Looking at buying an existing round.

[Iron Giant]

I wouldn't part with £25.00 and give it to total stranger never mind £25,000 @Jazzy JB with respect if you are green behind the gills and have never done window cleaning before and have no idea how to go up a ladder and clean windows and no idea about pricing etc then you would be taking a serious leap of faith and  that round is simply a sale of goodwill nothing else. 

 

[Dave Shaw]

I wouldn't part with £25.00 and give it to total stranger never mind £25,000 [mention=7154]Jazzy JB[/mention] with respect if you are green behind the gills and have never done window cleaning before and have no idea how to go up a ladder and clean windows and no idea about pricing etc then you would be taking a serious leap of faith and  that round is simply a sale of goodwill nothing else. 

All the things you mentioned like getting to grips with the ways of the squeegee, getting to know the customers plus the guy you are buying it off etc will all be remedied when he works the work before he buys. I do get that if you have not much experience in our industry bar what you’ve done for yourself, coming on here and the odd chat with the local windys but buying work is common practice. I know loads of lads including myself that have done it very successfully.


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[adamangler]

The problem is if he doesn't have proof it turns over 87k then it's a big gamble for you to take his word on it and hand over 25k.

Where is the proof how long it's been established or if they are good payer?

Doing it all cash in hand has shot him I the foot here. If I sell my round I can show you cleaner planner and my bank statements to prove turnover. 

Also at 450 customers up near Morecambe I would be sceptical he's Turing over 87k that's good money per house, I wouldn't have thought Morecambe area could produce that although Lancaster is quite nice.

How can you buy something that doesn't exist apart from in his head? 

In any other business you would be laughed out of the boardroom.

This is the problem with not declaring it's like trying to get a mortgage, no good having 100k under your mattress if it's not declared it doesn't exist and the bank isn't giving you a mortgage based on money you don't declare.

 

[Nudel]

If he deceives the government, he's trying to decieve you.

Dealing with dishonest people will only end in tears, and we as professionals should never, ever condone the actions of those who don't do our trade by the book.

Walk away, we want nothing to do with that kind of rubbish.

 

[Dave Shaw]

The problem is if he doesn't have proof it turns over 87k then it's a big gamble for you to take his word on it and hand over 25k.
 
Where is the proof how long it's been established or if they are good payer?
 
Doing it all cash in hand has shot him I the foot here. If I sell my round I can show you cleaner planner and my bank statements to prove turnover. 
 
Also at 450 customers up near Morecambe I would be sceptical he's Turing over 87k that's good money per house, I wouldn't have thought Morecambe area could produce that although Lancaster is quite nice.
 
How can you buy something that doesn't exist apart from in his head? 
 
In any other business you would be laughed out of the boardroom.
 
This is the problem with not declaring it's like trying to get a mortgage, no good having 100k under your mattress if it's not declared it doesn't exist and the bank isn't giving you a mortgage based on money you don't declare.
 
 

I agree with you there mate to a point but that’s why your always better working it first. Anyone can create and doctor fake bank statements etc.


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[RWCleaning]

Two words. One starts with B. The other starts with S. 

Brodex systems!!??? 

 

[dmw]

The fact that the old guy was fiddling and had cash in handers working for him has nothing to do with the work itself. The amount of time you hear lads going on about wanting to buy work and haven’t got the time to build from scratch but can’t find a good local round is unbelievable. Done the right way this could be a great venture. If it was me and it was worth what he says then I’d get rid of some to bring you under 85000 so you don’t have to pay vat, take on one lad and away you go. After your wage bill, expenses(which will be hardly anything if start off trad) and your own tax and ni you’ll have more or less an instant take home pay of around a grand a week. Even if you have to get a loan to get started you will be in instant mega profit, even better if using your own funds so basically an interest free loan. There will be things that dont always go to plan but managed carefully you shouldn’t be far off. If he needed 2-3 lads plus himself to cover that amount of work then it’s probs under priced. To counter that and make it more than do-able for two you can bump the prices with the intention of losing a good few but keeping the takings the same and also save some time by going wfp. Better that than starting from scratch beating the streets canvassing etc. Like i said just because the last guy was fiddling it doesn’t mean you have to and has jack all to do with the work itself, although it may just need a little attention to get to where you want it to be.


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When I set up donkeys years ago I bought a round off a bloke who was a freind of a friend who had a couple of lads he paid cash in hand.
Basically I bought a book with a list of names and handed him the cash, £1500, and that made me £150 per week from what I recall.
When I look back it was all very dubious.
I had never cleaned a window in my life so I asked him if I could do a few days tradding with them for free which he agreed, and I learnt a lot in those 3days out on the glass with them.
So the round itself when I worked it wasn't too bad, some of it was underpriced (well, he was never going to sell me his best work).
And some of it wasn't brilliant, I had a couple of pubs and this was before the smoking ban with nicotine glass and an early start, I got shut of those eventually.
Nowadays the round is pretty much compact and well priced, and I'm told the most expensive in my area which is a compliment, and I still have many customers now that I had nearly 30 year ago.
I've read a lot on here about canvassing and franchising and it's not really my cup of tea, I found I took a bit of a risk handing over the cash but I bought a ready made foot in the door business earning from day one, and it was down to me to grow and refine.
It's a risk, but with a bit of common sense and due diligence it can work.
Anyway that's my view, I'm sure there are many satisfied franchisors and well paid canvassed work people have taken on.

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[Iron Giant]

@Jazzy JB ultimately it's up to you but I would say heed the words of caution.  Window cleaning for some ain't all it's cracked up to be the same as running any business there are pitfalls and with a cash in hand business like the guy has for sale you will spend every night driving around knocking doors chasing money and what you earn in cleaning windows over a week you won't have in your pocket by the end of the week as you will get the call back next week lot and those who just happen not to be in so in our business we have a continually rolling debt and I can have up to and in excess of 100 jobs owing me at any one time continually. 

Your own personal circumstances will determine how much you need to earn and if you don't need to turn over 87k a year and have 1-2 lads employed by you and all that, then wait for another round to come up for sale and buy a decent manageable round and possibly a van a wfp system.

 

[Teaboy]

we have a continually rolling debt and I can have up to and in excess of 100 jobs owing me at any time


I wish mine was this, the work is only worth doing once money is in the bank, what’s this blokes reputation like




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[Dave Shaw]

Most businesses will have some sort of debt or money owed. I just see it as money in the bank. It’s very very rare I will have to write a debt off completely.


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