How many of you work alone and do you prefer it that way ?

[rugbywolf]

It's a funny thing, some people can't work on their own, they have to have somebody else with them. I'm the opposite and like to be on my own. Years ago when I had too much work I took on a lad, and he worked for me for about three years. Of course, I was employing him, not working with him, but I found it very difficult having to organise someone else's work-load as well as your own. After he left and I was back on my own, I sold off a lot of work and have been one-man op since, and much happier too. I had a friend who worked for a window cleaner, and he  bought four weeks of work from his boss so that he could go it alone. he lasted two weeks and sold it back as he said he couldn't cope with it.

 

[THL4KEL]

I work alone now.

Used to work for big companies some were good places to work some bad.

Some nice people some were not very nice.

I just get the job done these days and focus on why I am there - number one to make cash and to do a good job so it leads to more work.

I have a chat with the odd customer.

 

[Suhrly]

That will be daily, not something easily achievable in the NE 

In your experience Part Timer what would you consider to be a decent amount for a day's work up here in the NE?

I worked with my business partner for 4 years. Been on my own now for 7 months (we spilt the business). Was weird at first but now prefer it on my own as I can 100% please myself when and how I work. Plus he could be a right moody ****** at times and it used to p*ss me right off so...all good and I enjoy my own company anyway.

 

[Part Timer]

In your experience Part Timer what would you consider to be a decent amount for a day's work up here in the NE?

I worked with my business partner for 4 years. Been on my own now for 7 months (we spilt the business). Was weird at first but now prefer it on my own as I can 100% please myself when and how I work. Plus he could be a right moody ****** at times and it used to p*ss me right off so...all good and I enjoy my own company anyway.

I mainly do commercial because residential doesn't pay as much. I also travel country wide to take the pressure off getting jobs up here. 

I have a minimum price of £10, and to be fair, don't chase residential work. Half the enquiries I get end abruptly when I say I have a £10 min charge. I will admit that I now get more people accepting my price. 

To answer your question, to get a large residential round in Sunderland, up and running quickly you would probably have to pitch around £7 a house. So you would struggle to gross much more than £700 a week. You're the experienced residential windie, what's your take on it. 

 

[Iron Giant]

You have to have the right work also. I was doin £25 per hour easily around 10/15 years back cleaning 3 bed semis for £4.50. That was 100% traditional as well.


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You're only charging £6.50 now aren't you ??

 

[mike007]

I’m pleased to hear you like it because I don’t think I’d have a problem working on my own on a full time basis. As long as it pays, do you ever have to miss customers due to the weather or do you always catch up with what work you have missed ? How often do you get behind due to the wind or rain etc ? 

If weather is bad and you cannot do the windows,case of catching up,(lot of customers do not expect/want their windows cleaned if it is bucketing down)and so know your normal due date is therefore flexible. But you have to be as regular as possible,the customer expects that.

I also now use packpack for upstairs windows(safer for a one man band)) but still Trad downstairs, so customer sees you are doing what they expect from a window cleaner.

 

[Dave Shaw]

You're only charging £6.50 now aren't you [emoji850][emoji12]

Yes mate. My prices for 3 bed semis range from £5.50 to £15 depending on location, access and add ons like porches and connys. I will say some of my older work prices are shy of today’s goin rates due to the fact I took over the round just over five years ago and they have never been put up much since the 90’s. The thing is with it being nearly 40 years established its ultra compact and getting a good hourly rate by today’s standards is easily achievable. I could have just whacked all the prices right up when I first took over and probs lost half of em and killed the round. Fair dos I would be earning the same for less houses but would end up using the spare time created by driving round. Probs wouldn’t have even called it a round anymore. Instead I’m taking the slowly slowly approach and whilst it’s taking a while to get the prices to where I want I’m keeping the compactness in tact losing hardly any on each rise. Even if it takes ten years to get them up to speed I’m still earning well in the mean time and when it’s done I’ll have the best of both, compact and well priced. In this day and age you could canvass and build for 100 years and would never get a round that good in terms compactness. Take this week for instance, I’ve got 5 days for two of us that I can walk around bar a few runabouts. Back in the trad days the van would get parked in mornin and then you wouldn’t need it apart from refreshing your cloths,water etc and to have your dinner.


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[mike007]

Probably a day. I got 2 new customers last Saturday because the other windy disappeared. He appears every 3 months and the customers are fed up with him. They don't know what happens to him but if he keeps it up, he will lose all his customers. I just work alone but talk to all my customers that's why it takes me so long. Reliability is the name of the game. :1f609:  

I got 2 new customers last month done two cleans on each since,they dropped the other Windie because he turned up spasmodically and did a slapdash job.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I got 2 new customers last month done two cleans on each since,they dropped the other Windie because he turned up spasmodically and did a slapdash job.

Aye, reliability is the name of the game and customers will even pay more.

 

[JM WINDOW CLEANING]

I mainly do commercial because residential doesn't pay as much. I also travel country wide to take the pressure off getting jobs up here. 

I have a minimum price of £10, and to be fair, don't chase residential work. Half the enquiries I get end abruptly when I say I have a £10 min charge. I will admit that I now get more people accepting my price. 

To answer your question, to get a large residential round in Sunderland, up and running quickly you would probably have to pitch around £7 a house. So you would struggle to gross much more than £700 a week. You're the experienced residential windie, what's your take on it. 

I hear what you’re saying. In Newcastle I know someone who pays £4 every 2 weeks for a terraced house. I live inNorth Shields and when I first moved here 2 years ago into this terraced house I got a price of £5. That’s not very good really even if it’s a compact round imo. At the same time my friend was paying £10 for a first floor flat! I think if people see a uniform and a van they will pay more than they would if it’s a guy in tracksuit bottoms and a hoody carrying his ladder etc. I think £7 a house average is realistic around here. How long do you think it takes to build up a decent round at those prices ?

 

[Dave Shaw]

I hear what you’re saying. In Newcastle I know someone who pays £4 every 2 weeks for a terraced house. I live inNorth Shields and when I first moved here 2 years ago into this terraced house I got a price of £5. That’s not very good really even if it’s a compact round imo. At the same time my friend was paying £10 for a first floor flat! I think if people see a uniform and a van they will pay more than they would if it’s a guy in tracksuit bottoms and a hoody carrying his ladder etc. I think £7 a house average is realistic around here. How long do you think it takes to build up a decent round at those prices ?

It depends on your definition of compact. If I was you I would start at a tenner at least as you will be lucky to get two houses in the same area never mind the same street to start with. Most lads who start from scratch these days charge minimums of between £10-15 as they are only able to do 2-3 houses per hour.


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[Iron Giant]

Yes mate. My prices for 3 bed semis range from £5.50 to £15 depending on location, access and add ons like porches and connys. I will say some of my older work prices are shy of today’s goin rates due to the fact I took over the round just over five years ago and they have never been put up much since the 90’s. The thing is with it being nearly 40 years established its ultra compact and getting a good hourly rate by today’s standards is easily achievable. I could have just whacked all the prices right up when I first took over and probs lost half of em and killed the round. Fair dos I would be earning the same for less houses but would end up using the spare time created by driving round. Probs wouldn’t have even called it a round anymore. Instead I’m taking the slowly slowly approach and whilst it’s taking a while to get the prices to where I want I’m keeping the compactness in tact losing hardly any on each rise. Even if it takes ten years to get them up to speed I’m still earning well in the mean time and when it’s done I’ll have the best of both, compact and well priced. In this day and age you could canvass and build for 100 years and would never get a round that good in terms compactness. Take this week for instance, I’ve got 5 days for two of us that I can walk around bar a few runabouts. Back in the trad days the van would get parked in mornin and then you wouldn’t need it apart from refreshing your cloths,water etc and to have your dinner.


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I understand what you are saying but if you have for example 100 houses on one side of town at £5.50 and another identical 100 houses at £8.00,  it's just daft and unfair to those paying more, My underpriced jobs total 12 house's based on my new recently increased minimum of £7.00 but in the next 6 months they will nearly all be going up. 

 

[Suhrly]

You're the experienced residential windie, what's your take on it. 

Well when I first started we were charging £5 a fortnight for a 2/3 bed semi on average. At that point we were trad. My ex business partner still is. We were averaging £80 each a day there abouts. Not great. Now I'm on my own doing water fed, my prices on those same houses now start from £8pm and my daily takings have basically doubled. I think anymore than £8pm round here and you're starting to push your luck. I lost quite a few customers when I put my prices up on those fortnightly customers from £5 to £6.50.

 

[Part Timer]

Well when I first started we were charging £5 a fortnight for a 2/3 bed semi on average. At that point we were trad. My ex business partner still is. We were averaging £80 each a day there abouts. Not great. Now I'm on my own doing water fed, my prices on those same houses now start from £8pm and my daily takings have basically doubled. I think anymore than £8pm round here and you're starting to push your luck. I lost quite a few customers when I put my prices up on those fortnightly customers from £5 to £6.50.

I don't really offer fortnightly cleans, I do 2 pubs every other Friday and do a house round the corner at the same time, that's the only one I do. I manage to pick jobs up by saying once a month is enough with WFP and it costs them the same as the £5 trad guy who does them fortnightly.

I hear what you’re saying. In Newcastle I know someone who pays £4 every 2 weeks for a terraced house. I live inNorth Shields and when I first moved here 2 years ago into this terraced house I got a price of £5. That’s not very good really even if it’s a compact round imo. At the same time my friend was paying £10 for a first floor flat! I think if people see a uniform and a van they will pay more than they would if it’s a guy in tracksuit bottoms and a hoody carrying his ladder etc. I think £7 a house average is realistic around here. How long do you think it takes to build up a decent round at those prices ?

I can get my 4 bed semi done for £5, hence the reason why I concentrate on commercial work. I wouldn't know how long it would take in Sunderland, let alone North Shields. I suppose if you did all the Facebook, door knocking etc I would think that within 6 months you would have a good base to work from . Every area is different, some have it relatively easy, some not so. If I was starting up today I would seriously think about doing it whilst working a job part time. Whilst obviously harder it buys you the time to set a firm price and stick to it. If you're having to get work to survive after a few knock backs the need to earn could make you lower your prices.   

 

[JM WINDOW CLEANING]

I don't really offer fortnightly cleans, I do 2 pubs every other Friday and do a house round the corner at the same time, that's the only one I do. I manage to pick jobs up by saying once a month is enough with WFP and it costs them the same as the £5 trad guy who does them fortnightly.

I can get my 4 bed semi done for £5, hence the reason why I concentrate on commercial work. I wouldn't know how long it would take in Sunderland, let alone North Shields. I suppose if you did all the Facebook, door knocking etc I would think that within 6 months you would have a good base to work from . Every area is different, some have it relatively easy, some not so. If I was starting up today I would seriously think about doing it whilst working a job part time. Whilst obviously harder it buys you the time to set a firm price and stick to it. If you're having to get work to survive after a few knock backs the need to earn could make you lower your prices.   

I completely agree with what you say about working part time whilst building it up. I’d be looking at starting as I mean to go on when it comes to pricing so wouldnt wanna be in survival mode. Might phone a few windies up to get a better idea of pricing in my area. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Dave Shaw]

I understand what you are saying but if you have for example 100 houses on one side of town at £5.50 and another identical 100 houses at £8.00,  it's just daft and unfair to those paying more, My underpriced jobs total 12 house's based on my new recently increased minimum of £7.00 but in the next 6 months they will nearly all be going up. 

As I said earlier my round is in a transition so there’s always gonna be price fluctuations until I’m were I want to be.
If you think about it though many business’s work that way so why should we be any different.


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[Iron Giant]

As I said earlier my round is in a transition so there’s always gonna be price fluctuations until I’m were I want to be.
If you think about it though many business’s work that way so why should we be any different.


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I wasn't trying to criticise, Just pointing out things if you like, we are all on the same journey just in different places, the past 2 years have been a real eye opener for me with some real highs and lows.

Geographicly we all can't be charging top price's and it's about quality of service, as some newbies will get doey eyed at the mention of potential earnings, but like every business there is a whole load more to running a successful business for years to come and turnover is a whole load different to profit as us longterm lads know only too well.

County Durham Lad

 

[THL4KEL]

There's a number of rounds for sale by me at the moment. Prices vary from £600 to £5000, they tend to be predominantly terrace property's. The price works out £4 back and front. Probably people selling because theres easier ways to make money. 

 

[JM WINDOW CLEANING]

There's a number of rounds for sale by me at the moment. Prices vary from £600 to £5000, they tend to be predominantly terrace property's. The price works out £4 back and front. Probably people selling because theres easier ways to make money. 

If you put the price up to £5 you could afford to lose 1 out of every 5 customers. Surely you wouldn’t lose more than 20% of the customers for raising the price by £1 ? Or would you ? 

 

[THL4KEL]

No idea mate. £2.50 per side bit too cheap for me. One guy has been trying to sell his round for over 12 months but no takers. Maybe in the end he will just sack it off and walk away and then the customers will have to get new guys who if they have any sense will price the job at a rate which is going to make it a viable option for their business to be successful.