Hard work? Or a nice little number?

[Tango]

just repeatitve more than anything else. water fed poles are light as a feather. ladders the only weighty thing.  erecting marqees is the hardest job iv ever done. 10 to 15 hour days 7 days a week out in all weather, relentless heavy hard graft.  averaged 75 hours a week doing that all for 7.50 an hour ? window cleaning is easier on the body compared to that and alot of other manual labour jobs.  

CLX is a bit of a strain at full length especially at an angle if doing gutters / soffits / fascias so I'd have to slightly disagree about the light as a feather comment there. I did a bungalows gutters / s / f yesterday and although i only needed two sections at most, when i had flower beds in the way that were 4ft from the wall it did become a pita. That's what happens when you go budget i guess.. not that i'd call a Gardiner pole budget when compared to the trashy hose poles the public find in the shops - it might only be a CLX but i feel proud turning up at someones house able to reach 30ft lol.

As for hard work, at present my weekend job is with a DIY chain. Unloading (or reloading) pallets of tiles weighing anywhere from 16-30Kg is the hardest job I've ever done and it's a slow gruelling process too - managers just don't understand that weight is slow to move and they're constantly on at us about getting stuff done.. When i can afford to survive on the glass I'll mull over jacking it in but I will miss my colleagues there - it's a great place to work in all other ways - best I've ever worked in actually.

yer that sounds like hard sweat.  think establishing the round in the first place is the really hard bit. mentaly and time wise.  least thats what im finding. alot of walking which has been good cause i feel fitter already and lost abit of weight too.  just not had takers yet, its alot of unpaid effort befor any money starts coming back in.  what stratigy are you useing to find customers ?  

You must surely have had at least one or two takers? - I once tried gas / leccy door 2 door selling. That was seriously hard graft mentally and then the company didn't even want to pay us. 3 months later I still didn't get paid and i lost my accomodation for it. I was dubious about door knocking for window cleaning but to be fair even I'm managing to pick up one or two custys a day - my record was 4 (two were bookings in advance though). People actually see your service as something credible - gas / leccy people just see you as a commission grabber.

If you're constantly getting "no" then try a different area. So if you're in a new build area, try an old build one. If you're in a rich area (they don't like peasants knocking and disturbing their importantness) try a non rich one. If you're in a young peoples area, try an area full of old timers. Long road? Short closes's (especially when putting out leaflets - wasting them on a long road is demoralising so i switched to short roads).

Finding the same mate. It’s so disheartening 

Like above mate - got to change things until you find something that works for you. The first few weeks I had no work. I got one booking in advance for 3 weeks time, then nothing.more really other than a couple of neighbours - did £55 in my first month (incidentally the same as our windy earnt in their first month lol - and yes you read that right, i have a windy do our windows lol). You MUST go door knocking (leaflets do kinda work but not quick enough) - as above, try different areas, if you keep getting no, abandon that road and shift elsewhere - maybe go back to that road another day to finish it off. Shorter roads are better - quicker and you less waste time if they're all no's.

Don't know why but when you're new it's like the punters can smell blood and want to finish you off before you've even started. Once you start picking up custys and your confidence starts to slowly change with the realisation that you CAN do it, they seem to take to you a bit more - that or you just don't notice the no's as much.

Wear a hi-vis too so you look a bit more credible!

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I did 3 flats in 2hrs today because the scaffold had been removed. The windows had that blue polythene protection on them. What it doesn't say is that it will leave sticky residue on the windows. I had to use isopropanol on every window, made £27 and got a new customer so no all bad.

 

[Iron Giant]

The physical part of the job isn't an issue, it's the 99 other things firstly you need clients and plenty of them you won't get paid like you do in paye no 28 days paid holiday no sick pay no work equals no pay and you will have continual rolling debt constantly running into the £100's once you have a good sized established round, unfortunately this is part of the reality check that some people just don't realise about been self-employed more so window cleaning as you don't get paid straight after every completed job. 

 

[chelmsclean]

If you work hard you can make a good living.

It's cold in the winter and the summer can be draining if it's hot.

If you struggle to get out of bed and motivated it's not for you

 

[adamangler]

Its as hard as you want to make it.

Couple of days a week steady away paying the bills or flat out in all weathers running round like a madman trying to cram it all in.

You can only go so long flat out without burning out. 

Its not fun when you are constantly chasing your tail getting stressed out.

 

[Chriscp]

Admangler

Going to be trying to avoid the stress, I want something I can build on though, but I don't really want to be working the 60hr plus week's like I've done in the past...which in truth has burnt me out..

 

[steve garwood]

I did 3 flats in 2hrs today because the scaffold had been removed. The windows had that blue polythene protection on them. What it doesn't say is that it will leave sticky residue on the windows. I had to use isopropanol on every window, made £27 and got a new customer so no all bad.

£27 in two hours!! You’re doing something wrong ?

 

[Tango]

I thought that too but if he's happy with it.. 

I ain't coining it in either but I'm happy with what I am making which is a few extra quid I wouldn't otherwise have