Considering taking the leap into the world of window cleaning

[Glenn822]

Morning all, my working life journey so far. Left school joined the army 10 years on worked for the government and now fortunate enough to have retired at 49. Drawing a reasonable pension but after all the DIY jobs had been done I found myself rattling around so went and got a job doing a bit of driving with a local garage. After 9 mths got totally fed up with the office monkeys and ended up leaving. I really fancy doing something for myself and speaking to my window cleaner he suggested ladderless window cleaning. I was amazed that he suggested it as I said I thought Id be treading on his toes but he said not there is enough work he has to knock back.

I havnt had the chance to look around the forum but I suspect all my starting up questions have already be answered but if anyone wishes to give me some immediate pointers on vans, systems, insurance etc etc I would be most grateful. Many thanks Glenn

 

[kevinc250]

hello glen and welcome,being a window cleaner could be one of the better moves you will make,you do have to be self motivated and having people skills is essential.

cleaning windows is the easy bit in my opinion,what many new starters forget is that you are running a business and i have found with great success is before you embark on this journey learn more about the area you wish to work in,what are the local prices for window cleaning? (it varies widely over the uk)without that knowledge your business plan would be inappropiate and you may find you'll struggle.

your window cleaner would he pass some work onto you to get you going?-bear in mind it'll not be his better work.

learning more about your area and possible future customers will help you understand better the way to tailor make your business which appeals to your future customers,do that before you start splashing out on equipment which may be totally unsuitable/unworkable for you

when you do buy the kit,buy the kit thats suitable for the work you'll be doing allowing plenty of room for growth,(ie no point having a small van if you wanted to do pressure washing as well as you'll have no room,again no point buying a small water tank and then running out of water by one o clock)

 

[adamangler]

I would say the complete opposite of what Kevin has just said.

If you are drawing a nice pension and retired at 49 I'm assuming you are ok financially and if window cleaning us something you fancy you can just get stuck in and see how you get on.

Start by buying a backpack d.I tds meter and a pole. Knock a few doors or leaflet and just get started. Build a few customers up learn what prices you can charge and whether that's enough for yiu as you go along. If you enjoy it and want to go full steam ahead buy the best gear to you can afford and build a round to suit your lifestyle.

No need for planning and market research and all that just work it out as you go along.

I never paid any attention to local prices or market research. I just decided what I wanted to do and did it simple as that. And I didn't have the financial luxury you seem to have so you can't lose really.

 

[simon]

Hi Glenn, i would ask your wc if you could help him out for a week, offer for free at first, then you have a much better idea what your getting into

 

[Damo]

Find a local window cleaner, then go out for a day. Buy them lunch and work for free.

Where are you based?

 

[Chris33]

Agree with damo. You've got one fellow window cleaner contact so far,he could be invaluable so maybe he'll take you out for a shift?