[Ryan @ Transparent, Carlisle]

Have you been a windy cleaner all your working life? or do you have a trade behind you? or any other jobs?

Personally, i was an electrician before this, and was paid off from my £400 a week job during the 'credit crunch'

Now, about 4 years ago, someone advised me to become a window cleaner, however i had no money to buy a car/van and the idea faded after getting a £300 a week job.

Looking back, i wish i had took there advise.

Well, after the £400 a week job, i decided to try my hand at becoming a window cleaner. I taught myself how to do it, starting with vertical strokes, and soon became efficient at the 'S' stroke. However, i was going through 6 or more scrims a day.

After some further guidance i learned to use a "wet/sill cloth" & now im down to one or two scrims a day

Working as a self employed window cleaner, i reflect on the times where i had supervisor's & boss's breathing down my back. Sick of running the 'rat race' lining the pockets of other people.

although, now, im not on £400 every week, i have the freedom of working for myself, lining my own pockets, and working less hours for more money  

Well, how did you become a window cleaner, and what was it that made you 'try' this business?

[mci services]

i was brought up with it. my dad, brother and any other out of work relative have did it. my dad and brother ran a succesfull window cleaning business and when i was 13 i started a small saturday round and did commercial on holidays with my dad. then i left school and wanted a proper job : did various jobs and was always doing w/c on weekends and time between jobs then joined the army and did 15 years but still helping my old man and bro when on leave. anyway went self employeed when i left the army and here iam.

by the way my old man is now late 70s and still taking a wage from their business

[rg1]

I've only been in the wc game since October last year. Prior to that I was a truck driver for 20yrs tramping around Europe. In the end, it cost me my marriage and when I became involved in a new relationship I vowed to give up truck driving.

A big step to change from previous job to being self-employed but, I'm enjoying it and often ask myself why I didn,t do it sooner.

Still, as they say, better late than never!

[AuRavelling79]

I was in sales in a small office equipment company and got to the level of "sales executive" in the Swindon branch. In 1987 they paid me £14000 a year plus commission and I had a Vauxhall Carlton company car (the other salesmen had Cavaliers - what a star I was! ). My bosses sold out to a big company from Manchester and they came down throwing their weight around, cutting salaries and thinking we'd take it.

Four of us left and set up our own business which initially did well but due to being strapped for readies and internal disagreements we did not react well to the computerisation of office equipment. In 1996 I negotiated to leave and cash in my shares and due to "my leaving agreement" had to take different work for 12 months.

I lived off of my share money and went self-employed selling health insurance for Western Provident Association (BUPA like stuff). I did OK but it was commission only and just after I started Labour came to power and scrapped tax-relief on health insurance for the over-60's (which was a good market) this meant a dearth of policies being bought and I was struggling with two small children and one on the way and a mate had a small round for sale making £300 per month which he sold me at 1X and so I took it.

As I was selling self employed I continued with the health insurance part time for two years and was given an ultimatum in 2000 - all or nothing! I had built up my round to about £1000 pcm and chose to give up the health insurance (and a bit of office equipment toner cartridge sales) and go w/c full time.

By 2002 my round grossed about £1500pcm and slowly increased by word of mouth and canvassing and I bought another £200 worth from David Bishop (used to be on this forum) as he had got some big contracts.

WFP came along in 2005/6 and by natural growth and word of mouth things have improved year on year since then.

In the early years (late 90's) I wondered whether I should have left my office equipment firm but they went bust in 2000 and so I'm glad I did.

[leapstallbuildings]

I did a few different things before W/Cing.  My main job was as a printer's assistant that I had for 13 years until the place closed.  I had several shorter jobs before that.  After the print I did multi drop delivering bath and kitchen fittings, then I worked in a nuthouse, and after that, I worked for an ad company that used noticeboards - mainly in supermarkets.  Quite a variety really.  W/Cing is the longest I've stuck with one line of work.

[Nathanael Jones]

I trained in upholstery & antique restoration from school but found there was very little demand for it and even less money, so despite how much I enjoyed it I had to move on. I worked in a pottery after that, glazing the pots and working the kilns,.. but the kilns require attention 7 days a week, and after 18 months of 60 hour weeks with no holiday I couldn't hack it anymore.
After that I got a job in construction & worked my way up from a labourer to being a site agent. It was well paid, but long hours and lots of travelling. I'd leave the house before 7am most days and it'd be nearly 7pm before I got home. despite that I kinda enjoyed it,.. it was interesting and varied work,.. we built everything from housing estates to factories and apartment blocks and it was amazing to see how it was done. The companies I worked for kept going bankrupt tho,.. after the 3rd one went under in 4 years I decided to call it a day.
My father in law and my dad are both cleaners, so I kinda fell into this job,.. never looked back!

[gewindows]

Agriculture for a number of years, interspersed with lots of travelling.

11 years landscape foreman.

[jr windows]

I worked for an organisation that advertises on tv, were watching you.

[matt]

carpenter for years ( both employed and my own company )

foreman / supervisor  for building companies for a good few years

i used to do fair sized jobs, extensions, garage conversions, new kitchens, refurb of houses, good money at times


I started to do window cleaning to help some1 out who broke his arm and leg ( to save his round  i then decided it was stress free, i could work the hours i wanted without some1 on the phone to me asking where i was with the new kitchen etc etc

i miss the job satisfaction though , when you complete a building job you can stand back and say " great job " window cleaning just doesnt have the same

[rg1]

Judging by the replies, there is a wealth of talent that can pool their resources to help each other.

[wezzy32]

iv worked weekends for about 4-5 yrs (well satdays) with my m8 on his round.then last june i was made redundant from a good job as a area merchandiser for a firm in leeds id been there for 12yrs and it came out off the blue .as we worked only for b&q there was 10 made redundant at the same time out of 35 .i have my class 2 hgv so i had a choice driving or trying to build my own round so i went for building my own round lent sum money off me dad and got a van wfp system and ladders my m8 helped me out with work and more experience.i bought a round with 100 custy for 2x and have gained 30 more my self.i also offer driveway cleaning.i only wish i had dun it yrs ago.as woking for yourself is a lot better than sum jumped up manager breathing down your neck.

[pt]

Hi all,
trained in sports tuf managent. Worked all over Europe and Uk as a greenkeeper. Went travelling. Then just fell into window cleaning.

[jouk45]

i am an upholsterer and car trimmer to trad, life was great, until all the cheap imports arrived, leather suits for £400,   o forgot, i am a leather doctor to  
w/c is so relaxing and less pressure, best thing i ever did was go wfp  

[Blue Frog Systems]

various factory work, hospital porter, worked as a healthcare in a secure unit and fitting out offices. Came into window cleaning because i couldnt get a job. 9 months later i have a cracking business and laugh at the fact i got turned down for an interview at macdonalds (thats true)

never cleaned a window before, i even had about 20 - 30 customers lined up before. You Tube was a very good teacher

[jonnyald]

i was a mechanic for donkeys years,but in my last year of it injured myself 3 times by not paying attention and i knew my time was up-so  sold all my gear, then had a Huge fire and burnt everything else including the office.   took up cleaning windows a few months later,spur of the moment thing .

[macmac]

Judging by the replies, there is a wealth of talent that can pool their resources to help each other.

Good idea, right, i want-

House extension
Full rewire
Garden landscaped, then a greenkeeper for it
Some french pollishing
Bit of printing
My own sales executive
Personal driver
Van sevice

Oh, I want to be on TV too!


Anyone help?

[abilol]

I USE TO MAKE   COPPER  LAMPS FOR 14 YEARS FOR MY DAD BUT CHINA FLOODED THE MARKET WITH CHEAP COPYS

[Wrekin C S]

why didnt you become a self employed electrician?

[abilol]

We just made the lamps and  brackets they went on my dad is stll makeing them 

[Mike #1]

trained as a bricklayer , worked for someone wc when 17yrs old then worked on building sites and various jobs in then every so often i would drop back to working for some guys i know window cleaning , then 10yrs ago i was out of work and after 3yrs wc experience i decided to buy a window cleaning round of someone i know never looked back best thing i ever did