Starting Up My Own Business

[MorganR4500]

Hi,

I’m wanting to start up my own window cleaning business from scratch. I have no vehicle, equipment, no customers. Nothing at all. I’m currently trying to find ways of funding this business. I’m asking Business Wales about start up help. Any advice on how I can start from nothing? What basic equipment I need and tips on getting customers. Any advice will be most helpful. Thanks.

 

[David K]

Education : go on YouTube / searchbar ( this forum)
Grind : Bucket and a couple of squeegees ,cloths , Maybe a ladder. knock doors, leaflets.
Funding: Nobody needs funding to cover 100-250 pounds in basic startergear.
Thats it!

 

[MorganR4500]

Education : go on YouTube / searchbar ( this forum)
Grind : Bucket and a couple of squeegees ,cloths , Maybe a ladder. knock doors, leaflets.
Funding: Nobody needs funding to cover 100-250 pounds in basic startergear.
Thats it!

Thank you for the advice. What do you do with regards to filling up water from house to house if you were to start out with a humble bucket, squeegee and cloth? As I know the water needs to be purified to avoid streaks.

 

[bryyy2104]

Thank you for the advice. What do you do with regards to filling up water from house to house if you were to start out with a humble bucket, squeegee and cloth? As I know the water needs to be purified to avoid streaks.

Pure water is only needed for water fed pole work. For trad, ordinary water from the tap is fine with some Fairy liquid and you're away.

 

[steve garwood]

Thank you for the advice. What do you do with regards to filling up water from house to house if you were to start out with a humble bucket, squeegee and cloth? As I know the water needs to be purified to avoid streaks.

Not if you’re using a squeegee it doesn’t.
Just use people’s outside taps

 

[spruce]

You could also use the search tab in the top right-hand corner @MorganR4500

Virtually every day someone asks the same question you are asking. You could look back over the last few months and read every response to similar questions asked.

Most people thinking of going into window cleaning are now thinking water fed pole. But in the same way you can't open a coffee shop on the high street for £25.00, starting a wfp window cleaning business is expensive and there is no guarantee you will like the job or even succeed. Your current situation doesn't look good. Sorry.

 

[ched999uk]

As @David K said educate yourself is a great starting point as it's FREE.
Before I started I read every post on this forum, made notes on each aspect as everyone does things differently. Watched lots of youtube vids - UK mainly as USA do things differently.
If starting trad (bucket, squeegee, applicator) then you could even carry a 25 lts barrel of tap water with you in the car or van etc.

Before you do anything you need to research how much competition there is in your area. An easy start is just Google 'window cleaner near me' and see how many you get. If there are masses of them then maybe look at doing something else.

 

[spruce]

Education : go on YouTube / searchbar ( this forum)
Grind : Bucket and a couple of squeegees ,cloths , Maybe a ladder. knock doors, leaflets.
Funding: Nobody needs funding to cover 100-250 pounds in basic startergear.
Thats it!

He has no vehicle, no financial resources, and no idea how to canvass for business. Has he even got a driving licence?

I try to be helpful where ever I can, but my advice to the op would be to try to get a job packing shelves or something that doesn't require an initial investment to start up. The odds of his succeeding aren't in his favour.
Please don't be offended @MorganR4500 I appreciate that me telling you this isn't very encouraging, but I think you would rather hear the reality of your situation than be told what you would like to hear and be disappointed later. I'm so sorry.

When I started window cleaning, I worked a round my son was given as a Saturday job by someone he knew. I already had a small Suzuki Carry 1.3 van, which I owed nothing on. I bought a trailer wfp setup with some inheritance money. My son already had all the trad gear, ladders and a roof rack, which both he and I added to. I did trad for around 2 years before I purchased the trailer.

As @David K said educate yourself is a great starting point as it's FREE.
Before I started I read every post on this forum, made notes on each aspect as everyone does things differently. Watched lots of youtube vids - UK mainly as USA do things differently.
If starting trad (bucket, squeegee, applicator) then you could even carry a 25 lts barrel of tap water with you in the car or van etc.

Before you do anything you need to research how much competition there is in your area. An easy start is just Google 'window cleaner near me' and see how many you get. If there are masses of them then maybe look at doing something else.

He hasn't got a car or van. He is talking about purified water to avoid streaks, but you can't transport barrels of water round on the bus.

 

[Jaygti]

1st Job is get a car/van. After that you can think about window cleaning.
??

 

[steve garwood]

No offence @MorganR4500, but I’ve never understood why people suddenly consider a trade without putting one inch of groundwork into it, and not having the knowledge/equipment or anything to get anywhere near it.

It would be like me waking up tomorrow and thinking ‘right, I’m going to be an astronaut, but haven’t got a rocket’ ?

 

[spruce]

No offence @MorganR4500, but I’ve never understood why people suddenly consider a trade without putting one inch of groundwork into it, and not having the knowledge/equipment or anything to get anywhere near it.

It would be like me waking up tomorrow and thinking ‘right, I’m going to be an astronaut, but haven’t got a rocket’ ?

I was going to post the exact same analogy on my previous post, except I didn't think about the rocket.

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

As others have said, without a vehicle it’s difficult but people have done it using bicycles etc, so not impossible.

I was fortunate enough to have a car & a job so I went straight into WFP cleaning. I used a backpack and barrows in the car.

However, I know a lad who borrowed a set of ladders & went knocking doors round his own estate. They now have two vans on the road.

It’s really up to yourself how to proceed.