[matt]

I do intend to start and do my day off in the week window cleaning and there is the possibility of me going to a 4 day week so I might be able to do 2/3 days window cleaning before having to make the jump and leave employment.

thats the best option and a must do

build up enough work for 1 day a week, then have the extra day off work, thus 2 days work, then take on more work so your customers fall to 5 weekly, then you will have that little extra till you can jack your job in and then drop back to 4 weeks

[rl]

thats the best option and a must do

build up enough work for 1 day a week, then have the extra day off work, thus 2 days work, then take on more work so your customers fall to 5 weekly, then you will have that little extra till you can jack your job in and then drop back to 4 weeks

Thanks for that, good way of doing it and wouldn't have thought of doing it like that.

[Platinum NW]

Again i want to wish you the best of luck - Your going about it the best way and once you convince your wife with the income you bring home in 1 day she will be backing you 200%

All the best

[matt]

thats the best option and a must do

build up enough work for 1 day a week, then have the extra day off work, thus 2 days work, then take on more work so your customers fall to 5 weekly, then you will have that little extra till you can jack your job in and then drop back to 4 weeks

Thanks for that, good way of doing it and wouldn't have thought of doing it like that.

its a bit sneaky, but to be honest, they rarely notice between 4 and 5 weeks or even 6 weeks ( just explain to then it was the bad weather )

[R W C]

All very good posts. Christies mentioned perhaps working with a window cleaner. I can't imagine a WC having a problem with that. Give it a go to see how you feel. Oh and what GWCS said about gym work, if you don't get at least a little bit fitter than you are now, when you finish your first days work, you will feel more knackered and aches and pains in places you didn't know you had places.

Another good idea would be to look back on some old posts and see what guys get for problems and how to solve them, you won't have to reinvent the wheel then, if you know what I mean.


By the way, if you get really strange awkward plonker work-associates, go and ask Cozy, he knows all about those 

your first name is not matt by any chance 

Pardonez moi?

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=78395.0#msg688441

[suds window service]

if you have the determination you will succeed . we have been going 15 months and built up a good customer base of around 350.
 this has been down to hard work some times seven days per week to get it where it is today.
 (Good tip) have a look at my back post,s from the beginning and try not to make my early mistakes lol.
                            good luck Dave.

[Jonathan Spencer]

thats the best option and a must do

build up enough work for 1 day a week, then have the extra day off work, thus 2 days work, then take on more work so your customers fall to 5 weekly, then you will have that little extra till you can jack your job in and then drop back to 4 weeks

Thanks for that, good way of doing it and wouldn't have thought of doing it like that.

its a bit sneaky, but to be honest, they rarely notice between 4 and 5 weeks or even 6 weeks ( just explain to then it was the bad weather )

That is how I have done it so far.  Got too many for part-time not enough for full time.  Not had the bottle to go for it yet and most of that has been down to the terrible weather.

[Window Cleaning Services]

where are you based?

[geefree]

Very few people actually choose to be a window cleaner most are forced into it. Be prepared to be the butt of the George Formby jokes from friends and the initial feeling of being rock bottom in the eyes of many. Windowcleaners are down there with the dustmen and toilet attendants. Yor wife may not like the idea of telling her friends and the kids about your wonderful career move.
Once you get established and start compacting your round and get to the stage where the phone goes off most days and look at your earnings then you will have the last laugh.

that is so true

[Fieldsy]

Keep at it. Like you I couldn't give a toss what people think. I see all those commuters up at the crack of dawn to work in an office or factory and not get home till 7-8pm in the evening and i'm loving what I'm doing. I got thrown in at the deep end after losing.........sorry walked out on my print job, and then took advice from people on here and started trad, got together all the necessary kit/tools and got my first customer for £9, that was about 7 months ago, now have just over 200......and still need more...lol, but I'm getting there. Taken it gradually and bought when I could afford. I've now transferred over to wfp in a small way (backpack)............and in the next couple of weeks hoping to go full wfp with a van mount. To me, thats a long way to come in such a short time, and proud that I've managed to do it...............no matter what others think

I've received excellent advice on here from the members and also from local window cleaners (you know who you are...lol) to get to where I've achieved at present.

Good Luck 

[Archer]

RL,

Just read your post - ive been cleaning windows all my life & running my own business since 1990.

If you need any advice & chat, call me on 07788 503775 chris


will help you with any of your concerns. 

[rl]

Well thats another 12 hour shift over at work, just tomorrow to do and weekend off!

Thanks for all the advice and for the offer of a chat ARCHER. I honestly have never been on a forum where everyone is so helpful and happy!

I am lucky I guess in that I can start up whilst still having a job.

Will get some more searching through the forum done and posting questions etc, when I'm finished work tomorrow night. But off to bed now I'm knackered!

And thanks again everyone, a great bunch of guys!

[Platinum NW]

Im not bragging but im only 20 and have gained all my business knowledge along the way.that knowledge i gained has given me the confidence and skills to start up a construction company that has now gained good contacts which include Willmott Dixon and Interserve.The point is im nothing special so the skills you gain my put you on to greater things.I think you will do well but its you choice now to get off you arse and make your dream happen.I believe that no matter what people tell you that you will find your own way of doing things so just think of it as a journey and most importantly enjoy it!!!!!

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress

[leapstallbuildings]

Hi again guys, I'll try not to let this sound like another new guy wanting to know if I should take up window cleaning or not, which it is! I'll just tell you about myself as you guys all seem friendly and willing to give good advice.

Basically I've been thinking of starting my own window cleaning business for the past 4 months or so, I've always wanted to work for myself, I'm 30 years old with a wife and young daughter and probably another baby within next 2 years, based in Lancashire, my wife has quite a good job that she enjoys and I have a job which pays me £8.50 an hour 40 - 45 hours a week working shifts which include some early starts 5:30am and a late finish (midnight) every other saturday night, I have every other weekend off and work the other weekend with a day off in the week too , I don't absolutely hate it, but I don't look forward to going to work, I'm sat on my backside 9 - 11 hours a day which is doing nothing for the size of my stomach!!!

So to me there are many reasons I'd like to start a window cleaning business:
1. I'll be working for myself which i've always wanted to do.
2. I won't have to work every other saturday and sunday nor work until midnight.
3. Hopefully I'll earn a similar or more wage, eventually.
4. I won't be sat on my backside for my entire working week, I'll be out and about hopefully keeping healthy.
5. I'll be doing something I enjoy.

I have a van and intend to put together a WFP system and buy the bits needed for traditional cleaning, and then start by cleaning my own/family windows to get some practice and hopefully then get an odd job or two to do on my weekday off from work and then when I have to much work, leave my job and do window cleaning full time.

However, my wife hasn't said as much, but I know she's a bit worried about me doing this full time, which I understand, after all at the moment I'm guaranteed a weekly wage after tax of £260 - £300 which we need to pay the bills, where as as a w/c nothing is guaranteed. Most posts I've read have said, do it, you won't regret it, you won't look back etc, but I have read a couple saying it is more difficult to get into w/c now and there are a lot of people doing it, which since thinking about doing it I have seen more and more vans going about doing w/c, but don't know if thats because I've been looking for them!

So, if you've made it to the end of this post (well done!) and I would appreciate your advice or anything you want to say.

Thanks in advance, your advice will be greatly appreciated!

Maybe start doing it only on the weekends (your days off??).  Hopefully your customers will be OK with you working Sundays for a few months will you are setting up.  If you play it right, before a year is done, you will earn more at the weekends than you do Mon-Fri.  That's when you can pack in the day job.  Bear in mind that you would be expected to pay tax on ALL your W/C income at first as there's only one personal allowance.  If your cashflow can cope, after a while you may even want to call the W/Cing your main work and the PAYE the extra.  That way the PAYE will go onto being taxed with no allowances.  This should ensure that you have the money for your tax bill (i.e. it will already have been stopped from your wages).

[rl]

THE UPDATE

Well, a bit of an update on my story.

There was excitement in our house when there was a knock at the door, me and my 4 year old daughter rushed to the door to bring in our delivery.

My WCW backpack and 30ft X-tel pole has arrived, my first purchase to get me started, just need to get either a DI vessel or RO unit (see my other thread!). Placed my order on Wednesday Night (when the wife had gone to bed!) and was delivered as requested today at 930am, so can give window cleaning warehouse my reccomendation. Told the wife I had ordered them yesterday morning and apart from telling me to get my £350 camera on ebay to pay for it, she was quite enthusiastic, said we need to get some flyers done asap, so thats good, she seems to be getting in to the idea.

Anyway me and my daughter ripped all the packaging open (i've never seen a child so excited about something she has no idea what it was) and got the pole sorted and the backpack set up, filled the backpack with tap water and both has a quick go at cleaning a window (have now read the instructions for the backpack and it is now on charge for 24 hours as reccomended.  :

So when i decide if it is to be RO or DI for me and get my traditional stuff too, i'll be all set, practicing first on family's windows and then hopefully start to get a few jobs to get me started one day a week!

Will keep you all posted how it's going.

And i'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who's given me advice over the past few weeks, without your help I'd probably still be driving round all day wondering if i should do it or not!

 

[pingu]

If you put in the graft..two years from now you'll wonder why you spent so long thinking about doing it....

Just remember this is the exciting time...building the business is just so exciting...

Good luck and never look back..

Cheers
Dave.

[Platinum NW]

If you put in the graft..two years from now you'll wonder why you spent so long thinking about doing it....

Just remember this is the exciting time...building the business is just so exciting...

Totally agree. Make sure you enjoy it and like pingu said the most fun thing in business is building the company

All The Best

[simon knight]

Hi rl,

I've not read through the replies so may be duplicating (sorry).

You've got a paying job (albeit boring)...stick with it!

Go w/c weekends and when you've free time and see how it goes.

Chances are you'll love it, gets loads of work, chuck your job in and never look back.

You may however hate it, get few jobs and bitterly regret chucking in your "boring" salaried job.

Suck it and see but don't burn your bridges mate....and your missus is right to be worried!

[TonyD]

Good luck with the plans.
I've read through all the replies, and every one is good advice, as you said a great bunch on here.
I went self employed many years ago, and now on my third business, as the economy ruined the others (being luxury services) so my advice is go for it, once you go self employed you'll wonder why you never did it before.
Earning your own income, and the excitement of building a business gives you a drive and self confidence that you never had before.  If anyone asks, you own a window cleaning business, be proud of it, nothing wrong with cleaning windows, but be prepared for the ones that look down on you, just build a thick skin...

You'll also change your mindset like most entrepreneurs do, because you're constantly thinking about business you'll notice other opportunities and the like.   

[Murdie window cleaning]

All sounds much like me, I'm looking to start up as a w/c but I only get one day off during the week, but I will get myself out and give it a go part time to start with and all being well ditch my job which I absolutily detest.

I'm even considering quoting my 60 hour per week job, taking a part time job(just to have an income) and give it a proper go getting out and getting established. I firmly believe that if you are determined at making a career out of window cleaning you will.