Window Cleaning Issues - Canvassing, pole systems, pricing, problems, etc.
Business opportunity - your advice pleasePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 15 January 2004
HI Peeps,
I live in ther North West Of England and a contact tells me ther is a window cleaning round in South West London for sale and it takes £2600 per month for 8/9 days work. I am awaiting price for business etc what do you people think. If you where me would you travel - about 4 hours away but again the days are 2 per week?
Let me know your advice.
CraigPosted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 16 January 2004
Crikey Craig
I wish i was doing £2600 for 8-9 days work 
What sort of work is it 
StevePosted by Majestic (Majestic), 16 January 2004
Why not stay for the 2 days, get a cheap b&b , 
Posted by wrighty (wrighty), 16 January 2004
Steve,
It is all residential and I will be going down there to do the round before buying. What do you think it would be worth?
CraigPosted by matt (matt), 16 January 2004
get a nice VW campa van 
, kip in it over night,
your sorted
i paid the roud total for my work, BUT i had to put up a fair few, lost 3 out of 900 quid of work, so not bad, its now worth £950 as i put it up
mainy pay 2X the amount, sometimes 3X the amountPosted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 16 January 2004
Hi Craig
Its very difficult to put a price on work like this because if you can earn £2600 (£325 a day) in 8 days work it must be very good work. Has the guy not given you an idea of what its worth
Sorry i cant be more help 
StevePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 16 January 2004
Steve,
I am advised in the region of £18,000
The round has been established for 12 years and the chap has had a health scare so he is selling.
What do you think. Seems a good earner doesn't it.
CraigPosted by denzle (Denzle), 16 January 2004
Sounds well overpriced to me, 3 times monthly gross is about what its worth, offer that and see what happens.
DenzlePosted by matt (matt), 16 January 2004
18K
way too much imho Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 16 January 2004
Hi Craig
As Denzle says i think its over priced but i guess its what you are happy with at the end of the day. I would ask him if he is open to offers 
StevePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 16 January 2004
Steve & Co,
I thought so myself. I wasn't happy with the price but I am just awaiting an email from him with more in depth detail. No way am I paying £18k but I do like the sound of the earnings.
Whats the maximum that you think I should pay I know you say 3 times tops, but do you think its worth £10k bearing in mind I live in North West Emgland (St Helens.)
I know before you say it we are the best rugby league club 
CraigPosted by shinnyshinner (shinnyshinner), 16 January 2004
Hi Craig
I agree too, sounds a lot to me too.
Does he have any contracts with any of his work or is it all residential work? (Good will)
I think a round is only worth what yr willing to pay a chap around my way was selling a round put up for sale for 4x’s then within a month went to x3-x2 then sold for that.
Must say work seems well priced though well worth a look.
AlanPosted by matt (matt), 16 January 2004
i wouldnt pay any more than 3X the month earningsPosted by Majestic (Majestic), 16 January 2004
3 times tops , but at the end of the day its how much you want the work , you would have to see it first , is anyone else interested in it , or is it just you , how long has he been trying to sell it Posted by wrighty (wrighty), 16 January 2004
Thank you People for your contributions ,
I have never bought a round before as I was buying my local round for £5000 and it does £500 per week for 3 days work! What do you think of that for value?
Unfortunately my window cleaner is keeping it now for another year of which the asking price will be the same but he is putting his prices up so the round will have more profit but I am disappointed that he is keeping it another year because I am losing out on the money.
Is this round good value - reason for sale is he is retiring in Devon.
CraigPosted by matt (matt), 17 January 2004
on 01/16/04 at 23:17:04, wrighty wrote:Is this round good value - reason for sale is he is retiring in Devon.
Craig
and drink cider from 11....11.....11.....11Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 17 January 2004
on 01/16/04 at 23:17:04, wrighty wrote:I have never bought a round before as I was buying my local round for £5000 and it does £500 per week for 3 days work! What do you think of that for value?
Craig
Hi Craig
That round sounds pretty good to me and it has the advantage of being local. The only problem i see with traveling to London each week is that if you travel down on say a Sunday evening you could get a couple of days bad weather you are hanging around and if you are in B&B its costing you money.
StevePosted by peterf (peterf), 17 January 2004
I wouldnt even consider buying work so far away unless you considered relocating. You may think it was fine for the first few months until you get used to earning the money you earn, then you would find the travel a pain. Even although it is supposed to be two days a week, the work may take you 4 days or longer until you get used to doing the work, and finding it in the first place. For the money it will cost it would be better looking for work locally.
PeterPosted by wrighty (wrighty), 17 January 2004
Steve,
I know but I am very tempted to do it and the aea seems to be a nice place as I have looked it up.
Still uinsure on what to do but Im working on it.
Any help or advice you think might be useful to me let me know.
CraigPosted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 17 January 2004
Hi Craig
I am just taking a look through Window talk and noticed a business brokers that specialise in cleaning businesses. They are called D Sinclair & Son and their telephone number is 0800-0520430 and their web address is
www.businesslink.uk.com
May be of some use
StevePosted by mark1 (mark1), 17 January 2004
if buying work from some one how can you be sure he hasnt sold it to another 3 wc already Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 17 January 2004
Hi Mark
If Craig could do 8-9 jobs an hour like you he would probably only need to work one morning a week 
StevePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 17 January 2004
steve,
thanks for that, on their website it shows window cleaning rounds for sale at £30,000 as the owner is retireing - what do you think of them - take a look.
Also thank you for all your advice over the last few weeks.
Craig Posted by sham33 (sham33), 17 January 2004
Steve, what is window talk Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 17 January 2004
Its the quarterly magazine from the Federation
StevePosted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 17 January 2004
Here is a link to the NFMWGC website with widow talk sample pages.
http://www.nfmwgc.com/documents/APR03Natfed.pdf
It may be a bit slow loading if you are on a dial up connection.
StevePosted by Mike_Boxall (Mike_Boxall), 21 January 2004
Hi Wrighty
Just a quick question for you - do you already have a window cleaning round yourself? If so how long have you been at it.
Regards
MikePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 22 January 2004
Mike,
at the moment no. I was buying a round from my local window cleaner but heis keeping it for another year so I just clean a few days with him for now but I am going to buy a couple of rounds in the next month with a bit of luck.
Thanks for the catalogue and whats you advice.
CraigPosted by pdhanson (Silly Philly), 1 February 2004
wrighty, what ever came of this? I heard about this round today from a friend. His dad used to own it! From what I hear it is all its cracked up to be.
SillyPosted by Simon_King (Simon_King), 2 February 2004
Craig,
I think £18000 for £2600 per month is well over the top!
If I where you I would continue working with your local window cleaner, learn the ropes, get to know the customers and the round and buy the round next year. I don't know what your finances are but if your getting a loan I would rather pay £120 pcm for a £5000 loan than £500 for £18000. £500 for 3 days work aint bad for us up north!Posted by stevekennedy (stevekennedy), 2 February 2004
Hi Wrighty,
I wouldn't give him more than 3 months turnover. This is the rate for quality residential work in most areas I know. After all, it is very easy to pick up res work in many areas. Adge, one of the members on forum has just started out. He went out canvassing for one evening (100 doors) Got about £90 of monthly work. If he sold that for 3 times that would be worth £270 . Not too bad for ONE evenings work So, don't pay over the odds.
Commercial is a different story. 5 or 6 months turnover is more like it. This kind of work takes a lot more effort to accumulate in my experience.Posted by pdhanson (Silly Philly), 2 February 2004
This, however, is no ordinary work. This work is worth about £300 per day.
18k is about 7 months turnover. Normally I'd never pay that but in my opinion this is exceptionally good work.
SillyPosted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 2 February 2004
I agree with Silly but only if it can be backed up by the accounts showing these earnings
StevePosted by wrighty (wrighty), 2 February 2004
Hi,
I am really impressed how you people followed my post up, as you all know I am new but settling in. In answers to your questions I have not really persued it because I have a family who I dont want to be away from and the other reason was the travelling. I know it is only a few days a week but it will take its toll on my vehicle and me eventually but I haven't ruled it out completely. The money I was going to buy the round with is my own so there wold not be any loan repayments but all the same I would not like to lose it.
Any advice you think might help or if you think I should go for it let mme know and again thanks to you all it is a pleasure to participate in a forum like this.
Craig
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