Slow and steady or fast and furious?

[SolarPanelCleaning]

I had an office job once, for a year or two. Staring at a monitor all day. Actually feel more drained than if you've been on your feet all day. Bad back, rsi in your mousey hand. Not natural for humans.

I did get good at Internet poker though. Get a good tan if you stand near the photocopier too.

I like seeing the seasons change. Flora and fauna.

 

[Dave B]

I used to do 12 hour days 4 on 4 off

More stressfull than any manual job I've done

 

[Gavin]

I watched horizon once where they were saying about how sitting all day in an office shortens your lifespanApparently taking it easy is not good for you

Yep apparently so. Also more pron to diabetes as well apparently. It's just not good for ya and I'm feeling it.

 

[MrBump]

If your manager Gav then you should send yourself on ' a very important week long managers course' canvassing your local area /emoticons/wink.png Could get all website and paperwork and such done while in the office on lunchbreaks, cycle to work to get fit again and spend the petrol money on squeegee rubber :thumbsup: /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Gavin]

Lol yeah I could easily sort site and flyers and all that sort of stuff while at work it's just the building a round that is really the issue. I almost need to buy a round. Prob is our weekends are not really free as when our son is finally back we will be visiting him every weekend. So canvassing and not actually being able to do the clean is the trouble.

 

[Gavin]

I will figure out a way just not sure how yet.

 

[MrBump]

Could you just book them in for 'next month', say 4/5/6 weeks time and try and build up a decent enough round by then to be able to swap jobs? I don't know how long it takes to build a round sorry, this could be a ridiculous idea, to be fair I've not built uo my round in the last 6 weeks by a loooong way, although I have been sofa bound for a chunk of it.

 

[Dave B]

It depends what area you are in

If you average a month as 4.5 weeks 1300 quid is 288 a week after tax

60 quid a day on the windows is 300 a week before tax so wouldn't take much to cover a weeks work

Problem is getting it quick enough to not be stuck for paying bills in between jobs

 

[MrBump]

Maybe canvass commercial work from your office phone, as you'll need less to cover a weeks wages?

How long did it take you to get to say 100 customers daveyboy?

 

[Dave B]

About a month

I already had some i have had for years..about 20

Also was working a full time driving job and working round it until i had enough work to cut my hours

Could have done it quicker if i had no full time job

 

[MrBump]

Wow that's fast Daveyboy! So it can be done :thumbsup: Once I get 100 I will be full time too, still part timing elsewhere, although doing nothing with this bloody useless arm of mine at the moment. I'm going to get out leaflet dropping again today, I've still a long way to go! /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Dave B]

Get door knocking mate

Easiest way to start up

Then leaflet once busier as it is harder to get work with leaflets

I leaflet now as it is quicker to knock out a few streets in between jobs etc

 

[Gavin]

It depends what area you are inIf you average a month as 4.5 weeks 1300 quid is 288 a week after tax

60 quid a day on the windows is 300 a week before tax so wouldn't take much to cover a weeks work

Problem is getting it quick enough to not be stuck for paying bills in between jobs

Yep its all a bit of a pain in the arse re timing off it all. I am not sure yet i will see how i go. \i hope a some point i might be able to drop a day of my current weeks work which will free me up. Not really sure yet but i do know that i want to be back on those windows at some point.

My other thought was over the next year just really work at slowly getting equipment together, maybe even a van sorting flyers website etc etc etc. Spread all these costs over the year and gradually get everything in place. Then come next summer hit the ground running and just go nuts with canvassing etc. Best time of year to pick up work so might be a benefit.

 

[Dave B]

It's harder starting up the nearer it is to winter that's for sure

 

[Dave B]

Anyway i better do something as I'm sitting in a custys driveway on my phone

 

[MrBump]

You could maybe try something to get more money up from to tide you over, say 3 for 2, 6 for 5 or 12 for 10 or something, not sure how many would go for it but it might make the transition easier if some do.

 

[windowsurfer]

My pace is dictated, how well my skill is on the day, some good days, some bad, some days I feel I go too fast, others too slow, its whatever happens on the day, my customers say I do a thorough job, so I'm guessing I'm too slow

 

[adamangler]

Whatever way you do it @Gav at some point youre going to have to take a hit financially to go full time unless you can afford to buy a round.

I work 16 hours part time, about 70 odd custies and a bit of car valeting, the way i did is was to find a 16 hour job and struggle until i got the other business going, now im making about 1000-1200 per month ish which is enough to just scrape by but not save anything.

My next step will be to increase my windy custies to about 120 next month when i haev some canvassing done, then i can stop doing the car valeting for the time being. that should give me about 1600 per month with windows and ptime job, then i think im going to get into carpet cleaning buy all the gear get sites sorted etc and buy a new van because mine is dropping to bits.

i will probably stick it out part time employed until next year now get everything in place, save up etc might even get a gutter vac, pressure washer etc ready to roll.

I think the main thing is if you have bills that need to be paid and people depending on you to do it in small steps, plan it out and be patient, i keep stressing because i want to be earning good money now and not messing about but ive come along way from where i was and i just keep going will get there before too long.

 

[Dave B]

Also you can get into a rut

At one point before going full time on the glass again

I was working Wednesday all day friday all day and Saturday morning driving a van doing about 30 hrs in that time for 250 ish quid a week after tax

Also was doing monday tuesday and Thursday on the glass about 12-15 customers a day so was a minimum £610 a week..now forcing yourself to give up 250 net of that and try to get more customers is hard to do but also is hard to work 6 days a week especially with all the london driving

But it needs to be done if you want to be a full time windie

 

[adamangler]

yeh its jumping that gap davey, whether you go part time or just jump straight away you still have to jump at some point. working part time is so depressing when you compare what you earn to windows.

Had a meeting with manager today, if we hit our sales targets in the next few months we will all get about £30 bonus, he says thats like 4 hours work so worth pushing them sales eh, i had to laugh to myself, finished work and did £80 this afternoon in 3 hours lol. cant wait to quit.

 

[Dave B]

The deiving job i did weren't too bad moneywise as not many people do 30 hrs and take home 250+

That's what makes it hard to jump except for the fact i knew from experience what i can earn on the scrim circuit