Experienced window cleaner starting out on my own in March 2025. Advice please.

[Everest Window Cleaning]

I'm a 37 year old with 2 years experience working as a window cleaner as an employee for a company who offered both WFP and traditional. Recently I got myself a job in a different industry working four ten hour shifts which frees up my mornings up until lunch time but also gives me 2 weekdays off. This march I want hit the doors canvassing in my local area to offer my services. I'll be working out of my car initially mainly doing traditional but have a backpack set up for when it's needed. I have my pricing structure in place, business cards and all the equipment I need. I also have direct sales experience but realistically canvassing for window cleaning is more of a numbers game. How fast have you seen or do you think it could take to build up a round through canvassing and social media marketing?

 

[francie]

It would depend on how much canvassing you do an how many other windies are in your area mate?

 

[ched999uk]

Depends on so many thing it's impossible to say.
I'm assuming you are not intending to undercut your old company? Only reason I ask is that some people think that you can't charge as much as a bigger company - you can and should. You will be doing as good if not a better job as it's your business and your reputation to earn, so at minimum charge the same if not a little more - don't undersell yourself.

Are you sure you want to start out trad? Most, not all, can get through more work wfp plus no danger of falling off ladders. OK so it is significantly more expensive to start but if your going to have a backpack it might be worth focussing on wfp from the start?

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[Deleted member 15640]

I gained quite a few customers through social media (Facebook), but around the last 18 months or so it's not as good. I don't think the adverts are anywhere near as good as hitting target audiences as they use to. They are also not always the most reliable customers. Get on some local groups too and ask any family and friends if you can clean their windows and take a few photos to show your work on your business page, and also ask if anyone will recommend you to people. Nothing wrong with starting traditional but when I started I used to wfp the tops and traditional squeegee the ground floor. Now I wfp most houses and traditional on bungalows and ground floor flats - anywhere that doesn't need a ladder. I have always just used a backpack and while it can be a faff keeping filling it up etc, it's never really been an issue. I think a half decent round will probably take some time to build up as the last year or two I have never seen so many people that want to take up window cleaning. Can I ask why you are unable to start until March? You may find that if you start in January, even if you gain just a few customers, they will be very reliable as they aren't coming to you for a one-off Christmas clean, or fairweather customers that when it's gets to October they don't want you back until springtime again. Good luck with everything mate

 

[Windowcleaner.me]

I pretty much built my entire portfolio starting with fb market place and information hubs. Recommendations etc snowballed from there. Now have work coming out of the top of my head.

 

[Gadgetfox]

Where abouts are you located?

 

[Everest Window Cleaning]

Depends on so many thing it's impossible to say.
I'm assuming you are not intending to undercut your old company? Only reason I ask is that some people think that you can't charge as much as a bigger company - you can and should. You will be doing as good if not a better job as it's your business and your reputation to earn, so at minimum charge the same if not a little more - don't undersell yourself.

Are you sure you want to start out trad? Most, not all, can get through more work wfp plus no danger of falling off ladders. OK so it is significantly more expensive to start but if your going to have a backpack it might be worth focussing on wfp from the start?

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I'll use backpack for upstairs windows and traditional the bottoms. I'll be paying for water from spotless water and want to keep costs down and I quite like traditional and am pretty good and fast if I do say so myself. The big thing is that I actually enjoy doing it.

 

[Everest Window Cleaning]

Where abouts are you located?

Newcastle upon Tyne

 

[Everest Window Cleaning]

I gained quite a few customers through social media (Facebook), but around the last 18 months or so it's not as good. I don't think the adverts are anywhere near as good as hitting target audiences as they use to. They are also not always the most reliable customers. Get on some local groups too and ask any family and friends if you can clean their windows and take a few photos to show your work on your business page, and also ask if anyone will recommend you to people. Nothing wrong with starting traditional but when I started I used to wfp the tops and traditional squeegee the ground floor. Now I wfp most houses and traditional on bungalows and ground floor flats - anywhere that doesn't need a ladder. I have always just used a backpack and while it can be a faff keeping filling it up etc, it's never really been an issue. I think a half decent round will probably take some time to build up as the last year or two I have never seen so many people that want to take up window cleaning. Can I ask why you are unable to start until March? You may find that if you start in January, even if you gain just a few customers, they will be very reliable as they aren't coming to you for a one-off Christmas clean, or fairweather customers that when it's gets to October they don't want you back until springtime again. Good luck with everything mate

I have a part time job I'm currently doing on my days off so I only get one day off a week. In March that'll end and I heard its the best time of year for canvassing. I don't know if that's true tbh

 

[Everest Window Cleaning]

It would depend on how much canvassing you do an how many other windies are in your area mate?

I'll be doing at least two evenings every week canvassing. There's a lot of window cleaners to be fair but I have literally never been canvassed by a window cleaner and I always find people are having to find and contact window cleaners whenever they move house etc. Theres a few new estates being built at any given time here for the last few years so I'm going to target them mainly.

 

[Everest Window Cleaning]

I pretty much built my entire portfolio starting with fb market place and information hubs. Recommendations etc snowballed from there. Now have work coming out of the top of my head.

Good to hear! I have time on my side as I'll be working full time and will be investing what I earn from the window cleaning into buying work so I can eventually be free from being an employee