How did it all start??

[Eviestevie]

How did you all get into window cleaning?

I was 15,20 years ago,off school when my parents window cleaner came to do the windows,I made them a cuppa and got chatting,even joked how they must be making a killing.

The next day he came and offered me a me a job,and I worked for him for 3 year I only quitted because found out he was paying the new bloke more than me apparently coz he was older!!

That following day had a knock on door off another windie who had heard I'd quit and that was that I worked for him for 6 year helped him expand his business and even built my own weekend work

After 6 year I told him I was going alone and he offered me the business for a price so I bought it and set about working for myself

3 year later 4 full time staff and 1 part time things were great,the round was growing daily there weren't as many windies back then

5 year ago had my first little girl evie but me and her mum split after 5 month she stopped me seeing my little girl and a massive court battle commenced

I decided with the stress of that loosing my house belongings car and then the lads at work arguing I sold half my round to 2 of them for very good whack

So there was me 1 lad now who still works for me

The money drained quickly getting a new home solicitors fees etc etc but was worth it has I won joint custody of my girl

So 20 year on I'm now enjoying window cleaning more than ever and work is good but at a point were I only take in large jobs

I've seen All the changes over the years the new windies with there flash vans and equip come and go

So all the new ones on here when the going gets tuff and it will hang in there because eventually you will reap the benefits

Wow my thumbs hurt

 

[Jake]

Nice one Eviestevie, stressful read - glad it's better now!

I had left college and didn't have a clue what to do, so I heard a family friend may have some window cleaning work...

...Started doing just Wednesday's for £42 a day, that progressed to full time as his other worker left, I stayed working for him from 2007 till 2010,

Then decided I'd go it alone and started canvassing, built my round from scratch, and happy days here i am!

There's a lot more to it than the above, but can't be bothered to type it all! But basically I also did work for his two brothers (also window cleaners) and things went very wrong - I'll leave it at that!

 

[Dave B]

I was working on roofs with my mums other half at weekends and school holidays and a fishmongers after school

Mates dad offered me a bit of work helping him clean windows now and then and i got the bug..kept pestering him for more work..in the end we both went out door knocking to get more work to keep me busier and i dropped the other jobs..did an apprenticeship in panelbeating but still worked for him every possible moment as apprentiships don't pay well

Never worked in a garage since they went into liquidation

Done a few other jobs but always had some window work on the go..now will never be anything but a windie

 

[SolarPanelCleaning]

Bout 18 month ago, I needed to clean my solar panels(living off grid). Saw the gap in the market. Bought the kit off a window cleaner who told me of the potential in window cleaning also. Never looked back.

Glad you got custody mate.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I bought a ladder for a painting job, and shortly after my mrs was telling me to sell it. So to stop her nagging (advising) me about it all the time I needed to make it pay for itself, so I added gutter and window cleaning.

I never thought it would take me anywhere...

 

[Dave B]

They like to "advise" don't they

 

[TolishAPurd]

They like to "advise" don't they

Little did she know I would sell that ladder and replace it with three more./emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Jacob]

Got into windowcleaning after finishing school as a bricklayer, didnt like it in the end and there were no jobs to get, until i got job at a large windowcleaning company, learned the trade and worked on/off for 2 years. Then onto some lorry driving, but could deal with the stess, got ill, got well again, then decided to start my windowcleaning business and i dont regret it. Business has now made the turning point were it flying along by it "self". Really always had some windowcleaning on the side when i was in other jobs. I wouldnt change it for anything /emoticons/smile.png

 

[boarcity]

i started up after seeing a windie pass by in his van he was smiling and looked happy. i thought thats good enough for me!

iv looked out for him many times since and guess what ,never seen him anywhere since!- probably day i saw him was his last day in the job!!!

 

[Murphy]

I was working on roofs with my mums other half at weekends and school holidays and a fishmongers after schoolMates dad offered me a bit of work helping him clean windows now and then and i got the bug..kept pestering him for more work..in the end we both went out door knocking to get more work to keep me busier and i dropped the other jobs..did an apprenticeship in panelbeating but still worked for him every possible moment as apprentiships don't pay well

Never worked in a garage since they went into liquidation

Done a few other jobs but always had some window work on the go..now will never be anything but a windie

Your story is almost the same as mine, I done a apprenticeship as a panelbeater while working weekends as a windie with me grandad then I completed the apprenticeship and 3 years later the company went into liquidation so I went back to the windows and never looked back... Money is loads better and I'm not breathing in dust and paint fumes all day

 

[Eviestevie]

Surprising how many venture away from window cleaning but always seem to come back to it!!!

Like the saying,you don't no what you got till its gone lol

I've only ever been a windie fulltime but have have a interest in buying selling cars and vans

 

[steve garwood]

Was fitting windows for a bloke who I fell out with and had a full on fist fight in the customers house! That was the moment I knew I had to be my own boss. My mate is a windy, showed me the ropes and never looked back

 

[adamangler]

Well i will tell my rather gloomy tale.

One day i decided i would start doing car valeting on a weekend to boost my income, i bought a van, all the gear and a website. It dawned on me i was finding a hard time getting repeat custom, almost every job is a one off never to be see again type. Anyway this went on for a few months until one fine day in August 2013 my partner decided she would be leaving me (or kicking me out) . Cheers luv, anyway back to my parents i went with no money or posessions, went on sick for months and stopped valeting. So after feeling a little down on my luck for a year (to put it mildly, more suicidal) i decided i must try to do something positive and try again with the valeting but this time i found a 30 hour per week job so i could do a bit more. After struggling to get the valeting a more regular thing i decided i would get into windows, i paid a canvasser to get me started and that was that really, 9 months on im closing in on 100 custies and reduced my hours to 16. bit by bit, inch by inch i am getting there.

Not so gloomy any more... /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Dave B]

Don't let the bastads grind you down adam lol

Keep going and that 100 will soon be 200

 

[Duncs]

well my story goes

had gd job at the gas board 15 years under my belt all going well

but at the back off my mind my brother in law was a windie had loads of work gd round also

i always said if any thing happened i would be a windie.

well it did happen big time massive fallout at work with manager, me being the hot head i am never went back

went on sick for three weeks and canvassed my wee balls off, lucky lucky it worked out for me { two kids four mortgages at the time ] just went for it worked every hour

my big break when i went WFP things just clicked the hard work had been done

 

[MrBump]

Some heartwarming stories, glad you got joint custody eviestevie! :thumbsup:

For me it was an accident - or was it just meant to be /emoticons/wink.png I was looking to start up my own business where I could choose my own hours as I was working til 8pm nearly every night and not getting to see my little boy nearly enough and they grow up so fast! I was designing random logo's one evening (just for fun, yes I'm sad) and liked the look of one, remembered my mate had mentioned pressure washing as an idea and the logo fit the bill and I thought, sod it lets go for it!

But then while researching pressure washing I found wfp, the clouds parted and the sun beamed down upon a rock with a pole stuck in it... I pulled and pulled with all my might and out it came and thats how I became a window cleaner /emoticons/biggrin.png Actually it sounds a bit sad but I enjoyed the science behind purifying the water so much I wanted to do wfp too! /emoticons/biggrin.png But then after getting the wfp set up, (and completely changing the original logo), I cleaned my own windows and thought screw the messy pressure washing I'll just clean windows instead! :rofl: And here I am on the best site on the tinterweb! :laugh:

 

[rafawindowcleaning]

Been working full time as a renal technician since 2008 nice job and I like it but around 2012-2013 hours were cut down and so the pay. Our window cleaner came by one morning when I was at home and came out to have a chat turned out he was making 20-30quid an hour and I thought I could do with that ;-) bought a cheap combo van in 2013 with cheap wfp setup and got going. Since then hours and pay in my renal job have picked up again so at the moment I am at a croasroads like my renal job and like window cleaning so do both but dont really have more time to take on any more custies with windows so I rarely do unless its a good big job. I am afraid to jack in my renal job as it looks to be secure and pays rather well and most importantly I like it. On the other hand I also love working on the windows. Inthink I will keep my round manageable and keep both jobs and if ever my renal job will not need me anymore I will always have windows to fall back on and expand then

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

How did it all start?

A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away....... da da da daaaa daa. /emoticons/tongue.png