Husband considering career change

[NoName]

MrsC

First off 10/10 for having hubby's back ? I say do it!

Personally I 'love' my chosen career, you have so much freedom, meet interesting people, everyone please to see you (or maybe that's just me ?, you are your own boss, no office politics, work when you want (scheduled of course), no fear of losing your job (everyone's not going to suddenly stop/move at the same time)

The job is easy, hard work yes but easy, no more aching brain at the end of day, LOW stress, working outdoors, but your hubby may find his body is more tired...I prefer it that way round. You need to fine working on your own, some days I speak to no one (personal DAB and radio 4/talksport and you're away)

I canvassed my round, it was a long, tiring process, some hate it (I loved it) in retrospective if you have the funds buying a 'good' round makes a lot of sense , you'll be earning decent income from day 1...compared with a slow start slowly building each month. You're also get all the gear and van...which if it's WFP is a massive learning curve you don't need to scale...just yet.

Retiring is a good reason to be selling...just make sure it's all legit real income/real customers...etc like buying a car

If the old boy is retiring, his custy's will know already, so make sure he starts telling all his custy's asap - get hubby to print/get printed leaflets with the old boy's details introducing he's 'handing' over to hubby - write it so it's about them not you - 'don't worry when I retire you'll still have the same excellent service by a colleague who is taking over from me, etc, get hubby to write a little bio with contact details/pics etc - tell'em nothing should change. This will manage customers expectations... people don't like surprises especially with a stranger at their home and when surprised tend to reactive badly...which is why many lose custy's -  Ask the old boy to hand them/post them thru each customers door so there's continuity and they know already what's in store. It would be good to get hubby to work the round on the last time with the old boy, again so hubby is familiar with the property and the change feels natural or atleast call by with a 30 sec hand over spiel...

Some focus on what everyone else is charging and think they can't possibly charge more...I say people buy from people and willingly pay more for a friendly face/chat and great service...so don't UNDER PRICE  (£8/house is lowend), For NEW WORK charge what you would be happy is a fair (to both sides) price (remember old boys round has probably not keep up with inflation every year since it picked it up) 80-90% of times you'll get the work at the price you're happy about - this way you can increase the income fairly easily...it's much hard to raise them afterwards...

Read, read read all relevant posts/topics on here it's a  great resource.

Wishing you and hubby success...(it really isn't rocket science) 

 

[Part Timer]

At the end of the day if the figures are correct, and the customers stay with him, you are buying a business that is making semi decent money, for time spent working. The fact that the work might be under priced doesn't matter hugely. Yes it would be nice if the £1600 nett was £2400 nett but it isn't. What it does do though is it gives you a foundation to try and get better priced work in. You can afford to start quoting £12 on jobs you're currently only getting £8 and review in a month or so, you might have to settle at £10, £8 might be the limit in your area, we don't know. As I've always said to newbies, anyone that leaves the safety of a paid job to the uncertainty of being self employed will always have my utmost respect. 

I still say that there aren't many better paid semi skilled labouring jobs, for the established, out there. Good luck and don't give hubby to hard of a time ?

 

[Pjj]

Pontefract

I will look over the books but I know he said that the prices vary he has some bungalows which he only charges some old dears £3.50 to do their windows and then some houses he charges £15 for. I need to look over this over the next week or so. It’s all making me feel sick and exhausted but if it’s a good bet I’ll embrace it. 

Its nice to be able to help people less fortunate than yourself and we do some cheap jobs for oaps etc and evan free bees occasionally if there is a need but when starting out you need to be able to pay your own bills be careful you arnt taking on underpriced work as it will soon become a millstone round your neck , I don’t want to be negative but you need to go round to each job look at it and evaluate if it’s priced right , if the guy is about to retire maybe he was doing it for pocket money , no mortgage etc , it’s a totally different world when you rely on it to pay all bills , mortgage, bring up kids and so the list goes on , Ime sure most of it would be ok to start with it’s a foot up the ladder but you don’t want to be servicing underpriced work , when I started over 20 years ago I was a very busy fool beacause I underpriced work , I was very naive, I have now got a very good priced round but it took a long to get it there . 

 

[dmw]

I'm surmising that it's a fairly compact round so even if it's a little low priced  with volume you should still earn  quiet well from it. When I bought a round I left it a year and then put the prices up every two years. And all he work  I took on was at a price I was happy with.

Also I didn't bother asking for 3 years accounts and bank statements etc,  I just got introduced to the customers agreed on a price with the vendor shook hands and cracked on with it. I didn't get ripped off or lose any customers.

Sometimes you just have to go for it.

 

[NoName]

MrsC (Sssh don't tell any Windies this as they might not appreciate it) but just between use you can always get several quotes to get YOUR windows cleaned - the you'll have some sort of guide as to what to charge

 

[AGlassAct]

MrsC (Sssh don't tell any Windies this as they might not appreciate it) but just between use you can always get several quotes to get YOUR windows cleaned - the you'll have some sort of guide as to what to charge

This is the first thing I did before I took the plunge, I also got some friends and family to ask too. Call it market research as it gives an up to date measure of your ‘competitors’ and current market value.

 

[Iron Giant]

(£8/house is lowend)

All depends were you are in the UK £8 for a 3 bed semi in areas of the north east of england were I am is good going, there are still people charging £5-6, yet other parts of the UK lads will Get £12-15 pricing is relative to the area, my work area, across the board the cleaners I know and their prices or what clients have told me when people have been out canvassing is they can be anywhere between £2-6 cheaper than me on average yet some have been trading 25+ years even some of the newer lads are pricing low 

New and old there is a good number that don't have a minimum price and this can be their downfall, yet some price low have 1 -2 lads working for them and clash the work out, but not too a quality standard, I went and priced 6 jobs last year in the same street were prices were half of what I would charge, needless to say I never got a single job and they stuck with the other guy who did a shoddy job and they were apparently sick of. 

 

[Dave B]

All depends were you are in the UK £8 for a 3 bed semi in areas of the north east of england were I am is good going, there are still people charging £5-6, yet other parts of the UK lads will Get £12-15 pricing is relative to the area, my work area, across the board the cleaners I know and their prices or what clients have told me when people have been out canvassing is they can be anywhere between £2-6 cheaper than me on average yet some have been trading 25+ years even some of the newer lads are pricing low 

New and old there is a good number that don't have a minimum price and this can be their downfall, yet some price low have 1 -2 lads working for them and clash the work out, but not too a quality standard, I went and priced 6 jobs last year in the same street were prices were half of what I would charge, needless to say I never got a single job and they stuck with the other guy who did a shoddy job and they were apparently sick of. 

Exactly mate.. as long as you charge at the higher end of what is attainable in your area you can't do anymore.

I won't get out my van nowadays for less that £12. But I am in the Hertfordshire/London area.

I would rather struggle at first but know the jobs I do get are priced well than be too busy in a years time but still not making enough money.

It took me a couple of years to learn that for myself back in the 90's when the beer money guys were still out and about.

 

[Guest]

Buying rounds can be tricky. 

The best bet would be to see if the rounds for sale can be backed up with tax returns, and accounts. If he can show at least 3 years consistent performance from the goodwill then it's worth buying and is a quick way into the business.

If they cannot, and he is selling a "list" then it's a big risk, and your better off using some of that 10k and going out yourself to get the work. 

I will hasten to add, many people think window cleaning will provide financial freedom, and eventually it does. But it will take you YEARS to get to the levels you dream of. Not to discourage you, but be realistic.

You can hit the vat threshold in a couple of years surely? If you give everything you’ve got.

 

[laddergarder]

If your not sure. Don't start a business. Because you'll get plenty of knocks allong the way. Its no plain sailing. 

10k I could start a window cleaning business from scratch no problem. I have no doubt you and your husband could also.

You mentioned his hours not being reliable. After over 12 years at it, I have always been able to pay myself a steady wage. But there are plenty of times when I just can't get out. Working weekend after weekend to makeup for bad weather or something else.

I started my business with £30. Litterally. No plan. I just had to do it. There is nothing stopping your husband, getting to it right now.

He doesnt need to wait until he has bought this round. Or even quit his job, buy some basic gear, get out after/ before work on weekends. Biuld a little customer base and he will know if its for him.

 

[Pjj]

Is this round trad or wfp ?? Have I missed that bit ??? 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Is this round trad or wfp ?? Have I missed that bit ??? 

I think its wfp with all the gear included, not sure about a van though.

 

[cleaniac]

You can hit the vat threshold in a couple of years surely? If you give everything you’ve got.

Depends if that's financial freedom to you or not I guess...?

My point is it will take you YEARS to establish a window cleaning business that has fully booked stable consistent rounds with little or nill customer loss/cancellations that are well priced and has built up a local reputation of being excellent. 

You can canvass 30k in 3 months with enough manpower, but  half of that will be gone in 18 months and you will have to  keep replacing it until the rounds are stable.

Exactly mate.. as long as you charge at the higher end of what is attainable in your area you can't do anymore.

I won't get out my van nowadays for less that £12. But I am in the Hertfordshire/London area.

I would rather struggle at first but know the jobs I do get are priced well than be too busy in a years time but still not making enough money.

It took me a couple of years to learn that for myself back in the 90's when the beer money guys were still out and about.

My min price for 2020 is £25.

It had been £20 even in 2015..

 

[Cleanco]

I could actually cry at this response as its one of the very few that instils positivity within me. Did you also build on your round or was it established enough to just go with?

I am on here to garner some advice and support for myself in this jump gathering facts and information that he is getting from his friends who are in the business already. 

It was established enough to go with at first as I came from a fairly low paid job(window cleaning employee) so was pretty much an instant pay rise for a lot less work. Since then over the years it has naturally evolved, never needed to advertise or actively go looking for work as I was happy enough from the start and also once you are established in an area like you will be if you buy a good round the work comes to you. I never bothered with asking for tax evidence, book keeping etc as I knew the work already but if you don’t at very least go out and work ALL the work first meeting as many of the custys as possible. Remember first impressions are vital, over the years my old boss bought loads of work and we very rarely had any drop offs after or during the takeover. Good luck. 

 

[Cleanco]

Depends if that's financial freedom to you or not I guess...?

My point is it will take you YEARS to establish a window cleaning business that has fully booked stable consistent rounds with little or nill customer loss/cancellations that are well priced and has built up a local reputation of being excellent. 

You can canvass 30k in 3 months with enough manpower, but  half of that will be gone in 18 months and you will have to  keep replacing it until the rounds are stable.

My min price for 2020 is £25.

It had been £20 even in 2015..

I dont really have a minimum charge and just go off time. I usually aim for around £40/50 per hour so if a 3 bed semi takes 15 mins it’s a £10/12. I’ve been experimenting with going in high on price just recently to see what I could get and I have been surprised but I don’t think anyone would be willing to pay £25 for ten mins work on say a small semi with 8 windows or so. 

 

[mike007]

MrsC (Sssh don't tell any Windies this as they might not appreciate it) but just between use you can always get several quotes to get YOUR windows cleaned - the you'll have some sort of guide as to what to charge

So it was you wanting a quote!!!!(lol)

 

[Dave B]

I dont really have a minimum charge and just go off time. I usually aim for around £40/50 per hour so if a 3 bed semi takes 15 mins it’s a £10/12. I’ve been experimenting with going in high on price just recently to see what I could get and I have been surprised but I don’t think anyone would be willing to pay £25 for ten mins work on say a small semi with 8 windows or so. 

That's Surrey though.

They will pay those prices.

 

[kevinc250]

The equipment is offered in the round. I know and the guys earns £1600 he only works 3 weeks a month 4 hours a day so we could easily look to double the round ??

He is going to but that’s not a worry for him regardless of whether he loved it or not the drive to make a better life is so strong for him now. He wants us to have better and do better and do it ourselves. He’s very keen on working for our own future rather than someone elses

on the face of it, that's not such a bad buy, if this were true figures then 15 days a month and only working 4 hours a day relates to just a tad over £25 per hour so with tom being younger and fitter he should in time get quicker and take that hourly rate up to £30 per hour, the guy is retiring and as I have found when buying these types of rounds the work is usually the better paid/easiest and the nicest of customers as he'll have sacked or sold off the bad stuff to make way for a relaxing wind down to retirement.

intresting way to look at these 200 customers when were the gutters last cleaned out?.

are the facias and soffits clean?.

are the pathways or patios slippy and dirty?.

you could have another income stream from day one without the hassle of advertising or door knocking etc etc.

the equipment that's included could very well be a trolly or a backpack and an old fibre glass pole with a really slow producing ro so factor in 1k just for new equipment/ workwear etc.

i'm coming to the understanding that tom doesn't know your on a forum seeking advice to help you both in what is a major decision 

and well done mrs c for biting the bullet and asking for advice 

personally, if the above figures are correct along with the 4 hour day i'd go for it but if, and only if the business or round was sold at a reasonable price 4 maybe 5 times its monthly value is what I would call reasonable equipment value could be a few thousand or a few hundred depending on what it is, work on the theory that you'll need a van for tom to go to work in as its much more professional looking 

and better for carrying allsorts of things that may be needed as work expands.

 

[Cleanco]

That's Surrey though.

They will pay those prices.

I don’t think it matters on area too much but more towards the type of work you are doing. Part of my round is out in the sticks cleaning large cottages, farms and and barn conversions etc and maybe getting one or two jobs per hour. Those prices range between £20-80 per property.  On the other hand some of my other work is very compact doing small semis, terraces and fronts etc were I can do maybe 5-10 jobs per hour. On that basis @ £25 minimums I’d be averaging £200 an hour which on a domestic run I find very hard to believe. Maybe cleaniac could elaborate on what kind of work he does as his comment was very vague and could be very misleading to the op. 

 

[MrsC2014]

If your not sure. Don't start a business. Because you'll get plenty of knocks allong the way. Its no plain sailing. 

10k I could start a window cleaning business from scratch no problem. I have no doubt you and your husband could also.

You mentioned his hours not being reliable. After over 12 years at it, I have always been able to pay myself a steady wage. But there are plenty of times when I just can't get out. Working weekend after weekend to makeup for bad weather or something else.

I started my business with £30. Litterally. No plan. I just had to do it. There is nothing stopping your husband, getting to it right now.

He doesnt need to wait until he has bought this round. Or even quit his job, buy some basic gear, get out after/ before work on weekends. Biuld a little customer base and he will know if its for him.

We have had this conversation today. I have found a WFP system on a selling site near us with resin included for £550. We have a friend designing our leaflets for free which she can get printed out by next week and then we will both have a go at canvassing. He will go knocking and I have said I'm happy to go out Sundays posting flyers (I need the exercise haha). We should then hopefully start to get some of our own business which we will book in on weekends for now and look to move them over to the week when Tom has left his job and can accommodate them. The exciting thing for us is the guy we are buying from only works half days three weeks a month so we have a fair bit of capacity to build. Ideally we want top be able to have a book of customers to fill 5 days so my plan is when he goes out with Kev at the end of Jan we will scope out the areas he works in currently and try to canvass in those areas just to build as compact a round as possible. I have white boards up, diaries to fill and a business plan we are working on. 

Together we are looking to at least double what were buying in 2 years. 12 months ideally but were are realists. 

 

[Part Timer]

I have found a WFP system on a selling site near us with resin included for £550. 

This is the area you should be asking advice for. What have you found, do you know your water TDS. Is it big enough to produce twice as much as you will be using currently?