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J20

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking to start a water fed pole window cleaning business in my local area. I'm still in the early stages of planning, but I'm excited about the opportunity.

As part of my research, I'm trying to determine if there is enough demand for window cleaning services in my area. I'm also thinking about creating some flyers to start canvassing.

I don't have any before and after pictures for my flyer, though. Are they super important to have? If so, where can I get my hands on some? Is it fair game to just pinch them off the internet?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
No it’s not important.
People either want a window cleaner or they don’t.
Knock on the door, make up a story I.e. I’m looking to increase my round nearer my home, do you need a window cleaner? Yes, No, Maybe.
98%say No, leave a card or leaflet,
Then move on to the next one.

No gimmicks , just get stuck in??
The more houses you knock at the quicker you’ll be up to speed.
 
Don't worry about images and don't steal them off other peoples sites as that is illegal! It doesn't matter if the site doesn't say the images are copyrighted as any image posted is automatically copywrite protected!
Keep it simple, just get some leaflets printed stating what you do.
I assume you have checked on the competition? Google 'window cleaner near me' and see how many you get. Don't start with low prices as you will have a hard time raising them.
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I have a few follow-up questions.

Should I start canvassing first and then buy the equipment? How many customers should I get before investing in equipment? How do I know if canvassing is going well?

I'm thinking of starting with a goal of getting 10 customers before I buy any equipment.
 
J20 said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I have a few follow-up questions.

Should I start canvassing first and then buy the equipment? How many customers should I get before investing in equipment? How do I know if canvassing is going well?

I'm thinking of starting with a goal of getting 10 customers before I buy any equipment.
Click to expand...
Dont know your area but if you get the kit practice on your own house and family so you can check results before doing paying customers as you don’t want to get a bad reputation or loose work , obviously it’s up to you when you buy stuff but if you have no kit you can’t do anything until you do .
 
I’ve just started out, I wouldn’t dream of knocking and selling a service to someone without having the gear to actually complete the job. It’s a very slow process and going to clean one house on one day is the norm when starting out! Don’t expect to get 10 customers in one week and tell them you will be there in two weeks time to clean because it will be a very stressful time trying to source all the gear! I had all sorts of issues getting my first setup working and I’ve been cleaning for a company before I went on my own so familiar with the equipment. Good luck though!
 
A back pack and clx pole aren't an expensive outlay. If you have Spotless Water near you, then you will need some 25 litre plastic containers.

There are many posts regularly from new starters. Please do a search using the search tab in the top right hand corner.
You could spend some time and go back through all the posts from day the last 6 to 12 months and read every one of them.
As @ched999uk says, make notes on posts that make sense to you in your area.

One thing I always say. Practice cleaning your own home as many times a day as you can. You need to hone your cleaning technique virtually from the get go to look professional.

Starting self employment has benefits but also has negatives. It's not all sunshine and bikinis. You have to have a high level of self discipline especially in the cold of winter. Work is going to be slow coming in, as it takes time to become established. You are also going to pick up a lot of messers that other window cleaners have dumped.

It will be daunting, but you will get there with hard work and dedication to what you are wanting to achieve.

One thing is for sure. It's not going to be easy. But then fair winds don't make good sailors.

We wish you every thing of the best as you move forward.
 
I did, I told everyone I was back in the area in 3 weeks. I had about 10 customers before I got my equipment.
Admittedly that was 30years ago, and my equipment was my mums bucket, my dads ladders , so all I needed was scrims, squeegee and applicator. But no point wasting money if it didn’t take off.
 
Also try and spend a day or two with another window cleaner just to get a feel for the job. You will gain a lot of knowledge and skills plus you will get a clear idea of the equipment needed.
I did this and it helped me big time!
 
Crystalalan said:
Also try and spend a day or two with another window cleaner just to get a feel for the job. You will gain a lot of knowledge and skills plus you will get a clear idea of the equipment needed.
I did this and it helped me big time!
Click to expand...
I mean, if you’re offering to take me on as a apprentice for the day, I’ll be up for it ☺
 
what a community you guys have made. I’ve been reading back through all the posts like you guys advised, some good golden nuggets back there. I have started writing a business plan hopefully have it finished soon.
 
J20 said:
what a community you guys have made. I’ve been reading back through all the posts like you guys advised, some good golden nuggets back there. I have started writing a business plan hopefully have it finished soon.
Click to expand...
There is a great deal of very useful info here for those willing to invest the time to read it all.
Personally I'm not that keen on business plans as the ones I have read are full of guesses and predictions that have very little basis in facts but if it helps you to plan things then crack on. Just keep going back to it every couple of months to adjust it as I think that might help you.
When you have a list of kit you are thinking of investing in post it as a thread and ask people to check if they think it's a sound list. It's tricky when starting out as you want as small a budget as possible but sometimes it's worth spending a bit more to get better kit that will last longer or help you do a better job.
I started with a SLX27 but as I wasn't used to manual work I found it quite taxing on my muscles so I bought a CLX18 that was lighter and allowed me to do a fair bit of work without resorting to the SLX27. After 2 years I still use the CLX18, SLX27 and now have a CLX8 for bungalows and big conservatories. If you are reasonably fit then going for something like a SLX27 should enable you to do lots of different sized houses depending on the age of houses as Victorian ones are much taller than a new build. I have done 3 story Victorian with my SLX27 no problems, also reaches over most conservatories and extensions etc.
 

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