[Ian Rochester]

Andrew

I still remember reading you "diary" on here when you first took on your partner and were marketing/doorknocking to try and hit £200/day/person

[Andrew McCann]

Yup Lionheart.

It was on the "other forum" I was at the stage where too much for me but not enough for 2 so I went for £2000 every 4 weeks new business by doorknocking. Started between Xmas and the New year  2004.. in the dark.. sometimes wet etc. I think I missed out 1 night because of really bad weather if i remember correctly. I had decided to get the target by the end of Jan.. well in fact I had to to pay our way. I think it was achieved with about 10 nights to spare.

I've only ever had 1 rude idiot answer the door so i gave myself the luxury of using the Queens English to the full   

Andrew

[david68]

Use to work Plaster Decorative Moulding fitting and supplying.
Was diagnoised with cancer.
Docs said to keep away from the plaster, No good for my type of cancer.
Docs said have a rest.
So i thought wc as it will keep me very active.
Brought around couple a months ago, but had to get my money back from the bloke who sold it me because is round was only half left.
Now re approaching the is old customers and getting some good results.
So slowly but surely im starting to rebuild it.

Regards Dave

[JohnL]

David68 best of luck to you 

Lionheart

sausage rolls mmmmm  -  yummy,   -  pig-snouts

and 'formed ham' even yummmier  - mmmmmmm  .  .  .   aaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh

if people really knew what supermarkets were selling them '' because thats what the customer wants ''  blah blah blah

I arrived in the WC world after a pretty tortuous route following the little swim Robert Maxwell took some 12 years or so ago. I ran one of his £20,000,000 a year packaging companies running 24-7 363 days a year and was on call for all that time so WCing etc is a little easier on the sole now

JohnL

[Cleaner Windows]

I started wc about 6 years ago now, with nothing but a car, bucket, 2 cloths no money behind me just a need to do something with my life as i was drinking heavily and on the dole at the time.

at first I could only clean bungalows as i didnt have a ladder (or one of your pole systems i hear about)
it was very slow going at first with only about 3 customers that I got from knocking doors but eventually it picked up and I could afford to buy some roof bars and a ladder...I was well chuffed

[Allways Cleaning]

Greetings all, many thanks for your replys. i am sorry i have not replied earlier but i lost my broadband connection for severall days due to an incompitant decorator (me!) so a big thank you to all who have replied i have read them all and taken on board the various ways you have entered the heady heights of window cleaning!!
to sumerise
Beefy.
you made it work for you! and i could to, thank you.
SCS.
its in your blood you have made a good business a template for success? well it should be.
Chris@cms.
mmmmmmm motivation.... the key   
Dave@ST-IVES.
Great start.... hop u still enjoy it.
Paul Mather.
like the Thompson idea, hope u like w/c still.
Paul Griffin.
Bum start in w/c you did alot in 1 day , You are very determined man!
The Shiner.
Door knocking seems to be the way...my x neighbour was royal mail and jw now w/c and jw loves it to bits..
Mfwindowcleaner.
would love to tell W***** boss to shove it! door knocking again there seems to be a pattern....keep going.
Ronaldo (sorry not keen on the name at the moment no offence meant)
So you can learn some thing usefull when on holiday   10 years on and going strong so u must be good!
Lionheart.
made a top business in 4 years seriously good....
Tosh.
Why did u pick w/c when u left the army was there a sound business reason.. you probably could have had the pick of many jobs in both private and public sector..but your doing well as far as i can read
Julianbiggs.
canvessing... again seems the way..retail yep done it and servicing miss it sometimes though.
Andrew McCann.
yes you are right i was after how people got into w/c the mechanics as it were but have enjoyed the replys all the same. ah hah the answers i was trying to get ie doorknocking no partners keep going till u get the ammount you want to earn and some, work on a Saturday mmm ok its all comming togeather now... thanks good info
david68.
one way to keep fit ... does it help? see what you mean about buying round (what would u do?) hope u have got your money back now its a risk i can see that but have no money to invest in buying a round so will have to build mine from scratch. glad to see u are getting some old customers back.
JohnL.
was w/c the first job you thought of when bob went for a swim? or was it pot luck how did u get your customers?
denisholden.
so i take it door knocking was your way of expanding your round and i take it worked? after 6 years do u regret getting into w/c? or are u going to keep with it. ever thought of getting a water fed pole there very good...
thanks all hope i have not left anyone out appologise if i have anymore contributions on how u started up and expanded your rounds would be most welcome dont be shy now just a few lines will do.
regards
Paul.

[Paul Coleman]

A question for you Paul Vernon.  I may have the wrong guy but did you used to live in or near Crawley (the one near Gatwick NOT the one in Hampshire) ?

[Allways Cleaning]

hi Shiner allways lived in hants. well allways in southampton is there a dopple ganger about mein gott what next
regards

[Paul Coleman]

hi Shiner allways lived in hants. well allways in southampton is there a dopple ganger about mein gott what next
regards

There was a window cleaner around this way a few years back with the same name as you.  I've no idea if he's even still trading as many W/Cs seem to come and go.

[Fast 1 *]

left school,went straight into the building trade working for my dad,which didnt work out.specialised in brick work,plastering,dashing etc.Always wanted to work for myself,but at the time i was more interested in clubbing and women.Worked for various builders,but nine times out of ten resented it because of the money they were making out of me.Tried going it alone,but work dried up,so worked on sites for a while,which completely put me off bricklaying.Then my mate asked me if i wanted to go into window cleaning with him and i thought why not.Went knocking every night in january,and pulled in a nice bit of work.Unfortunately the partnership went pear shaped,so we went our seperate ways and split the work in half.Have still got alot to do,but i know it will get there(as long as there is no ladder ban)Sometimes it gets you down,but all in all,it was the best thing i ever done.I talk to people,and they constantly moan about their boss or their salary,and that keeps me going....

[shammy davis jnr]

was a welder till ravens craig shut  got offered a good paying job in germany with balfour beaty  but had just bought my first house at the time and did not want to leave
thought long and hard about it  mmmmmmmmmmmmmm let me think work twelve hours a day  working behind a four inch blacked out bit off glass breathing in toxic poop all day our do some thing totaly diff
the next day i borrowed ladders a bucket  and fifteen years down the line i have two vans and five books in employees
whish i could still weld lol
its brilliant window cleaning wish i had done it when i left school all the best for future  yours  the davis

[mark dew]

Was doing factory work through agencies. Never knowing if i had work the following week.
Girlfriend suggested WC.
Our own WC gave moral support and told us his price per window. (50p)
Cleaned 1st window around may 2004 using bucket, sponge and chamois leather.
Started off with no customers and advertised for 1 month in local paper.
Got a little poor quality work scattered all over town.
Put another advert in a parish magazine and picked up work in the villages.
Dumped all town work never to return and leafletted villages where i had work.
After 2 weeks of using a sponge and chamois leather my arms felt like they were going to fall off and was introduced to scrim and squeegee. Saved!!
1st job a bungalow took 3 hours!!! 2 years later takes 15-20 minutes trad and now 10 wfp.
Took me over 6 months to consistently earn £10 an hour.
Found this forum and never looked back.
The quality of my life has never been better.

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

hi all

i started in nov of 2004 less than two months before getting married , gave up my job after a fualty drill at work went through my hand  and when i told my boss he said if it was fautly i should of been more careful. so gave him my notice right there and then and worked straight out . took me sometime picking up work but got there in the end. my very patient wife ..has been a great help ....now i have a nice van a pole sytsem and can choose who i want to work for or  not.. and growing nicely.

shawn

[Allways Cleaning]

Hi The Shiner
OOh how strange i havnt got the most common of names so that suppries me i do know there is another person in southampton with same name so perhaps i am more common than i first thought 
but the fact he was/is a window cleaner is a coincidence in as much i am still trying to find the best method to get customers and start window cleaning hence this post.
Fast One
OOOOh i know what u mean co i work for makes loads a money out a me i dont get holiday pay or sick pay and have to take any old s*** they give me to do so work has dried up a bit i work on railway loads of blokes out of work not  good depressing or what
most of the guys moan about where we go from Waterloo to Exeter big area and we are working in south london etc booo. so u went door knocking for work seems to be the best way to get work..
Shammy davis Jnr
i am constantly amazed how many people on here just say bugger it and just go and do it no ifs or buts just start w/c you must like it or you wouldnt do it which generally seems to be the pattern. When i left school (long time ago) my career advisor never mentioned w/c. Thank you for the reply the davis the replys which i recieve spur me on even more.
mark dew
hi mark parish magazine good idea, was thinking of trying one of those trade boards that b+q and the like run, where you have a stack of your cards in a holder on the wall. wondered if anyone has had any success with them.
all in all its been a good move for you thanks for reply
shawn
shawn you dont say now you managed to get your customers. did you door knock to begin with? its nice to read about all these happy and successful window cleaners it allways takes time to build a round and get some decent money in so i must stick with it when i get going!! thanks for reply