[captain lard]

Thanks for the feedback lads.

To be honest I am at a bit of a cross roads on the issue. I realise that to build something, whether its a taxi option or the windows takes effort and committment. The concerns I have with the windows are weather problems, payment problems,pricing problems, the usual stuff.
The taxi appeals because I can work in bad weather and at night, the downside is it is a big outlay, there will be some grief doing it I am sure re. drunk customers, runners, car maintenance, the fear of robbery/attack and so on, unsociable hours as well.
To build the round up now is do-able, especially if I go for WFP and i put me balls to the wall and just go for it, but I am still going to have the access issues, attracting custom, losing custom, I can work at the payment thing but I cannot improve the weather and the next winter is already worrying me. I fell off me ladder in March  :-[and that has bothered me, I was lucky and walked away from it but there are a handful of my jobs that I just dont fancy anymore done trad. At the minute I am doing this at the same time as doing a full time degree. Between June and end of september I have nothing to worry about apart from windows, but between last October to February, when I was back attending university, I just could not juggle both as me schedule and workload at university kneecapped my window cleaning and my round/earnings suffered, therefore my business has not expanded the way it should have, another similair schedule next October will give me massive problems and we could go under next winter if it went the same as this.We managed to scrape by and I need to really make the most of the summer.
My efforts at pricing are pathetic, I am too timid. I can fix that though.
Trying to juggle these things and a young family, and a wife doing a full time course herself leaves me feeling I am doing nothing properly.
I think I trad clean windows ok, only had one complaint and that was because I was back to university and was late for a clean, never had a complaint about the quality of me work but I think folk are desperate!!!I have had compliments which is nice and I actually feel guilty about even thinking of jacking it in cos some of the older ladies are so pleased to see me.
Some of this is thinking aloud but I think to keep at this I need a wfp option to avoid the dodgy ladder work and give me an edge into those properties that can only get done safely, or can only be accessed by wfp. Its an outlay but cheaper than the taxi plus I am not throwing away what I have and learnt now. But my worry is how will I manage over the winter. I dont mind the weather conditions, it is really down to me schedule and the way the university works I wont know that till late September.
So I am trying to fathom out the best way to go.

[steve k]

may I ask to what regiment you refer to in your signature...

[captain lard]

I am going to have to change that sig, someone else who actually was in the Forces asked me the same thing. All it is is a reference to a line that gets said in a comedy series called 'Early Doors', sorry to be a bit misleading.

[niceandclean]

During the winter i lost three days, none due to snow but all to heavy wind and rain. Im waterfed pole and i clean in all weathers, all my customers know this and have been conditioned right from the begining and have had no problems at all! It all depends if you can stand the cold!

[captain lard]

The cold does not bother me but during the winter I was in university 4 days out of 5, and usually around midday which really killed the working day from a window cleaning perspective cos it is a 30 - 45 minute drive into university as well. When i did have opportunities to clean it was areal sickemner to find that there was either rain or really high winds. My customers havent been programmed to expect me in rain, my fault. But the overall result it made things difficult.

Whoops -sorry niceandclean, thought you might have been having a pop at me but think I am just being sensitive.   

[niceandclean]

Ha ha, thats ok. Well it sounds like you need to find a job that you can fit around your learning. This is my third business and im begining to realise (the way things are going), it is to be the most profitable as well. I did taxi driving as well as a full time day job to get some money to start up my first business so i did not have to get a large loan. The thing that you have pointed out is you can get into your car and go out and earn money as and when you want. So you can start late afternoons and work all through the night if you want to! It sounds like if this will fit around your studies better! You could always go into all your local taxi firms and ask the drivers if they are willing to car share. Some owner drivers only work daytimes, you could rent or share the profit of what the car makes when your on shift! As i only did mainly thurs,fri and sat nights i rented my car out to another driver during the day as i was not using it, bought me in extra money!!

[captain lard]

Cheerrs mate -you are spot on as I am trying to find the best way to work around everything.

[niceandclean]

No problems, its not a bad way to earn a living, as long as you dont mind driving! I never had any trouble, only mouthy drunks. I always kept the doors locked on pick ups, spoke to the fares through the window, if i had that feeling or did not like the look of them i drove off! Good luck!

[Paul Coleman]

Hi,

What sort of person works in a mundane factory job for most of thier life? Yukl.

Kevin WINDOLENE.

I managed 13 years of that myself but the people there made it more interesting as most of them were always up for a laugh to relieve the monotony.  Also, most of the time it was a skive.  It only paid well when there was lots of overtime.  Too many rules and regulations though - and the union were probably more guilty on that score than the management.