[Sir Squeaky]

God knows!
Long old drive to to my auntie's. 4 or 5 hours.
Only usually go for family events or every few years if not.

[gewindows]

When I was in Israel, which I didnt mention before, I worked picking oranges, picking avocados, tractor driving, fitting out the naafi in Eilat before it opened, washing up, road sweeping, block-paving, fitting out a pub, unloading delivery lorries at Hilton Hotel Taba, decorating, sieving sand on the beach looking for dropped coins using a chip frying sieve, working in the bakery, sweeping the tennis courts at the police station and fitting out and painting a 60' scuba launch.

[Ste M]

motor mechanic
lift engineer
CNC operator setter
JLR electrical mechanical maintence man
Maintenence man
Windy

[Sir Squeaky]

Windy

I have problems with wind sometimes too. Nothing to be ashamed of.

[Colin Day]

Windy

I have problems with wind sometimes too. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Even us Carpet Cleaners have problems with wind....Which is bad as we're working "Inside" the customer's house...

[Ste M]

its not a problem for me, the wife doesnt like it though, especially when were doing spoons haha

[Colin Day]

 

[Lee Pryor]

before window cleaning i sold double glazing for everest, this taught me canvassing and face to face sales, also my first self employed role. before that i was a sales and marketing manager for the daily mail group, where i learnt how to manage a large team and how to control a big budget.

I wanted to start my own business and thought of a cleaning company (office) one day my girlfriends dad turns round and says you never see enough window cleaners around. so while selling the windows and doors i started asking my customers if they had a window cleaner, what they charged and so on. the rest is as they say history.

[Clive McDonald]

I'm a bit miffed i can't say anything good on this.I feel my life was wasted in a career sense. Dead end jobs where i thought i could do so much.I didn't get a promotion and a respected superior said"If you were going to get anywhere with your life you would have done it by now".
Sadly i had accept as a fact that he was right.I thought i was the best thing since sliced bread but other people didn't.It can be very hard for some (me ) to face up to the fact that they are ordinary.

Things got worse.My wife left but got the house and i ended up at thirty five living back with my parents with no job and skint. Just at this point, when i was least expecting it i started a business to take my mind off my own misery more than anything else, and made a lot of money (not millions but nice car house hols etc). Started wc as bolt on biz 3yrs ago..

[mick786]

i,m a joiner by trade, and out of work can,t get a job. hopeing to set up as a wc learning from people of this form

[Londoner]

Mick  Do it! Get a bucket and a ladder and start knocking on doors. Once you get your first customer you are a window cleaner. Its all uphill from there.

Unless you live in Pinner in which case the advice is Nah, dead loss, don't bother.

[s.w.c]

Smithy,

What brush are you using on your poles on your website mate?

it was the old original Bentley brush,

[AuRavelling79]

before i was a window cleaner i was a trad guy

 

He's a "very naughty boy!"

[Ian Lancaster]

Just at this point, when i was least expecting it i started a business to take my mind off my own misery more than anything else, and made a lot of money (not millions but nice car house hols etc). Started wc as bolt on biz 3yrs ago..

Wow!!

You started a business totally unexpectedly?  How did that happen?  And you made lots of money??

So spill - what sort of business was it? and how well did window cleaning fit with what you are doing?  I bet there's plenty on here wondering if they can do the same thing

[Murdie window cleaning]

Spent about 14 years in manufacturing, then the next 10 in retail management, working my way up to managing a store that turned over in excess of £2million and had a staff of over 30. But for at least the last year of my time there I was truely unhappy at the way things were going, so I looked into a few ideas of setting up on my own. Window cleaning was actually some thing I had never thought off untill maybe last summer, then I started looking into it a bit more, read the window cleaning coach website, discovered CIU, bought some trad gear and away I went. Still a long way to go but other than an enforced lay off with the weather I'm realy enjoying it. 2010 is going to be a good year for me, I can feel it.

[thewaterwizard]

market trading for 17 years before window cleaning and pressure washing
earn t a good living nice hols ect
but like a lot of butchers/bakers tesco/aldi and alike it got to the stage
that you just couldn't com-peat
oh we sold cakes/sweets/biscuits/drinks and grocery lines
7.5ton lorry plus 2 vans 35ft stall  all gone

shop at TESCO now!!

happier now though

       robin   

[Clive McDonald]

An unexpected point in my life . Pretty much everything had fallen to bits for me.The extent of my expectations was not to make money but only to take my mind off things.If you have a high opinion of yourself, but objectively most things you've done have either been failures or mediocre at some point you accept this.

I don't know if you have ever tasted failure Ian, or if you have, if it bothered you, but it used to bother me.Some of these guys stories crashed and burned but at least they had some interesting high points.I didn't.

What is success? A lasting marriage, being a good dad,being happy?

I wouldn't dream of ridiculing the arc of your life Ian , but mine has been pretty much that i talked a good game but little else.

[Ta-ra]

Wasn't anyone here born wiv a spoon in their mouth? 

[daniel worgan]

An unexpected point in my life . Pretty much everything had fallen to bits for me.The extent of my expectations was not to make money but only to take my mind off things.If you have a high opinion of yourself, but objectively most things you've done have either been failures or mediocre at some point you accept this.

I don't know if you have ever tasted failure Ian, or if you have, if it bothered you, but it used to bother me.Some of these guys stories crashed and burned but at least they had some interesting high points.I didn't.

What is success? A lasting marriage, being a good dad,being happy?

I wouldn't dream of ridiculing the arc of your life Ian , but mine has been pretty much that i talked a good game but little else.

We hear what you say mate....but what business did you start that made a lot of money so that you could add window cleaning as an add on?

[wizard]

 Before I was a   window cleaner I was a Millionaire with so much money I made  in a great and successful business had 200 people work under me...................... in the basement .Drove a Bentley. Dated the rich and famous birds of  the time.
GOT tired of been happy, so became a window cleaner. Now I rub shoulders with you guys and have never been so broke. But I am on the up again on ladders this time Reaching greater heights than before..................zzzzzzz



AND
 When I woke up from my coma  my coffee was cold.