All i will say is that there are people that are built to employ and people that are not , i am the later type , i failed because i jumped in too early , did not weigh up the costs , i just went out and got a second van filled it with nice gear and waited for the money to roll in , it did work to some degree but cashflow was soon a problem , plus i took on some right planks !
Back then there was none of this pension nonsense , the government gave me £500 to start then £500 if my man was still in a job after 6 months , longest 6 months of my life that was , it went some way to covering the layout , i reckon i broke even after about 18 months , but by then i had thrown in the towel , i paid too much , was too nice a boss , not really meant to be a boss !
Hence why i am back on my own , working less and earning more than before , i dont do stress these days 
Having said that , you could be the man to do it , just have good cashflow and be prepared for as others have said , a bit of rough before the smooth comes , it will come if its meant to , good luck and dont be a me
lol
im hoping to give it a try next year (never know if its for you if you dont try) but i think i will be sensible take someone on a couple of days a week and work with a two man system before i go the whole hog of employing someone full time and buying them a new van. Bit daft that would be 
Im hoping it will be for me because i dont want to spend the next 30 years of my life getting up to clean windows everyday.
you wont mate.judging by the state of your van and your attitude in general you ll be out of this game in a few years.your hearts not in it.
im hoping i will be fit enough to be cleaning windows for the next 30 years.ill be 75 then so probably time to retire.the guy who i used to work for 25 years ago is still going at 69 and another guy at 71 and both guys look years younger than their age!
as for employing ive had around 80 lads working for me over the years.never again.most were an absolute waste of time.sacked most of them within a week and mates within a few months.i hated every single min of it.
My vans in a state because I can't really afford to sort it out at the minute and I'm rushed off my feet trying to get through a batch of 50 first cleans I've just had canvassed for me. I might not have a shiny new van on finance or love window cleaning as much as you do but I'm not a quitter.
I've invested almost 10 grand into window cleaning so I don't intend to give up anytime soon.
You are right though, I don't love cleaning windows everyday, some days I love it and some days I think oh no another day. The main thing that gets me down is the weather I find that side of it a bit depressing.
I realise you are happy being a sole trader and the freedom it offers etc and that's great but personally I would feel like not living up to my potential if my aim in life is just to be a window cleaner earning ok money and going through the motions forever.
The thought of still cleaning windows in my 60s makes me feel a bit ill. I want to have retired by then hopefully having a small business working away for me supplying my income.
Im starting to see window cleaning as a great business opportunity rather than a job.
As for employing I've read all the downsides but having been a good employee myself in the past myself (10 years in one job, 5 in another) I know the right people must exist otherwise how would the world work.
the thing is adam being a window cleaner is just a little part of who i am.im not JUST a window cleaner if you know what i mean.im also not "just going through the motions".its a steady occupation with good money which always improves every year.lots of freedom and very low stress.
do you know how much i earned this week for 4 and a half days work on my own?over £1100.to me thats fantastic money and i can live on it very comfortably.why would i even want to employ with all the hassle that goes along with it?
.....and every day...every week...every month.....every year im honing and refining my work to make it a bit better and more profitable(like ive been doing for years)
i like familiarity,routine and order in my working life.i cant handle stressful situations very well and i like to be in control so window cleaning is perfect for me.
