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Work/training/trial

JustLiam

Member
Messages
32
Location
Aldershot
So, obviously I am looking to setup a window cleaning business one day. But for now I would like to learn the trade, and see if it’s for me. Would anyone in the Aldershot area have any work? Happy to work early finish late. And can start immediately. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 
Mate just clean your own windows until you do an acceptable job of it then crack on. We started not knowing a lot. Literally just went straight in, you pick it up as you go along its not hard honestly. Once all the first cleans are out the way youll be flying and will get a lot more done in day. Learning how to deal with customers is the hardest part for many people but People start this sort of job fresh out of school at 16 its not brain surgery and you certainly dont need an apprenticeship or any formal training. Many people clean their own windows to a very high standard. 
the exception might be if you plan on doing commercial work, but for residential its a basic household chore that many people cba to do so get someone in to do it for them. If you’ve never used a ladder a ladder safety course might do you a favour but in this day & age it’s predominantly water fed poles which is the sensible/safest route to go down

 
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Wow that was well said I must admit. I am considering doing it at weekends for now and see how it goes. I’m worried I will give up my job and then end up on skid row lol. I constantly think of all the bad things that could happen. It’s something I have wanted to do for a while. 

 
Wow that was well said I must admit. I am considering doing it at weekends for now and see how it goes. I’m worried I will give up my job and then end up on skid row lol. I constantly think of all the bad things that could happen. It’s something I have wanted to do for a while. 
If you can fill up your weekends. Then perhaps go part time at your job. If not find somewhere else that is part time, to ease into it. While still making something you can live on.

If you blast out flyers like there is no tomorrow. You can have a full round in a few months. 100 flyers an hour 40 hours a week. 160 custies month 1 at 1% enquiry rate.

Just don't say yes to everything and price it right. 

 
If you can fill up your weekends. Then perhaps go part time at your job. If not find somewhere else that is part time, to ease into it. While still making something you can live on.

If you blast out flyers like there is no tomorrow. You can have a full round in a few months. 100 flyers an hour 40 hours a week. 160 custies month 1 at 1% enquiry rate.

Just don't say yes to everything and price it right. 
absolutely no way will he have a full round after a few months......most window cleaners give up within 2 years.....my neighbour packed it in recently as he couldnt make enough money after 2 years.....

its took me 27 years to get a decent round together.........?

 
absolutely no way will he have a full round after a few months......most window cleaners give up within 2 years.....my neighbour packed it in recently as he couldnt make enough money after 2 years.....

its took me 27 years to get a decent round together.........?
Depends ware you are I got 400 customers in 4 months when I started in the middle of winter , it can be done look at cannot remember his name but something like HWS ,he has built up a very good round in a few months , with determination it’s still possible to achieve it . 

 
Depends ware you are I got 400 customers in 4 months when I started in the middle of winter , it can be done look at cannot remember his name but something like HWS ,he has built up a very good round in a few months , with determination it’s still possible to achieve it . 
HWCS, is who you're thinking of, Paul. He got stuck in and got it done. ?

 
HWCS, is who you're thinking of, Paul. He got stuck in and got it done. ?
I think he's up in the 200's and started because he heard women at his kids school complaining they couldn't find a window cleaner.

To get 400 in a few months, today in a few months without buying work is, in my opinion, unfeasible in the vast majority of areas.

 
Depends ware you are I got 400 customers in 4 months when I started in the middle of winter , it can be done look at cannot remember his name but something like HWS ,he has built up a very good round in a few months , with determination it’s still possible to achieve it . 
How many years ago though and in an area with next to no competition. I'm not knocking what you have achieved but it's not comparable in a lot of areas.

 
How many years ago though and in an area with next to no competition. I'm not knocking what you have achieved but it's not comparable in a lot of areas.
It was 21 years ago , but I have turned down 150 jobs in the last 5 months and at least 95% of them would have been regular work Ime still turning away 5-15 calls every week , I am in the process of replying to 8 email enquires from my web site now and the reply to all of them will be sorry we are to busy thanks for your enquire  , sorry we cannot help on this occasion. Ime seriously considering selling on leads .

 
There's probably an element of luck and location as well, I'd say, as Part Timer said. An area with good potential customers who have the want and the money for a regular window cleaning service. An area not already overrun with service providers. But a main ingredient is for the new starter to have the drive, vision and courage to succeed.

 
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It was 21 years ago , but I have turned down 150 jobs in the last 5 months and at least 95% of them would have been regular work Ime still turning away 5-15 calls every week , I am in the process of replying to 8 email enquires from my web site now and the reply to all of them will be sorry we are to busy thanks for your enquire  , sorry we cannot help on this occasion. Ime seriously considering selling on leads .
Because you have a large presence and a lot of recommendations from existing customers. Everyone, in my experience, has a struggle to start and when they start to get busy it then starts to snowball. We also have been inundated with newbies on here, and this is harder to find then numerous Facebook sites.

 
window cleaning is VERY competitive these days......i see new window cleaners almost on a daily basis now........i reckon it took me 5 years to build a half decent run back in 1993.......

the last 10 years since i switched to WFP has been the best its ever been for me....esp the last few years....very good money for short hours worked and an even better more compact round.....the honing and refining never stops........

 
window cleaning is VERY competitive these days......i see new window cleaners almost on a daily basis now........i reckon it took me 5 years to build a half decent run back in 1993.......

the last 10 years since i switched to WFP has been the best its ever been for me....esp the last few years....very good money for short hours worked and an even better more compact round.....the honing and refining never stops........
"The honing and refining never stops." That one sentence is more important than some people realise.

 
You see guys going round the country in teams offering to biuld up window cleaning rounds. They don't spends years at it.

Its just a matter of perseverance, everyone on here has done just that. Whether it was 6 months or 6 years to biuld your round.

If you have no money and are starting from scratch, you have a ton of doors to knock or flyers to post. But there is a number that you will have to do, to at least have enough customers to make a small wage, then when your not at risk of going broke you can take as long as you like perfecting your round.

You could make enough money to make a basic wage with 250 custies. In my experience with flyers, you have a .5 to 1% return. So between 25,000 to 50,000 flyers required. 

Point is you just have to get it done. If someone goes out 10 hours a day and cracks away at it like there is no tomorrow 40-60 hours a week, they won't need to spend years to find 250 custies, your definately talking months.

 
You see guys going round the country in teams offering to biuld up window cleaning rounds. They don't spends years at it.

Its just a matter of perseverance, everyone on here has done just that. Whether it was 6 months or 6 years to biuld your round.

If you have no money and are starting from scratch, you have a ton of doors to knock or flyers to post. But there is a number that you will have to do, to at least have enough customers to make a small wage, then when your not at risk of going broke you can take as long as you like perfecting your round.

You could make enough money to make a basic wage with 250 custies. In my experience with flyers, you have a .5 to 1% return. So between 25,000 to 50,000 flyers required. 

Point is you just have to get it done. If someone goes out 10 hours a day and cracks away at it like there is no tomorrow 40-60 hours a week, they won't need to spend years to find 250 custies, your definately talking months.
Hiring canvassers is an expensive business, you'll pay 3x for the work and lose 50% over the first couple of months, some offer to replace but usually only if you are buying more work. So £2000p/m costs £6000, and you'll need to do that at least twice normally, so £12,000. If your area is saturated you'll get poor work spread all over the place as the canvasser want it done ASAP.

You wont get 1 customer per 1-200 flyers, it'll be more like 1-2 per 1000. So 250,000 if you are lucky - That is a lot of houses to cover.

setting up now is a very different story to even 5 years ago. 

 
Hiring canvassers is an expensive business, you'll pay 3x for the work and lose 50% over the first couple of months, some offer to replace but usually only if you are buying more work. So £2000p/m costs £6000, and you'll need to do that at least twice normally, so £12,000. If your area is saturated you'll get poor work spread all over the place as the canvasser want it done ASAP.

You wont get 1 customer per 1-200 flyers, it'll be more like 1-2 per 1000. So 250,000 if you are lucky - That is a lot of houses to cover.

setting up now is a very different story to even 5 years ago. 
I have around 600 hundred customers. I have been at it 13 years. Never have I had to put out anything near 1000 flyer just to find 1 customer.

I accept everywhere is different, but I had plenty of competition 13 years ago, I started during the last recession, and was employing staff after my first year. Its not like 13 years ago was the last time I have put flyers out either, I generally always get a 1% return. Plus door knocking has better returns than that.

Its hard work yes, but its not impossible. Anyone can go out and find work cleaning windows. 

You can get 20,000 flyers on vista print for £300. It doesnt have to cost 12 grand either. I started with litterally £30 worth of tools.

 
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I have around 600 hundred customers. I have been at it 13 years. Never have I had to put out anything near 1000 flyer just to find 1 customer.

I accept everywhere is different, but I had plenty of competition 13 years ago, I started during the last recession, and was employing staff after my first year. Its not like 13 years ago was the last time I have put flyers out either, I generally always get a 1% return. Plus door knocking has better returns than that.

Its hard work yes, but its not impossible. Anyone can go out and find work cleaning windows. 

You can get 20,000 flyers on vista print for £300. It doesnt have to cost 12 grand either. I started with litterally £30 worth of tools.
600 hundred customers, well done, but in one post you're saying you can get 400 customers in a few months but it took you 13 years to get 600. I'm not in anyway criticising your achievement as you have built a business from nothing but sometimes there are claims and statements that might apply to 1-1000 cases and I believe getting a full book of customers in a few months is one of them, no matter how hard you work.

I believe these types of statements would demoralise 99% of newbies that have worked their ******** off and got no where near that figure.

 
lots of customers/jobs you pick up in the early years dont last long!it takes years to get a solid core of good,loyal,good paying customers and a stable income that you can rely on week in/week out in my experience.....

 

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