New Start Up - Hi and few questions!

[TDS Clarity]

Good evening,

Thought I'd finally join after reading a variety of bits on these forums, so hi I'm Sean and I'm trying to set up a new WFP cleaning business!

Literally a solo start up after being furloughed (like so many) and then let go... great .

In short I'm hoping I can learn a bit here, and maybe help out a few once I get a bit of experience under my belt, but If its okay I have a few questions as a start out!

I've purchased Gardiner WFP and the backpack and have been practising so far on my own house watching a YouTuber called A.E Mackintosh which has been great actually but I have a few newbie questions which I've yet to find satisfying answers to.

QUESTIONS:

1) I am using quite a low budget set up just to get going by buying pure water from a supplier and using 20l bottles to fill my backpack. I bought 8 bottles which have been filled for the last 3/4weeks now but unused in my backyard and I'm just curious as to whether there is any risk of Legionnaires bacteria build up since the weather has been pretty warm and I heard this was a potential possibility. Its taken longer to get off the ground than intended so just not sure whether I should replace that water (and maybe even if its still 0ppm actually... hmm)? Also if I do is there anyway to minimise my own risk of contacting that disease in the process .

2) Pricing!!! I find this one quite difficult as I haven't yet started trading and have read a few different bits but every window cleaning I've seen do quotes so not sure what the average is in my area or for individual properties. Obviously I don't want to overcharge and I am new so don't want to charge perhaps as much as the more established cleaners but at the same time don't want to price too low either for obvious reasons!

3) Public Liability Insurance ?  Clearly this is essential but I'm just curious if the prices I've been given are about average? I did compare the meerkat and found it came out appx £350pa or £40pm; is that about right and anything I need to be aware of including?

4) Final catch all really but any other tips that may be helpful would be great and appreciated! I'm aware this is a small setup but I know I'm not the only one to start like this its more a case of how to maximise the setup and the best way to start out from here I guess!

Thanks so much for any responses in advance, nice to join finally,

Thanks,

TDS Clarity/Sean.

 

[Martyn]

Welcome and good luck with your new venture, if you put the effort in you will earn money but be aware that self employed is not an easy path. It's a long way down the road but make it an objective to put money aside for a rainy day when you reach the stage that you are able to.

Invest in a TDS meter from a reputable supplier so that you can monitor your water quality, not everybody's water is as pure as it should be.

Legionella thrive at about human body temperature, I wouldn't have thought your water was likely to be that warm for any length of time? The purity of the water is unlikely to have changed.

Pricing is tricky because it varies by area as well as from cleaner to cleaner, the best bet would be to talk to window cleaners in your area if you can. Maybe somebody on here is in your area.

Public liability, I use Gleaming but other suppliers are available.

 

[dazmond]

1.water will be fine...

2.pricing is up to you..no rules!

3.i pay around £80 a year  for basic 1million PLI

4.fold away trolley and bungee for your backpack and 25l barrels.upgrade to a tank and 100 hose ASAP....

 

[Davy G]

Hello, and welcome.
I doubt if there's a significant risk of Legionnaires Disease. I think the water would need to be warmer than it would get sat outside. My biggest concern would be daylight causing green Algae in the cans. I bought blue food grade cans on the Web before I fitted a bigger tank to avoid the problem. Never had any issues. I tested the water after several months of storage outside and it was fine.

I would suggest that you use the search bar on the top of the page. Everything you will need to know is almost certainly already on the forum in previous posts. Study for the long road well in advance. Get yourself reasonably well informed then come back with specific questions once you have some idea how things work and what you want to achieve.

I've been reading this forum for around 6 years. I don't recall ever needing to ask a question. I just read the discussions and used them to help me gain knowledge through other people's experience. When I felt I knew enough to contribute back in, I joined properly and got properly involved in the discussions.

By all means ask questions as you go but don't underestimate the value of studying the archives and intensive forward thinking. ?

 

[Cookie]

2) Pricing!!! I find this one quite difficult as I haven't yet started trading and have read a few different bits but every window cleaning I've seen do quotes so not sure what the average is in my area or for individual properties. Obviously I don't want to overcharge and I am new so don't want to charge perhaps as much as the more established cleaners but at the same time don't want to price too low either for obvious reasons!

Google "window cleaning prices Cambridgeshire" & you should get an idea. Pricing can be tricky and we all get it wrong sometimes - it'll become easier with experience.

3) Public Liability Insurance ?  Clearly this is essential but I'm just curious if the prices I've been given are about average? I did compare the meerkat and found it came out appx £350pa or £40pm; is that about right and anything I need to be aware of including?

Whatever you do make sure you are insured against damage for what you're actually cleaning. Some insurance companies will exclude this. 

 

[Part Timer]

Are you buying the water in Ely by any chance? A mate of mine that has a pub in Wicken told me about it. Plenty of info regarding all your other questions on the site but Tradesman Saver will do you Insurance for less than £100. We are down in Newmarket and Cambridge in December so if you want to watch how not to clean windows PM me and I'll arrange it.

Good luck by the way

 

[JEM]

With pricing, i would at least match what the established are charging, because you will no doubt do as good a job because you will take your time and be thorough. And the last thing this trade wants is just people constantly price cutting ect.

I charge a bit more for a first clean a £20 house would be £25 for a first clean. then £20 every x weeks it gives people incentive to get them done regular. Also you won't feel so bad when you do a first clean then text them in 6/8 weeks time and they don't reply!

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Good evening,

Thought I'd finally join after reading a variety of bits on these forums, so hi I'm Sean and I'm trying to set up a new WFP cleaning business!

Literally a solo start up after being furloughed (like so many) and then let go... great .

In short I'm hoping I can learn a bit here, and maybe help out a few once I get a bit of experience under my belt, but If its okay I have a few questions as a start out!

I've purchased Gardiner WFP and the backpack and have been practising so far on my own house watching a YouTuber called A.E Mackintosh which has been great actually but I have a few newbie questions which I've yet to find satisfying answers to.

QUESTIONS:

1) I am using quite a low budget set up just to get going by buying pure water from a supplier and using 20l bottles to fill my backpack. I bought 8 bottles which have been filled for the last 3/4weeks now but unused in my backyard and I'm just curious as to whether there is any risk of Legionnaires bacteria build up since the weather has been pretty warm and I heard this was a potential possibility. Its taken longer to get off the ground than intended so just not sure whether I should replace that water (and maybe even if its still 0ppm actually... hmm)? Also if I do is there anyway to minimise my own risk of contacting that disease in the process .

2) Pricing!!! I find this one quite difficult as I haven't yet started trading and have read a few different bits but every window cleaning I've seen do quotes so not sure what the average is in my area or for individual properties. Obviously I don't want to overcharge and I am new so don't want to charge perhaps as much as the more established cleaners but at the same time don't want to price too low either for obvious reasons!

3) Public Liability Insurance ?  Clearly this is essential but I'm just curious if the prices I've been given are about average? I did compare the meerkat and found it came out appx £350pa or £40pm; is that about right and anything I need to be aware of including?

4) Final catch all really but any other tips that may be helpful would be great and appreciated! I'm aware this is a small setup but I know I'm not the only one to start like this its more a case of how to maximise the setup and the best way to start out from here I guess!

Thanks so much for any responses in advance, nice to join finally,

Thanks,

TDS Clarity/Sean.

Welcome and all the best.

As we say to all new starters reading through the forum and taking notes will be your best aid to learning 

Public liability is easy to get and can be done with ease. I use Alexander Swan, Sharon jade & Claire are great at getting good pricing.

I pay £148 per year but I have many add ons 

 

[Redditch windy]

1.water will be fine...

2.pricing is up to you..no rules!

3.i pay around £80 a year  for basic 1million PLI

4.fold away trolley and bungee for your backpack and 25l barrels.upgrade to a tank and 100 hose ASAP....

the tank/hose is excellent as soon as you get a van

 

[Skxawng]

I use simply business for my public liability insurance and its £68 pa for me. Doesn't cover object being worked on, but for the price difference, I don't know if its worth it. In 15 years I've never damaged anyone's Window or door, although it is possible. The difference in price in premiums would probably allow me to buy a few new window units. I mainly want cover for if someone gets injured or if I damage someone's car if the pole snaps and falls on it ect. You can always upgrade when business takes off more or if you take on commercial clients with a requirement for higher levels of cover. 

With regards pricing, you should charge the full rate your market will allow as you'll be slower and will need it! If you do it right and take your time at first, there's no reason why you should do an inferior job to someone who's been at it a long time. Clean is clean, you can't get cleaner with experience, you just get faster. 

 

[Martyn]

With regards pricing, you should charge the full rate your market will allow as you'll be slower and will need it! If you do it right and take your time at first, there's no reason why you should do an inferior job to someone who's been at it a long time. Clean is clean, you can't get cleaner with experience, you just get faster. 

I like that, when I started out I was definitely slow but I made sure the quality was there.

 

[Iron Giant]

I charge a bit more for a first clean a £20 house would be £25 for a first clean. then £20 every x weeks it gives people incentive to get them done regular.

An extra fiver is too low, you may be a tad apprehensive about charging too much more for a first clean with you building your rounds up but I'd go 50% more at least for a first clean it's more than acceptable,

I Charge double for almost every first clean unless they are practically spotless on a brand new house, my pitch is a first clean will take 3 times longer than regular clean people don't have any issues paying double 

 

[Deleted member 5762]

Hi @TDS Clarity Sean,

I wouldn’t worry about Legionnaires as far as I’m aware. I was told its better to keep pure water in the dark more than daylight (I think due to any algae build up), so mine is in the garage. I may be wrong though and only if it needs to be stored for some time.

Pricing is very difficult as it depends on where you live, the type of property and I also factor in if access is good or not - if the job is a bit awkward I add a bit on accordingly. A good tip I got though was I don’t discount jobs even if I have other jobs close by, as even if you get a lot of jobs close together, you inevitably get none or two who don’t want them cleaned occasionally. I have some houses locally that are all the same and I do seven in one road and one in another and I charge them all the same.

For insurance I use Tradesman Saver. I can’t remember the price immediately but I’m sure it was less than £100.

As far as extra tips, it’s been covered in abundance but I seem to find that older customers and customers with smaller properties tend to be more reliable than most (although not all). That maybe because of where I live and the types of people and properties though. This time of year is harder to pick up new customers but any you do pick up are sometimes better long term than the one’s who get in touch in the spring I find. Oh, and make sure you have a Facebook page and even a basic website- all easy to do yourself.

Best of luck with everything and keep going. It’s hard at first but you’ll get there.

 

[mike007]

Hi Sean, The most important question you have to ask yourself is "can I get enough customers to earn a ok living".

 

[Davy G]

Hi Sean, The most important question you have to ask yourself is "can I get enough customers to earn a ok living".

Can I get enough customers and charge enough money to thrive, without running myself into the ground? ?

 

[TDS Clarity]

Hi don’t have time to reply fully right now but thanks for all the replies that’s great, really helpful to know the answers to all I asked hah! 
 

I suppose some of it will be a level of trial and error in terms of pricing etc

Thankfully my outgoings are very low so it shouldn’t take too much business to get going I hope!

I’ll keep checking back thanks!

Sean!

 

[JEM]

3) Public Liability Insurance ?  Clearly this is essential but I'm just curious if the prices I've been given are about average? I did compare the meerkat and found it came out appx £350pa or £40pm; is that about right and anything I need to be aware of including?

I've just got my renewal through £69.50 That is with Simply business 

Mine covers 

Legal liability for injury, illness or disease to any member of the public and damage to their property occurring during the period of insurance and arising out of the business Limits of Indemnity available: £1 Million, £2 Million, £5 Million