[Oakley Windows]

What was the name of that guy that used to spout nothing but drivel about running a window cleaning business but wasnt a window cleaner?

[alanwilson]

Ian Giles??


just kidding!!

[peter holley]

yes i remember him ...what a pulonker he went by the name of dave

[Oakley Windows]

In a year he's gone from as novice a novice could be

Hello all.

 Left my job to go self employed as a full time Window Cleaner last April.

Need help on, trying to work out should I base my Hourly rate on 24 - 30 hours cleanning only per week?(based in the Midlands). What would be a the lowest rate for me to cover all expenses and make success of building a small business.
(or survive the 1st year).

All comments welcome.  Thanks

to someone who quite obviously knows absolutely everything.

Not bad for someone who didnt even know what hourly rate he ought to try for less than 12 months ago.

[mark dew]

nothing wrong with being a quick learner.

[L.J.Thorpe]

nothing wrong with being a quick learner.

Who said he'd learnt anything?

lol
matt and p holley
i think you mean.......DAVO
whatever happened to him

[peter holley]

thats the one  ???what a doughnut £200 for a  standard conservatory roof etc...

[windowwashers]

I think this is a normal problem with individuals or small firms, they think that every job they do has to be quality or there reputation as a window cleaner is tarnished.
Its actually complete nonsense and most of your work will come from marketing not from your extremely wonderful reputation.

You would be better of offering a range of services for your customers, having different prices for these services. Most importantly giving the customer what they want rather than what you think they need. All within the customers budget and still have a very good margin for the work you do for them, all done with honesty integrity and professionalism.

That is business, not having it based on your ego alone (reputation).

 

it is not ego (reputation) it means a good name over time for doing a good job.

Ewan how long have you been doing this ? a bad job is bad for business in this game you should know this, a bad customer talks always how bad you did. I prefer not to have this..

Your input please ............



Ian

[NWH]

Yeah and hardly ever how good you did it.

[windowwashers]

Yeah and hardly ever how good you did it.

hardly how good you do is far better imo than speaking freely how bad you do a job do you not agree NWH

[L.J.Thorpe]

nwh and ian
spot on
they love to tell others how crap you are
do a good job and cover yoursself
after 3 or 4 cleans the window that took 2 mins on first clean only takes 15 or 20 secs anyway
so why skimp

[L.J.Thorpe]

arrogant aint the word
most small business fold in 2 yrs
all the best mate
i prefer to do a decent job at worst
and a great job at best
has worked for me
and probably all those  repeat guys too

[tonyoliver]

ewan too true mate i am 20 years in and you make more on avarage than me my shame not yours .


you tend to sit on your hands after a while and do not chase and do not put up the price and as happened to me i have a full order book but with little profit yes i earn more than a police sargent or bus driver but they dont put up with half the hours grief and until wfp  the danger the topic was how we can improve our lot have healty busnisses and take on in some small way the big boys david  v golieth we can win and we must .
never give up hope of doing so .
we can all be winners the fighttback starts here

[L.J.Thorpe]

ewan too true mate i am 20 years in and you make more on avarage than me my shame not yours .


you tend to sit on your hands after a while and do not chase and do not put up the price and as happened to me i have a full order book but with little profit yes i earn more than a police sargent or bus driver but they dont put up with half the hours grief and until wfp  the danger the topic was how we can improve our lot have healty busnisses and take on in some small way the big boys david  v golieth we can win and we must .
never give up hope of doing so .
we can all be winners the fighttback starts here

how do you know he makes more than you :
all he has done is pst afigure about "average customer base"

[L.J.Thorpe]

average price
means nowt
average earnings count

[tonyoliver]

l j my prices are pants and some havent gone up in 18 years true dont laugh...... but it is true a eastern euro who was working in the same street as me came up to look at the system got talking and told me how his team worked .the chinaman did the tops 30 a day the lithuanin who was really a arminian  no papers got 25 a day as he didnt do ladders and the iraqi got 27 a day as he drove
the man the showed me his job cards am i chargeing too little he said  stunned card after card was double what i charged .
20 years in ........tax, insurance ,system and van et all i sorely need to work ony my pricing as the new custys subisdise my old ones and i am the loser there is always areason for not rocking the boat and i lose for not being brave

[peter holley]

i live in south wales

[L.J.Thorpe]

tony my prices are pants for some
sky high for others
look at your weekly or monthly turnover/profit
this is where you need to focus
forget "hourly rate" or "average price"
its a long haul over the year
fill it
some bits will be crap
some will be amazing,criminal even
refine
but always do it properly
and ALWAYS turn up
thats it really
you cant MAKE a five window house pay £10
so do it for a fiver
good enough nest pas

[windowwashers]

OK, I know I have not been doing this full time, for as long as a lot of you have. But I have been as honest and try to offer some advice.

You tell me then if I am doing things right so far, for the time I have been doing this my average customer valuation in the first 4-6 months was £8.50 then it continually has gone up so now the average customer base is £30.

I know what I am doing and I still have a lot to learn, I had an advantage in that my dad was a window cleaner.

In another year or so I guarantee this figure will be higher. Because I know it can be I just haven’t got there yet.

If you have been window cleaning longer than me and your average is less (sole trader) maybe you should listen. (If similar type of business).

Just because individuals have been doing window cleaning years longer than I have doesn’t mean they are learning, just repeating the same thing year in year out.

 

Ewan, I was not slating you at all just asking a question, if you have £30 average thats good, if you have 5 customers I guess not so good. My point was not about what you earn or the way you earn it more about methods that work and have done for a long time, I learn all the time I am not stupid enough to think I know it all as I do not, nor am I stupid enough to listen to some of the things posted on here. I am straight down the line in what I ask. straight to the point as always  


Ian

p.s I repeat what works me me, and evolve things that start not to, discard silly posts also

[L.J.Thorpe]

ewan
a friend of mine has an average price of £9.62
he has 471 customers
thats why average price means nowt
not trying to be a smart ass just making point as to why average price not important