Update 1st 6 weeks in.

[Cghwindowcleaning]

That's the point, not everyone lives in Surrey

How do two people with a combined income off way less than £86k afford to live in Surrey with the average house price of probably in the region of £600-700k

@cleaniacI'm not sure where you get the idea I'm throwing a strop and need to grow up what a ridiculous comment.

I am not jealous or struggling I've been in this game a long time.I do ok but I don't feel the need to tell complete strangers on the internet.

Lately the figures and numbers flying around on these forums are just not representative or true in general.It's defiantly achievable for some but it isn't the case for even half.

I'm just calling out some of the bullshit.Why are so many of the so called big hitters still renting property and leasing vans and cars when they earn so much?

People are reading these forums and thinking £50-60k for part time hours I'll have some of that but the reality is different.

 

[Part Timer]

No but to a greater degree it can be accomplished all over the uk to a degree

And it is being done to a degree, a very small degree by people that have either been doing it for a long time and have managed to skim the cream off the top or those that are skilled enough to find the better priced work. That is why I said 99% of people up here would snap your hands off for £200 a day.

The average salary for those in full time work is £38k, this includes highly skilled professionals salaries. On the basis of a 48 week year that's just less than £800 a week and you're saying window cleaners should gross £1300, sorry no matter how much I'd like to think we should you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think it is doable countrywide.

I pay less for diesel in London then I do in Sunderland.

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

No but to a greater degree it can be accomplished all over the uk to a degree , if window cleaners are prepared to quote and do work for silly prices they have no one to blame but themselves , as I said earlier if we all stuck together it would force prices  into the 21 century , it won’t happen I know but all supermarkets all over the country are far more similar in prices fir there products than we are for pricing window cleaning , if I buy a car in Sunderland it will be a bit cheaper than Cornwall but not half the price , it’s the same with everything we are the masters of our own destiny not anyone else 

Why is that not the case with property?You can pick my house up and move it up North it would probally cost you half .if people are charging the same in wages, living costs, cars etc then why are house prices so vastly different?

I completely get what your trying to say but it just doesn't work like that and it is the individual cleaners fault but this also slows down growth for some of us more established guys.

I could get my window cleaned on my house tomorrow for £8-10.I personally wouldn't do it for that but I can definitely get it done.

 

[Pjj]

I try my best to not get caught up in earnings on forums these days, it's just not polite conversation. However.. 

I would even say that 60k a year outside of Surrey is very much doable, my turnover fluctuates between 60-70k 3.5 days a week, not taking into account covid (down last year around 20 percent due to not doing inside cleans).

All my rounds are very compact, one house after the other. My average price is around the £30-£45 Mark.  My most highest price is £380 currently and I don't have anything less than £25 now.

And this year I have just increased my prices by 13 percent, so that going up.

I tend to clean between 8-12 properties a day depeding on size and when I do work, my full working days are normally 4.5 hours, my half days are anywhere between 1-2 hours.

Now I am not highly priced here, I'm just above average. I know some fellas charging way more than me,  so I think that 60k a year across the country should be easily achievable, not just Surrey. 

Been doing this over 20 years now, and when your youngest customer is 4 years old, and the whole road is your patch, you pretty much have the monopoly over certain areas, but it takes a LONG TIME.

It’s not boasting Mark I think it’s good to hear experiences like yours as it gives us  all a realistic view of what can be achieved , without being rude you only work half the hours we do but your prices are a lot more than ours but we do huge volumes of work , we do have a lot of estate 3 bed semi type of work (£10-20 a go) and we can do 4-6 of these per hour per man and only move the vans  half a mile or so all week ,but also a lot of larger £25-175  4 weekly work , I think your posts are good as it makes us all look at what we are doing and how we can improve pricing do less work and earn more in a much shorter time , I have been trying to do this very thing over the last few years and it’s hard work but we are getting there , Ime going back to just one van selling off a load of work and apart from the big commercial stuff working on my own again and doing 3 days a week I have things in place to do all this but it’s hard to down size with all the new work coming in I don’t like turning customers away and letting people down . your experience has motivated me to do very similar  to yourself I cannot match your pricing structure but can achieve the same or very similar figures . 

 

[Dt 20]

no first cleans or add ons....just regular window cleaning jobs.....

Nice ??

 

[cleaniac]

It’s not boasting Mark I think it’s good to hear experiences like yours as it gives us  all a realistic view of what can be achieved , without being rude you only work half the hours we do but your prices are a lot more than ours but we do huge volumes of work , we do have a lot of estate 3 bed semi type of work (£10-20 a go) and we can do 4-6 of these per hour per man and only move the vans  half a mile or so all week ,but also a lot of larger £25-175  4 weekly work , I think your posts are good as it makes us all look at what we are doing and how we can improve pricing do less work and earn more in a much shorter time , I have been trying to do this very thing over the last few years and it’s hard work but we are getting there , Ime going back to just one van selling off a load of work and apart from the big commercial stuff working on my own again and doing 3 days a week I have things in place to do all this but it’s hard to down size with all the new work coming in I don’t like turning customers away and letting people down . your experience has motivated me to do very similar  to yourself I cannot match your pricing structure but can achieve the same or very similar figures . 

You need to change the mindset of your customers.

You need to hook them into a commitment.

And get away from charging customers based on labour, but more like charging for appointment slots. 

 

[cleaniac]

How do two people with a combined income off way less than £86k afford to live in Surrey with the average house price of probably in the region of £600-700k

@cleaniacI'm not sure where you get the idea I'm throwing a strop and need to grow up what a ridiculous comment.

Answer to question 1. 

Because most working class people here in Surrey rent property to live, work in London, and buy property up north to fund the rent here. Its known as commuter belt. 

No one with half a braincell would buy property here as a home unless you have already made it financially and your buying a mansion, or you are an investor to buy rentals, and you end up living in Spain 6 months of the year.

Almost everyone I know who is of normal means financially falls into this category. The rest are extremely wealthy people which don't mind paying £380 for a window clean..?

Answer to question 2. I'm sorry. Please accept this kiss as an apology..?

Now go and listen to this song and get some perspective. My fav artist at the moment..

https://youtu.be/18amw49kpQc

 

[Pjj]

How do two people with a combined income off way less than £86k afford to live in Surrey with the average house price of probably in the region of £600-700k

@cleaniacI'm not sure where you get the idea I'm throwing a strop and need to grow up what a ridiculous comment.

I am not jealous or struggling I've been in this game a long time.I do ok but I don't feel the need to tell complete strangers on the internet.

Lately the figures and numbers flying around on these forums are just not representative or true in general.It's defiantly achievable for some but it isn't the case for even half.

I'm just calling out some of the bullshit.Why are so many of the so called big hitters still renting property and leasing vans and cars when they earn so much?

People are reading these forums and thinking £50-60k for part time hours I'll have some of that but the reality is different.

It is achievable to earn 50k plus per year without breaking into a sweat for a sole trader I know many that earn that and considerably more , but it does take years to get to that point usually I agree but most arnt boasting about earnings but just sharing there experiences and how they have done it and many pass on valuable tips to new ones coming into the trade to offer help and show what can be done with commitment and hard work, they won’t get to those figures charging unrealistic prices like £5-7 a house though , we do work up to London that’s approx 280 miles from home and it pays  very well I won’t put on hear what we do per day because some will poo poo it saying it’s not possible to earn that and others will say it’s boasting  but to travel that far is financially beneficial and we have been doing the same work there for about 15+ years or so . I think what many   forget is ones arnt working 8 hours a day 5 days a week  for 48 weeks a year some choose to work for only a few days a week but are still able to earn a good living .

 

[Pjj]

Why is that not the case with property?You can pick my house up and move it up North it would probally cost you half .if people are charging the same in wages, living costs, cars etc then why are house prices so vastly different?

I completely get what your trying to say but it just doesn't work like that and it is the individual cleaners fault but this also slows down growth for some of us more established guys.

I could get my window cleaned on my house tomorrow for £8-10.I personally wouldn't do it for that but I can definitely get it done.

I have a friend who is a postman he moved from Cornwall to Blythe his house down hear at  the time  cost 165 k in Blythe he bought a similar house for 60 k but his wages were virtually the same , so he’s much better off living up there , there are some anomaly’s I agree , but similar pricing across the country would be possible if we were all singing from the same hymn sheet , but as I said earlier I know it will never happen 

 

[chris clean]

But what they don't tell you is that it's only one day a month and it's taken them 25 years to find it.

I think this is the point that needs highlighting the most especially for any newbies starting out! Sont ever work out what you could earn by picking a figure be it 100- 200-300 or 500 a day and x it by 5 days a week 52 weeks a year. Cos we all have amazing days packed with good jobs or 1st cleans and gutter jobs but it's not every single day of the year. I have 3 or 4 weeks abroad a year well did before covid lol. Then you have days rained off days sick days where something happens to a van or bit of kit or your kids of school sick and you have to take the day off.  So the money needs to be spread across all of those days too. Also remembering how the day you earn 400 quid you also sometimes start an hour before getting on the glass filling the van or going to supplier to buy something then after you may drive round doing quotes and then paperwork and prep for the next day so you 8 hour day may actually be 11 hours working so those hours need covering too. 

Dont get me wrong I'm sure alot of us earn great money doing this it's a great business but I think some of the figures flying about are unrealistic 

 

[Pjj]

I think this is the point that needs highlighting the most especially for any newbies starting out! Sont ever work out what you could earn by picking a figure be it 100- 200-300 or 500 a day and x it by 5 days a week 52 weeks a year. Cos we all have amazing days packed with good jobs or 1st cleans and gutter jobs but it's not every single day of the year. I have 3 or 4 weeks abroad a year well did before covid lol. Then you have days rained off days sick days where something happens to a van or bit of kit or your kids of school sick and you have to take the day off.  So the money needs to be spread across all of those days too. Also remembering how the day you earn 400 quid you also sometimes start an hour before getting on the glass filling the van or going to supplier to buy something then after you may drive round doing quotes and then paperwork and prep for the next day so you 8 hour day may actually be 11 hours working so those hours need covering too. 

Dont get me wrong I'm sure alot of us earn great money doing this it's a great business but I think some of the figures flying about are unrealistic 

I agree with what you are saying , but again we need to allow for  bad weather , sickness , holidays , etc in our everyday earnings to cover theses expenses , I have always done that from day one , I split my days needed earnings into 4 areas 

1 , Running expenses for the vehicle , tax,insurance,servicing, fuel etc 

2, Sickness ,holiday, bad weather etc 

3, Money for bills ,gas, water electric, mortgage, food and any other expenses   .

4, A bit of profit left over to re invest , or save etc 

if you work out all the above and come up with an approximate figure that gives you a monthly , weekly , daily average to determine what you need to earn break this into hours and you have an hourly rate that is your minimum you need to earn , so try and earn more than that and you will be ok , theses figures will be different for all of us , but it gives you a good idear of what you need to earn .  This principle has worked well for me over 35 years or so . 

 

[chris clean]

I agree with what you are saying , but again we need to allow for  bad weather , sickness , holidays , etc in our everyday earnings to cover theses expenses , I have always done that from day one , I split my days needed earnings into 4 areas 

1 , Running expenses for the vehicle , tax,insurance,servicing, fuel etc 

2, Sickness ,holiday, bad weather etc 

3, Money for bills ,gas, water electric, mortgage, food and any other expenses   .

4, A bit of profit left over to re invest , or save etc 

if you work out all the above and come up with an approximate figure that gives you a monthly , weekly , daily average to determine what you need to earn break this into hours and you have an hourly rate that is your minimum you need to earn , so try and earn more than that and you will be ok , theses figures will be different for all of us , but it gives you a good idear of what you need to earn .  This principle has worked well for me over 35 years or so . 

Yep agreed. You raise a good point with the cost of running van etc and insurance and also many when they quote there daily earnings I expect dont deduct tax and NI. Like you say if after all of that and all the times your not working and your still in a nice healthy profit that's the figure to talk about 

 

[dazmond]

11 years ago i was trad and earning around £18k a year on the ladders working longer hours than i do now!id been trad for 17 years and losing the will to carry on in this game as i was sick of climbing ladders and sick of collecting!?

i used to think earning £30 an hour was a pipe dream or BS!!joining a window cleaning forum and getting computer literate was the best move i ever made in window cleaning...ive learnt a lot in the last 11-12 years about everything to do with window cleaning,round management,equipment and pricing work......

most newbie window cleaners will get nowhere near my earnings for hours worked because it takes years of refining to get good runs of work....NOTHING HAPPENS OVERNIGHT!

ive earned it and im proud of myself for finally achieving a good work/life balance but i probably went the long way round and made things harder for myself than they needed to be.......

its never ending though......you can never rest on your laurels for long!

 

[dazmond]

No wonder so many people are getting in to window cleaning with the amounts people are posting on forums lately.

theyll be disappointed though as they wont make good money overnight...it takes many years of being an established window cleaner to get the good work in the first place......its also extremely tedious and boring at times esp during the winter months...most cant hack it and pack in within the first year or two....

i know loads of guys that have tried and failed to build a decent window cleaning round over the years......

 

[swc1]

You need to change the mindset of your customers.

You need to hook them into a commitment.

And get away from charging customers based on labour, but more like charging for appointment slots. 

Very well put, I've only heard one other windy put it this way, and his company is very successful.

 

[cleaniac]

Agree as above.

It TAKES YEARS.?

good luck you new ones! You have a long slog ahead. We have been there and done it .

 

[Ian Docksey]

Agree as above.

It TAKES YEARS.?

good luck you new ones! You have a long slog ahead. We have been there and done it .

Yep ,as the op states, it's the first 6 weeks of a marathon. The advice on here is great, and great inspiration to make it work. Cheers all.

 

[cleaniac]

Yep ,as the op states, it's the first 6 weeks of a marathon. The advice on here is great, and great inspiration to make it work. Cheers all.

6 weeks a marathon?

More like the 1st 3-4 years. Imo?

 

[Ian Docksey]

6 weeks a marathon?

More like the 1st 3-4 years. Imo?

Yep exactly, 6 weeks of a many weeks marathon.  At least it's a nice sunny day down here in West Sussex.  So will be out door knocking and flyer dropping today. 

 

[cleaniac]

Yep exactly, 6 weeks of a many weeks marathon.  At least it's a nice sunny day down here in West Sussex.  So will be out door knocking and flyer dropping today. 

It's the only way Ian.

And you HAVE to be relentless. 

I recall it took me 3 years of regular canvassing to get established. I was out every night, weekends etc.. I think in total I have generated around 1500 customers over the 20 years, and that's translated into 300 odd very high quality clients. 

 

[Ian Docksey]

It's the only way Ian.

And you HAVE to be relentless. 

I recall it took me 3 years of regular canvassing to get established. I was out every night, weekends etc.. I think in total I have generated around 1500 customers over the 20 years, and that's translated into 300 odd very high quality clients. 

Yep, I'm happy now I can go knocking doors, a bit of leg work will help get me a bit fitter. Have been holding off with lockdown.