Work/training/trial

[Pjj]

Actually it is achievable 1 man 1 van 

Lol that’s achievable but not cleaning 4000 customers per month ????

 

[Doddy111]

Dont set the bar too high or your likely to be disappointed.....£100,000 a year is not achievable (as a sole trader anyway).....its fairytale land mate......??

Dont set the bar too high or your likely to be disappointed.....£100,000 a year is not achievable (as a sole trader anyway).....its fairytale land mate......??

100% agree no window cleaner in Manchester is earning 100k as a sole trader I got to about 70k and was struggling with the workload so now I’ve got a lad working full time for me. 

You could maybe make 100k down south but again it’s pointless as VAT would kill you. I’m planning on catching up to @Pjj with his 4000 customers so it’s worth smashing through the VAT threshold for me. 

The main point of the post was to show the OP that you can build a good round in a shortIsh space of time. 

 

[dazmond]

100% agree no window cleaner in Manchester is earning 100k as a sole trader I got to about 70k and was struggling with the workload so now I’ve got a lad working full time for me. 

You could maybe make 100k down south but again it’s pointless as VAT would kill you. I’m planning on catching up to @Pjj with his 4000 customers so it’s worth smashing through the VAT threshold for me. 

The main point of the post was to show the OP that you can build a good round in a shortIsh space of time. 

70k a year window cleaning?and you ve not even been going 2 years?......?.......you must be superhuman.......or living in a dream world....I'll go with the latter!?

 

[Pjj]

70k a year window cleaning?and you ve not even been going 2 years?......?.......you must be superhuman.......or living in a dream world....I'll go with the latter!?

I know a guy near me only been going 18 months and he’s doing 50k  as a sole trader so don’t see it’s to difficult to achieve depending on the area . 

 

[dazmond]

I know a guy near me only been going 18 months and he’s doing 50k  as a sole trader so don’t see it’s to difficult to achieve depending on the area . 

You must AVERAGE over £1500 a week over the course of 46 weeks a year(take 6 weeks off for holidays/bad weather,sickness,etc)...that's £300 a day 5 days a week to hit £70k......unless your a workaholic with no other life and do a lot of add ons like PW,gutters,etc then you dont have a hope in hell of earning that much a year on your own IMO....

 

[Pjj]

You must AVERAGE over £1500 a week over the course of 46 weeks a year(take 6 weeks off for holidays/bad weather,sickness,etc)...that's £300 a day 5 days a week to hit £70k......unless your a workaholic with no other life and do a lot of add ons like PW,gutters,etc then you dont have a hope in hell of earning that much a year on your own IMO....

But £300 per day isn’t difficult to do on your own with the right priced work and area , most employed people would work 5 days a week for 46 weeks a year so why not someone as a sole trader ? Ime not saying it’s right or wrong just that it’s certainly achievable 

 

[NewGuy]

But £300 per day isn’t difficult to do on your own with the right priced work and area , most employed people would work 5 days a week for 46 weeks a year so why not someone as a sole trader ? Ime not saying it’s right or wrong just that it’s certainly achievable 

In my areas, you would need to be extremely lucky to earn £300 per day - it's quite difficult to get a compact round that would enable this.  I worked with a successful window cleaner last year and he was managing to reach around £250 per day and that was with 2 men.  Like I say, we cannot get compact work in our areas due to the fierce competition.

Yes it's certainly attainable to do on the odd day here and there, but not everyday.  

For those with fewer competition and in the right locations with compact rounds, yes its achievable.

As for earning £100K p.a. - surely that is not possible!  Here in Kent, I think a one-man band can realistically aim for £50K p.a. and that is working flat out every day.

It's also worth noting that the high number of competition in my areas are suppressing prices too.  My hourly rate that I have set is £40 but it's not achievable most of the time.  I have quoted a few £40 jobs that would take an hour but their current cleaners are only charging £30 (and they are not even cleaning the frames and sills).  I make more money doing the smaller properties than cleaning the bigger properties!

 

[Doddy111]

You must AVERAGE over £1500 a week over the course of 46 weeks a year(take 6 weeks off for holidays/bad weather,sickness,etc)...that's £300 a day 5 days a week to hit £70k......unless your a workaholic with no other life and do a lot of add ons like PW,gutters,etc then you dont have a hope in hell of earning that much a year on your own IMO....

Don’t include holidays as I’ve not had one in the 19 months that I’ve been going, I’m never ill (touch wood), I work in all weathers and 95% of my customers are on GoCardless so admin time is reduced massively. 

I hit £300 most days and was then out quoting in the evenings/weekends on top of that. I couldn’t of maintained what I was doing I was working non-stop and it got too much for me but I wanted to make sure I could afford to take someone on before taking the plunge. 

Now I jump between the two vans I’m either window cleaning or out in the other van doing roof cleans, pressure washing etc. 

You’re only down the road from me so if you fancy coming out for the day you’re more than welcome although you might struggle as we work more than 4 hours a day ?

 

[Pjj]

In my areas, you would need to be extremely lucky to earn £300 per day - it's quite difficult to get a compact round that would enable this.  I worked with a successful window cleaner last year and he was managing to reach around £250 per day and that was with 2 men.  Like I say, we cannot get compact work in our areas due to the fierce competition.

Yes it's certainly attainable to do on the odd day here and there, but not everyday.  

For those with fewer competition and in the right locations with compact rounds, yes its achievable.

As for earning £100K p.a. - surely that is not possible!  Here in Kent, I think a one-man band can realistically aim for £50K p.a. and that is working flat out every day.

Like you say location and competition are key to earning  £300 per day , a very short and relaxed days work would fetch £250 - 275 hear a 6-8 hour day would be £300-350 achievable every day if you crack on and have good work and compact rounds , the above figures would be for a sole trader , but I know a lot that earn half theses figures per day and work very hard , but they undervalue there services and are way to cheap , I know one guy who starts at 8 am and finishes at 17:00 5 days a week and earns less than £100 per day as he charges £3:50 to £4:0 per house , total madness , but he says ware else could I earn 400-500 per week , and he’s right he’s happy with that , others would want to be in the higher bracket of £250 -350 per day and that’s also ok , there is no right or wrong which what ones want to earn , the old expression if you don’t ask you don’t get is very true with window cleaning , for many years I was a very busy fool charging way to cheaply for my services , but now have upped my prices quite dramatically and still don’t have any issues picking up work , we are double the price of some other cleaners in our area but loose only a handful of jobs on price , as I said in another post in the first 3 months of lock diwn I turned down 150 new jobs as we just couldn’t do any more work as we are so busy , that’s not boasting just sharing my experience and I know several others in my general area are exactly the same . I appreciate Ime in a privileged  position and certainly don’t take it for granted , I know some areas are saturated with cleaners , yesterday we were working on a housing estate and I saw 4 other window cleaners there that’s a first generally there is one or maybe two at most , but expect when winter strikes a lot will disappear.  

 

[Pjj]

Don’t include holidays as I’ve not had one in the 19 months that I’ve been going, I’m never ill (touch wood), I work in all weathers and 95% of my customers are on GoCardless so admin time is reduced massively. 

I hit £300 most days and was then out quoting in the evenings/weekends on top of that. I couldn’t of maintained what I was doing I was working non-stop and it got too much for me but I wanted to make sure I could afford to take someone on before taking the plunge. 

Now I jump between the two vans I’m either window cleaning or out in the other van doing roof cleans, pressure washing etc. 

You’re only down the road from me so if you fancy coming out for the day you’re more than welcome although you might struggle as we work more than 4 hours a day ?

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Well done just goes to prove what can be done with a bit of hard work , initiative and drive , some will not believe you though ?????

 

[Doddy111]

In my areas, you would need to be extremely lucky to earn £300 per day - it's quite difficult to get a compact round that would enable this.  I worked with a successful window cleaner last year and he was managing to reach around £250 per day and that was with 2 men.  Like I say, we cannot get compact work in our areas due to the fierce competition.

Yes it's certainly attainable to do on the odd day here and there, but not everyday.  

For those with fewer competition and in the right locations with compact rounds, yes its achievable.

As for earning £100K p.a. - surely that is not possible!  Here in Kent, I think a one-man band can realistically aim for £50K p.a. and that is working flat out every day.

It's also worth noting that the high number of competition in my areas are suppressing prices too.  My hourly rate that I have set is £40 but it's not achievable most of the time.  I have quoted a few £40 jobs that would take an hour but their current cleaners are only charging £30 (and they are not even cleaning the frames and sills).  I make more money doing the smaller properties than cleaning the bigger properties!

Thinking about it I would say 100k is impossible for a one man band but I do see some ridiculous prices being banded around for just a bog standard 3 bed semi down south so thought they’d all be coining it in. 

£250 a day for two men is very poor IMO how far were you travelling between jobs? Even on a round that isn’t compact I’d expect more than that from two people sounds more like an underpriced round. 

 

[Doddy111]

Well done just goes to prove what can be done with a bit of hard work , initiative and drive , some will not believe you though ?????

Cheers mate it is hard work but I love it.. Anytime it gets difficult I just think back to the jobs I’ve had working long hours for **** money that soon sorts me right out ?

 

[NewGuy]

Thinking about it I would say 100k is impossible for a one man band but I do see some ridiculous prices being banded around for just a bog standard 3 bed semi down south so thought they’d all be coining it in. 

£250 a day for two men is very poor IMO how far were you travelling between jobs? Even on a round that isn’t compact I’d expect more than that from two people sounds more like an underpriced round. 

Sorry, I ought to have said that was based on a 5 hour day for the two of us.  If the guy I was working with was working alone, he would still be earning around £250 per day but doing a full day.

Yes, some jobs here are underpriced.  Like I said earlier, due to the fierce competition, these are suppressing prices. Down here, we charge around £14-£18 for the regular 3-4 bed homes.  But for the big detached houses in acres of land, we do not get away with charging them "ridiculous" prices.  

It's virtually impossible to get a compact round here in Kent - lots of driving around from job to job.  It's the same story when I talk to others in the game around here.

 

[steve garwood]

Sorry, I ought to have said that was based on a 5 hour day for the two of us.  If the guy I was working with was working alone, he would still be earning around £250 per day but doing a full day.

Yes, some jobs here are underpriced.  Like I said earlier, due to the fierce competition, these are suppressing prices. Down here, we charge around £14-£18 for the regular 3-4 bed homes.  But for the big detached houses in acres of land, we do not get away with charging them "ridiculous" prices.  

It's virtually impossible to get a compact round here in Kent - lots of driving around from job to job.  It's the same story when I talk to others in the game around here.

Sorry, but to use the phrase ‘here in Kent’ is far to vague.

Kent is a massive county. I work in Bromley, which although is a London borough, it has a Kent postcode (on the border), and I can assure you my round is very compact.

Im friends with a guy who works around Strood in the Medway who also has a very compacted round.

Not getting involved with how much I earn as I don’t want to get involved with the boastathon that’s seems to be dominating this thread, but just saying a compact round is definitely achievable in Kent ?

 

[dazmond]

Don’t include holidays as I’ve not had one in the 19 months that I’ve been going, I’m never ill (touch wood), I work in all weathers and 95% of my customers are on GoCardless so admin time is reduced massively. 

I hit £300 most days and was then out quoting in the evenings/weekends on top of that. I couldn’t of maintained what I was doing I was working non-stop and it got too much for me but I wanted to make sure I could afford to take someone on before taking the plunge. 

Now I jump between the two vans I’m either window cleaning or out in the other van doing roof cleans, pressure washing etc. 

You’re only down the road from me so if you fancy coming out for the day you’re more than welcome although you might struggle as we work more than 4 hours a day ?

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Well done mate.....but no thanks....I've been window cleaning for 27 years now.....5 or 6 hours a day is my sweet spot.....??

 

[dazmond]

Thinking about it I would say 100k is impossible for a one man band but I do see some ridiculous prices being banded around for just a bog standard 3 bed semi down south so thought they’d all be coining it in. 

£250 a day for two men is very poor IMO how far were you travelling between jobs? Even on a round that isn’t compact I’d expect more than that from two people sounds more like an underpriced round. 

£250 is very low for 2 men even working short days....I usually hit that on my own in 5 or 6 hours....

The problem with this game is after a few years it's hard to sustain the drive as the cleaning becomes boring.....also once you reach a certain comfortable level of income theres no point in working longer and harder!work/life balance becomes much more important/desirable in my experience.....?

 

[HWCS]

Blimey just read back through afew posts in this thread, ita took a bit of a turn from the OP ??

What does it matter what you me or the next man earns! If you happy with 4hrs a day @ £40ph ?

6hrs a day @ £20ph ?

10hrs a day @ £100ph ?

The point is we all earn what we can or are happy with.

When i started18months ago my target was £15ph 8hrs a day £120 a day less 22% was more than i was earning.

Now 18months in if i work 8hrs i want to take £280-320 which is achievable (but i dont wanna work 8hrs ??)

My point is be happy with what you can achieve ?

 

[Part Timer]

Yes, some jobs here are underpriced.  Like I said earlier, due to the fierce competition, these are suppressing prices. Down here, we charge around £14-£18 for the regular 3-4 bed homes

That's close to double what you'd have to price houses where I live if you wanted a compact round and is higher then you'd get for houses spread around, unless they had big conservatories.

 

[NewGuy]

That's close to double what you'd have to price houses where I live if you wanted a compact round and is higher then you'd get for houses spread around, unless they had big conservatories.

Ha, no. This is discounting conservatories!  A standard 3 bed semi with a small side window will fetch £14 here.  Goes up to £18 with a medium size conservatory.

 

[NewGuy]

Sorry, but to use the phrase ‘here in Kent’ is far to vague.

Kent is a massive county. I work in Bromley, which although is a London borough, it has a Kent postcode (on the border), and I can assure you my round is very compact.

Im friends with a guy who works around Strood in the Medway who also has a very compacted round.

Not getting involved with how much I earn as I don’t want to get involved with the boastathon that’s seems to be dominating this thread, but just saying a compact round is definitely achievable in Kent ?

Bromely is a high density suburban district, a wealthy one too I may add!  I suspect due to the high cost of living in Bromley, the majority of the residents are the professional types who work in London thus less working class chaps doing work such as window cleaning.

I couldn't comment on Strood but it's a deprived area and I would suspect to get a compact round there, you would be charging a low fee.

The towns I cover are lower in density compared to Bromley, more spaced out with countryside all around with plenty of villages and hamlets.  It's quite common to see a multitude of window cleaners serving one street - as I say, the competition is fierce.  There are literally 100s of window cleaners serving Maidstone for example.  This is one of my areas.  

 

[Markyboy 50]

£250 is very low for 2 men even working short days....I usually hit that on my own in 5 or 6 hours....

The problem with this game is after a few years it's hard to sustain the drive as the cleaning becomes boring.....also once you reach a certain comfortable level of income theres no point in working longer and harder!work/life balance becomes much more important/desirable in my experience.....?

Very true that. That’s why I usually only work 3 days a week. Better things to do with my time than to waste it working.