Any other jobs like window cleaning?

[adamangler]

Why cant he purify his own water? 

Have I missed that part

 

[Pjj]

I think half his problem is if you say anything negative to him he cannot accept it , he needs to take a good hard look at what he wants and what he’s prepared to do about it , I certainly don’t mean to be nasty to him I know as  well as anyone how difficult  can be to start out , but every post he puts is always negative and the problems he’s experiencing are always someone else’s cause , when getting new customers you will get messers I don’t know what it’s like where he is but most on hear have been able to make a go of it ,there’s a guy on the other forum called James styles who is exactly the same is this the same guy ???? Ones on hear have tried to offer help which most of the time he seams to ignore or poo poo it as it doesn’t work , so I don’t know what he expects as I said earlier some are not suited to being there own boss , I agree with what padstar has said .

 

[Lee85]

I can relate to some of the difficulties that are being discusse. Having only started up in Autumn of this year myself. Im in my mid 30's I've always worked in financial services and had a relatively well paid career. This all changed 3 years ago when my youngest son was born, he spent the first 6 months of his life In hospital and the next 2 years in and out. This had a huge effect on my life, I twice had to give him CPR, once whilst driving. I went part time at my previous job and became his main carer. During this time, I had what I could only describe as a huge 'meltdown'.  I was made redundant, which it has turned out to be the best thing for me in the end. I had full support of my partner thankfully, she went full time at work. I sold my car, I brought a van and minimal equipment. I still suffer with huge anxiety issues and find door knocking overwhelming at times. I however built a website and facebook site and have a steady stream of work from it. I will do odd jobs, for instance an elderly customer wanted her drive pressure washed. I didn't have one but she had one sat in her garage, she was happy to pay me an hourly wage until the job was done. I do any add on physically possible, gutters, conservatory roofs etc to me it's all about doing as much as I can to build a good reputation and eventually a decent round. I count myself lucky that not only is my son here, but that I also chose to prove those wrong who advised me to not work due to suffering from PTSD. I'm saying all of this as from someone who a few months ago was struggling to complete the most simple of daily tasks, to someone who is nearly able to pay half of the household bill's, with hard work and picking yourself up it can be done. 

 

[Gavin]

Everyone has valid point here but I think all that needs to be said has been. Lets keep on topic or just leave it as is now. Tango has had some great ideas and advice here and ultimately it's up to him to now decide which direction he is going to go. 

 

[Deleted member 5762]

@Tango we have a lot in common. I can only work from my car at present, which is also an auto, and I use spotless which isn't that near me. It's circumstances that dictate this for me. I have a small round (due to helping look after an elderly relative who is unwell). It's split between traditional and wfp (sometime both on the same house, tops wfp, trad downstairs). I use a backpack and barrells but have recently switched from 25 litre barrels to 10 litre. Yes I need more of them so I split them between the boot of the car and the foot wells in the back. Can be annoying having more to fill then empty into the backpack but the wear and tear on the body from the lighter weight difference is amazing (I have a muscle problem that can be aggravated with too much heavy lifting every day). I live in quite a high TDS area (around 280) and although double DI isn't ideal, I might do this this year as the price to produce per litre works out about the same as using spotless (can't use an RO at the moment). The way I see it is if it costs about the same, the time you save traveling to spotless a few times a week = more time for jobs, so the DI vessels pay for themselves quite quickly anyway. As for other jobs, I offer a small garden maintenance service which brings in a little bit, but I run it separately from my window cleaning. Make a Facebook page and advertise from late February/early March and you'll get some regular customers. It's  not rocket science, just read up a little on mowing lawns and planting and weeding if you're not familiar. Plus register as a green waste carrier (its free) and you can charge for removing garden waste if they haven't got a garden bin or compost heap. I charge an hourly rate for general gardening and separately if they just want the lawn to be mowed. January is a bugger of a month for most, especially financially, so don't be too hard on yourself.

 

[Dave B]

Get knocking now don't wait till feb/march.

Always work about.. I even got a new customer xmas eve from a walk up.. there may be less interested but still some about.

My main issue is the fact we have all asked why he can't make his own water and not had an answer.

Hard to help someone without all the relevant info.

 

[Deleted member 5762]

Get knocking now don't wait till feb/march.

Always work about.. I even got a new customer xmas eve from a walk up.. there may be less interested but still some about.

My main issue is the fact we have all asked why he can't make his own water and not had an answer.

Hard to help someone without all the relevant info.

Sorry I was referring to gaining gardening customers when I said Late Feb/Early March. That's what I found best anyway.

 

[P4dstar]

He has a issue maybe with motivation....spending thousands will not solve that.....a major issue for him is obtaining pure water. If he solves that...and of course getting more customers, he will be rocking.

I will heed Gav's advice but would like to respond to this. I strongly believe that having a pro set up to make the job easier would take a lot of stress out for anyone. Customers are more likely to walk up to you. I can think of at least 10 that have called after seeing my van in the last 12 months alone. It's much faster to work from a van mount which would ease pressure on anyones home work life balance. Not lugging barrels in and out of a car would ease any pressure on health for anyone. I also believe it would be a lot easier for close friends and family to take you seriously if you look professional.

 

[Pjj]

I will heed Gav's advice but would like to respond to this. I strongly believe that having a pro set up to make the job easier would take a lot of stress out for anyone. Customers are more likely to walk up to you. I can think of at least 10 that have called after seeing my van in the last 12 months alone. It's much faster to work from a van mount which would ease pressure on anyones home work life balance. Not lugging barrels in and out of a car would ease any pressure on health for anyone. I also believe it would be a lot easier for close friends and family to take you seriously if you look professional.

Totaly agree wise words and if headed would help no end 

 

[Tango]

Right.. finally I have time to reply to those slammin me but Gav has called it time so I'm going with that decision.

Some of you should know though, I've not been ignoring your ideas, i've been busy these last two days trying to keep my WC going - Got back from the filling station at 10:45pm last night after all sorts of other stuff during the day such as prepping my water tank in the garage (including building a stand for it). Today i've been busy on the glass and then sorting other things too. Although i've followed this thread on my phone it's not easy to reply on that however seeing as a lot of conclusions have already been drawn there isn't much point me replying to anyone except to you @Pjj No, I am not the person you mentioned in your reply. You might want to edit it and redact the name - doesn't phase me either way whether you do or don't but you're dragging a total stranger into my thread from a forum i've not even heard of.

I'm not going to get into any further debate.

 

[Tango]

Get knocking now don't wait till feb/march.

Always work about.. I even got a new customer xmas eve from a walk up.. there may be less interested but still some about.

My main issue is the fact we have all asked why he can't make his own water and not had an answer.

Hard to help someone without all the relevant info.

Sorry literally haven't had chance to reply - got back from filling station at 10:45pm last night, knackered (after a day of all sorts of other stuff) then today has been on the glass.. 

Basically we're on a water meter. The missus has already been making noises about the water bill (even though i don't use it for WC she seems to make those noises in my direction). I do have a small pure water unit but not enough pressure and i was getting a trickle for a lot of waste. My ppm here is about 230 last time i checked and the waste coming out of the pure setup was around 480 lol.

Apologies for not replying to this point previously - literally not had the chance.

 

[james82]

My wife set up her dog walking business a few years ago as it was ideal when the kids were growing up and did hours to suit,she only works to a 2 mile radius as its like this job where you don't earn while your driving. She does a maximum of 4 dogs and charges £6 for half hour or £10 per hour. Overheads are £160 p.a.for Public liability insurance. And that's about it.

Useful add on is dog boarding at £20 per day.

But, enough of all that, Is it not worth investing in making your own water and sticking with window cleaning? You're this far in and I'm sure you can make a success of it.

Hey who does your wife use for dog walking public liability? My wife's paying over 220 for her dog walking public liability 

 

[dazmond]

Hi guys.. i'm kinda looking at my options and was wondering if there is anything else like WC that is self employed on a flexible basis that anyone can think of?

Spotless water has closed the filling station in my area. That's left me in a pickle. Their next nearest filling point is 35 mins away and costs me a tenner in petrol each time. I have 6 barrels plus the back pack and the car is an auto so it's thirsty just going to fill up (plus health woes means the longer i drive the more physical pain i suffer). That and only just breaking even with the extra fuel on top is possibly going to finish me. I've also had a few other setbacks just lately along with custys messing about.. - another cancellation on the doorstep on Tuesday - literally had the text the night before (and an earlier reminder on saturday) and then claimed they'd forgotten i was coming. Now the missus also expects me not only to fit around her and our son but also her sister, her brother and other things that have become problematic since the sister was hospitalised. There's been other stuff too...

Anyway enough of my moaning, i need to re-evaluate my position as despite WC being far easier going than most jobs it seems stacked against me at the moment. Any ideas for other self employed avenues similar to window cleaning? - own hours, own rates, no qualifications etc.. i know it's probably a daft question seeing as we've all turned to WC lol but i thought i'd ask..

cheers,

Tango

(and no.. this doesn't mean i'm definitely giving up on WC, i'm just looking at options - no need to crack open the booze and celebrate just yet lol)

id put your foot down with the missus if a were you......sod her brother and sister!this is your livelihood were talking about,you cant solve everyone elses problems!

concentrate on getting you own business in order EVERY DAY.....be single minded about it..tell your missus NO! if its between 9am-3pm during the week,thats work time whether its cleaning windows or drumming up new work.....you have to live and breathe window cleaning if you want a decent run of work in as short time as possible....beg,borrow,steal what you can equipment wise,get a 0% interest credit card and buy some purification equipment if you cant afford it at present.....a sign written clean and tidy van will bring work in and people will take you more seriously,you ll feel more confident in charging more for new work and it should start to snowball for you over the next few years........

 

[Jango]

Is it not possible for any window cleaners to help Tango out. Somebody near him, just to advise a bit. I think he needs a few kind words. 
somebody helped me out in my hour of need and I’m flying now. My situation was different to his, but I’m really grateful for my help. It’s amazing seeing someone face to face. By his posts he’s struggling. It just might take an hour of someone’s time. I’ve just helped someone out near me, he’s really appreciated it, and I’ve made a new friend too. 
 

 

[Dave B]

Sorry literally haven't had chance to reply - got back from filling station at 10:45pm last night, knackered (after a day of all sorts of other stuff) then today has been on the glass.. 

Basically we're on a water meter. The missus has already been making noises about the water bill (even though i don't use it for WC she seems to make those noises in my direction). I do have a small pure water unit but not enough pressure and i was getting a trickle for a lot of waste. My ppm here is about 230 last time i checked and the waste coming out of the pure setup was around 480 lol.

Apologies for not replying to this point previously - literally not had the chance.

You can get a booster pump for the small ro's for 70 quid and then run it at 100psi.

That solves the pressure problem and the waste issue.

I have a tap on my waste instead of the restrictor that comes with it and have it set at 50/50.

As long as you flush regularly that is fine as that is what I do with 340ppm out the tap.

I leave it running while at work so I can fill up ready for next day when I get home.

 

[Pjj]

Is it not possible for any window cleaners to help Tango out. Somebody near him, just to advise a bit. I think he needs a few kind words. 
somebody helped me out in my hour of need and I’m flying now. My situation was different to his, but I’m really grateful for my help. It’s amazing seeing someone face to face. By his posts he’s struggling. It just might take an hour of someone’s time. I’ve just helped someone out near me, he’s really appreciated it, and I’ve made a new friend too. 
 

I think you may May be right we have helped a number of people in our area at least 4 are on hear , he is a long way away from us but would be more than happy to try and help , but ones need to be receptive to the help that’s offered, sometimes the truth hurts and ones find it difficult to accept that they need to approach the job in a different way and take on board what ones with more experience have gone through and learn from them so they don’t make the same mistakes , some will take this on board and some won’t , I fully understand what tango is going through I started with the family car over 20 years ago and didn’t get any advice from a forum as didn’t know about them then or evan know if they existed then I don’t know ??? I had a hard time getting going , had  many messers , people not paying , waisting money on rubbish equipment, and so the list goes on , I learned by my mistakes and would have liked to have had some help from more experienced ones so my progress was a lot slower than it could have been ,but I got there in the end , I now have 3 vans this isn’t boasting or saying look at me it’s showing what anyone with a bit of common sense and determination can do , I could easily put another 3-4 vans on the road within months ,I turn down over 90% of all enquiry’s theses days as I want to be working less and don’t want the hassle of more staff and running a bigger buisness, over the next couple of years or so I will be getting rid of two vans and the work they are doing and going back to just the one van , I wish tango all the best with starting up but sometimes it is a sharp and painful experience and it’s no good always complaining and making excuses and trying to pass the buck as to why things arnt working the way you would like them to , you have to turn the negative into a positive or you will never succeed and just get more and more depressed about the situation @P4dstar has made some very valid points Ime not suggesting getting into large debt but trying to work out of a car with barrels is always going to be an up hill battle that’s difficult to provide   for a family financially, working this way is really slow , but I accept you have to start somewhere , p4 star has explained how he started and where he is now it can be done many on hear started the same way , but again if you let things get in the way on the working day you arnt going to succeed especially when starting out , tango might not want to hear this but it’s a fact that needs facing and Ime not having a go , I don’t know his circumstances , but when starting out you need to get all new jobs cleaned and up to speed , once you have done that get out knocking doors , that won’t cost you a penny , don’t worry about flyers a few buisness cards would do just fine cheap as chips from many on line firms most potential customers would rather see you on there doorstep talking to them about what you can do for them , a flyer through the door from joe bloggs goes straight in the bin in my house and many others , but if someone knocked my door and I got talking to them I would give them a go if they seamed ok , canvassing yourself is free , put in the time and effort and it will pay dividends , we now have over 2500 customers a lot were gained this way when I started , once you get established, word of mouth,recommendation, and a website will continue to generate work without the need to canvass, we haven’t been out canvassing for over 15 years and the phone / emails don’t stop coming in .stick with it and Ime sure it will come good . 

 

[harunh]

Loads of other jobs.... become a peronsal trainer ? Become a graphic designer ? Become a gardener ? Start your own food stall ? So many things u can do out there, if u think window cleaning is a mistake then fair enough, everyone makes mistakes ?

 

[Jango]

I think you may May be right we have helped a number of people in our area at least 4 are on hear , he is a long way away from us but would be more than happy to try and help , but ones need to be receptive to the help that’s offered, sometimes the truth hurts and ones find it difficult to accept that they need to approach the job in a different way and take on board what ones with more experience have gone through and learn from them so they don’t make the same mistakes , some will take this on board and some won’t , I fully understand what tango is going through I started with the family car over 20 years ago and didn’t get any advice from a forum as didn’t know about them then or evan know if they existed then I don’t know ??? I had a hard time getting going , had  many messers , people not paying , waisting money on rubbish equipment, and so the list goes on , I learned by my mistakes and would have liked to have had some help from more experienced ones so my progress was a lot slower than it could have been ,but I got there in the end , I now have 3 vans this isn’t boasting or saying look at me it’s showing what anyone with a bit of common sense and determination can do , I could easily put another 3-4 vans on the road within months ,I turn down over 90% of all enquiry’s theses days as I want to be working less and don’t want the hassle of more staff and running a bigger buisness, over the next couple of years or so I will be getting rid of two vans and the work they are doing and going back to just the one van , I wish tango all the best with starting up but sometimes it is a sharp and painful experience and it’s no good always complaining and making excuses and trying to pass the buck as to why things arnt working the way you would like them to , you have to turn the negative into a positive or you will never succeed and just get more and more depressed about the situation @P4dstar has made some very valid points Ime not suggesting getting into large debt but trying to work out of a car with barrels is always going to be an up hill battle that’s difficult to provide   for a family financially, working this way is really slow , but I accept you have to start somewhere , p4 star has explained how he started and where he is now it can be done many on hear started the same way , but again if you let things get in the way on the working day you arnt going to succeed especially when starting out , tango might not want to hear this but it’s a fact that needs facing and Ime not having a go , I don’t know his circumstances , but when starting out you need to get all new jobs cleaned and up to speed , once you have done that get out knocking doors , that won’t cost you a penny , don’t worry about flyers a few buisness cards would do just fine cheap as chips from many on line firms most potential customers would rather see you on there doorstep talking to them about what you can do for them , a flyer through the door from joe bloggs goes straight in the bin in my house and many others , but if someone knocked my door and I got talking to them I would give them a go if they seamed ok , canvassing yourself is free , put in the time and effort and it will pay dividends , we now have over 2500 customers a lot were gained this way when I started , once you get established, word of mouth,recommendation, and a website will continue to generate work without the need to canvass, we haven’t been out canvassing for over 15 years and the phone / emails don’t stop coming in .stick with it and Ime sure it will come good . 

Lovely post. You are right you have to want to do it. You cannot make excuses and negatives all the time. 
it is a up hill battle at first. I know what you mean about carrying the barrels etc in the car, it’s very tiring and difficult but it can be done for a short time. It does seem the water is his main problem. If he made it at home I would say that’s a good percentage of ease to start with. 
I think many people (I’m not saying you Tango) think this job is easy and quick money try to get into it fast without thinking it through then they come into difficulty. 
I just thought a little reassurance face to face with him might help him out. 
this forum is a fantastic place, many offer good kind advice. I truly have benefited by it (so thank you Gav) many like yourself have posted. Spruce has been fantastic in helping me. Doug  at Daqua. Also my friends around me who are wfp people. 
it has helped me get the best stuff, I’m now able to help others, only through been determined, accepting help and truly grateful. 
so come on Tango chin up and press forward. You do need help from your family though too. Believe me in my situation I have struggled. But I’ve made it where I need to be. 

 

[wezza13]

Is it not possible for any window cleaners to help Tango out. Somebody near him, just to advise a bit. I think he needs a few kind words. 
somebody helped me out in my hour of need and I’m flying now. My situation was different to his, but I’m really grateful for my help. It’s amazing seeing someone face to face. By his posts he’s struggling. It just might take an hour of someone’s time. I’ve just helped someone out near me, he’s really appreciated it, and I’ve made a new friend too. 
 

I did try and get Tango to come out with me for a day or two, when he first started, but he was unable to. The offer is still there btw.

But it seems that the problem is funds, needed to be able to set up a new RO system, as the one bought from eBay was obviously naff.

Small limit credit card will help Tango out here, as the only problem he has (that I can see) is the lack of funds to be able to afford to get set up properly. 
 

Again @Tango, I highly suggest that 300 gpd RO from Pure Freedom. I know you’re on a water meter but, as it’ll be working properly, it won’t cost anywhere near as much as your eBay one and the costs will be negligible when you do your tax return. 
 

And it’ll give you 0 TDS not 480! 

 

[Ash87]

You can get a booster pump for the small ro's for 70 quid and then run it at 100psi.

That solves the pressure problem and the waste issue.

I have a tap on my waste instead of the restrictor that comes with it and have it set at 50/50.

As long as you flush regularly that is fine as that is what I do with 340ppm out the tap.

I leave it running while at work so I can fill up ready for next day when I get home.

@Dave B would you have a link or supplier for that pump ? Please 

Nevermind googled one and found it ! 

I was quoted 200 odd by a certain supplier - I didn't realise they came cheaper ?‍?‍

 

[Dave B]

@Dave B would you have a link or supplier for that pump ? Please 

Nevermind googled one and found it ! 

I was quoted 200 odd by a certain supplier - I didn't realise they came cheaper ?‍?‍

You want one of these.. can't remember where I saw it so cheap.. may have been ebay.