Getting laughed at when i tell people my plan

[Posh]

badbusdriver.... i need my driving license then i can start my business... and no i wont go and buy ladders and start.... i dont wnat ot use ladders for my own safety..... once i get my van... i will go canvassing like mad and be dropping leaflets a lot mate..... i read a story the other day of a person falling of a ladder and going to hospital.... i dont want to use ladders.... i will just stick to wfp.... so im afraid am going to have to continue talking about it..I.. for the time being lol

your right people do fall off ladders but people also have car accidents people will be laughing at you because you keep talking about doing it but havent started yet how do you know its for you? you could spend all that money on equipment and not like it, also your gona need a few customers behind you to cover running costs seriously go out get a ladder and a squeegee and get cracking ladders are safe as long as you use them properly you can even get a standoff and a ladder stopper to make them even safer. start small and work your way up


also harunh you wont be able to use wfp if youre in an area thats got a hosepipe ban inforce you can only use it if you started up before the 15th of march

That's quite correct. I am totally trad BUT do use a couple of backpacks which is giving me good learning for if I ever decide to go wfp. I also think its a good idea to learn to use a squeegee as yer never know when your need it. You, as I got, get a school that want insides and outs done how do you clean inside and many customers like there insides done. Saying about safty on a ladder IMO is sometimes exaderated and is used as an excuse for not buying them. I've had 5 years on them and know people who have used them longer and never had an accident. As someone said you could get run over crossing the road. Follow the saftey and ladders are fine. Good rubber feet ladder pads stand off and rubber mat for unlevel ground and aluminium grips for decking. I feel as safe as houses with mine. Learn trad most wfp know it and it comes in handy.

 

[Ryan]

You will need to know how to use a squeegee at some point

would u turn work away if someone asked you to do inside ?

i teaching myself on my own windows when i get a bit of free time did my first inside job on Monday and was pleased how they turned out

also got 2 jobs that people want Thayer French doors doing inside when i do outside :]

 

[Paul]

Yes bud don't be embarrassed to grab a set of ladders and a squeegee, it's making money and people will respect your more for getting of your ****, it a tough world pal deal with it and get on with it and prove them wrong, it's no good talking about it just do it as the men from Nike say.

 

[pws]

hi ya buddy good luck with your new venture, we all have to start some were, there are to many dismal jimmys in this wourld, WHO DARES WINS, get out there canvas canvas canvas, because if you dont some one else will, when i started there was no pc or mob phones, who gave me help and inspiration, motivation comes from what you get in your back pocket, once again good luck............pete

 

[window washer]

I was made redundant a year ago. I worked as an insurance broker in London and earned £80,000 per year.

I did not know what to do but had to earn money quickly.

I asked around and found a guy that earned more than anyone else at window cleaning. He had 4 hose reels welded to the back of his van and worked alongside 3 other employees from 8am till 4pm eery day. he used 6000 itres of water through WFP per day by setting up 5 x 1000 litre tanks in a she in his garden and constantly purifying water. He just uses a transfer pump and pops home every few hours to fill up his van tanks. This guy earns £1000 per day.

So...I asked him if I could work with his guys for a week and he said yes, so I did and i leanred a LOT.

He taught me many things: -

1. never purposely undercut another WC

2. Ensure yor leaflets have a quoted price on them

3. By the best set up you can afford (I set my van up to run for 2 people.

4. Do not mess around with bi monthly cleans, insides etc - just clean the outsides and work quickly if you want to make money.

I bought the components and built my own RO van system as I live in an extremey hard water area and used 2 pre-filters and a 300GPD 40/40 membrane with a 100psi sureflo pump (100psi is a must). I used a 120 amp leisure battery and the biggest tank that I could put in my van which was 500 litres.

I had 10,00 leaflets printed and just started walking.

I bought a white van and had it proffesionally sign written and had some t-shirts printed with my company name.

I then went onto vistaprint had loads of cards, some invoices (for commercial work) and built my own website.

I just jept on canvassing every day and a year later I have 700 customers, 2 employees and make £8,500 a month less wages and costs

best thing I ever did

You really have to work had though

 

[All Round Cleaning]

Fair play to that man , just goes to show a bit of hard work pays off '@!!!

 

[Belfastcleaning]

Nice one window washer! I don't have alot of time to canvass but picking up a good lot lately. Wish I could get a couple of reliable guys to work away while I canvass like ****

 

[window washer]

Best thing to do is look around and speak to anyone who you see delivering leaflets. I bumped into a lady who was delivering BT books. She said she had contracts with various outlets and could deliver 3000 leaflets in my area. Her sister also delivered 1500 nearby and they put me in touch with another guy who deliver another 1000. The avon lady did another 600 and the betterware catalogue man did 1300.

So... I called my local printers and had 10,000 leaflets printed in 2 days for 155 pounds. It was a simple leaflet telling people that the price would be between £10 and £15 for a full clean.

The people delivering charged me £25 per 1000 as they were delivering other leaflets and I paid them all an additional £5 per 1000 to ensure my leaflets were not put inside anything else.

So for £200 I had 7000 leaflets delivered last week. All of this happened over a two week period and the phone has not stopped ringing.

Just keep working - it is the canvassing that is important - if you can push all your work forward so instead of working this Tuesday, if you can afford it and have the spare time push all of your work forward to start later n the week and start canvassing at 9am - you will be surprised at the result,

Between March and early June is the optimum time to pick up work so don't miss out./emoticons/smile.png/emoticons/smile.png

 

[Belfastcleaning]

I was maybe going to go out on Monday knocking but don't know if people will be in or out as its easter

 

[Matty H]

I was made redundant a year ago. I worked as an insurance broker in London and earned £80,000 per year.

I did not know what to do but had to earn money quickly.

I asked around and found a guy that earned more than anyone else at window cleaning. He had 4 hose reels welded to the back of his van and worked alongside 3 other employees from 8am till 4pm eery day. he used 6000 itres of water through WFP per day by setting up 5 x 1000 litre tanks in a she in his garden and constantly purifying water. He just uses a transfer pump and pops home every few hours to fill up his van tanks. This guy earns £1000 per day.

So...I asked him if I could work with his guys for a week and he said yes, so I did and i leanred a LOT.

He taught me many things: -

1. never purposely undercut another WC

2. Ensure yor leaflets have a quoted price on them

3. By the best set up you can afford (I set my van up to run for 2 people.

4. Do not mess around with bi monthly cleans, insides etc - just clean the outsides and work quickly if you want to make money.

I bought the components and built my own RO van system as I live in an extremey hard water area and used 2 pre-filters and a 300GPD 40/40 membrane with a 100psi sureflo pump (100psi is a must). I used a 120 amp leisure battery and the biggest tank that I could put in my van which was 500 litres.

I had 10,00 leaflets printed and just started walking.

I bought a white van and had it proffesionally sign written and had some t-shirts printed with my company name.

I then went onto vistaprint had loads of cards, some invoices (for commercial work) and built my own website.

I just jept on canvassing every day and a year later I have 700 customers, 2 employees and make £8,500 a month less wages and costs

best thing I ever did

You really have to work had though

Where do you live mate?

 

[Paul]

How do you go about putting quotes on flyers.

 

[pws]

paulrods, how would you put a price on a flyer, not wanting to sound flipent, you would have the prices printed on the flyer, if i was to put prices on a flyer i would have them made up to the type of properties i had in mind to clean, say it was a typical council house estate with 2-3 bedroom houses, i would state your house, £10-12 if you are down south. if you have a decent local printer he will change the type of property and pricing on your flyer, its all about targeting your market..........pete

 

[Matty H]

Bloody hell they charge a lot "down south" /emoticons/smile.png

 

[Paul]

It obviously works for you, but can you just explain a little more because I always thought of doing but leaving a space to write the price in, do you have different flyers with different prices printed on?

 

[mr shine]

ive done these type of leaflet and just got them printed with an empty box beside each service offered and write in your price as you go from area to area it worked well for me

 

[pws]

hi ya, as above an empty box with TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE printed within or a bove then you can pen the price in when you are canvasing, obviosley say if they have a coservetorys its extra, because we can not allways see the rear of houses