Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

NorthumberlandWindowCleaner joins - Plunge taken !

Messages
17
Location
Northumberland
Hi Everyone, 

I'm PAUL - Well I took the plunge today and joined the Window Cleaning Forum, so please go be gentle with me!

To be fair, I have been here for a few weeks already, I have been lurking in the grass reading different bits and pieces in the shadows absorbing your collective posts like proverbial windys sponge

A little about me, the boat I am in,  I'm a little disillusioned at present my eBay business that has served me very well since 2003 is on the wane, Busines the past 3 years is down year on year, more work and more fees for less rewards. eBay is changing and not for the better, it is slowly dieing.  I am therefore looking to build a new business, so I am not left high and dry and heaven forbid have to take a 'proper job' again!

So, I have decided on a successful one-man operation window cleaning. 

The barrier to entry is small, I know I can do any job I set my mind to well,  startup is easy, I love working alone/being oneself and the business is perfectly scalable with time (more profits £££).

I have now joined WCF here, Learned lots, Learned so much in fact. I have always loved to learn new things

Learned windy terms, learned how pricing works, learned about vans, baffling, payloads, WFP, best brands, whats hot whats not, learned technique, and so much more besides. 

I also learned the money some you guys make and what potential is out there   

From YouTube, I've learned so much from Green Pro Clean Ltd and his youtube vids, many thanks Darren

Also on YouTube learned from Trad-Man,

Enjoyed listening to the highs and lows of the first year's VLOGs of start-ups from Kye Horton and Lewis from LJ Cleaning world.

Yeah, I know it won't be easy and there is it only takes 10,000 jobs to be an overnight success, but the road to Rome starts with a single step ! (or clean i should say !! ? )  

Well, I took the plunge over this Bank Holiday weekend and decided I am going to start my own successful WFP window cleaning business.

Decided on my business name, grabbed & paid for the .com and .co.uk domains, set up the Gmail account, registered the WHOIS, nominet,

I am based in Northumberland, so as they say, the clue is in the name so anyone searching out a Window Cleaner in Northumberland  so chose:

www.NorthumberlandWindowCleaner.com   to start with and it is available ! and should be easy to remember!

Over the weekend I have designed my own logo, wrote copy for my website & added content yesterday with a result I am quite pleased with. 

Road tested display on PC, tablet and phones to check usability.  Checked the phone links & contact forms are working to my gmail and mobile. 

I still have some SEO to add and perfect the copy but it is a skeleton to work from.  

I have also secured my facebook.com/NorthumberlandWindowCleaner handle, also got the exact same name on Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn 

I couldn't get NorthumberlandWindowCleaner on Twitter as it was too long ? but got Twitter handle 'WindowCleanerNE' & Signed up to following around x40 high following/popular local pages

Next steps, this week are getting some initial flyers designed and printed, some business cards made from moo.com and incorporate my logo onto some bold polos, sweatshirt, shirts, and fleece, order a custom branded logo ID card & branded lanyard and i will be all ready for canvassing. 

I will also be buying the basics of kits to get me going, the all the essential basics together with Backpack & Trolley WFP and some trad gear

I have been told by Tim Morris from SpotlessWater they are opening a station close to me in the next few weeks, so the full van kit can wait a few months while until I find my feet, slowly learn my technique and do my jobs slowly but to do well, the slightly higher costs for pure water will be OK in the early days for me, once I have some custys on board.

I can look to get the full van set up in 3-4 months time and learn about all that associated van based pumps, tech, RO,DI etc.

I plan on hitting up Green Pro Cleans lead generation offer once I am up to speed and on the road, as it seems to have good feedback around here

Lots of milestones to reach in this  year ahead 

A little about me and my journey in life so far, I have been self-employed full-time eBay since 2003, sold over 100,000+ items always been around the 100% feedback, top-rated power seller

I still do OK on eBay now but it is not the site it once was, has changed for the worse. 

I still have a business on there but it can now scale down as Window Cleaning can scale up to a 50/50 parity.  So I am not without wages from Day 1 which is a bit of a relief

Prior to working eBay,  worked in various ascending roles in Orange/EE contact centre as customer service rep then team coach & team supervisor. 

I have also had bar work in my local social club off and on as required for the past 22 years, since I was 18. 

I have a nice enough manner to me and know how to talk to folk.

Talk, well built, short dark hair, smart enough presentation and no tattoos, I doubt I will worry anyone when appearing on their doorstep like Mr Benn asking for work !

Don't think I have any enemies even starting this at 40 years young! 

Keep your customers happy, do the job they want doing, do it well, on time, be true to your word, say a time be on time. A custy will lavish money on you    

OK, enough yammering from me, lots to do today and more learning. 

Thanks for reading my story so far! Hopefully, I will become part of the furniture here with time

Paul 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Everyone, 
 
I'm PAUL - Well I took the plunge today and joined the Window Cleaning Forum, so please go be gentle with me!
 
To be fair, I have been here for a few weeks already, I have been lurking in the grass reading different bits and pieces in the shadows absorbing your collective posts like proverbial windys sponge
 
A little about me, the boat I am in,  I'm a little disillusioned at present my eBay business that has served me very well since 2003 is on the wane, Busines the past 3 years is down year on year, more work and more fees for less rewards. eBay is changing and not for the better, it is slowly dieing.  I am therefore looking to build a new business, so I am not left high and dry and heaven forbid have to take a 'proper job' again!
 
So, I have decided on a successful one-man operation window cleaning. 
The barrier to entry is small, I know I can do any job I set my mind to well,  startup is easy, I love working alone/being oneself and the business is perfectly scalable with time (more profits £££).
 
I have now joined WCF here, Learned lots, Learned so much in fact. I have always loved to learn new things
 
Learned windy terms, learned how pricing works, learned about vans, baffling, payloads, WFP, best brands, whats hot whats not, learned technique, and so much more besides. 
I also learned the money some you guys make and what potential is out there   
    
From YouTube, I've learned so much from Green Pro Clean Ltd and his youtube vids, many thanks Darren
 
Also on YouTube learned from Trad-Man,
 
Enjoyed listening to the highs and lows of the first year's VLOGs of start-ups from Kye Horton and Lewis from LJ Cleaning world.
Yeah, I know it won't be easy and there is it only takes 10,000 jobs to be an overnight success, but the road to Rome starts with a single step ! (or clean i should say !! [emoji846] )  
 
Well, I took the plunge over this Bank Holiday weekend and decided I am going to start my own successful WFP window cleaning business.
 
Decided on my business name, grabbed & paid for the .com and .co.uk domains, set up the Gmail account, registered the WHOIS, nominet,
I am based in Northumberland, so as they say, the clue is in the name so anyone searching out a Window Cleaner in Northumberland  so chose:
 
www.NorthumberlandWindowCleaner.com   to start with and it is available ! and should be easy to remember!
 
Over the weekend I have designed my own logo, wrote copy for my website & added content yesterday with a result I am quite pleased with. 
Road tested display on PC, tablet and phones to check usability.  Checked the phone links & contact forms are working to my gmail and mobile. 
I still have some SEO to add and perfect the copy but it is a skeleton to work from.  
 
I have also secured my facebook.com/NorthumberlandWindowCleaner handle, also got the exact same name on Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn 
I couldn't get NorthumberlandWindowCleaner on Twitter as it was too long [emoji20] but got Twitter handle 'WindowCleanerNE' & Signed up to following around x40 high following/popular local pages
 
Next steps, this week are getting some initial flyers designed and printed, some business cards made from moo.com and incorporate my logo onto some bold polos, sweatshirt, shirts, and fleece, order a custom branded logo ID card & branded lanyard and i will be all ready for canvassing. 
I will also be buying the basics of kits to get me going, the all the essential basics together with Backpack & Trolley WFP and some trad gear
 
I have been told by Tim Morris from SpotlessWater they are opening a station close to me in the next few weeks, so the full van kit can wait a few months while until I find my feet, slowly learn my technique and do my jobs slowly but to do well, the slightly higher costs for pure water will be OK in the early days for me, once I have some custys on board.
I can look to get the full van set up in 3-4 months time and learn about all that associated van based pumps, tech, RO,DI etc.
I plan on hitting up Green Pro Cleans lead generation offer once I am up to speed and on the road, as it seems to have good feedback around here
Lots of milestones to reach in this  year ahead 
 
A little about me and my journey in life so far, I have been self-employed full-time eBay since 2003, sold over 100,000+ items always been around the 100% feedback, top-rated power seller
I still do OK on eBay now but it is not the site it once was, has changed for the worse. 
I still have a business on there but it can now scale down as Window Cleaning can scale up to a 50/50 parity.  So I am not without wages from Day 1 which is a bit of a relief
 
Prior to working eBay,  worked in various ascending roles in Orange/EE contact centre as customer service rep then team coach & team supervisor. 
I have also had bar work in my local social club off and on as required for the past 22 years, since I was 18. 
I have a nice enough manner to me and know how to talk to folk.
Talk, well built, short dark hair, smart enough presentation and no tattoos, I doubt I will worry anyone when appearing on their doorstep like Mr Benn asking for work !
Don't think I have any enemies even starting this at 40 years young! 
 
Keep your customers happy, do the job they want doing, do it well, on time, be true to your word, say a time be on time. A custy will lavish money on you    
 
OK, enough yammering from me, lots to do today and more learning. 
 
Thanks for reading my story so far! Hopefully, I will become part of the furniture here with time
Paul 
Welcome aboard, and good luck, I always thought you could make loads on eBay. At last the tide is turning, everything's got a shelf life I suppose.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 
What's the going rate for cleaning a care home's windows? One getting built near me and it would be handy to put in a tender.
They tend to be part of a larger group that already have a window cleaner. If they're independent then obviously size, frequency and payment terms come into the equation. As it's not built yet it will be hard to price, what I would do is find out whose it is and who to speak to.   

 

Latest Posts

Back
Top