[cleaniac]

I just don't know what to do.    I am genuinely stuck!

This last year has been really positive with the window cleaning business & I am on the verge of making a key decision. Do i go for it, pop down to my commercial vehicle dealer buy another van, stick someone in it, and canvass my backside off? Or look at something else. My customers signup list is nudging 60k on the spreadsheet now (and that does not include extras) and i'm still only working 4 days a week, and that's not like working nuts days either..

The problem i have is I find the job BORING, anything window cleaning related, the equipment, the customers, the work, I feel like i have had enough of it (nearly 17 years now). Do i really want to commit myself to a business that I find dull for a further 5 or 10 years whilst i strive to make it grow with employees, dealing with complaints, dealing with bad attitudes on both the customer side and employee side?

Over the last 2 years the weather is starting to get to me too, both summertime when its too hot, and winter when its cold and damp plus its becoming harder to predict what the weather is doing than ever before, and yes to a degree with employees you mitigate that on a personal level, but still the window cleaning business is to a certain extent reliant on fairly decent weather, especially for growth and good profits .  I have a couple of other businesses that i can spend more time on, one the engineering business in Basingstoke, and another small business that is showing promise.

And then of course there is this whole Brexit thing, is it wise to finance another vehicle, and equipment and commit to employees and put myself under pressure to gain more customers, when half of them might sell up and leave the county anyway?

Need some perspective guys...any opinions?
 

[nathankaye]

Mark, am i right in asking that it has been you in the past who has struggled with mental health?
Got bored in the past as well?
Or am i completely wrong.., my memory aint good these days with stress etc.
But if so, youve been pushing and pushing for this move for a while now. Its all weve been hearing.
Perhaps this push has taken its toil on you at the moment. Perhaps take a needed vacation if possible and relax.  Rethink/remotivate after a rest and  hopefully be in a better place to decide upon such a big deciscion?

[cleaniac]

Yes that's correct. I had suffered from mental health issues in the past.

I suppose its nice to be in a position of being able to take the window cleaning business to the next level if i wish to.

I do have some holiday booked in May, so looking forward to that..

[Smudger]

I think we all get bored at times, there are some of us that thrive on change ( although I was in engineering for nearly 30 years I used to change jobs (other than redundancy) after 3 years for a fresh challenge ) - it was simply my nature

I entered window cleaning 10 years ago - my aim was never to be on the glass after 7 years and hopefully by year five which by and large I managed - yes after 4 years I hated the glass but the thrill of getting another van, new work and new challenges have kept the interest going ! - it maybe you just need to move it forward another van does not mean 10k of debt - get a tidy van for 2k tops - diy it and train some one up ( train them before getting another van ) - really your not ready yet for an employee with only 4 days week  - but it may be the push you need

try not to think of these thinks as problems/hassle but new exciting challenges

as for Brexit - well I doubt there will be a mass exodus overnight (unless all your customers are high end management that are europeans) - new opportunities and trade will surface - what they will be no one yet knows - thats the fun of Brexit and the politicians will need to learn how to govern and make trade deals with new countries

as for your engineering company, I would have thought this was more vulnerable than the window cleaning

all the best

Darran

[Spruce]

This is a very personal thing and only you can deal with it and make the decisions you need to for your future.

In my 50 years of working I have only had 2 jobs that I've have really enjoyed. They were 8 years out of the 50. These were the only jobs where I was eager to go to work each day.

Window cleaning isn't one of them. This is my first time as self employed. I am too old for the modern working world and drained of ambition to become a window cleaning force in our area. But I am glad that window cleaning has paid the rent and the bills for the past 15 years I've been doing it. We aren't rich but we get by. We have had some tough times when the weather isn't good etc.

Its all about how you see and perceive things.

I'm grateful that I don't have to do an 8 hour a day 5 and a half days a week. I couldn't do that anymore. I'm grateful for my customers who are the nicest people because they put up with me.  I can only do a third of the work I used to do 12 - 15 years ago.

I find window cleaning to have zero mental stimulus. My son says I'm the only person he has ever seen you can slip into a coma and still remain standing. But then I think that there are many more jobs with the same repetitive thing every day. I couldn't imagine being on an assembly line fitting the same part or parts to the same product day in and day out. In my opinion that's got to be worse than window cleaning. Can you imagine being on the checkout at Aldi?

We have some stresses which are window cleaning related, but compared to chasing monthly sales targets that increased every year, my stress is nothing when compared to what I had.

With window cleaning we have a regular customer base which we return to every month or every 2 months. I was talking to a retired carpet fitter and he was saying how fortunate we are. He had a really large customer base, but because he might only see a 'regular' customer every 4 or 5 years, he had to keep advertising to stay in business. 

 My van is basically my biggest concern because without it I couldn't work.  I've had a front suspension failure on Friday, took it apart on Saturday and have ordered parts today which will be delivered shortly on the delivery van. Hopefully I will be out tomorrow.   I don't have to worry about an employee or paying his wages if times get tough.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring. What we do know is that economically things are going to get worse for most of us as the value of our money drops quicker than wages increase.

My son joined us July 2008. I had too much work for 1 person but not enough for 2. Then the credit crunch hit the country in October. I honestly was panicking as British steel was the main employer in our area and they were closing down. We rushed out to canvass like crazy as I feared that if we lost 30% of our customers we would be sunk.

I lost 3 customers in total. All three worked for British Steel. 2 came back within 6 months. The third didn't. I was happy about that as she was a right battle axe. 

I can remember Vin from Perfect Windows was the one who was the inspiration to keep pushing on. He said that we should continue as if nothing has happened. We didn't cause the problem; don't accept the monkeys of the ones who caused it.  We are still here and Vin was right. He was also new to window cleaning then and he is still here and doing well.

I think the best way forward is to franchise rather than employ. This way the franchisee will see the benefit in motivating himself to work hard and earn his keep, whereas an employee hasn't the same commitment.

.
 

[Spruce]

Yes that's correct. I had suffered from mental health issues in the past.

I suppose its nice to be in a position of being able to take the window cleaning business to the next level if i wish to.

I do have some holiday booked in May, so looking forward to that..

Could it also called the winter blues? The wife suffers from SAD syndrome. And lots more as well. 

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

If you're bored earning 60k for easy part time work and being your own boss then IMO I doubt any "next step" is going to change that. Personally I would concentrate on making your current mindset better before committing to anything! There would be many "thrilled" to be in your "work" shoes.👍

[dazmond]

personally I dont mind window cleaning as short hours see i dont get too bored with it all, listening to music on your ipod or downloading some podcasts/audiobooks,theres loads of interesting stuff out there for you to listen to while your working if you so wish....

most of the time im happy with the peace and quiet while window cleaning and the occasional chit chat and a coffee with my customers....time flies....

however i cant think of anything worse than pushing on and employing,putting another van on the road etc and all the hassle and stress that would go with it....its not for me....

i had a guy the other day...."why dont you get people working for you".....they always seems surprised when i say i dont want any..im happy the way i am.....as if being happy with your lot is not enough....

bad weather doesnt bother me either...i see it as a challenge to see what i can still get cleaned!

[dazmond]

day off today as my van is in the garage having the diesel leak fixed on my heater....dropped it off at 830am then a nice walk to the barbers for my haircut,a good session in the gym,lunch and now a chilled afternoon before i pick it up at 4pm(ish),then ill go and chase a few debts up tonight at 6pm before im back at it tomorrow...

the flexibility,money,short hours,virtually stress free work makes me love window cleaning....whats not to like?

simple and straightforward is good....i also thrive on routine.....

[deeege]

I can’t think of a single business that is less exposed to Brexit/financial crash than a domestic window cleaning round. Can you?

Leasing a van is hardly a massive commitment that is going to make or break you should you change your mind further down the line.

Do you struggle working alone and not having somebody to chat to whilst out working Marc? I get the feeling that’s the case and that’s why you start the occasion thread like that on here.

Not a dig, just an observation.

[cleaniac]

Yeah I think I do struggle being on my own.

Some very good comments and opinions to take on board.

[Shrek]

I’d personally carry on as you are but without pushing it. Look to invest in something were you DONT have to work for the money but your money works for you instead.
Become a property millionaire or something instead , there’s a lot of southerners investing in Yorkshire because of the low property prices and high yields.
Iv always believed in having ‘something else’ to pay the bills , so I don’t have to rely on any one thing to feed my family.

[cleaniac]

I’d personally carry on as you are but without pushing it. Look to invest in something were you DONT have to work for the money but your money works for you instead.
Become a property millionaire or something instead , there’s a lot of southerners investing in Yorkshire because of the low property prices and high yields.
Iv always believed in having ‘something else’ to pay the bills , so I don’t have to rely on any one thing to feed my family.

That is actually something that I have been doing, a small venture that might come off.

[Spotfree]

I have to agree with Peavey, you have to ask yourself if your better getting bored being a window cleaner with the freedom it affords. Or would it be better being stuck working for someone where you have no freedom at all?
Just imagine being stuck at work at midday being on a downer and not being able to go home till 5 pm.


Or going to bed on a Sunday night with that feeling of dreading another week at "that place"  with all the whinging deadbeats stood around the coffee machine slagging the boss off and whining about the job. I've been there too many times and will never go back.


I'm still not bored of cleaning windows, 10 years on. If things do get a bit stale I just get a new brush or something, keeps me interested in what I'm doing. Maybe a nice new shiny van and some new equipment could be just what you need? Certainly would make me happy.

[Missing Link]

£60k a year, working part time, and worried about buying a 2nd van?

I smell something.

[robbo333]

Marc
Why you don't you get yourself a holiday, get away for a couple of weeks, get a bit of sun!
Sometimes, it takes a change of scenery to help you focus and help you make some decisions.
Whenever I go on holiday I always buy a pencil (not a pen) and an A5 drawing pad (no lines).
I come up with all kinds of crap...but it works for me!

[Status Check]

I just don't know what to do.    I am genuinely stuck!

This last year has been really positive with the window cleaning business & I am on the verge of making a key decision. Do i go for it, pop down to my commercial vehicle dealer buy another van, stick someone in it, and canvass my backside off? Or look at something else. My customers signup list is nudging 60k on the spreadsheet now (and that does not include extras) and i'm still only working 4 days a week, and that's not like working nuts days either..

The problem i have is I find the job BORING, anything window cleaning related, the equipment, the customers, the work, I feel like i have had enough of it (nearly 17 years now). Do i really want to commit myself to a business that I find dull for a further 5 or 10 years whilst i strive to make it grow with employees, dealing with complaints, dealing with bad attitudes on both the customer side and employee side?

Over the last 2 years the weather is starting to get to me too, both summertime when its too hot, and winter when its cold and damp plus its becoming harder to predict what the weather is doing than ever before, and yes to a degree with employees you mitigate that on a personal level, but still the window cleaning business is to a certain extent reliant on fairly decent weather, especially for growth and good profits .  I have a couple of other businesses that i can spend more time on, one the engineering business in Basingstoke, and another small business that is showing promise.

And then of course there is this whole Brexit thing, is it wise to finance another vehicle, and equipment and commit to employees and put myself under pressure to gain more customers, when half of them might sell up and leave the county anyway?

Need some perspective guys...any opinions?
 

You're too comfortable with the money you bring in. If you are skint you will go out and work and enjoy it more. You need to buy another van and more equipment, spend loads on marketing and put yourselves under pressure again. If you place pressure on yourself your business will grow and you will enjoy it more. Get up to three vans then sack yourself as a window cleaner and hire yourself as marketing manager.

[Lee Pryor]

I just don't know what to do.    I am genuinely stuck!

This last year has been really positive with the window cleaning business & I am on the verge of making a key decision. Do i go for it, pop down to my commercial vehicle dealer buy another van, stick someone in it, and canvass my backside off? Or look at something else. My customers signup list is nudging 60k on the spreadsheet now (and that does not include extras) and i'm still only working 4 days a week, and that's not like working nuts days either..

The problem i have is I find the job BORING, anything window cleaning related, the equipment, the customers, the work, I feel like i have had enough of it (nearly 17 years now). Do i really want to commit myself to a business that I find dull for a further 5 or 10 years whilst i strive to make it grow with employees, dealing with complaints, dealing with bad attitudes on both the customer side and employee side?

Over the last 2 years the weather is starting to get to me too, both summertime when its too hot, and winter when its cold and damp plus its becoming harder to predict what the weather is doing than ever before, and yes to a degree with employees you mitigate that on a personal level, but still the window cleaning business is to a certain extent reliant on fairly decent weather, especially for growth and good profits .  I have a couple of other businesses that i can spend more time on, one the engineering business in Basingstoke, and another small business that is showing promise.

And then of course there is this whole Brexit thing, is it wise to finance another vehicle, and equipment and commit to employees and put myself under pressure to gain more customers, when half of them might sell up and leave the county anyway?

Need some perspective guys...any opinions?
 

You're too comfortable with the money you bring in. If you are skint you will go out and work and enjoy it more. You need to buy another van and more equipment, spend loads on marketing and put yourselves under pressure again. If you place pressure on yourself your business will grow and you will enjoy it more. Get up to three vans then sack yourself as a window cleaner and hire yourself as marketing manager.

This is good advice that works for me

[Slacky]

I'd stop telling my customers I'll be with them on a particular day in the future. I have never worked to that degree of inflexibility. It would do anyone's head in surely?

[tlwcs]

I'd stop telling my customers I'll be with them on a particular day in the future. I have never worked to that degree of inflexibility. It would do anyone's head in surely?

Completely agree with this.
I used to work your way Marc and felt like the business was running me.