[SeanK]

Timster the majority of new businesses fail because of the lack of cash flow, as Darren has said there is no set period for
building a round but you will still need to plan on how your going to cope if it does take a year or two, hopefully it wont.
You will need to keep a certain amount of your budget for any unexpected bills and so on.
You have a vehicle that's a start.
Do you have access to a water supply? do you have somewhere to store a trailer if you decide on a trailer set-up ?
Personally if I where in your shoes I would head over to Omagh and have a word with Arthur from Sureclean, he will sort you
out with something that will suit your budget and if you buy from him he will throw in a bit of training at the same time.
I'm going to gave a different take on Christmas cleans yes you are going to get a lot who will be looking for a one off but
when you have little or no work this is better than nothing just don't be alarmed when they drop off after Christmas  as it wont
be the norm.

[Dave Willis]

Be prepared to diversify a bit - there are loads of houses with dirty/blocked gutters and they are easy to spot. Don't canvass houses with really filthy windows - they will use you once only. Be polite, cheery and honest - once they like you word spreads, many windowcleaners are lowlifes, be smart, professional and do the best job you can. Eventually it snowballs and you'll be swamped.

[Perfect Windows]

I'll say it again, don't underprice.  Don't worry about what other people are charging, get more for yourself.  By all means tell people you're canvassing to put  second cleaner on the road.  Firstly it gives you and excuse for a delay to the first clean ("We're expecting him to start in six weeks") and it gives them confidence that you're not a fly-by-night.

Vin

PS Don't underprice.

[windowswashed]

With any new customers who have windows where the frames are black and covered in cobwebs and things explain that you initially charge double as it takes two to three times longer than normal to clean them and that the price will be half that for the routine, regular, cleans thereafter ........it weeds out some but not all customers who intentionally deceived you into a possible 'one off' clean. That way you at least cover the extra time it takes to clean really dirty windows.
As you pick up more customers you'll get wiser to who might possibly be a 'chancer' and you'll pick up the signs when in conversion with them upon introducing yourself whilst canvassing. Trust your gut instinct and keep a mental note so you can reflect on your intuition to see how many times you were right.
Good luck!

[SeanK]

Have to disagree with Vin, be honest with your customers as most can spot BS from a distance, there's no need for
it in this game if somebody needs a cleaner they will happily give you a go, again that's where the one off messers can help they
give you the chance to be seen cleaning in the area, so there's always a plus from every clean.
He is spot on about undercutting though.

[Smudger]

Sean or  vin -  both can work, depends if your comfortable playing the "poor but determined" window clearer who is making his way n the world..

Personally I always went down the " we clean your neighbours " in the road/next street/village route.
Always charge extra for the first clean - it's too demoralising spending hours on cleans to earn £30 for the day.

Oh yes...

Don't price cheap !!!!

Darran

[Tadgh O Shea]

Thanks for the reply .
I had no idea that it would take 2 years to build up a 350 - 400 a week round .

Is this pretty standard ?

I'm hoping that canvassing and sign ups will give me a better idea of potential income .

I've no kids , mortgage or finance to speak of .

Thanks

Hi Tim, first off welcome to CIU and just to share there are many other options and ways of developing good income from different aspects of cleaning where overtime you could generate more money to invest in a good van and high quality wfp equipment, if you like send me an email to info@jskcleaning.ie and i will be happy to share a few ideas with you under no obligation. Tadgh

[tonycarr]

Hi Tim.....i think it would be a really good idea to  help another window cleaner (preferably one that is outside the area you plan on working) out for at least a few days possibly a week or more until you feel comfortable with going it alone, offer to work for free, this way you get to see what equipment is used and how to use it. Window cleaning isnt rocket science, but there is a learning curve, if there was just one type of window with one type of frame life would be easy, but there are different types ie...upvc, wood, aluminium, powder coated aluminium, self cleaning, all can sometimes have there own method of cleaning, for various reasons, some glass you may have to do traditionally.  then there`s leaded windows, leaded arn`t a problem in themselves unless you get the really old leaded glass, you may have to do those traditional because if you WFP them the water will stream down the  inside.  we also use chemicals at times, again for various reasons, maybe 1st cleans, or when someone`s had a BBQ next to the patio sliding door, or maybe they water there hanging plants and your left with limescale  on the glass. You`ll learn how to overcome spotting and runs. and many other bug bears. Again all these areas are easy to deal with....once you know how.

working with someone just to be shown the ropes will benefit  you tremendously and will build your confidence

tony 

[SeanK]

Sean or  vin -  both can work, depends if your comfortable playing the "poor but determined" window clearer who is making his way n the world..

Personally I always went down the " we clean your neighbours " in the road/next street/village route.
Always charge extra for the first clean - it's too demoralising spending hours on cleans to earn £30 for the day.

Oh yes...

Don't price cheap !!!!

Darran

Why would you be playing the poor but determined window cleaner ? when I said be honest I don't mean tell them you only
have two customers, just don't feed them a lie where you might get caught out down the line and make yourself look foolish.

[Ian Lancaster]

Hi Tim,

I've built many rounds over my long association (nearly 50 years) with window cleaning and I've written a tutorial for effective canvassing based on my experience.  If you'd like some guidance email me.  Address on my website.

Cheers,

Ian

[lee_dewing]

Tim.

http://www.tecbuk.com/products/winning-at-window-cleaning

I found this book useful but by the time I'd read it I'd already been going 8 years.

Books only about a ¼ of an inch thick and I paid £25 it's gone up!

But basically it crunches the numbers how many days your actually work a year/month.
Pricing structures, equipment, canvassing etc.

Yes alot can be found out on here.
And there are some great people on here.

Youtube is very useful also, few guys on here have very good vids for van setups and also how to clean windows water fed pole and traditional.

I think one of the best lines in the book is being able to earn at least the national average wage in 3 days.
Don't expect to work 5 days a week every week!

I'd say 14 days work a month would be a manageable round for a one man band if you start getting more than 16 it will be hard to stay on time.

Keep refining your customer base, only take on work if it adds value to your round.
Not easy when you start !

(increases your hourly rate, underpriced work will obviously bring your hourly rate down).


If you make a mistake pricing tell the customers.
"I'm charging you the price I quoted today but next time it will be £x.


But keep canvassing for new work you won't get scared of increasing your prices or ejecting messers from your round.

It took me 2 years to have a round I was pleased with.

I worked for a window cleaner traditional for 18 month's.
Wanted to buy his round as he was retiring but fell out with him.

I do think if you could get a part time job it would help financially while you get nearer to where you want to be.

Obviously depends on your outgoings.
You might not need too!

I'd got made redundant from printing industry at 32 done it since leaving school.

Worked with a window 4 days a week and did 2 nights a week bar work, whilst building a round by canvassing so that's why it took me 2 years.

Best of luck to you Tim.
Take what you read on here with a pinch of salt, earnings, working in pouring rain etc.

Ps. Gardiner pole systems make very good equipment in my opinion.

But there are others on here also keep posting 

[paulben]

Try trad to see if you like cleaning and its the cheaper start up option , and freezing weather wont stop you with frozen hoses . If no one will show you the ropes practice on you own place until you get perfect results every time then practice some more to get quicker  . If you start in winter and can stick with the cold will prove to customers your not  a fair weather cleaner . when I started 10 years ago in January only made £17 almost gave up after 6 months through lack of work now I turn work down so stick with it.

[Mike #1]

If you don't have money to buy someone's established round I wouldn't think about it.

I'm 23 now been in business 5 years and I have just hit the 3k a month mark, my average house price is £11.54.
Which is great for the north east of England, I'm sure I will get some southerners laughing at me 
I started with no work just a van and tools... Believe me good customers are hard to come by, leaflets only work well if your doing 50k drops every couple of months.
Canvassing is possibly the best way, but it's sole destroying getting so much rejection(you might be used to this working in sales)
I would say a realistic startup cost would be 10k, this could get you a small round maybe £1000 a month, and a cheap van and DIY system

Thanks for the reply mate .

Where I live there is not the option to buy someone else's round , ad I'm hoping because of the small market that I can build on that .

And yes your right , being from a sales / retail background , I'm no stranger to ignorant customers and a fair bit of rejection .

My budget is pretty set at 4500 to 5000 max , so no way I could stretch to 10k for start up ! .
Prices for an older van and WFP system seem to be pretty good for my budget .

Although I do have a decent sized 4x4 , so I could start off with a trailer system , but that's not really ideal for me .

Define 4x4 if you have a Pick up truck then you will easily get a 400ltr  flat tank in the back strapped in with a full diy set up  for under £1,000  but you must be properly insured to carry a water tank .

[Spruce]

Being self employed isn't all that it's hyped up to be. The expression 'I want to be my own boss' was started by a franchisee seller to promote sales of his product. It takes a real sense of discipline to go out when the weather isn't good. It's too easy to 'give it a miss today and I'll work harder tomorrow to catch up.' Being self employed also means that you are supposedly free to run other errands and do favours you wouldn't do as an employed person. Family members are the worst 'culprits' - "are you going past the post office?" usually means more than is initially asked.

Most of us avoid one off Christmas cleans like the plague as we have enough work without them. They will also tend to be more dirty as they aren't cleaned regularly and so harder work.

But as Darran and Vin have said, if you have no work then don't be afraid to take them on. Price them higher and do a good job. Each good job you do adds to your experience. In a way each job you do is your advertising board. It may get you a regular customer. What is right for us and our circumstances ie. one off Christmas cleans, may not be right for you. But it doesn't mean either of us are wrong.

Once you have done the clean to their 'delight' then don't be afraid to offer a regular window cleaning service even if its for next Christmas. If they say 'no' then don't be afraid to knock on their door in a few months and ask again.  As Vin says, you will need to work twice as hard for everything you get to begin with. You need to walk, talk, eat & sleep window cleaning. Forget trivial talk for the next few years. 'Networking' must replace that.

When you clean a house canvass the neighbours. If you see someone cleaning their own windows, stop and politely offer your services.  If they say No then move on. Don't see rejection as a negative, see it as a positive - its one step closer to a 'yes'.

Canvass your area systematically. Record each street and the numbers as you door knock. If they have a cleaner then thank them, and in true Colombo manner, ask them for their cleaners name before departing. If its John, note that down. You are trying to get as complete a picture of the area as possible. Others may have George as a window cleaner. If you hear George has stopped window cleaning in the few years, you will have a list of some of his customers you can canvass. TBH most won't even know - sometimes they say they have a window cleaner to get rid of you. Leave them a leaflet and move on. We had one customer phone us afterwards to ask for a quote, and no, they didn't have a window cleaner. We have also had clients ask for a quote who already have a window cleaner. They either aren't happy with the service or are looking for a cheaper price. We aren't interested in the latter.

We know all of our customer's names - most fly-by-night window cleaners don't. Aim to run your business professionally from the start.

Listen to your customers - sometimes they are right. We were tipped off by a customer that the windows cleaners who worked her brother's street in a nearby town had had a tiff and stopped cleaning. We got one customer in that street and before we had finished we had another 5 or 6 approach us.
But then we have also canvassed a street on a customer tip and found nothing.   

My advise is to decide what your core business is to be and focus on that. Initially you may be tempted to offer other services as well, but they will eventually stifle your growth. We used to offer internal window cleans, gutter clearing, gutter fascia and soffit cleans, but we don't encourage them anymore. We are too busy with windows and I personally haven't the energy to take on other stuff. A friend of ours took on window cleaning alongside his garden care service about 5 years ago. It didn't work long term. he does the garden service side and his son does the windows and they don't work together. Remember the old saying; "A jack of all trades but a master of none" applies to window cleaning as well IMPO.

Darran has recently put a separate van on for pressure washing; that's fine as it can be treated as a separate identity with its own operator.

We still continue to do a number of fascia, gutter and conservatory roof cleans on an annual basis for existing customers. We do these despite some of those customers having their own regular window cleaner. We don't clash with other service providers.

You maybe tempted to take on internal cleans which can be done during inclement weather. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. We have a large internal commercial job we do every 3 months. We need to give a couple of days notice before each clean. The long term weather forecast is never right in our area. We have only done it once as we planned. The long term forecast for bad weather usually ends up to be totally the opposite.

We wish you the best for your future endeavours.

[paulben]

I run backpack with 25 l barrels out of a Mitsubishi outlander no problem so don't worry about a van yet

[lee_dewing]

Nice to see a fellow barrel user.

[Cookie]

Nice to see a fellow barrel user.

I run backpack with 25 l barrels out of a Mitsubishi outlander no problem so don't worry about a van yet

I started off with 25L barrels and a trolley - a good way to start WFP window cleaning IMO. However all the heavy lifting and the time it takes to refill the barrels at the end of the day is very tiring. Have now purchased a 350L tank & talking to the local garage about getting it installed...

[JSMC]

Some good advice on this topic.

Notepad and write door numbers down and mark them if you get a reply. If not keep trying until you do.

Defo start out traditional as it really does help.

Trolley or backpack a good idea for start up. Pick up can be used easily for the barrells.

What is water quality in your area? Buy a tds meter as this will decide how you set up making pure water. I live in soft water area n only use twin di to fill my tank.

[timsterT]

I'd like to thank you all for your input and replies . Some really great info .
I think I am going to contact a few companies  ( not too local ) to see if they are happy with me going out with them for a week to see if it's really what I want to do and go forward with getting started .
Then my plan is to canvas and canvas and see what sort of a base I can get built up .

A few people have given me their emails and I will contact them

Thanks

[Walter Mitty]

I run backpack with 25 l barrels out of a Mitsubishi outlander no problem so don't worry about a van yet

I had to work like that for a while when my van was broken.  It messed up my arms - my left elbow is still not right.  I'm knocking 60 though - a younger guy could probably get away with it.