AM SPENDING 6/7K ON START UP

[harunh]

Im going to spending this much just on starting up my business.

I think by doing this i can make this money back easily Ill be having a trolley system with a 300/400 pound gardiners pole Smiley

I will be going canvassing nearly every day Smiley I can canvass all day as i got a lot of time on my hands Cheesy Also i will not give up until i pick up 1 new customer each day. That is an acceptable target for me Cheesy but i will be aiming for 2,3 customers per day. I believe i can pick customers easily through canvassing Smiley

I will go canvassing at the times between 5-7. I will post at least 1,000 business cards through letter boxes in 1 week Smiley Thats over 100 in 1 day Smiley i believe thats 10 customers out 1,000 people right ? Cheesy I will not be getting flyers.... i just prefer the business cards... its got everything they need to know on it anyway... and flyers tend to go in the bin with the newspapers people chuck away... with business cards someone might just slip it in to their pocket... and leave it lying around... thats the way i see it Cheesy

My aim is to get 100 customers within 3 months ! Then go for the 200 then 300 then 400 ! Smiley

I will be spending the 6/7 K on a astra van.... thats going to set me back around 3/4 k Smiley I dont want to get a cheap one... cos most of them are high mileage ... and i always like to buy cars with low mileage... and that are pretty new.. and got some service history on Smiley Atleast i can rely on it Smiley

I will be getting a gardiners pole thats going to cost me about 300 or 400 quid thats 40ft and a trolley system with a built in di filter. People build their own.... but im no good with stuff like this Sad But im going to look in to this so i can save a few hundred pounds

I will be getting my vehicle put up with all the company logos ect.... and I will be buying myself a hoody with my company name and a website Smiley ( i believe this is good for business and makes you look more professional)

I will be spending about 100 pound on a phone number Smiley Thats easy to remember something such as......

And ill just buy 10,000 business cards for about 120-150 quid Smiley cos i will shot them about a lot Smiley

07581 111 000 - that will be on my van.. which will look good lol

You might all think i am crazy but.... this is what is going to make the business tick Smiley

Also i have to work hard and go out every day and give 100% customer satisfaction

I will be starting up in april time sometime Smiley just planning everything out ect.... and its going all well so far Smiley

Some people think 200 quid is enough to start .. i agree with you all...some people have the money to start with high money some dont.... but if you got the money to invest in this then u gota go for it Smiley im only 21 years old by the way Smiley

sorry for the long story... i never knew i could ever type this much lol

 

[harunh]

Hey mate.... good to hear... buying rounds is not worth it... unless your a big company with a few vehicles on the road... but if your by your self... you can get work easily /emoticons/wink.png

Because i want a big pole... theirs always bound to be 1 building or something that will be 40ft? Lol i will be buying a 25 foot pole aswell /emoticons/smile.png but im doing residential and commercial /emoticons/smile.png

And a lot of people complain about aching arms... ect... well i go to the gym arbout 4 times a week... i work each msucle group out in 1 day /emoticons/smile.png and im a pretty strong lad /emoticons/tongue.png so a pole would not affect me like most window cleaners ! lol

 

[bluemonkey]

good luck but i dont think you need to spend that much, u only need to spead 2k, as i think you will be wasting a lot of your money on stuff you do not need,

just buy a clx 27, a 350 tank, dont bother with a trolly,

why wait till april, start now if serious,

 

[harunh]

Sounds good mate /emoticons/tongue.png and wow 20k is a lot of money ! but its a good investment /emoticons/smile.png

Ill be defo getting a hoody /emoticons/wink.png lol and i will get about 2 poles aswell /emoticons/smile.png

 

[harunh]

Cos i got banned for driving but i can drive again now and i passed my theory test 2 months ago... and i got my driving test in 2 weeks /emoticons/smile.png If i fail im going to book in again straight away.. and theirs a 3 week waiting list everytime so if i fail i gotta wait for 3 more weeks ! lol /emoticons/tongue.png but as soon as i pass i can just get a car straight away and insured /emoticons/wink.png

 

[Richard]

Sound like a reasonable investment when you work out the return you will get on the £6/7K over the lifetime use of the equipment.

Good luck

Richard

 

[harunh]

So how often do u go cnvassign and how many customers do u pick up ? lol

 

[Matty H]

Don't bother with hoody looks more professional with logo'd polo shirt and sweatshirt mate /emoticons/tongue.png

 

[harunh]

am from middlesbrough /emoticons/tongue.png

Ye theres a few but u dont see many about... most of them use ladders.... and they dont have sign written vans ect... just old style really /emoticons/wink.png Ill look more casual then the rest lol

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

good luck with this mate,just keep at it theres alot of windys about ive been for a walk with the dog this morning at 7.00am and see 7 windy vans all different firms!lol.

you will find streets were there is none and you will pick a few up on it.sometimes ive hit rows and rows and got nothing!

look at houses that have dirty windows and try them 1st.

 

[harunh]

I will do mate and i got insurance all boxed off /emoticons/smile.png

I wont have a van mount cos i got trolley and i told them just carrying goods about in the van and its all good /emoticons/smile.png

And yeah i know all the tricks in the book /emoticons/smile.png

I also think when you go canvassing... the people with a good car on the drive are full of money... like if you see someone with a 61 plate Audi Q7 ? /emoticons/smile.png their obviously rich and might take you on if they havent got a window cleaner.... so when you see someone with a expensive car on the drive jsut remember to knock instead of posting /emoticons/smile.png lol

I havea really different approach to this window cleaning stuff thats why im confident it will work /emoticons/smile.png lol

 

[vito61]

I will do mate and i got insurance all boxed off /emoticons/smile.png

I wont have a van mount cos i got trolley and i told them just carrying goods about in the van and its all good /emoticons/smile.png

And yeah i know all the tricks in the book /emoticons/smile.png

I also think when you go canvassing... the people with a good car on the drive are full of money... like if you see someone with a 61 plate Audi Q7 ? /emoticons/smile.png their obviously rich and might take you on if they havent got a window cleaner.... so when you see someone with a expensive car on the drive jsut remember to knock instead of posting /emoticons/smile.png lol

I havea really different approach to this window cleaning stuff thats why im confident it will work /emoticons/smile.png lol

Sorry to be down on you, but what makes you think you know all the tricks in the book?

At the age of 21 with no experience it seems you think you know how to do it all.

eg .Got a big car in the drive = £££££ = no window cleaner = might take you on??

Got a big car = £££££= usually a bit savvy. Probably already sorted, if not, when they do give permission for someone to come round their house and look through the windows of their big expensive home, they will be a bit choosy as to who that will be. If you come across as a bit chavvy/dodgy etc they won't be interested at any price. In my experience people in big houses know each other, I get work from them through recommendation from one to the other.

Also you should be knocking at every door not choosing which to post or knock. You need every customer regardless of size.

A big investment (£6/7k) doesn't automatically = success. I started with the family car, spent approx £300 on ladders and other kit and canvassed like mad. That was 16 yrs ago. Not been easy and times change and the kit we use has changed, but please don't be under any illusion that you have got it sussed. I'm sure every windy on this and other forums will admit that they haven't got it 100%. What they do works for them.

As you see they are also prepared to share their experience with you. Please respect that experience. Can we learn from new ones? Yes, we can but they need to bring their experiences to the table. Not just untried theory such as you are offering.

"A realy differant approach to this window cleaning stuff" !!! Give me a break!! You sound like an X - factor contestant. Got the Talk, can you Walk the Walk? Nobody knows yet

I'll probably get hammered for this but I had to comment as I felt you are getting all psyched up without actually getting out there and doing it.

 

[laddergarder]

I would second some of vito's comments there, at 21 it is allot of money to be spending, admittedly as the majority of it is on your vehicle I don't think you will be making terrible investments, but I might be a better idea to start out a little more modestly, have a good chunk of that 7k left over if the worst happens, like ending up off the road with a big repair bill, or maybe 2 months down the line other window cleaning with offer to sell you some work. If you spend all your money on have everything shiny and new, when really you could have got away with being a bit more conservative. Buying work wont be an option if that kind of opertunity comes along.

Trying walking before you run. You might find it more difficult than you think to find work, and staying motivated is the biggest challenge you will face. You also might want to bear in mind that you likely wont make much profit the first couple of years, so you defiantly want to make sure it the job for you, before you spend 7k. I would also say go for a smaller pole, 40ft will be a pain, for the majority of residential, I am trad and haven't used one, but from speaking to others that do, they can be quite heavy, worth bearing in mind.

I don't want to discourage you here, just advice you to spend as little as you can, so you will make as much as possible.

 

[harunh]

Lmao i wont miss any house out.. but am just saying id rather knock on the expensive house then put a card through.. u understand ?

And on my leaflet i got 40ft reach... i might downgrade it to 30ft.... what do you reckon ?

And i understand what your saying but 4k is going to set me back because of my vehicle !

If someone comes along with a round for sale... i will not buy it /emoticons/smile.png I dont want to buy a round.... i can get work my self.... It just takes time... after 1 month i will see how many customers i have got /emoticons/smile.png i might go without picking any customers up for a few days... but the next day i might pick 4 or 5 up !

I just gotta canvass a lot .. get the business cards posted all over /emoticons/smile.png And it will all pay off for me hopefully.

 

[laddergarder]

You sound like you have sensible expectations from what you have said, but it just isn't that easy, it will be hard, but if your prepared for that, then all the best to you.

Shop around for everything, mate. Here is an astra, for under 3k

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/mileage/10000/39999/price/2000/2999/stock-item-id/at8ab0ddcd35736b330135773157eb39ea/advert

Also, why you want an astra, wouldn't something with a bit more headroom in the back be better?

Also have a look at this,

http://www.allcleangroup.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_copy_of_Portable_Trolley_Systems.html

A few more bit and pieces and you could have everything you need for something around 4k. There are companies that will pickup and delivery cars anywhere in the UK. So if that vehicle is a bit far away, have a look into that, rather than just going for one at 4k because its within an hours drive.

 

[vito61]

When I first started a friend said he wanted me to come and clean his windows, lived in a smallish village. Said they couldn't get w/cleaner where they were and that I should pick up loads of other work. So I duly traveled over there and proceeded to canvas half the village. Didn't get a single other customer, all were using Tom, who I eventually met.

Gave up there and headed off home but then tried the next village and immediately picked up £70 of work (approx 10 houses back then). My round in that area grew to about 3-4 days work a month.

Sometimes you have to "cast your net on the other side"

(ps. no offense intended)

 

[harunh]

that astra is ideal ! i think i can pick one up for under 3k easily like /emoticons/smile.png

and that is the trolley system i am getting /emoticons/smile.png lol

 

[harunh]

I know its not easy... no business is easy.... its hard work and if people knock me back ? thats not going to effect me ..... cos a lot of people will say no... only 1/30 will say yes im guessing /emoticons/smile.png

I may even go 4 days without 1 customer... but i got to accept it and carry on working hard !

I dont expect it to be easy at all.... I prefer an astra... i can fit everything in their anyway so it wont be a problem.

 

[harunh]

the one with the di filter

 

[harunh]

96 /emoticons/smile.png