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What made you become a window cleaner?

I am fairly newly married and obviously had to earn a decent enough wage to get by. So at the time we got married I was working as a lawn care operative (making lawns greener and less weedier). I then got offered a better job doing the same thing, it was more freedom with the van and finish when I finished the jobs. 10 months in and after moving out of our flat due to damp and in with the in laws, I wanted to take up window cleaning as I have a few friends that are window cleaners and they seemed pretty happy with it. So as we were living with the in laws at low rent, I decided to go for it. My job tried keeping me on but I had a friend that was selling a trailer with the equipment to start with. I told him that I didn't have any means of pulling it so he made me an offer I couldn't turn down. He gave me the trailer along with a Volvo v40 1.9d in exchange for our crappy Citroen c1. I did not hesitate and I took it. I handed in my notice (even though I said I would stay) and started advertising straight away. Had a few jobs from gumtree which were basically practice houses and friends took me on as their window cleaner to help me build a round. Slowly but surely I have built up a decent enough round and still growing. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner. I kind of landed on my feet the way mine panned out but it can still work for anybody. You just need to put your mind to it [emoji4]

 
No exciting story here. My story was during window cleaning (level 100)

I saw a round advertised and i bought it £1300 of work for £2500 was pants to be fair. £6.50 houses. Not one house over a £10 /emoticons/sad.png

 
Left college,

Worked with a family friend for a couple of years window cleaning, relaises there's money in it,

Started canvassing my own estate,

Got a ladder, bucket and trad gear, used to walk around my local estate cleaning 3 houses. Then 4, then 5 then 6 and so on,

All these years later, now wfp and chocka block, had two people work for me, didn't really enjoy it, went back to be on my own, love it, no smelly people in my van lol

I've come a long way from walking round the local area (hard hard work) To where I am now, but so glad I started from absolute scratch. I couldn't afford a roof rack, so I had to walk. It taught me a lot, discipline and persistence.

I also had to get over any pride, because when your 20 years old and walking past your neighbours with a ladder and bucket, you feel small.

I had to look at the future to keep going!

 
@Gav I am sorry.

I have set Jake to ignore. Feel feel free to tidy up the thread. You only have to look at the abuse Dave got in my "look who i met today thread" Its disgusting that someone of that age is taking the **** out of Dave.

(Yes this is for everyone, not just Gav)

 
Seriously people. What's going on who cares what one person does or has not done. Why are we speaking for others. If you don't like some ignor the. You don't have to respond to a post. Stop pushing each others buttons and draging on **** from the past.
Great thread @Adams0211 sorry it was hyjacked all back on track now
No worries @Gav. It kept me entertained during the adverts on Soccer AM :thumbsup:

 
Really interesting to hear and sometimes I ask my self what I could be other than this . I've had some jobs , chauffeur,salesman,I've even had my own company as 19 yr old trying to establish a graffiti cleaning company. With that I worked HARD canvassing, but only a few jobs .

The last employed job I had was at a national damage-control company , but some weeks it was busy and other weeks without employment.

The fact is that I hate working with a team of colleagues everyday as I'm a "lone Cowboy" . Don't get me wrong, I love to meet up with other cleaners and have a chat , but working is best on my own . I have couple of friends doing the same + my brother. So we do help work now and then and that's fun ! /emoticons/smile.png

So I started up part time at 21 cos a guy with a regular cleaning company needed a cleaner ,and it took on from there . Today I'm 36.

Everyday I cherish the freedom and nice custys. I could never go back to regular employee job . Nobody control this guys work ! :hehehe:

 
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1) Left school about 1998 i think it was.

2) Work for a bedroom furniture warehouse company at the age of 16 (fitting wardrobes, beds and cabinets at customers homes all over London for 5 years... Hated it and the boss i used to work for, so i quit!

3) Got meself a job at fitness first (gym) as a handy man, enjoy it... was working with young people around my age back then.

4) Quit the gym to go backpacking in Africa for 6 months starting in Kenya Nairobi then Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zanzibar (Freddie mercury was born in Zanzibar if you didn't know that) Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa finishing off in cape town.

5) Back home to London and i knew i couldn't go back to **** jobs, spoke a window cleaner who turn up and cleaned me mum windows asking me about my trip in Africa and if i enjoyed it.

A few mins later i was telling to him i needed to start earning some money fast cos i use all my money up... then he kindly said he can get me a few small houses to clean and i can keep the customers if i fancy having a go cleaning windows... ''WHAT!... Me... cleaning windows? A window cleaner!''

Got 4 small houses £8 each to try out, after the first clean i thought wow it only took me 15 min to clean ( i was very slow back then) and i already made £8... £8 wow... i never earn 8 pound an hour before in my life! And i made £8 in 15 min!!!

So yeah about 10 years now i still cleaning windows.

 
I like all the succes theres to find here real inspiration.

I started after losing my job being ill and nuts of depression.

Spent 6 months on the dole and in therapy. I was considered fresh Again march this year, decided to start my business. Quit the dole and worked ny butt off (stil do) started from scratch zero custys zero income, just doing leafler dropping, got my first custy a few days later and it just took on from there. Now have a decent income and 145 lovely customers and my round is growing each day :thumbsup:

 
I like all the succes theres to find here real inspiration.
I started after losing my job being ill and nuts of depression.

Spent 6 months on the dole and in therapy. I was considered fresh Again march this year, decided to start my business. Quit the dole and worked ny butt off (stil do) started from scratch zero custys zero income, just doing leafler dropping, got my first custy a few days later and it just took on from there. Now have a decent income and 145 lovely customers and my round is growing each day :thumbsup:
Respect ! :thumbsup:

 
Seriously people. What's going on who cares what one person does or has not done. Why are we speaking for others. If you don't like some ignor the. You don't have to respond to a post. Stop pushing each others buttons and draging on **** from the past.
Great thread @Adams0211 sorry it was hyjacked all back on track now
Cor, there was no need to remove my merry Christmas post gav!!! Where's your Christmas spirit? /emoticons/wink.png

 
Cor, there was no need to remove my merry Christmas post gav!!! Where's your Christmas spirit? /emoticons/wink.png
Ha sorry just went through and cleared the lot. Merry Christmas :thumbsup:

 
I was born a window cleaner /emoticons/biggrin.png

My dad and uncles are windows cleaners so when I got laid off from sparking my mate employed my other mate for the winter and I thought I could do this as iv experience in the field already so went to a few doors and then bought a bit of work and built it up over the past 5 years

 
I am also a born window cleaner. My dad was a window cleaner. I started helping him part time when I was 13. Full time when 16. I'm over 50 now and I'm still doing it. I could never have a real job. Dad retired at 65. A life's work well done. Poor ole boy died at the end of nov aged 87. Worn out!

 
I always wanted to be a lorry driver. That was my dream. Couldn't take HGV test til I was 21. To late then. Got used to the money the windows brings in. Didn't wanna work twice the hours for half the pay and miss the kids growing up

 
Got my class2 courtesy of the british army before i was old enough to use it on civvy street

Would never have done it myself as i had no intention of being a wagon driver

Sometimes i used to contemplate it then would think of the other numptys on the road and soon forget about it

 
Was window fitting for years with my brother until we had a full on fist fight in a customers house. This turned serious when the customer made untold complaints to the company and also the police were called.

I had to do community service, and it was whilst doing it I decided and knew I had to work alone because of my anger issues.

Window cleaning suited the bill, so I bought a small round £300 a week and built it up.

20 years later still going and its been very successful. I have a worker, but he goes out on his own, for reasons I said earlier. I'm nearly 50 now, so 2 six weekly rounds is enough for me.

That's how I started. Sorry if I bored you :thumbsup:

 

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