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Going for it!!!

rjacandwc

Active member
Messages
273
After a year of working full time and then Window Cleaning after work and on Saturdays and the occasional Sunday I have (after a lot of thought) decided to hand my notice in and leave my full time job at the end of March. At present I have 120 customers and feel that in order to progress with Window Cleaning I need to concentrate purely on my small business and go for it!!!. I am feeling very scared (if that is the right word) as working for myself Self Employed is new to me... I need to find enough work to see me through. I started in July last year and all my work has been built on "Word of Mouth". I feel like I have done well to get 120 customers since July. People are constantly going on to me about the winter and the weather and the fact that I do not drive. But. I have worked around all these problems and if the windows are not cleaned today... Then I am on it tomorrow. If I did drive I realise I could branch out more. But. I am unable to drive due to poor vision over distance. I have had some wonderful tips and help from people on this website and this website really helps with my motivation. Because sometimes friends and family give me the feeling that I am committing a crime by going it alone!!... Although, of late more and more of my closest people have started to show alittle more encouragement. I have got a wonderful flyer in place ready to hit all the areas where I already have work. Even the flyers used are very simple and very cheap to process and the idea/template was sent to me of a fellow Window Cleaner using this WCF... I think the main question I am really trying to ask you experienced Window Cleaners out there to***ht is. Did you feel nervous about going full time on your own and how did you deal with feeling positive one minute and negative the next???... Anyone reading this who is new to the Window Cleaning... Build up ya round and give it everything... Big Shout to all on this forum. You know who you are and thank you for all the wonderful topics covered etc... Cheers...

 
If you can get 120 custy and were holding down a full time job you will have no problem finding more custy well done i think you did fantastic

 
Thanks for your comments above... A couple of questions to answer. My current job of which I have handed in my notice was with my local council (Job - Refuse Loader) and I finished work on a job on finish basis. I have been with the council for four years and in the early days I had a good job and finished at a reasonable time. But. around this time last year I noticed that government cuts were going to make our work a whole load more difficult. I could see the changes coming and that was one of the main reasons for going into Window Cleaning. Before working at the council I worked for 5 years as a Postman and cuts happened there too. The job on finish thing is good. But, it is slowly becoming "no good" because management seem to justify jobs by making front line staff do more for less. This is my opinion anyway!!!... No one sticks together anymore, No union power, no pay rise (for three years), pension increases etc. Too much stress. Especially doing two jobs.

I get around basically on foot. 95% of my work is on two different housing estates where I live. The round has started to grow and I just move from house to house. Sometimes I can get from A to B quicker than what a car would. I also save lots of money by doing it this way!. I use two different lock-up areas (A, Shed and B, Garage) which belong to friends and these area are situated in fairly central locations to my work. I keep myself as simple as possible. When I first started I was carrying too much and getting in a muddle!... I have a back pack with plenty of scrims and microfibre cloths in, I use various house taps on route to fill my bucket when running low. I try not to put my dirty washer in the water, I have a carrier bag in my back pack for wet/dirty cloths when used. Although, sometimes if the weather is good I will put a scrim through the ring in my Stand-Off to dry. Always have a spare rubber just in case. Have a bucket on a belt with a Unger Eco Pouch for bits a pieces. The other 5% of my work is out of reach on foot, on the outskirts of town and I also do a few in a village up the road every 6 weeks. My wife drives me to these houses as and when possible. I keep and eye on when I last cleaned someone's house using a basic excel spreadsheet and as long as I am there or about a month/bi-month later than all is well. Most of my work is Monthly, I have a few bi-monthly s and I do a village up the road every 6 weeks. Just got to get out there and leaflet drop now and keep my fingers crossed for more work.

 
Have you thought of a small trolley, shopping type - no, seriously, no joke, to carry stuff around. I'm absolutely with you on keeping things as simple as possible, but also to make it as easy as possible. The work is physically very demanding. Anything you can do to ease the physical effort required would, I'm sure, pay off. You'd have to think of securing it against the local scallywags but I'd seriously look into it. I've lugged ladders etc around an estate rather than taking my car, absolute killer, and I used to be a coalman!

 
Well done for getting that many customers already! I am sure you will have no trouble getting more.

Go for it mate, there will always be doubters but when you have a full round and earn plenty you can look at them an laugh. /emoticons/wink.png

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Mate, when I quit my job to start window cleaning, I finished work on the Friday & enjoyed that weekend. On the Monday..I was about to call my boss and ask for my job back..I was that worried!

My dad convinced me to stick it out for 6 months to a year, and one week down the line I loved it! Can't imagine what would have happened if i'd gone back to my job.

Keep going, sounds like ur determined. Well done.

 
Thanks for all the wonderful advice. Yeah! it is raining here in Suffolk today too!... At the moment i feel like I am stuck on the crossroads. It all seems worrying... But. I feel that picking up 120 customers from July - Now is good and I am surely going to pick up more come the Spring/early Summer... Sometimes I feel really high and happy. On Saturday I got out and earned £135, I'd only ever earn about £55 per day in my PAYE job. So, in effect I have the scope to earn more money, just need more customers...

 
I have got to the point where I struggle to do both jobs to be honest. I asked if i could go Part time 2 or 3 days per week working flexible hours and they wouldn't let me. So, after a lots of thought I though "Go for it". If all goes wrong I could get a Part Time job just to keep a wage top up. I have other little handyman jobs to do too. So, should be ok.

 
This is my favorite post on the forum. Just goes to show how much you can achieve if you put your mind to it. I am sure your going to get even more customers, and wish you all the best for the future.

I am looking to do window cleaning and like you i dont drive. untill i read your post i was going to get lessons then do the cleaning after i pass. You have inspired me not to do that /emoticons/tongue.png

 
Great pal, really excited for you. You being scared is a good thing, it shows you want it to work, and that it will mean a lot to you for this project to succeed.

I was very anxious about going alone full time, yet now I love the position I'm in and the opportunities in front of me.

I don't know if you have, but see your accountant and ask him how best to manage your money, and what taxes you'll be paying for what. This will help you set your goals and keep the business running. Because out of everything, no matter how hard you work and what you do, you can still slip up on saving money, as every penny you earn is before tax, insurances etc.

But crack on pal, the weather's looking good and you enjoy window cleaning so don't let any obstacle get in your way and keep at it. /emoticons/tongue.png

 
This is my favorite post on the forum. Just goes to show how much you can achieve if you put your mind to it. I am sure your going to get even more customers, and wish you all the best for the future.

I am looking to do window cleaning and like you i dont drive. untill i read your post i was going to get lessons then do the cleaning after i pass. You have inspired me not to do that /emoticons/tongue.png

It's inspiration...but I wouldn't put off getting lessons. You'll only ever get so far without driving tbh...

 
I totally agree. I now have my Prov License and I would love to get on the road eventually. I think you can cover a vast area when driving. You have nothing to lose by trying to get on the road. you also have nothing to lose by starting up your business before you get a license... No time like the present. Go for it!... Never think about the bigger picture... Think about what you can improve today to help you tomorrow... Good Luck!!!

 
I totally agree. I now have my Prov License and I would love to get on the road eventually. I think you can cover a vast area when driving. You have nothing to lose by trying to get on the road. you also have nothing to lose by starting up your business before you get a license... No time like the present. Go for it!... Never think about the bigger picture... Think about what you can improve today to help you tomorrow... Good Luck!!!
I'm always thinking about the bigger picture /emoticons/sad.png keeps you motivated to hit your targets.

 
Firstly I would like to say of you have got 120 through work of mouth, that it flipping fantastic!! People must like the job and you. Leaving your paye job will give you the time to go knocking with your leaflets and build on your run, so you will be able to be making the same money if not a whole lot more!!

Maybe leaving your Job will give you the drive to make your business successful. You will have times when you think what's the point, or you can't be assed, I'm sure we have all been in that situation, but if you don't work you don't get paid.

I started of I bought 15 houses off a friend then my dad gave me a few streets, then it all went ahead from there. I went threw loads of phases where I wanted to jack it in and get a job where money was in my bank every Friday, but with encouragement from my misses and family I kept at it.

Yes cleaning in the winter months isn't easy especially trad cleaners, but you will manage and the Christmas tips can be great!!! I usually get a pot going to keep me over the winter just incase.

Your in the right place for advice, I only joined to find out about a wfp system and now I'm on everyday lol..

Good luck and tell the council to stick its job!!

 
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