[Mr Formby]

There must be the work out there for them then . So why not  go out and do some canvasing .
I started out with a old estate car

[macmac]

Actually you do get the other extreme where someone has blown his redundancy on a brand new van and system. I have seen a few of them as well.

they are the most dangerous imho

as the beat up old car with ladders on is happy to earn a few quid BUT in many cases he will not have to work for peanuts  ( thus driving down the price ) as he has a bit of redundacy to fall back on for a while till things pick up

the guy who has spent all his redundancy on a flashy system MUST work, he has to earn what he can, he has nothing else left and will do anything to justify his spending of all his money on it

Good post

I think the other way though.

Threat= old car & ladders = undercutter & can do a good job without much practice.

None threat= 15-20k investment in pro-wfp= He HAS to charge good money to cover his investment & will probably make a mess the first year.

Tony

[Craig 72]

I'm new to this forum and this lark in general so I don't want to get off on the wrong foot but there does seem a fair amount of snobbery (for want of a better word) among some of you fellas.I recently got laid off and from work and need to support support my family one way or another so somebody suggested window cleaning.Really enjoying it so far and I'm only using an estate car at the moment as a growing business doesn't warrant anything fancier yet.I admit the pricing thing is the trickiest part.I'm sure once a round is established you can afford to pick and choose but when you're just starting out you're keen to get customers and get the ball rolling,which can lead to maybe quoting a price that you're sure the customer will take (i.e under pricing a tad).I'm digressing a bit,but the fact is I bet even the most succesful of you started out with 'humbler' equipment compared  with what you use now.Gotta start somewhere!

[Glyn H]

I just hope your endearing understanding of the newbie don't jump up and bite ya on the arse bud. Too many numpties willing to do a job,just for the sake of earning a couple o bob would be the beginning of our demise

Your nearly all "newbies" to me!  with 32 years in the trade

Why would you think a new window cleaner is an idiot, that doesnt understand business.

[East coast window cleaning Services]

Nope i invested 5k straight off the Bat. If You wanna make a decent living then you gotta try get ahead of the competition. My Views are most estate summer brigade shiners will think nothing of undercutting the more profesional people as there outlays are so much less. Dont get me wrong there old boys round my way who have been doing it for 30 years and aint got vans, but for me appearence is everything if you wanna move to the next levels.
Do you have correct insurance in place to use the family car as a work vehicle?? out of interest

[NWH]

I just hope your endearing understanding of the newbie don't jump up and bite ya on the arse bud. Too many numpties willing to do a job,just for the sake of earning a couple o bob would be the beginning of our demise

Your nearly all "newbies" to me!  with 32 years in the trade

Why would you think a new window cleaner is an idiot, that doesnt understand business.

Your getting old Glyn your even cleaning gutters from the ground these days lol.

[NWH]

I used a car for years and it did the job when trad but i think these days it looks a bit pikey lol,if you mean business it makes sense to try and look it.

[Craig 72]

Nope i invested 5k straight off the Bat. If You wanna make a decent living then you gotta try get ahead of the competition. My Views are most estate summer brigade shiners will think nothing of undercutting the more profesional people as there outlays are so much less. Dont get me wrong there old boys round my way who have been doing it for 30 years and aint got vans, but for me appearence is everything if you wanna move to the next levels.
Do you have correct insurance in place to use the family car as a work vehicle?? out of interest

Well I bet you're in a minority(regarding the big outlay when starting out as a window cleaner).I don't get the mentality to be honest.If somebody is doing a job in which the customer is happy and you're (hopefully) making a living,what difference does an expensive van make?Hopefully the business will grow so I can consider a new van but the estate is fine for my needs at the mo.For the record I would never knowingly undercut another window cleaner.I've not had any customers complain yet,my car is clean and I don't dress like a chav,so what's the big deal?Of course I've got the correct insurance,by the way.

[eclipse]

I'm new to this forum and this lark in general so I don't want to get off on the wrong foot but there does seem a fair amount of snobbery (for want of a better word) among some of you fellas.I recently got laid off and from work and need to support support my family one way or another so somebody suggested window cleaning.Really enjoying it so far and I'm only using an estate car at the moment as a growing business doesn't warrant anything fancier yet.I admit the pricing thing is the trickiest part.I'm sure once a round is established you can afford to pick and choose but when you're just starting out you're keen to get customers and get the ball rolling,which can lead to maybe quoting a price that you're sure the customer will take (i.e under pricing a tad).I'm digressing a bit,but the fact is I bet even the most succesful of you started out with 'humbler' equipment compared  with what you use now.Gotta start somewhere!

Well said and if you are SERIOUS about window cleaning for a CAREER then good luck to you...

its seeming with posts like this that the days where new window cleaners could ask one of the more ESTABLISHED cleaners for a little helpand coaching are gone the "snobs" should hang there heads in shame
 post like this are becoming more and more lately

[Window Washers]

I'm new to this forum and this lark in general so I don't want to get off on the wrong foot but there does seem a fair amount of snobbery (for want of a better word) among some of you fellas.I recently got laid off and from work and need to support support my family one way or another so somebody suggested window cleaning.Really enjoying it so far and I'm only using an estate car at the moment as a growing business doesn't warrant anything fancier yet.I admit the pricing thing is the trickiest part.I'm sure once a round is established you can afford to pick and choose but when you're just starting out you're keen to get customers and get the ball rolling,which can lead to maybe quoting a price that you're sure the customer will take (i.e under pricing a tad).I'm digressing a bit,but the fact is I bet even the most succesful of you started out with 'humbler' equipment compared  with what you use now.Gotta start somewhere!

Well said and if you are SERIOUS about window cleaning for a CAREER then good luck to you...

its seeming with posts like this that the days where new window cleaners could ask one of the more ESTABLISHED cleaners for a little helpand coaching are gone the "snobs" should hang there heads in shame
 post like this are becoming more and more lately

I would help anyone, One of the first cars I started with was a pug 106  when having bars fitted to roof at the pug garage I was told I was the first person to have them fitted and they did not know how to do them  , before that I i had a shed, then estate car, then small van then another estate x 3 then relay swb and also got transit swb, next is a mbw un sure what one yet.

Not everyone has money to start with, people are scared of this forum and to be honest I cant blame them, talking about prices how ever new or old you are to window cleaning is madness some business things are private. I could not be a snob, but I was bought up on a council estate and left school when I was 14 to start work with no qualifications.  I am proud of it awsell 

I had no help when I started, but like helping other I am also proud of that.

Ian

[leapstallbuildings]

I cannot help but notice the phenominal rise in estate cars with ladders and points lately. It seems that everyone is going in for a bit of shining since the economic muck hit the fan. But there i was driving along yesterday,funnily enough,behind an ol' K reg estate with some real mickey mouse wfp setup in it. Not a problem,as we all start up somewhere. But i had to laugh when he pulled over to the side to give way to another oncoming estate car with guess what on the roof? ? ? Yep ladders and points.  :

Pretty much how I started really many years ago.  I didn't even have an estate or points.  I had a 10 year old hatchback and a ladder I borrowed from an out of trade plumber.  I did stretch to buying a bucket, some scrims, and washing up liquid though.  Oh yes.  And I was signing on the dole at first - perfectly legally and with the job centre's full knowledge.  That soon went as my income climbed but those extra few pounds were very helpful in the early weeks.

[eclipse]

I'm new to this forum and this lark in general so I don't want to get off on the wrong foot but there does seem a fair amount of snobbery (for want of a better word) among some of you fellas.I recently got laid off and from work and need to support support my family one way or another so somebody suggested window cleaning.Really enjoying it so far and I'm only using an estate car at the moment as a growing business doesn't warrant anything fancier yet.I admit the pricing thing is the trickiest part.I'm sure once a round is established you can afford to pick and choose but when you're just starting out you're keen to get customers and get the ball rolling,which can lead to maybe quoting a price that you're sure the customer will take (i.e under pricing a tad).I'm digressing a bit,but the fact is I bet even the most succesful of you started out with 'humbler' equipment compared  with what you use now.Gotta start somewhere!

Well said and if you are SERIOUS about window cleaning for a CAREER then good luck to you...

its seeming with posts like this that the days where new window cleaners could ask one of the more ESTABLISHED cleaners for a little helpand coaching are gone the "snobs" should hang there heads in shame
 post like this are becoming more and more lately

I would help anyone, One of the first cars I started with was a pug 106  when having bars fitted to roof at the pug garage I was told I was the first person to have them fitted and they did not know how to do them  , before that I i had a shed, then estate car, then small van then another estate x 3 then relay swb and also got transit swb, next is a mbw un sure what one yet.

Not everyone has money to start with, people are scared of this forum and to be honest I cant blame them, talking about prices who ever new or old you are to window cleaning is madness some business things are private. I could not be a snob, but I was bought up on a council estate and left school when I was 14 to start work with no qualifications.  I am proud of it awsell 

good to hear

we all started out somwhere and i would help and give advice to any new starter as long as they startd there business correctly with insurances and such

[SteveAllan]

My postie has been a wc for 30 yrs. Does his post then out on the windows until 6pm and he is trad who works out of a battered old escort estate. Has no intention of going wfp for some reason. He has a nice round as well, most of the estate i live on, 70% of the shops in my town centre and a local school. He does not see the point in buying a van either, each to their own eh.

[kenaltobelli]

i started with reno 5 van magnetic signs on the side ten years down the road
sometimes i feel like im alan sugar but still drop a boll/// with pricing point is
evryone has a right to aspire to owning a fiat doblo go for it buona fortuna  

[trevor perry]

I'm new to this forum and this lark in general so I don't want to get off on the wrong foot but there does seem a fair amount of snobbery (for want of a better word) among some of you fellas.I recently got laid off and from work and need to support support my family one way or another so somebody suggested window cleaning.Really enjoying it so far and I'm only using an estate car at the moment as a growing business doesn't warrant anything fancier yet.I admit the pricing thing is the trickiest part.I'm sure once a round is established you can afford to pick and choose but when you're just starting out you're keen to get customers and get the ball rolling,which can lead to maybe quoting a price that you're sure the customer will take (i.e under pricing a tad).I'm digressing a bit,but the fact is I bet even the most succesful of you started out with 'humbler' equipment compared  with what you use now.Gotta start somewhere!

well done mate and good luck i for one admire people like yourself who just get on with it ,you will get criticism by some on here but stick at it and prove them wrong if you do a good job on all your work and are polite to your customers then im sure you will do ok your customers dont care what you drive as long as their windows are clean and they know they can trust you.

[Feen]

well done mate and good luck i for one admire people like yourself who just get on with it ,you will get criticism by some on here but stick at it and prove them wrong if you do a good job on all your work and are polite to your customers then im sure you will do ok your customers dont care what you drive as long as their windows are clean and they know they can trust you.

Well said trevor. I think you've got the 3 most important things there. Do a good job, be polite and be trustworthy. Life can be simple if you don't over complicate it

[dai]

I must be the only one going backwards, I started off with a very tidy Nissan Sunny, and now I use an M reg escort van.
I could go out and buy a new one cash if I wanted, but the one I have is reliable and cheap to run.
With a long established round, who do you need to impress? Proven honesty and reliability over the years
Is what gets me new work.
You can buy a new van, but you can't buy a good reputation.

What the new guys are doing now is exactly the same as I did all those years ago, making themselves a job.

There is so much rubbish talked about undercutting. If I was pricing a job, and I Knew I could do it in a day, I would be happy to quote £150/ £160, even if I knew that the other guy was charging £200.
That's good business as far as I'm concerned, I keep my costs down, and have no repayments to make on a van or anything else.

And if we were all on the ball  building our businesses, how would all the newbies find the work?

[martinsadie]

why worry about all the new boys theres enough work for us all,the more the merrier 

[andyatkinson]

totally agree dai, i always try and charge a sensible price and cover what i want to make a day, a bit more sometimes incase bad weather etc, and why fix somethin thats not broken.

[dai]

This thread is about unprofessional’s in cars and how anybody can just hijack this trade as and when it suits them, not how people started or whether people think it’s right or wrong if a professional decides to use a car or van.

It's not how you get there mate, it's what you do when you arrive.