[cornelius jemmerso]

heyup chopsie , whereabouts i the country are you ? have u bought the basic kit yet ?   hope so 

[chopsie]

JRD,any advice on a cheap water fed pole?I have got cash for a new van set up but there is no way i am forking out that kind of money without a customer base,I would probaby go to 1500-2000 tops and that would be after a lot of inner soul searching,the safety factor is the big selling point for me,HSE have really clamped down on ladders on constuction sites,some main contractors have banned them completly,and step ladders well they are really frowned upon.On the subject,i have got IPAF licence for cherry pickers and scissor lifts,any thoughts on utilising that for w/c?

[chopsie]

I am in Derby.Have bought squeege and applicator,ladders i can borrow/buy whenever.just practising on my place at moment

[cozy]

Chopsie, My sister lives in Allestree, she says there is a WC up there but only one. She reckons the prices up there are around 8 to 12 quid without cony. Maybe you should get up to there and start banging on doors mate. She lives in Carsington Cres.

[chopsie]

sounds good,cheers mate.allestree is a nice area and i was thinking £8.00 min charge.thanks mate this site is awesome.was thinking of heading into countryside aswell as i recon they will be good payers

[dai]

The answer to this thread is no. Not if everyone takes up window cleaning.
The real answer is in itself a question, are there many people in your area looking for a window cleaner?
The only way you will know is to get out there and knock on doors.
Just don't make the mistake of placing a millstone round your neck, by pricing too low in order to get a start.

[perfectpanesplymouth]

I am still in my first year (about 6 months)and have now got over 120 custies and it looks like I have won a major contract with one of the largest employers in Plymouth, so yes I think there is plenty of work out there for everyone

[mark dew]

I think there's plenty. It raising the bar with the quality of work that takes time. But it will come. It is just a case of hanging in there.

[Milltown Cleaning]

...and hanging in there is about all im doing right now!!

trying to do everything right, good work at a good price, friendly, uniformed, signwritten van, 5000 leaflets, website, show up on time!! Should that read "great work at a great price?!"

i assume it does get better!?

[Niall McAllister]

Also, don't spend all your time on forums, they rot your brain and twist your spirit.
just get out and do it

[Milltown Cleaning]

Also, don't spend all your time on forums, they rot your brain and twist your spirit.
just get out and do it

ahh you see now that is where i have been going wrong!!

[Window Washers]

...and hanging in there is about all im doing right now!!

trying to do everything right, good work at a good price, friendly, uniformed, signwritten van, 5000 leaflets, website, show up on time!! Should that read "great work at a great price?!"

i assume it does get better!?

if what your saying is true and not the things you should be doing, there is very littl;e reason for it not to get better m8, just keep your chin up, this time of year can go one of to ways, mad or quite.. at the moment it is mad. Jan the same

[AuRavelling79]

In all honesty I don't think it is as easy to start up now as it was say two years ago. But there are a lot of window cleaners around in my part of Bristol.

I've cerainly been told by my custies about more canvassing in my area too.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but you need to allow more time or you will be servicing irritating and unreliable custies that no-one else wants.

[JRDEasiReach]

...and hanging in there is about all im doing right now!!

trying to do everything right, good work at a good price, friendly, uniformed, signwritten van, 5000 leaflets, website, show up on time!! Should that read "great work at a great price?!"

i assume it does get better!?

how long you been at it m8?  on the point of there being enough work, im sure there will be, when the law comes in banning ladders then alot of the ladder only men will be out of business if they dont like wfp thus leaving a gap and thats not including the boys who set up to fill the gap while the downturn is on. 

chopsie m8 visit sureclean systems, google them,  im sure they can sort you out with kit for that sort of money, i paid 2500 for my 350 ltr tank, 4040 RO, Di vessel, hose and reel, pole with trigger, tds meter and fitting.  They send to england from NI and give you step by step instructions to fit it, if what you are saying about your past work is true then you will be able to do it no bother, if in doubt too you can just give him a bell.  worth a shot m8, may aswell go full pelt if you are going to stick it out like me, i never cleaned a window before in my life lol

[cozy]

...and hanging in there is about all im doing right now!!

trying to do everything right, good work at a good price, friendly, uniformed, signwritten van, 5000 leaflets, website, show up on time!! Should that read "great work at a great price?!"

i assume it does get better!?

how long you been at it m8?  on the point of there being enough work, im sure there will be, when the law comes in banning ladders then alot of the ladder only men will be out of business if they dont like wfp thus leaving a gap and thats not including the boys who set up to fill the gap while the downturn is on. 

So when does that ban on ladders start then JRDE?

[JRDEasiReach]

Well over here in NI its the councils responsibility to put the ban in place in their own locality, so far from what i have heard Co Down is the ONLY county over here to issue the ban, which im told meant some ladder men giving up the window cleaning as they didnt want to part with the cash for the wfp system.  More recently i heard of a window cleaner falling off a ladder over here too and was out cold for over 30 mins.  I have a feeling they will be banned sooner than later, especially as there is an alternative method.

[chopsie]

well i been out and leaflet dropped 0n around 300-400 houses,finished about 4pm just before it really peed it down.decided not to door knock this time as i know how much i hate sales people calling.really enjoyed it out and about though.heard nothing yet,but fingers crossed

[krave]

Im not saying leafleting is no good! But in my opinion you have to knock doors to get work up. Or at any sort of pace.

Leaflets seem to work sometimes but over the long run, people save them and call after months and months.

Door knocking its in their faces.

Maybe with your 2k, buy trad equipment, practice, door knock and buy a bit of work, or get a roundbuilder. Not saying buying work etc is the best way to do things, just maybe a kick start.

Round builders work out cheaper!

Although you will have to be ok with speaking to new and unknown people in this business!!

[chopsie]

i don't mind the meeting and talking to new faces,just don't want to be in there faces if they are not interested,thought i would possible call back in the evening when more people in.Is that good idea or will it really p them off an the evening!!Spoke to a couple of potentials who were outside their houses,each said they would let me know,but not holding out much hope.Being out there really answered my original post,the scale of just that one estate could easily accomadate  dozens of cleaners,I just got to drop on that elusive area with no cleaner.Will hit again hard next week

[krave]

If the area you dropped leaflets at today has no cleaner, I would definitely call back tomorrow evening, dressed smart, binder or diary in hand and ask them.

if they have no cleaner, could be in for luck. Dont worry what people think, you get some horrible people at their doors, but they are rare, most people are polite about things and will let you know.

Itys not as daunting as you think. Once you get out youl get more and more confident.

Good luck!!