you got sean?has that been your main outlay?

Dazmond, around £10k on a van( Dispatch) about £500 to have it wrapped £2500 on a ready built system and £1500 on a gutter vac. £600 on a Dragonfly indoor kit with extra mops.
Poles advertising and all the rest at least £2k and would easily add another £3k since then on bits and bobs and better poles.
Had a nice redundancy package burning a hole in my pocket at the time.

[dazmond]

hopefully you ll make it pay over the next few years sean with that outlay.

ive tended to buy cheaper older vans and built  DIY systems but spend lots on the best poles,workwear and wet weather gear and boots!oh and a private number plate for my van!

im not interested in gutter vacs and indoor dragonflys etc.i stick to window cleaning and add ons with existing equipment.im on course to turnover close to 42k this year as a sole trader which is more than i ever could of imagined even a few years ago.

looking to the future i think ill stick with DIY systems but invest in a nearly new van in a few years.

best wishes


dazmond

[SeanK]

To be honest Dazmond that's been over a period of 7 going on 8 years and I would say unless something very unexpected
crops up your only talking around £2k a year over 10 years which doesn't sound as bad when put like that.
Less if you consider you will still have some capital value left in the equipment.
Vans can be a hard expense to work out which way is best, you can buy cheaper older vans and change them more often
or buy newer and keep them longer, I think at the end of the day there isn't much difference in cost both ways.
I was intending to keep my van for 10 years but with the small amount of miles I do yearly and the way the van is wearing
I could certainly get another 5 or more years from it, so will hang onto it.
The gutter vac was a bad buy for me at that price as you cant get the prices needed in my area to cover that sort of cost.
A cheaper model would have been more cost effective.

[Soupy]

Some interesting reading there.

I've always wandered what the market value of our defenders might be.

Take Stig 2 for example:





What would the market value be?

Landy: 30k miles, 2008 worth (for argument sake) £10k ish

WFP: 2 man cold system. Baffeled 500l custom tank fits very low in the Landy. Full or empty, you wouldn't know it's there. 2x 270 degree directional Cox hose reels.

I appreciate that the set up is fairly 'niche', you either like Landies or you don't. Would there be a market? How much would you pay? Any ideas?

[Stoots]

For window cleaning, van, websites, clothing, signwriting, poles, van mount, etc about £2`000

[Dave Willis]

hopefully you ll make it pay over the next few years sean with that outlay.

ive tended to buy cheaper older vans and built  DIY systems but spend lots on the best poles,workwear and wet weather gear and boots!oh and a private number plate for my van!

im not interested in gutter vacs and indoor dragonflys etc.i stick to window cleaning and add ons with existing equipment.im on course to turnover close to 42k this year as a sole trader which is more than i ever could of imagined even a few years ago.

looking to the future i think ill stick with DIY systems but invest in a nearly new van in a few years.

best wishes


dazmond

We've only had 10 weeks this year and you're on course for 42k?
Dazmond, did you used to count chickens in your previous life?

[Mick Kent]

 

Again!!!

[chris turner]

how many on here still think turnover is how much they earn

For most on here turnover probably is how much they earn

[dazmond]

so?the same questions get asked again and again on here mick!

im just keeping the CIU tradition going!

[dazmond]

For window cleaning, van, websites, clothing, signwriting, poles, van mount, etc about £2`000

i bet you ve spent more than that mate in reality!how much did your van cost you?

[dazmond]

Probably way to much.
Iv sort of become addicted to buying new equipment, spent over £1000 last month alone, new pole, new membrane, 4 new brushes, new aquatap, new di vessel, new backpack, 2 new squeegees, new hose for main reel...
I find myself scouring the various sites almost weekly for any new products 

ive been through that stage before mate but after a while you tend to streamline what you need and realise that you have enough equipment/spares to make money for years to come with just a few little purchases now and then to keep your business running smoothly.

[SeanK]

Probably way to much.
Iv sort of become addicted to buying new equipment, spent over £1000 last month alone, new pole, new membrane, 4 new brushes, new aquatap, new di vessel, new backpack, 2 new squeegees, new hose for main reel...
I find myself scouring the various sites almost weekly for any new products 

ive been through that stage before mate but after a while you tend to streamline what you need and realise that you have enough equipment/spares to make money for years to come with just a few little purchases now and then to keep your business running smoothly.

Totally agree, I don't even keep a lot of spares now as things can be delivered so quickly and I have a trolley as a backup.
What would happen to me was I would buy a spare, keep it until it was needed and then find it was faulty with the
guarantee up.

[slap bash]

how many on here still think turnover is how much they earn

I totally agree with your statement. I so often read statements on here concerning pricing that leads me to believe you are right in your assumption. Some just there low prices as if they have expenses difference to your own business.  I would go future and say there are some with not business understanding at all. But because we operate our own businesses we can mess up the industry at will, with out responsibility to our fellow window cleaners.