[groundhog]

Its possible, but things are getting harder and harder as more and more window cleaners are starting up, when I started ten years ago it was easy because there weren't enough window cleaners to go around!! On my own I could pick up 20 or 30 customers in an afternoon of canvassing, but I doubt thats possible today!! Good luck 

[andyjm1]

If you're anywhere near those figures, I'd forget cleaning windows and start your own canvassing business.

[wpclean]

Window cleaning is going to be at saturation point soon due to the web !   If you look at this site over the past  few years you will see people taking the trade seriously and adopting a more professional image and doing very well.     Companies are springing up all over the place now offering to build you a ready made round for a small fee.
If you want to expand or keep your customer base now you have to be on the ball and be ultra pro 

[bobby p]

i read somewhere that --you should not overdo the thinking,but you SHOULD overdo the do


 when are you starting?     dont delay or juggle figures,or doubts will creep in. 

[Dave Anderson]

You sound a pretty switched on bloke and as some have said the cleaning is the easy bit...

150 in that time frame is optimistic but hey no harm in that....but what you need to do is look a little deeper to find out what you really want and need from your business....perhaps running part-time for a periodas you have said will be the best way forward.

Personally I try to make my years money in circa 200 days of actual work...sounds like a lot of time off right?...holidays vech probs, sickness, snow, sub freezing conditions, not todays, late payers etc, etc etc...and this is without the expenses needed to run the actual business which may prove more than you believe right now.

I did build my round with leaflets alone but from this 0.5% hit rate is about right...and putting out say 20k would be a good start.

Get yourself some maps and note down everything you do...the yes & no's, not in's and with leafleting repeat, repeat and repeat again.

This is a no fail business...as someone here once said....get 1 customer clean it, get another customer clean it...repeat, repeat.......I think many on here will have built their round and honed it over 4+ years then again some have built rounds much quicker.

All in all...round building is like cow farming...milk them until they stop producing then cull them as required...treat them nice but don't give them names and invite them into your house for tea!

Or you could buy a full/part established round?

Cheers and good luck...keep us posted...

[Steve Sed]

You sound a pretty switched on bloke and as some have said the cleaning is the easy bit...

150 in that time frame is optimistic but hey no harm in that....but what you need to do is look a little deeper to find out what you really want and need from your business....perhaps running part-time for a periodas you have said will be the best way forward.

Personally I try to make my years money in circa 200 days of actual work...sounds like a lot of time off right?...holidays vech probs, sickness, snow, sub freezing conditions, not todays, late payers etc, etc etc...and this is without the expenses needed to run the actual business which may prove more than you believe right now.

I did build my round with leaflets alone but from this 0.5% hit rate is about right...and putting out say 20k would be a good start.

Get yourself some maps and note down everything you do...the yes & no's, not in's and with leafleting repeat, repeat and repeat again.

This is a no fail business...as someone here once said....get 1 customer clean it, get another customer clean it...repeat, repeat.......I think many on here will have built their round and honed it over 4+ years then again some have built rounds much quicker.

All in all...round building is like cow farming...milk them until they stop producing then cull them as required...treat them nice but don't give them names and invite them into your house for tea!

Or you could buy a full/part established round?

Cheers and good luck...keep us posted...

Excellent post.

[Cleaning Buddy]

Wow. Some good honest advice. Thank you so much to all those who have commented.

I have just had a leaflet designed and just ordered 5000 from the printer. So I should have them hopefully by the middle of next week. I take all the comments about not doing 10 areas etc - but for where I live (smack in the middle between Bedford & Milton Keynes) there are lots of areas I could target which are easily within a 10 mile radius.

My wife thinks I should just concentrate on MK as there are huge housing estates popping up all over the place. I hope to go canvassing on Saturday - just to test the water.

The only decision I am dithering on is should I buy all the equipment I need first - or see what the results of canvassing are?. Quite rightly my wife does not want me to spend £3k on equipment and then not use it.

How did all you others start?

By the way please dont suggest I start trad - I dont do ladders .... Honestly

[Smudger]

Which village are you in Cleaning buddy ?

Stewartby ?   Marston Moretaine ? 


cant really add to the good advice already given here, other than to say that canvassing is by far the best and quickest way to build quickly - i managed around 200 in just over 5 weeks - but if you have a full/pt time job it will be very hard to canvass and then clean and do your other job.

i think 10 areas are fine - i am in a village location so each day is a different village - it works well but you have to keep organised and shuffle custy's to keep things compact and save on mileage and time.

good luck

Darran

[Alistair@AWC]

All in all...round building is like cow farming...milk them until they stop producing then cull them as required...treat them nice but don't give them names and invite them into your house for tea!

I like that Dave, if its not copyrighted I'll adopt that phrase 

[windiewasher]

I'm part time and still am after 1 year and I know its held me back from having a better round.I'm at a stage where I can't canvass because I get too far behind
 If you are going to do it m8  go for it full on with 100 percent commitment.you can do it and if you have the drive 150 could be possible in 2 weeks.

[Dave Anderson]

>> Al S ... I think I stole some it anyhows 

[Paul Coleman]

Wow. Some good honest advice. Thank you so much to all those who have commented.

I have just had a leaflet designed and just ordered 5000 from the printer. So I should have them hopefully by the middle of next week. I take all the comments about not doing 10 areas etc - but for where I live (smack in the middle between Bedford & Milton Keynes) there are lots of areas I could target which are easily within a 10 mile radius.

My wife thinks I should just concentrate on MK as there are huge housing estates popping up all over the place. I hope to go canvassing on Saturday - just to test the water.

The only decision I am dithering on is should I buy all the equipment I need first - or see what the results of canvassing are?. Quite rightly my wife does not want me to spend £3k on equipment and then not use it.

How did all you others start?

By the way please dont suggest I start trad - I dont do ladders .... Honestly

From 5,000 leaflets, the normal return would be 25 - 60 customers.  Follow them up a few days later with doorknocking and it will be much higher.

[andyjm1]

The only decision I am dithering on is should I buy all the equipment I need first - or see what the results of canvassing are?. Quite rightly my wife does not want me to spend £3k on equipment and then not use it.

How did all you others start?

I bought a basic wfp set up before I even had my first customer. That way I was able to clean the houses as I gained them. I had done door to door canvassing before, so I knew I'd get the customers, it's just a matter of knocking on enough doors. If you're determined enough to make a successful business it will happen.