[Seers]

Hi,

Out of interest how much would you pay for a window cleaning business with around 6,000 domestic customers every month?

Fully staffed, with vans, premises and years of history.

We're currently looking into purchasing.

Cheers,

Huw

[poleman]

Bottom Line would be...what is the profit!!!!! (Turnover is just Vanity)

[EZclean]

whats the monthly turn over? x3 or x4 or x5 if its the best work. that will give you price for the goodwill only. its upto you then to sort a price for the van, like you would any other vehicle purchase.
6000 customers its a big business.
if they averaged £5/house, then thats 30k if its done monthly. be prepared to pay 100k minimum. plus vehicles.

[Seers]

Hi,

Turnover around £35,000 a month, as for profit it's hard to say.

As many people will appreciate you can often make accounts appear better or worse to suit.

Cheers,

Huw.

[poleman]

Well first off we are talking a lot of money here! you would have to see audited accounts! and you need you accountant to look at them! I did this on a company that I was going to buy for 45k and my accountant said don't touch it with a wf pole as it was about to fold! and it did!

[gerard mcmanus]

your looking at 100k for the roundpossible another 40 for the vechiles, assuming they have about 20 staff. You buying MITIE or something.

[Steve CM]

6000 custys at a turnover of only 35k is an average price of 5.83 per house if cleaned every 4 weeks? i take it these are all domestic as well because with it being commercial that would be even worse!

that is stupidly low and for 6000 houses each month at that turnover would be a logistical nightmare.

As suggested i would want to see accounts because at them figures i couldn't see much profit!!

[seandyer2003]

Hi,

Turnover around £35,000 a month, as for profit it's hard to say.

As many people will appreciate you can often make accounts appear better or worse to suit.

Cheers,

Huw.

For established businesses i thought you paid 3 years profit upfront?

But for window cleaning its good will but i suppose you could argue shops and restaurants are too but you are looking at serious money for a round like that - business loan time :O unless you are wadded

[Moderator David@stives]

£5.83 average not very good.

That will blow your brains out,

Enquiries off 6000 people alone will take up all your time and £5.83 a head there wont be much profit for office staff, you would be lucky to make 50p a customer after you have paid your staff.

 I would also hate to fill in your paying in book every week.

[ZaNo]

buy it then wack the prices up, sack a few staff, happy days. lol

[seandyer2003]

6000 custies

You would need about 10 employees

1500 a week, lets say you can do 4 an hour, that's only 32 a day!! so one employe does 32 *5 =160

Thats not allowing for bad weather, etc so theres not alot of scope for profit after 10 employees/vans are accounted for...

You would do better with 3000 at £10 a pop!!

[ok cleaning]

6000 customers 5.83 p each i would not touch it mut be covering a very very large area all that collecting paper work bad weather finding and maneging the staff it is not worth a hustle and on and on and on that guy has got 6000 custys because he has got all the crap ones who can not part with the money

[EZclean]

thats what i was about to say. if you got it and whacked a load of houses up, and prepared to lose a load. the ones that you do keep, just think of the time that you'd save, for the same money.
you wouldnt wanna remortgage for it though would you. 100k+ 

[Steve CM]

It makes me laugh seeing some prices. i could build a business to 6000 custys at 5.83 each no probs. why would you wanna? Just pure headache and stress!!

if you buy it and whack them up you'll pee them off straight away, i think its a risky strategy and for 100k (or what ever he wants) i hope you have a spare pair of pants cause you'll need them ! say the guy did want 100k for it for instance? i would rather go and build a business for that! Ok its not instant but i bet by the time you shaped that business to perform better you'd wish you'd just built it yourself and not took it on. I know  i would

i had a chance of buying nearly 1000 customers. it was performing at about 8k a month but even still at them figures i turned it down. with the average price mine is it would take half the time to earn the money. you need to weigh up the options.

[Steve CM]

Quote: Steve CM

“I could build a business to 6000 custys at 5.83 each no probs”   :

This is what makes me laugh, forget about the price how are you going to clean over 30 houses a hour, you cant you wont even get anywhere near that figure at any price.

You might just as well say you could build a business to 12’000 customers at £2.91 each or 24’000 customers at £1.45 each.

thats my point ewan! why would i? get off your soap box!

[gerard mcmanus]

I probably going to get slagged here, but my average is about £7. Now I have some £50 accounts, some shops I do in and out in the range of £30 but average out around £7. I do allot of small flats, but still there are plenty in my area that would work for less.

I went out to 3 quotes today,

First one: I quoted, £16, "there is a guy that does them for £12"
Second: I quoted £11, "My last window cleaner was £6", going to ask the hubby first. 
Third: I quoted "£9", and got the job.

These where all in different streets by the way, not next door and used the same pricing structure on all. Now I would say I do pretty well. I recently bought myself a new van; logo’ed uniforms etc, and earn a decent wage that I am happy with.

Now If I had 6000 custies, and a team of employees, I would say I am doing pretty well. You can’t afford to pay employees if you are making peanuts, between holidays, nat contributions etc.

My point is, they might not be all three bed semi's. I might be blocks of apartments, which I have seen myself knock off 6 per hour, at £6/£7 each. I wouldn't call that peanuts.

[Steve CM]

might be blocks of apartments, which I have seen myself knock off 6 per hour, at £6/£7 each. I wouldn't call that peanuts.

i would!

[Steve CM]

You couldn’t do it, that’s my point.  :

i could do it with a 100k but there is no point! :

[gerard mcmanus]

might be blocks of apartments, which I have seen myself knock off 6 per hour, at £6/£7 each. I wouldn't call that peanuts.

i would!

Your water fed pole though, you have to make a good bit more sales to clear the same profit as a trad 

[gerard mcmanus]

and all them websites,