[mlscontractcleaner]

Hi all.

After almost 20 years of window / contract / carpet cleaning in Plymouth we (the wife and I) are seriosly thinking of taking our services to the warmer climes of southern Spain  .

Now, the language issue aside, do any of you have any good advice when it comes to living and working in Spain (or any other relevant advice learnt from living in any foreign country ) 

We know it wont be a walk in the park, and we are obviously used to working hard to build up a reasonably lucrative business, we just fancy a change of scenery and the feeling of the sun on our backs for more than 2 weeks per year   

I've actually been able to make contact with a guy called Vince who used to clean window sin Plymouth and now does the same near Alicante and he gave me some good advice but any other input would be very welcome.

This is still in the early stages of planning and we have much to think about but at 40 years old we aren't getting any younger and would like to take the plunge whilst we're still young enough to look good on the beach 

Come on than folks, your advice is very welcome 

[daniel worgan]

Vince is soming back to the uk....try the other forum.

[mlscontractcleaner]

Yeah he said that; something about taking a management job and having to have surgery on his arm. He offered me his business (£2K per month ) for £10K but we aren't ready to commit just yet.

It would have been ideal I guess, walking straight into a ready made business.

Never mind!

[Londoner]

I think your business will be working for the British Ex-pats from what I can gather. I don't think the natives have their windows cleaned in the same way.

My friend Gordon has a place in Spain, he's had it for years but he has never lived there full time. He's seen loads of Brits come out only to return a few years later.

If you want to do it then do it but think of it as an adventure and don't burn your bridges.

[mlscontractcleaner]

You're never too old for adventure; and I try not to burn anything, what with health and safety and all that!!

[cozy]

Hi mate, I would think you have heard it all from your mate down there, about all the relative working and business laws.

I would only add one point that I think is important though. The language, without being able to speak it well enough you will always be on the back foot when it comes to competition.

Unless you only intend to serve the expats, then no problem.

I hope if you do go that it works for you both, that offer you got sounds good to me.

[simon knight]

Hi Plymouth,

Nice idea in theory but in reality I think you'll struggle.

Firstly, ex-pats aside our continental cousins don't have regular window cleans. For them it's a bit like the Yanks...once a year and then a proper going over with frames and sills included. I lived in Austria for the first part of my life (Austrian mum) and all their windows open inwards and they all clean them themselves.

Unless you're prepared to learn the lingo and also prepared to cultivate the local populace into the benefits of a regular window cleaner your only alternative is tapping the ex-pat market. Now I could be wrong here but I would imagine that most ex-pats have villas, sprawling ground level affairs with all windows easily accessable with the owner happy to have a bi-yearly task to occupy the day.  I have a friend who lives in Minorca in such a villa. He has a guy come once a week to clean the pool...but his windows?...pristine!

If you are in the happy situation where you can move out there with no mortgage and a bit of money behind you and the odd window cleaning job is more of pastime then go for it! But if the window cleaning has to work for you to stay out there...don't!

[cozy]

AAH so you are a bit of an undercover boxhead then Simon.

If I had the chance to buy a business down there I think I would take it.2K down in Spain sounds like a decent amount after tax.

[mlscontractcleaner]

We'd obviously have some cash sat in our bank account so we'd have a certain amount of time to settle in and get the ball rolling with regards building up a reasonably profitable business, but yes, we would eventually be living off it so it does need to work long term.

It'll be a challenge we know but hey, what's life without challenges 

If it all goes tits up we'll do what the Brits do best and buy a bar 

[windowswashed]

Good luck to you if you venture over there to start window cleaning. My girlfriend owns a 6 bedroom house over there and is trying to get me to go over for a week or two on hols before she starts renting it out.

[karlosdaze]

Hi Plymouth,

Nice idea in theory but in reality I think you'll struggle.

Firstly, ex-pats aside our continental cousins don't have regular window cleans. For them it's a bit like the Yanks...once a year and then a proper going over with frames and sills included. I lived in Austria for the first part of my life (Austrian mum) and all their windows open inwards and they all clean them themselves.

Unless you're prepared to learn the lingo and also prepared to cultivate the local populace into the benefits of a regular window cleaner your only alternative is tapping the ex-pat market. Now I could be wrong here but I would imagine that most ex-pats have villas, sprawling ground level affairs with all windows easily accessable with the owner happy to have a bi-yearly task to occupy the day.  I have a friend who lives in Minorca in such a villa. He has a guy come once a week to clean the pool...but his windows?...pristine!

If you are in the happy situation where you can move out there with no mortgage and a bit of money behind you and the odd window cleaning job is more of pastime then go for it! But if the window cleaning has to work for you to stay out there...don't!

You said it all really Simon. Except most windows are cleaned by maids on €5 an hour. And yes - most windows do open inwards.
Don't forget as well, the ex-pats disappear in winter & the heat of August. The Spanish aren't that bothered about having clean windows either.
Definately come out with shed-loads of money. This isn't a window cleaning market with the sense of monthly cleans, it's an entirely different market to the one you are used to in the UK. I think Vince put out 10,000 leaflets & got one response. But he stuck at it. 

[daniel worgan]

We'd obviously have some cash sat in our bank account so we'd have a certain amount of time to settle in and get the ball rolling with regards building up a reasonably profitable business, but yes, we would eventually be living off it so it does need to work long term.

It'll be a challenge we know but hey, what's life without challenges 

If it all goes tits up we'll do what the Brits do best and buy a bar 

Sorry to be negative...but before wasting your money i would defo do some serious homework first.It was on the news the other day about how spain is being hit so hard with this global recession,and i have seen numerous reports on expats selling up to come back to the uk (if they can sell).
I agree with you when you say that life is a challenge,but after having built a good business and having some money saved like you say,then i would be very very careful in these times with parting with it.
Good luck.
Dan

[Moderator David@stives]

Easiest way to lose your money is to buy a bar.

The only ones making any money are not for sale, the ones that are for sale have probably had ten diferent owners in 10 years, with them all losing every penny they own.

[mlscontractcleaner]

Blimey, it's amazing any of you have ever actually took a chance a decided to work for yourself!!!

Don't do it, it wont work, you'll all starve and die of malnutrition!!!

There are actually Spanish window cleaning firms out there; I've got a few of their websites under my favourites. The commercial clients are cleaned at least monthly, as are most of their residential clients. Their working practices are vastly different to ours; it's like the old days of walking on window sills and taking daft risks ( a bit like going to Spain to live  )

WFP is only used by the few British window cleaners out there, and there are quite a few British cleaning firms out there catering for holiday lets and such like. That'd be a good add on, along with rug cleaning which seems to be fairly profitable. Thankfully we run a contract cleaning business here and are not limited to just window cleaning, which has to be a help.

My comment about opening a bar was just a joke 

[daniel worgan]

Ok sorry mate...

My real thoughts are that you should sell everything you own and take a chance.
Not only should you get into window cleaning,but also buy a bar.Take a look on the internet under spanish real estate,you will find thousands of bars up for sale,get in quickly so that you can make a fortune.
OR....
you could ask a question on this forum and respect the replies that you get and asked for.... :

[mlscontractcleaner]

I didn't mean it to sound arsey but setting up a business anywhere is a risk. We wont be selling up anyway; our son will be managing this end of things while we work over there. At least that way if it were to go pear shaped we'd have something to return to.

We just reckon that if we take on the Spanish way of life and don't just stay "Brits abroad" we'll get on fine.

Anyway, with everyone else staying in the UK at least we wont be competing with you all for work

[Clive McDonald]

What is contract cleaning?

[andyatkinson]

cleaning eg- hoovering dustig etc, pubs, offices, hotels etc etc

[Tosh]

Sorry to be negative...but before wasting your money i would defo do some serious homework first.It was on the news the other day about how spain is being hit so hard with this global recession,and i have seen numerous reports on expats selling up to come back to the uk (if they can sell).

I agree with Daniel here.  Spain is having it far tougher than the UK at the moment.  I remember reading somewhere that there's thousands of Spanish living without power and water because they can't pay the bills.

What's the exchange rate like at  the moment also?

[cozy]

1.14 at the moment, 6 months ago it was stable at about 1.45 Can't see any big changes on the way either