I'm someone else new to this popular career, and it's just like any other self employed career that is seen to require no or little skill. Car valeting is the same in the summer, as is gardening and the handyman trade, and probably a few other types of work too.
Plenty of people "having a go" at it, but as we know it takes persistence and determination to make any of the above a quality "proper" business bringing in a permanent full time wage. All you can do is try and make yours the best business around.
I for one won't be going away, and after adding the window cleaning to my handyman business name/website I already have cards/uniform/website that sets me above the unprofessional type of newbie. I'm finding I'm even doing ok canvassing in area's that already have cleaners (as most have) - after knocking you soon get a feeling with enough "we already have someone" that there's a cleaner in the street. I'd never deliberately underprice and turn away when I find out they have a cleaner. BUT I ask " sorry to disturb you, do you have a reliable window cleaner at the moment ? " A lot say actually we have someone that comes round but he's very irregular or hit and miss. In that instance I'll sell myself and try and take the customer. I'll also deliberately charge more usually (cleaning is VERY underpriced in my area) , as I value my work as very good and high quality, and more importantly want to build my reputation as someone who's not cheap but runs a quality business that's there when they're supposed to be and insured and to be relied upon.
I think you can still do well in a saturated market by aiming to be the best at what you do. And by no way is the current market saturated by cleaners at the minute. I'm doing well in my canvassing and will get anything from 2 to 10 customers from 2 hours maximum canvassing in the evening. I'm on my target to fund wfp set up in another month, (just filters and trolley first) and then launch the window cleaning as a completely new separate business from the handyman/building maintenance and start towards building commercial contracts.
There'll still be the rubbish cleaners out there that'll just aim to take domestic work by concentrating on being the cheapest - they can have the customers that want the cheapest, and if I see them around I'll happily pass on details of any potential custys that I think want this. They'll never grow as they're busy running around doing all their £3 a clean
houses to do anything else.