Quick Intro

[Wrestwood]

Hi all,

New to the forum, my names Jack, I'm 28 and recently started a small exterior cleaning business in East Sussex. Whilst being nervous & excited for the future, I was really pleased to find the forum and I've already scoured through pages and learnt a lot already. I'm going for the slow and steady approach mainly working for friends & family currently and gradually building up from there with the hope of later this year/early next year pushing into the commercial space.

Working out of a LWB Transit connect and investing in a new WFP system in the next week or so.

Any pointers or tips welcome!
Kind Regards, Jack

 

[Iron Giant]

Bonjour, mon amie welcome to the mad house we will all say read through old posts but the search function ain't the best at times.

 

[Wrestwood]

Bonjour, mon amie welcome to the mad house we will all say read through old posts but the search function ain't the best at times.

Thanks Iron Giant! Much appreciated.

 

[Part Timer]

Good luck mate, the more work you do early on the quicker you'll get to where you want to be. All I ever say is never leave a job where you wouldn't be happy to pay for, keep to that standard and you'll do ok.

 

[ched999uk]

Welcome and good luck.
One tip check what weight your transit can carry before buying a system! You don't want to overload the vehicle!

 

[Ian Docksey]

Where in East Sussex. I'm in Horsham West Sussex. Your more than welcome to pop over if you'd like, have a bit of time with me, see if you pick anything up. I watched Part Timer for a couple hrs(he does some work down here now n then) learnt loads off of him n his son Phil. Just watching n asking questions. Top bloke he is.

 

[K in Kent]

That's a very kind offer and a great way to start off. If I were you @Wrestwood I'd jump at the chance

 

[Wrestwood]

Where in East Sussex. I'm in Horsham West Sussex. Your more than welcome to pop over if you'd like, have a bit of time with me, see if you pick anything up. I watched Part Timer for a couple hrs(he does some work down here now n then) learnt loads off of him n his son Phil. Just watching n asking questions. Top bloke he is.

Hi Ian, that’s a very kind offer and one I’d be very keen to take you up on! I’m in Bexhill but happy to come over your way, I’ll drop you a message to exchange numbers, thanks again Ian!

 

[Wrestwood]

That's a very kind offer and a great way to start off. If I were you @Wrestwood I'd jump at the chance

Couldn’t agree more!

Welcome and good luck.
One tip check what weight your transit can carry before buying a system! You don't want to overload the vehicle!

Thanks Ched, a great point! I’ve got for the ‘Trend’ model of the connect which gives me an extra 120kg. I’m going to be starting off with the Facelift 70L trolley system with some back up 25L containers

I do like the look of the 325L they do too. What do you use?

 

[Ian Docksey]

That's a very kind offer and a great way to start off. If I were you @Wrestwood I'd jump at the chance

If I can help out, it's all good, a chat, watching etc.

 

[Wrestwood]

Good luck mate, the more work you do early on the quicker you'll get to where you want to be. All I ever say is never leave a job where you wouldn't be happy to pay for, keep to that standard and you'll do ok.

Thanks Part Timer! Had a great response from friends & family so far, out canvassing this week and see where we go from there ?

 

[PC]

Good luck with everything mate.
Just keep getting out there and do everything spot on. Don’t know if your van is sign written but if it isn’t then make that a priority. I’ve had a serious amount of work come in over the years just by people noticing my van. The more you’re seen the more work you will get.

 

[Iron Giant]

Couldn’t agree more!

Thanks Ched, a great point! I’ve got for the ‘Trend’ model of the connect which gives me an extra 120kg. I’m going to be starting off with the Facelift 70L trolley system with some back up 25L containers

I do like the look of the 325L they do too. What do you use?

Whatever you do do not go for a 70ltr trolley set up it will be a nightmare to lift in and out of your van empty let alone full or partially full it will be a lot of weight and you'll put your back out

 

[Wrestwood]

Good luck with everything mate.
Just keep getting out there and do everything spot on. Don’t know if your van is sign written but if it isn’t then make that a priority. I’ve had a serious amount of work come in over the years just by people noticing my van. The more you’re seen the more work you will get.

It’s not yet actually, but certainly on the list to do very soon. I can imagine the van sign writing pays for itself very quickly

 

[ched999uk]

Couldn’t agree more!

Thanks Ched, a great point! I’ve got for the ‘Trend’ model of the connect which gives me an extra 120kg. I’m going to be starting off with the Facelift 70L trolley system with some back up 25L containers

I do like the look of the 325L they do too. What do you use?

The 70l trolley might not be wise. Just think if it's full that's probably 100kg! You are going to need ramps to get it in and out.
The 325 lts system is only a couple of hundred more than the trolley!
If you want a trolley look at the Pure Freedom Nano trolley.
I have a 400 lts system fitted by Streamline in a Peugeot Partner - but I didn't pay for the system! I bought the van with the system fitted last Jan for the same price as an empty van as the dealer didn't really know what he had or how to advertise it! It's a decent system but I wouldn't pay what they are asking for one!

Do you know the tds of your water at home or are you going to use spotless type supplier?

 

[Jango]

@Wrestwood
Hi, I don’t want to tell you what to do, just be helpful. Most go for a trolley if they are working out of a car. @ched999uk is right the Nano trolley is the best. But if you have a van, I would get a system in your van. You will find lifting the barrels in and out is heavy, and tiring. Then you will find or should I say more often you will decide on a van system. So the trolley money would go a long way to finance the van system.
Just a thought as I have done both. I know which is the easiest. Just my thoughts others may disagree.

 

[Wrestwood]

The 70l trolley might not be wise. Just think if it's full that's probably 100kg! You are going to need ramps to get it in and out.
The 325 lts system is only a couple of hundred more than the trolley!
If you want a trolley look at the Pure Freedom Nano trolley.
I have a 400 lts system fitted by Streamline in a Peugeot Partner - but I didn't pay for the system! I bought the van with the system fitted last Jan for the same price as an empty van as the dealer didn't really know what he had or how to advertise it! It's a decent system but I wouldn't pay what they are asking for one!

Do you know the tds of your water at home or are you going to use spotless type supplier?

The main reason at looking at the trolley was for access and that it has a built in DI system. I don’t have anywhere to purify larger quantities of water at home, although I have since found a fairly local pure water supplier

You could be right about the van system though, may be worth just going straight for that and would be nice not to have the extra lifting

 

[Wrestwood]

@Wrestwood
Hi, I don’t want to tell you what to do, just be helpful. Most go for a trolley if they are working out of a car. @ched999uk is right the Nano trolley is the best. But if you have a van, I would get a system in your van. You will find lifting the barrels in and out is heavy, and tiring. Then you will find or should I say more often you will decide on a van system. So the trolley money would go a long way to finance the van system.
Just a thought as I have done both. I know which is the easiest. Just my thoughts others may disagree.

Appreciate getting your thoughts, the trolley mainly appeals due to access at my own house and I like the thought of being more flexible if parking etc isn’t great, but I’d be keen to hear what other people do in poor access scenarios?

I’ll check out the nano trolley in the mean time. Thank you for the advice

 

[Jango]

Ok, sometimes you do have an issue with access, but usually just find a work around.
Maybe when you meet up with the other window cleaners you can have a good chat together, and see what’s best for you. I had good help from other window cleaners when first starting out with wfp equipment etc. All the best for the future.

 

[ched999uk]

The main reason at looking at the trolley was for access and that it has a built in DI system. I don’t have anywhere to purify larger quantities of water at home, although I have since found a fairly local pure water supplier

You could be right about the van system though, may be worth just going straight for that and would be nice not to have the extra lifting

Access wise, it all depends on where you live and parking etc. I started with a backpack from my car and it worked fine but took quite a while unloading and loading into the car. I bought the van and the amount of time saved per job over a backpack is quite large especially added up over the day. Remember that most people with van systems have a 100m hose which reaches most houses, for the odd one you can't reach then either say you can't do the job or get a gardiners backpack and a trolly (Handy Sac truck) - which is handy for spraying chemicals on gutters, facia, soffits and conservatory roofs.

Also but a decent tds meter from a good supplier like Daqua (Lots of fakes on ebay and amazon). Test your home water and if it's below about 70 then DI is good. Over 70 then it's most economical long term to get a RO/Di system. Mine is in my van, so I plug hoses (water in, waste out) into van and connect mains elec (booster pump needed as my water supply is low pressure) and within about 2 hrs I have the 400 lts tank full.

Don't get me wrong, starting with a backpack and trolley is a lot cheaper but long term it's harder slower work. In my opinion window cleaning is a business that relies on volume (with quality) so saving time on each job allows you to fit in more jobs per day so more ££. Your local area will have 'a price cap' to a degree, each area is different in what people will pay for their windows to be cleaned. The trick is to price as high as the majority will accept. Where are you in the UK?

 

[K in Kent]

Hi Ian, that’s a very kind offer and one I’d be very keen to take you up on! I’m in Bexhill but happy to come over your way, I’ll drop you a message to exchange numbers, thanks again Ian!

I did a week long job in E Sussex late last summer (Burwash) using the A21 and I couldn't get the Dad's Army theme tune out of my head the whole time......Mr Brownlow's off to town etc etc