Crystalalan
Well-known member
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- 783
- Location
- Christchurch, Dorset
oh yeah up. I`m always doing that
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Before and after pictures
- Thread starter J20
- Start date
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Yeah, I’ll be well for that, get to see what it’s all about. thanks
Not to far for me mate I’d love to get to see what it’s all about get some firsthand hand experience see if it really is for me, just let us know what day is best time etc I’ll be there
- Messages
- 11,289
- Location
- Sunderland Tyne and Wear
Message me your email / mobile and I'll let you know closer to the time when we'll be there. Got a bigger job at Coltishall after if easier
..... or some first hand practical knowledge and experience of it. . I'm not having a go at @J20 but have you ever used pure or WFP before? Do you know what to expect and how to properly clean windows? Cos it's not just a case of spray n scrub.
Obviously there's alot of learning on the job for anyone and you have to start somewhere, but personally, at the very least I'd want to fully understand my equipment and how to use it. , Also if you get any takers from canvassing you want to be in a position to do it asap.
R.E. before and after pics - they're most useful on websites and where there is an obvious difference eg gutters / patios etc. If you want a pic on a flyer then anything showing a pole spraying water on a window would suffice to highlight the service and take a few shots of your shiny new pole and glass.
I wouldn't recommend nicking photos from anywhere, but it happens all the time and uf you're going to do it I'd suggest using the type of shots retailers / manufacturers use and get them ftom a more obscure or foreign search engine rather than Google UK
CleanDeeper
Well-known member
- Messages
- 111
I couldn’t actually believe how nice the window cleaning community are, I’ve even approached a window cleaner in the area I was canvassing and he was so nice. I just introduced myself and told him I wasn’t out to take anyone’s work etc. I never bothered with a business plan, part of the reason I started this rather than something else. You can get by without as long as you stay motivated, which is hard sometimes! It has ups and downs! Massive ones!
I've been on the forum rooms for a couple of weeks now, listening to your advice and doing my own research on here and on YouTube. There's a lot more to this than I first thought, but I'm not put off - I'm more determined than ever. In no particular order, here are some bullet points of things I've learned so far. If you have any opinions or think I've missed anything, please let me know!
- Need to gain some water fed experience, two window cleaners on here, I’ve offered to take me out for the day. It’s a start
- Marketing (canvassing and reviews) is key. Advertise on Nextdoor and Facebook local pages. Canvas between 4-8pm keep pitch simple, fryer/business card first then pitch. Need to do some more research on how to get reviews, but I know they’re important.
- strong online presence Facebook page, Google business account & website
- Software to use, GoCardless, QuickBooks, route LX, google sheets,
- Price list, minimum charge, research, local businesses
- Equipment thinking Gardner need to do some research but have a rough idea what I need, just need to keep in mind to get the right length, pole for my target areas I’ll be working. cheap, it’s best.
- Pure water, I have a spotlessWater pump near me. To start off with will be using 25 L bottles in the back of a car should be able to fit 8 bottles.
- Public liability insurance (very important)
- To Start of with it will be s Saturday round with the occasional Sundays if first cleans take a lot more time than expected. I will canvas that particular area the week leading up to the Saturday. Every Saturday is the area.
- Need to research 4/8 weekly or 5/10 weekly not sure which way to go on that.
ched999uk
Well-known member
- Messages
- 4,768
- Location
- Lancashire
Well done for putting in the effort.
Going out with experienced windys will be very beneficial.
Software wise I'm not sure that your idea will be best for integration. i.e. Squeegee connects to gocardless and manages that for you but also you can export reports into quickbooks. No idea about RouteLX - I found keeping your work within 3 miles radius then you quickly get to know your area and can plan routes in your head, Squeegee can help with route planning and schedule management - You set a round location and when adding a new customer it will suggest best fit for routes.
Equipment - Gardiners seems to have best reputation, I've only used their poles so no experience in others - you mention 'cheap, it's best' Don't be tempted by cheap kit or selling your services cheap as long as you do a good job charge what is 'normal' for your local area - don't lower prices to start as you won't be able to raise them very easily.
First cleans will take double if not more time and use a lot more water, so your first experiences will make you think you will be earning peanuts for the effort but maintenance cleans will be much quicker and you will speed up over time.
Try your best to stick to a set number of weeks i.e. 4, 5 or 6. Avoid 8,10,12 as that gives you some days where you will be mega busy and others slack.
CleanDeeper
Well-known member
- Messages
- 111
Ok so I’ve not long started on my own, I do have some experience running a large round though. I started with a logo, then I built my own website, Facebook page, Instagram (not needed really but free). I have started from the beginning using Cleaner Planner and GoCardless, yes there’s some cost involved but it’s brilliant for keeping things organised, adding notes etc and most importantly taking GoCardless payments. This might be a good tip for you if you haven’t got a business bank account yet, I opened a Mettle account (by Natwest), it’s a online bank account but you get FreeAgent for Free! It’s a brilliant accounting software. I started from my car, 8 barrels however I noticed that because I was doing mostly first cleans I was using lots of water and even more so when it’s hot weather! It’s all in the rinse as they say. I’m now in a small van I bought for a bargain price! I’ve got a 350L tank for peanuts second hand! Cleaned it up and painted the frame it looks like new! Only give £60 for it with the frame of Facebook market place. When I was using the car I still used a hose reel bolted in the boot with 100m of 6mm hose so I looked more professional just pulling up and getting the pole out and pulling the hose. I started with the pole I used in my previous job which I know can reach 3 stories or awkward windows, the Gardiner SLX 27. I have made my own flyers and cards to post after each clean. They all tie in with my logo and website design. I’ve picked up about an even split between canvassing and Facebook groups then a couple of jobs from the Nextdoor app. The Nextdoor app can be really annoying with all the notifications so I would turn them off apart from if someone direct replies or messages you. You can search keywords like Window Cleaner and it will bring up posts where someone has asked if there is a local window cleaner etc. I’ve actually picked up a couple replying to these so worth the effort checking regularly.
One thing that stuck in my head that someone said on this forum to me is “when you get the lows remember the highs”…. I started really well getting 3 new customers on my first canvassing outing of an hour and a half, then I got one for about 5 hours, then I got nothing for about a week! It was hard! I went from really thinking I was going to walk it to thinking I can’t see this working at all in the space of a couple of days! It’s still up and down now! It’s tough but I’m too invested to give up.
If I can at help you please feel free to fire me a message, I’ve taken a lot from this forum so would be good to help someone else in return.
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Thanks guys, for sharing your story’s. It really does help in finding the gaps in my plan. I can see from the last two messages. One person is using squeegee, and the other is using cleaner planner. From my understanding squeegee, is the cheaper of the 2, but it’s an online service so if the server goes down, it doesn’t work where as cleaner planner, you can use off-line, but it’s more expensive?
I’ve been doing my research on other window cleaners in my area seems quite a saturated area, within a mile and half from me There is 4 window cleaning businesses. Should I start further afield or stay in my area and just embrace the grind of getting new customers.
I’ve been doing my research on other window cleaners in my area seems quite a saturated area, within a mile and half from me There is 4 window cleaning businesses. Should I start further afield or stay in my area and just embrace the grind of getting new customers.
ched999uk
Well-known member
- Messages
- 4,768
- Location
- Lancashire
Start by sticking local as any time you are driving to or between jobs you are not earning plus the fuel costs. That said there is no harm in testing slightly different areas as you could find one that a windy has retired from or just isn't as saturated. All my work is within a 3 mile radius of home but I'm still building.
I believe Squeegee does work off line and will update/sync when it gets a connection. I didn't have squeegee loaded on my Android phone so put it in aeroplane mode and opened it - worked fine all my schedules are there, so it will work offline no problem.
Have a check on the features as when I looked some things that are standard on Squeegee require a more expensive subscription on CP. There is no point to pay for feature you don't need though! Squeegee does have some good tutorials online and have always been very quick to respond to my questions - usually user error but I haven't used CP so I will be biased!
Windowcleaner88
Well-known member
- Messages
- 68
Hey J20, I’m Norwich based I’d be happy to meet up for a coffee/beer and share what I’ve learnt over the last couple of years and what equipment I use etc ? If interested just hit me up.
Will do mate, I’ll get in touch with you soon ?
