[Jakey boy]

Hi everyone, I'm jake, and I new to the forum, I'm after some encouragement and advice, basially I've been window cleaning with a family friend since I was 18, I'm
now 22, and while it's been great I've not earned the best money as I've been working for my mate, so I've been on a set wage, he's a family friend (a relative) so I haven't been stitched up, but i'm 22 now so it's time to build up
my own round! I have 1 day off a week to do my own stuff, untill I need more days and evetually have a full round to myself, my problem
is getting the work, I know all there is to know, and just desperatly need the work, I've been canvassing but it's slow progress, is there anyone who can offer advice? I want to have a monthly round and want to try and do £150 days, averaging £10 a house, we've been doing £250 days but onviosjly that's with 2 of us, so £150 is ample on my own, anyone selling any work in Colchester? I'm finding it hard to picture getting the round up and running, it feels like the hardest thing I've ever done! Has anyone else started from scratch and how did it go? My work mate hasn't got any work to give me, as he needs it all, and is doing me a massive favour by lettin me work with him whilst building up my own work! My work
mate has been doing it 15 years and he was lucky as he bought £1500 worth of work to start with, any advice would be appreciated or anyone selling work near me, please let me know, thanks in advance, jake

[Helen]

Hi everyone, I'm jake, and I new to the forum, I'm after some encouragement and advice, basially I've been window cleaning with a family friend since I was 18, I'm
now 22, and while it's been great I've not earned the best money as I've been working for my mate, so I've been on a set wage, he's a family friend (a relative) so I haven't been stitched up, but i'm 22 now so it's time to build up
my own round! I have 1 day off a week to do my own stuff, untill I need more days and evetually have a full round to myself, my problem
is getting the work, I know all there is to know, and just desperatly need the work, I've been canvassing but it's slow progress, is there anyone who can offer advice? I want to have a monthly round and want to try and do £150 days, averaging £10 a house, we've been doing £250 days but onviosjly that's with 2 of us, so £150 is ample on my own, anyone selling any work in Colchester? I'm finding it hard to picture getting the round up and running, it feels like the hardest thing I've ever done! Has anyone else started from scratch and how did it go? My work mate hasn't got any work to give me, as he needs it all, and is doing me a massive favour by lettin me work with him whilst building up my own work! My work
mate has been doing it 15 years and he was lucky as he bought £1500 worth of work to start with, any advice would be appreciated or anyone selling work near me, please let me know, thanks in advance, jake

Ok, you can be given all the encouragement and advice in the world, but if you don't have self motivation then you may as well give up now.
You have an ideal situation, with your relative, so as you build up, he will reduce the days you work with him.....you've got it made!
You say" you know all there is to know"....sorry but at 22 you know the basics and still have loads to learn and will never stop learning if you progress with your own business. "it feels like the hardest thing i've ever done".......your only 22 and I am sure you will face much worse and harder times in your future life.
Keep canvassing, it's brought you work up to now so keep doing it.  Ask existing customers for referrals.
Just keep trying and appreciate the fact that you have it easy as you have back up work with your relative and some new windies are starting from scartch with nothing to fall back on at all.

[dazmond]

this is what i did when i started on my own back in 1993.

i bought a days work off the guy i worked for and cut my days working with him to 3 days a week.the other 3 days(including sat) i canvassed for 6 MONTHS nearly every day i wasnt working.slowly but surely i started to build more work and cut my days working with the other windy to 2 days a week etc,etc.until i just packed in altogether and went solo.


best thing ive ever done!you might want to see if you can  buy the odd day off either him or another windy to start you off.

i started with family,friends,friend of a friend etc,etc.i think its a bit harder now although i started during the recession of 93.

a lot of competition out there but you can still pick up work just gotta knock them doors!!its a numbers game!!


good luck pal


dazmond
 

[Jakey boy]

Thanks dazmond, yeah I've been canvassing loads but my area has a large amount of window cleaners, and I'm lucky to pick up 2 customers a week canvassing, i'm on the look out for people selling but it seems no ones giving up any work in the current climate, Helen, you seem very bitter? I've been doing this for 4 years, so Im not new to anything other than doing it on my own! I am just as much involved in my work mates round, I price up, collect, work the round on my own fom time to time, the only difference is I don't earn enough money to move out of home, and sustain a decent lifestyle, because it isn't my round and my work mate has a mortgage, wife and baby to look after, I will be in that position in the coming years so need a round for myself, so don't think I'm new to anything I'm not! I'm fully aware of the whole situation,  And I'm 100% motivated to do it, I was asking for any advice and any encouragment, but as everyone knows, it hard to pick up work these days, my work mate even said to me, it'll take a long long time to build a solid round these days, but that won't stop me, I'm not un motivated in any way! And I'm
not claiming there are/were people in a worse position than me. I'm not earning much, and am knocking every night of the week to build up work.

[TomCrowther]

Helen is only bitter because she won't see 22 again 
You should try a few different things Jakey, some will work better than others. Look at your local parish magazines for one and if you have any cash do a big mailer of leaflets too. The parish mags are good because they are cheap to advertise in and the people actually read them. Leaflets can be good if done on a large scale and now is the best time to be doing one with spring about to spring. Tell all your customers you are looking to grow your business and they "might" put people in touch with you. Stick some cards in local newsagents windows, again it's low cost and you will get the odd one. Once you have a certain number of customers, your business will grow and grow but you have to be active and do everything you can think of.
One thing that helps me is to think of every new customer as their annual amount of revenue to you. So don't think of them as £10, think of them as £120 {more likely £110 with bad weather etc}.

[Jakey boy]

Yeah that's a good idea, ive also made up some door magnets for my car to help advertise, so I'll get some leaflets on the local newetters as well, I'd be chuffed if even £500 of work came up for sale, but in the mean time it's just a case of knocking, there's a lot of competition here, a mate of mines dad is an accountant and said there is a growing number of window cleaners in colchester and he's seen it increase majorly in the last 2 years especially, so I'll just have to be patient and reliable, I find nearly 70% of people I speak to when out canvassing have already got a window cleaner, so I'll pull out all the tricks e.g the adverts etc, and just keep going!   

[lyndy]

Have 20,000 flyers made and dropped

[mark dew]

i'd agree with the parish magazine. It's the community spirited types who network that buy these (or it is around here further up the a12, anyway).
I only pay £10 a year to advertise - it gets delivered monthly.
Unless you know someone who gets 1, they are difficult to find. I found the best place to start was by phoning the vicar of a church and asking them if they can give you a name or number to contact.
It's the best money i spend each year.

[Jakey boy]

Thanks for the ideas, I'm gonna definatley find out about the parish magazines, didn't think of that idea! Cheers

[g newton]

dont give up mate ive been canvassing / leafleting from a few months now no 2 days are the same some days i
get zero response others 10 / 12 new custies

[Jakey boy]

I won't give up, I'm about to go out tonight and canvass, so I'll report back how it goes, hopefully tonight will be a good night! Cheers people

[g newton]

I won't give up, I'm about to go out tonight and canvass, so I'll report back how it goes, hopefully tonight will be a good night! Cheers people

remember the footies on later

[windiewasher]

good luck m8,keep doing what your doing and you will get to where you want to be!
ive been going 10 months and still growing all the time.this year im hoping to go full time!

I won't give up, I'm about to go out tonight and canvass, so I'll report back how it goes, hopefully tonight will be a good night! Cheers people

[Jakey boy]

The footy walloped me! Nonkne wanted to talk, bit got 3 customers, so better than none! All the blokes were in a rush to get back to the sofa!

[awcs]

got to chose the right time mate not a bad game though

[Helen]

Helen, you seem very bitter?

No not bitter, just straight talking.
You have got it "easier" than some.
You are pulling in new business - that's good.
Have you actually thought of buying in to your relatives business in some shape or form, then you could build and expand together.....just a thought

[Helen]

Helen is only bitter because she won't see 22 again 

Thank god for that.

[g newton]

The footy walloped me! Nonkne wanted to talk, bit got 3 customers, so better than none! All the blokes were in a rush to get back to the sofa!

you would have been alright round here unless poland had a game tonight !!

[RAHomeServices]

Cleaning windows and obtaining customers is the easy part running a business is the hard part.
You can work for someone cleaning windows for say £10/hr
If you are only earning this from your business then you have not got a business
Most businesses generally work to a profit margin of 10%-15%
So on that basis your business needs to bring in at least £30-£60/hr
This kind of income is usually generation from commercial work
Forget the small houses concentrate on larger properties and commercial work
That is your way forward

[g newton]

but is it not more difficult to secure commercial works rather than domestic and also added  costs that go with it better equipment higher insurance premiums etc also more established competition