Newbie exploring possibilities (Potential career change)

[Joshyouare]

Secondly, you have to decide if you will have a dedicated van or a car. I would always go for a dedicated van, as you will be able claim all your running costs and not have to fill out business miles and calculate use for business.

Thirdly, as a sole trader try to go by the 3rd rule. So for every £1 you turn over, allocate 33p for taxation, 33p for business capital reserve (your business expense budget basicly) and 33p for wages you can take. Also only expect to collect 30 to 40 percent of the money your owed for the day at any one time, the rest will follow.

Cheers for this, smacked me back into reality when thinking about getting a new van. That tax rule will definitely be something that I take into consideration too.

 

[cleaniac]

Cheers for this, smacked me back into reality when thinking about getting a new van. That tax rule will definitely be something that I take into consideration too.

Yes although bear in mind with regards to sole trader business you will get taxed on your profits regardless of how you allocate the money. Splitting it into three this way is just a good housekeeping practice.

So say for example over the year you turned over £10,000, you allocate 3,333 for taxation, 3,333 for your capital expense allowances, and 3,333 for wages, but in actual fact your cost to sales was only 1000 leaving a surplus of 2333 in your capital allowances account (or your business expense budget). You will be taxed on 5666 (whatever the surplus of your capital allocation is plus your wages taken)

So you will be taxed on your ACTUAL profits regardless of where the money has been allocated, and will translate to your balance sheet accordingly. 

So even though your splitting it in 3, just because your 'saying' that a third of it is wages, the tax office won't look at it that way, they will tax you on your final profits regardless. 

But it's a good way to keep in mind allocation and availability of funds,so you don't leave yourself short.

 

[cleaniac]

My goodness that's quite a bit Scottish considering you say you only have around 100 customers. You must do a lot of add ons cos that averages just under £600 a week over the year.

I work it out to be approx £25 per clean per customer assuming it's monthly. 

But based on his costs to sales he's saying that each customer has cost him £23.00 to service leaving a profit of £2 per clean. This is worrying in the sense that it's VERY high and will likely raise a flag if he's not careful.

But those turnover figures I'd say that's not particularly unattainable. £310 per year per customer perfectly normal, especially in the wealthy parts of Scotland. Down here in Surrey my min charge is £25.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I work it out to be approx £25 per clean per customer assuming it's monthly. 

But based on his costs to sales he's saying that each customer has cost him £23.00 to service leaving a profit of £2 per clean. This is worrying in the sense that it's VERY high and will likely raise a flag if he's not careful.

But those turnover figures I'd say that's not particularly unattainable. £310 per year per customer perfectly normal, especially in the wealthy parts of Scotland. Down here in Surrey my min charge is £25.

Only make £700 a month from windows and the rest comes from property maintenance like roof cleaning, PW driveways, PVC cleaning and all the rest. Today I'm tiling a wall next to the step I tiled last week. Last year I bought my Grippatank hot water system for the van, best investment I have made. This year I have bought all the Stihl battery gardening equipment and got a deposit on a Timberwolf chipper which I want to pay cash so saving up for it now. Next month I come off Checkatrade and begin to slow down and concentrate on well paid work. All my hard work has paid off and I can relax and take it easy, maybe look to expand my window cleaning business.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Got my renewal in for my van insurance which came in at £350 with APlan. I have all my policies with APlan even my house insurance. My £15k tool and hot water system insurance came in at £390 for a year so I will be buying that as well. My van is only worth £5k but its worth a lot more to me as I take care of it. Interesting if anybody starting up needs to think about insurance. ?

 

[Wind o kleen]

Got my renewal in for my van insurance which came in at £350 with APlan. I have all my policies with APlan even my house insurance. My £15k tool and hot water system insurance came in at £390 for a year so I will be buying that as well. My van is only worth £5k but its worth a lot more to me as I take care of it. Interesting if anybody starting up needs to think about insurance. ?

Ohh didn’t realise having hot water instead of just cold would have any affect on prices with the insurer ?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Ohh didn’t realise having hot water instead of just cold would have any affect on prices with the insurer ?

Aye, another thing is the size of your tank. She said it was okay because I was under 700 litres, I guess there is a premium above that. I'm very happy with the service and price as I can justify my window cleaning price. ?

 

[Wind o kleen]

Aye, another thing is the size of your tank. She said it was okay because I was under 700 litres, I guess there is a premium above that. I'm very happy with the service and price as I can justify my window cleaning price. ?

Ayeeee pal ! Them £8 jobs will cover your insurance ?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Ayeeee pal ! Them £8 jobs will cover your insurance ?

One month window cleaning covers all my insurance. I make 80% of my money from add-ons. Made £400 tiling a step and wall (2 days) and the neighbour wants me to put in a small drain, £200 but £40 material. I wish I could get these jobs all day long tbh. ?

 

[Wind o kleen]

One month window cleaning covers all my insurance. I make 80% of my money from add-ons. Made £400 tiling a step and wall (2 days) and the neighbour wants me to put in a small drain, £200 but £40 material. I wish I could get these jobs all day long tbh. ?

I would sell everything bar your WFP stuff and build window cleaning business more profitable and a lot easier work 

 

[Pjj]

Ohh didn’t realise having hot water instead of just cold would have any affect on prices with the insurer ?

It doesn't with   mine 

Aye, another thing is the size of your tank. She said it was okay because I was under 700 litres, I guess there is a premium above that. I'm very happy with the service and price as I can justify my window cleaning price. ?

Size of tank doesn’t matter with my insurance  provided you are within the vehicle payload 

 

[Wind o kleen]

It doesn't with   mine 

Size of tank doesn’t matter with my insurance  provided you are within the vehicle payload 

He always tells good stories ?

 

[steve garwood]

He always tells good stories ?

And always on the same subject.

Him ?

 

[cleaniac]

One month window cleaning covers all my insurance. I make 80% of my money from add-ons. Made £400 tiling a step and wall (2 days) and the neighbour wants me to put in a small drain, £200 but £40 material. I wish I could get these jobs all day long tbh. ?

So you should change your business name to Scottish Property Services really as window cleaning is not your main business is it. 

£400 for two days work, tiling? Window cleaning would trounce that, you need to decide what your going to do as you are limiting your earning potential by getting distracted with other jobs. 

Tomorow afternoon I'll be doing 14 houses all in a row at £28 each and be home by 4:30, and that's a hell of a lot more than many people earn a week. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

So you should change your business name to Scottish Property Services really as window cleaning is not your main business is it. 

£400 for two days work, tiling? Window cleaning would trounce that, you need to decide what your going to do as you are limiting your earning potential by getting distracted with other jobs. 

Tomorow afternoon I'll be doing 14 houses all in a row at £28 each and be home by 4:30, and that's a hell of a lot more than many people earn a week. 

Handy for paying your tax bill then. ?

 

[dazmond]

Personally I think its better to concentrate on one thing if you want to build a low stress profitable business rather than 'jack of all trades'....im happy doing  part time window cleaning with the occasional add on for £45k+ a year.......as I have other interests I want to pursue in my spare time(music and drumming).....

Some people like the variety though and Scottish seems like a handy lad so there is no right or wrong.....

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Personally I think its better to concentrate on one thing if you want to build a low stress profitable business rather than 'jack of all trades'....im happy doing  part time window cleaning with the occasional add on for £45k+ a year.......as I have other interests I want to pursue in my spare time(music and drumming).....

Some people like the variety though and Scottish seems like a handy lad so there is no right or wrong.....

Don't do it for the money, do it because I like change. I could make a great living if I just did windows and advertised to do them but its a bit boring cleaning windows every week, month and year. I enjoy building fences, don't know why but its only seasonal. I think 10 days a month is plenty for cleaning windows but all to their own I guess.

 

[Deleted member 5762]

Hello there, this is just a quick post saying hi to all of you guys on the forum. I've been lurking and reading posts for information for the last few weeks along with watching lots of helpful content on YouTube (GreenProClean, AEMackintosh, Dan Smithson etc). I'm intrigued by the trade and am looking at it as a possible career change. I brought some Unger trad tools from the Window Cleaning Warehouse a couple of weeks ago and I've been trying my hand to get a feel for the trade. The idea of being self employed and able to work more normal hours really appeals to me.

Here's a little bit about me, I'm currently a HGV driver and have been for the last 4 years. The work-life balance isn't great to be honest. For the last 2 years I've been tramping (Sleeping in a truck Monday-Friay and doing close to 70 hour weeks) but have just recently started a new job closer to home. The new job is tanker driving but it's night work (with less hours totaling 48 hours a week) so it's still unsociable hours and it's made me value the thought of having a job with more normal hours and a better work life balance. I'm lucky that I'm paid well to do what I do and have other good perks (good pension, job security etc) but I still can't shake the idea of wanting to go it alone and having more control over my work. I have a good level of base savings to work with so a van and WFP setup wouldn't be out of reach. 

Anyway that's a little bit about me and what I'm currently thinking. I'm going to continue to research and look into window cleaning. Thanks for taking the time to read this and have a good day.

@Redrum good post mate. You obviously need to check how long you can last while your starting- if you have a family to provide for, what bills need paying etc. 

I started about 2.5 years ago as I was struggling to find work that fitted in with me looking after my Nan who I was helping to care for as she had cancer. It was more something that I could do part time, was flexible , didn’t require massive investment to start, and that hopefully I could pick up fairly quickly. Although these forums and the facebook groups are a fountain of knowledge, they can also be a bit intimidating/off putting as you see all sorts of things talked about with regards to equipment and the money some window cleaners earn. I’m only able to advise on my own experience, which is working from my family car as I haven’t physically got the money for a van yet. I do traditional work on small bungalows, ground floor flats etc. Bigger houses I do mostly water fed pole and even if I do the upper floors with water fed pole and the ground floors traditionally, most customers (and where I live there are loads of old people who moan at anything modern) don’t care that you use it if you explain you use wfp for safety reasons. Anyone that contacts and insists on ladder work I very politely decline the job. You could get a nice bit of traditional gear, a Gardiner backpack and pole and use spotless for pure water exactly like I did, and when you outgrow that invest a bit more. The way I do things isn’t for everyone, and can be a faff sometimes, but it’s earnt me money when I was really struggling, and I’m just at the point where I’ve bought an RO unit - but that’s really to save 2 or 3 trips a week I was making to my nearest spotless water (about an hour round trip).

My Nan passed away a couple of months ago, so now I’m trying to build my work up more, but with the current situation it’s proving to be a little bit slower than I hoped.

PS. Don’t worry about self employment either, it’s easy to register and doing your expenses and tax return is no bother if your work set up is simple enough (like mine is anyway).

Sorry for the long reply and good luck mate.

 

[Bongofish]

I haven't read all this thread just the first few. I am 6 weeks in now and all I'm going to say is

1.get a van (really it makes that much difference)

2. Unless you live within 15 minutes of a spotless water spot, start making your on purified water (this is the thing that's let me continue the dream of having my own business)

3. I started by traditional cleaning the bottoms and WFP the tops 6 weeks ago.....I think I last used my blade and bucket 4 weeks ago. WFP is the way to go, for so many ways. No safety issues, cleaner windows, and gives you access to all sizes of buildings, nevermind how much quicker it is which means more hourly wage.

Honestly mate, the best way I can put it is, if you really want to do it, go full wack at it. If I would have started like I planned (using a car and traditional cleaning with ladders) I would have lasted a week, spend as much as you can afford to make the job enjoyable and doable. I have been a class 1 driver for 8 years before this and trust me, working for £13 an hour and 15 hours a day seems a joke to where I am 6 weeks later.....yes I'm not making as much monthly currently because I only have around 70 customers at the moment. But my hourly wage now is about £20-£25 an hour and I control everything and actually enjoy it. And I never go any further than 4 miles from my own home. 

 

[Bongofish]

Just wanted to add to this topic aswell that when I say it makes that much difference having a van, in the last 2 days I've got 5 extra customers by doing people's windows and neighbours or walkers have passed my van that's all signed up with what I do and I've got the jobs there and then on the spot. It's suprised me how much free and really good advertising you can get out your own vehicle. ?

 

[Redrum]

@Redrum good post mate. You obviously need to check how long you can last while your starting- if you have a family to provide for, what bills need paying etc. 

I started about 2.5 years ago as I was struggling to find work that fitted in with me looking after my Nan who I was helping to care for as she had cancer. It was more something that I could do part time, was flexible , didn’t require massive investment to start, and that hopefully I could pick up fairly quickly. Although these forums and the facebook groups are a fountain of knowledge, they can also be a bit intimidating/off putting as you see all sorts of things talked about with regards to equipment and the money some window cleaners earn. I’m only able to advise on my own experience, which is working from my family car as I haven’t physically got the money for a van yet. I do traditional work on small bungalows, ground floor flats etc. Bigger houses I do mostly water fed pole and even if I do the upper floors with water fed pole and the ground floors traditionally, most customers (and where I live there are loads of old people who moan at anything modern) don’t care that you use it if you explain you use wfp for safety reasons. Anyone that contacts and insists on ladder work I very politely decline the job. You could get a nice bit of traditional gear, a Gardiner backpack and pole and use spotless for pure water exactly like I did, and when you outgrow that invest a bit more. The way I do things isn’t for everyone, and can be a faff sometimes, but it’s earnt me money when I was really struggling, and I’m just at the point where I’ve bought an RO unit - but that’s really to save 2 or 3 trips a week I was making to my nearest spotless water (about an hour round trip).

My Nan passed away a couple of months ago, so now I’m trying to build my work up more, but with the current situation it’s proving to be a little bit slower than I hoped.

PS. Don’t worry about self employment either, it’s easy to register and doing your expenses and tax return is no bother if your work set up is simple enough (like mine is anyway).

Sorry for the long reply and good luck mate.

Wow @wgwindows thank you for the really great and encouraging post and I'm sorry to hear about your nan. I'm glad window cleaning has helped and it sounds like your business is really starting to progress and the time saved travelling for water I imagine is going to help massively. Reading posts like yours does give me the belief that starting up isn't an impossible task. Thank you and good luck with the growth, I'm sure with the current situation getting better It'll improve in no time. 

I haven't read all this thread just the first few. I am 6 weeks in now and all I'm going to say is

1.get a van (really it makes that much difference)

2. Unless you live within 15 minutes of a spotless water spot, start making your on purified water (this is the thing that's let me continue the dream of having my own business)

3. I started by traditional cleaning the bottoms and WFP the tops 6 weeks ago.....I think I last used my blade and bucket 4 weeks ago. WFP is the way to go, for so many ways. No safety issues, cleaner windows, and gives you access to all sizes of buildings, nevermind how much quicker it is which means more hourly wage.

Honestly mate, the best way I can put it is, if you really want to do it, go full wack at it. If I would have started like I planned (using a car and traditional cleaning with ladders) I would have lasted a week, spend as much as you can afford to make the job enjoyable and doable. I have been a class 1 driver for 8 years before this and trust me, working for £13 an hour and 15 hours a day seems a joke to where I am 6 weeks later.....yes I'm not making as much monthly currently because I only have around 70 customers at the moment. But my hourly wage now is about £20-£25 an hour and I control everything and actually enjoy it. And I never go any further than 4 miles from my own home. 

Another really helpful post @Bongofish, to be honest I have been thinking a van would be a smart choice and like you say I am really close to a spotless water filling station (less than 10 minutes) so in theory I could go with a a delivery only system and fill up with spotless to keep the system costs down. It's nice to hear from a fellow trucker as well as our positions with being unhappy with the hours and work life balance are very relatable.

To be honest like I said earlier I've been in my current job now only around a couple of months and I'm not really enjoying it so far. The hours are less than I've done in the past but honestly I'm rushing around like a blue arsed fly for 10 hours straight and I'm not particularly fond of working nights either. I feel like I'm working my **** off and working unsociable hours with no end in sight. I'm panning on giving it another month or so and seeing whether I start to enjoy it more when I'm a bit more settled. If I still don't like the job in a months time (3 months in) I think then window cleaning might be my way forward.

Edit: Is there ever a bad time of year to start up? Are people less likely to want a window cleaner in the wetter months or do you find it doesn't make much difference?