Just a question. I started window cleaning back in 2002. Back then professional window cleaners were alot rarer, most chaps used old bangers and ladders i know this because i started with ladders and a banger. It wasn't until a year later that i bought a van and a year again went by and i bought a brodex e compact and started out on wfp.
Id say that between 2004-2008 were the golden years of wfp earnings . I was picking up commercial jobs left right and centre, as many others were too. Those were the days of another forum when it existed and momentum really picked up. Some people were earning in excess of £500 an hour doing massive blocks of flats or offices in a morning, when guys on cradles would take 4 or 5 days including all the health and saftey bs and wfp would sweep the work out from under thier feet.
Now it seems the opposite. Eveyone i have seen enter into windowcleaning do so thinking they are going to make a fortune, and in reality prices have fallen and become less lucrative. Plus so many people seem to be jumping into the window cleaning bandwagon thinking its easy money. But in reality its pushing prices down and reducing lucrative work. Im beginning to think that window cleaning is going to see a turndown as it saturates with more and more 'professional' kitted out vans and i have noticed that its getting harder to pick up regular customers as the customer base is getting younger and they just dont have the spare cash.
Whats your thoughts chaps?
£500 an hour?ciu is getting more ridiculous as times passes!
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i didnt go wfp until 2010 after 17 years on the ladders.things have steadily improved for me earnings wise year on year as well as working a shorter day actually cleaning the windows.
theres always been a lot of window cleaners about as theres lots of windows that need cleaning all over the area(and country)you work in.
yes theres more wfpolers and sign written vans about but at the end of the day if the customers dont like you as a person or your attitude stinks and you provide a crap service your gonna lose customers over time.
im happy with my current workload/income/prices etc.yes i do lose the odd customer here and there for whatever reason but theres always a new customer just around the corner.until this stops happening i wont worry about "other" window cleaners and their businesses.i concentrate on my own.
since the downturn/recession of 2008 my business has gone from strength to strength.coupled with getting computer literate in 2009,finding this site and wfp in 2010.its absolutely turned my window cleaning round into a good solid profitable business that i could of only dreamt about beforehand.
in fact when a lot of people had it good in the early 2000s i was struggling big time with money,debt and personal issues.