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New to window cleaning.....

Monkey

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Guys - I just want to kick off this thread by saying thankyou - in advance of any support and advice offered - but also for the many years of helpful posts that I have had the benefit of being able to read!

Believe it or not I have followed this forum for ages (from the safety of the sidelines), enjoying reading the banter and business advice, which has often been selflessly provided by many of you.

I have witnessed many newbies come and go, and some like Diwrnach (back when he started posting) progress himself toward to what appears to be a very healthy business for him.

Regardless of all the back info available at my finger tips on all the threads..... even after all this time of reading.... I still find myself confused regarding WFP setups - what with all the choice available for different bits of equipment.

I am now facing an imminent change in my working circumstances - and as such am on the brink of finally flinging myself into the humble trade of window cleaning.

With the comments of Cheap N Chearful ringing in my mind " Window Cleaning is like Monopoly".... I feel excited about the prospect of finally talking charge of my life, and building a business that I can rely on.

Ive got tons of questions I would like to ask....

But to wrap this (lengthy!) introduction post up - my first question is this:

If you could have your time over, and with 7.5k at you disposal.... exactly what would you be buying (WFP wise) to get you started??

I want to allocated my money as best I can - and am open minded about everything.

What pole and why?

What size tank and why?

Should I be offering Connies and FSG's from the outset??

Conny ladders?

Im giving myself 6 months to replace an 18k per annum income..... is this realistic??

Cheers in advance fella's!

 
I should add - I am based in South Wales....so hopefully not treading on too many peoples toes - about 20 minutes north of Cardiff. Dont think its a particularly high paying area - but like everywhere prices seem to vary depending on who you ask. I think the area is not a very 'hard water' area according to the maps.

 
my opinion you want to spend a wodge of that money on promoting your business ,in as many Different ways as you can think of. its so VERY important that you hit the ground running . most windies start off slowly ,lacking confidence , thats how i was myself for at least the 1st yr, dribs n drabs of leafletting or doorknocking and then a few windows then repeat. MANY GIVE UP at that point when the results are slow but the reason its slow is cos the effort in promoting was low

i now KNOW you need to really kick it hard the promotion in that 1st year

 
Boarcity - thanks for your reply. I appreciate it!

I am planning a marketing campaign at the moment.... from the tips I got off here and other place ]s - these are my my marketing goals:

I'm developing a daily 'check list' to tick things off every day. I am setting my daily targets at achievable numbers - so that there are no excuses.... I can catch up easily if a day gets missed.... it will be consistent... I wont get burnout and just stop doing it....

1) Canvassing (in evening & Weekends) - goal to get at least 1 new client a day. If I miss a day, I gotta make it up the next. Obviously in the beginning i wont stop and go home when I get my 1 client..... but at least then I know that in half a year I'll be knocking on 180 custies.

2) Leaflets (first thing in morning) - gonna knock out 100 leaflets every morning. I know 100 doesnt sound like a lot - but I dont want to get 'flyer burnout'..... so will commit to doing 100 a day, EVERY DAY, pretty much forever - just becomes part of my daily graft. I reckon I can knock out 100 leaflets in less than an hour.

3) Social Media - post on FB groups every day - invest at least 1/2 hr a day, everyday, in this.

4) Commercial Contract prospecting - Aim to send 1 standard letter everyday to a new commercial prospect. My list includes Care homes, Schools, Council Buildings etc.

5) Targetted streets around any jobs picked up - leaflet the street before the job, knock the street during (straight after) the job....

6) Create a media vid for Social Media / You Tube at least once per month - showing the services on offer.

7) Advertising board placed at front of house on each job

8) Branded Polo Shirt

Think i have exhausted my current list ATM.... would welcome any further suggestions!

 
18k a year is 350ish a week. Between FB, Google Adwords, canvassing, shop window ads etc. You could do that very quickly but the trick is never to take your foot off the pedal. I'm relatively new at it myself after adding it on to a carpet cleaning business but it's building faster than I ever imagined it would. Good luck with it mate

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Hi mate I'm only in the early days of my full time window cleaning business after doing it before a bit to earn cash on the side in my spare time a change of career was forced on me. So i took the plunge and started. So this is just my advice from my experience of starting up but its going great and I'm busy so.... in terms of advertising I have 5000 flyers from flyerzone cost £60. I am knocking doors every day and leafleting those that aren't in. The knocking is proving the best way to pick up customers and then it multiplys with neighbours seeing you work and asking for a price to do there's. Picked up a few of Facebook buy and sell groups. Have found upselling works good mention you can also do conservatory roof or gutters etc.

For equipment I would forget 7500 budget till you know how much you can earn and if you enjoy it. I'm using a small car ladders on roof. A gardiner backpack with slx25 pole. (Section removed for most the time) and free Jerry cans from local car wash. ( I buy the pure water locally) bucket ,squeegee, applicator from Unger. Some microfiber cloths and sill cloths.

That's about it I had the car and rest cost me less than £800 including liability insurance. I will get a van somepoint now I know how much I can earn if i keep working this hard and that I love the work.

Just what's worked for me mate but hope it helps good luck!!!

 
Good advice there from Chris. I wouldn't invest too heavily to start with. It's a home made set up I have in my transporter but it was cheap to set up. No need to invest thousands until you know your going to be in it long term. I believe most of Wales is a soft water area so two Di vessels and some resin will be enough for pure water initially.

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Cheers for the replies guys - it s encouraging to hear that others have had success doing what I am about to do myself.

 
Welcome from the side lines to the pitch Monkey man. Citroen dispatch 2008 onwards, 3 seats in the front, can get ladders on off easily, 2 side doors. 500 litre flat tank because you don't want to run out of water and this is the sweet spot that I missed getting 400l tank, look at items for sale how many tanks under 500l do you see? lots because you outgrow that quick. Pure freedom for an install thumbs up from me but heard good things about x line and Grippatank so worth considering or DIY if your handy.

Extreme 18 from gardeners with an extension to make it 22 is the one! you don't want tennis/golfers elbow and i'm taking into account your budget here. From what I've learnt in my short time on the glass is you reap what you sow in this game. Throw yourself in the deep end take everything on best way to learn. Good luck and hope to see you posting next year doing well. Guybrush

 
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Guy brush - Fab post! Thanks for your opinions. Im glad you mentioned the tennis elbow..... because thats something I have actually suffered from in the past - and could HONESTLY not turn a door ****, nor hold even a light book out in front of me in a pinch grip between my thumb and fingers.

Took me ages to get rid of it - but found some helpful stretching exercises online.

If I got it again - it would really affect this venture!

 
Hi Monkey and thanks. Tendonitis is destructive, overlooked and lasts a long time thats why I put the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence. I was not even that busy when I had it, I would avoid changing gear on the van all the time when driving and it's no fun driving down the motorway in second gear. But one good thing about this business is you can tailor it to suit yourself and everyone out there has different goals and different ways of working so you get lots of different opinions, 4 big days a week? why not hey.

I trawled this forum for ages and my above post is a mix of my own experience but mostly what the guys that I decided knew their stuff (they've normally got gold stars next to their names lol) had to say.

I guess it comes down to looking for the reassurance that it's going to work and the work is out there. It is

 
I've only just started window cleaning and certainly didn't spend a fortune, mainly because I wasn't too sure what I would need.

I've gone the trad route for no other reason than I live in a third floor flat and the thought of carrying 25l containers of purified water up and down 3 flights of stairs just isn't practical, for me in any case.

I have an estate car with roof bars and a ladder on the top, plus bucket, squeegee etc....so far it's cost me around £220 in equipment, I already had the car.

With my method of canvassing which invloves a bit of online advertising and a lot of door knocking I recouped my initial investment (which is small) in my first week. To be fair I have been involved in canvassing and sales since 1994 so no problem knocking on doors. I just need to learn to speed up on the squeegee!

If I'd gone down the WFP route I would have started with a trolley system, based pretty much on Wagga's self build trolley (you can find it on Youtube) and an RO system. A bit more outlay but certainly not in the £thousands.

My start up costs so far.

Ladder £115.00 Lyte Triple 3.0m Trade Ladder BSEN131

Newbie trad. starter kit £54.00 As recommended on the forum

Roof bars £39.99 Buy Heavy Duty Lockable Car Roof Bars at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Roof racks and roof boxes.

500 Busines cards £13.95 + postage 24hr Online Printing | myprint247

Insurance £23.00 per month from a local insurance broker.

 
I've only just started window cleaning and certainly didn't spend a fortune, mainly because I wasn't too sure what I would need.
I've gone the trad route for no other reason than I live in a third floor flat and the thought of carrying 25l containers of purified water up and down 3 flights of stairs just isn't practical, for me in any case.

I have an estate car with roof bars and a ladder on the top, plus bucket, squeegee etc....so far it's cost me around £220 in equipment, I already had the car.

With my method of canvassing which invloves a bit of online advertising and a lot of door knocking I recouped my initial investment (which is small) in my first week. To be fair I have been involved in canvassing and sales since 1994 so no problem knocking on doors. I just need to learn to speed up on the squeegee!

If I'd gone down the WFP route I would have started with a trolley system, based pretty much on Wagga's self build trolley (you can find it on Youtube) and an RO system. A bit more outlay but certainly not in the £thousands.

My start up costs so far.

Ladder £115.00 Lyte Triple 3.0m Trade Ladder BSEN131

Newbie trad. starter kit £54.00 As recommended on the forum

Roof bars £39.99 Buy Heavy Duty Lockable Car Roof Bars at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Roof racks and roof boxes.

500 Busines cards £13.95 + postage 24hr Online Printing | myprint247

Insurance £23.00 per month from a local insurance broker.
.......... and make sure your car is insured for business use.

 

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