[windiewasher]

And before someone asks.. I'd charge £7 haha £9/£10 with conservatory. I can do 4 an hour £28 an hour is better than the £6.50 my mate earns packing crisps into boxes on a 12hour shift...

where do you cover?ex Leicestershire lad here.
I presume your on about walkers?

[8weekly]

Even if he takes off £8 an hour its still £20 in his pocket.
Lets say he works 30 hours per week that's £240 per week in expenses.
If your spending that much per week running a one man window cleaning business
then you need to re-examine you outgoings.
I had a bigger than usual spend last year new poles van tyres, R.O. membrane and so on.
My expenses including holiday pay came in at around a £100 a week.

Holiday, sick pay, lost days, fuel, car maintenance (tax, insurance, servicing, depreciation), office overhead (phone, paper, ink). Plus the bits you mentioned  and unless he has no need to quote, travel, get vehicle ready, collect, pay cheques in, check bank account, plan day and so on all these add up to considerably more than £8 an hour.

With no pension, benefits or long term security it would be very foolish to think he is getting anywhere near £20 an hour.

[roundbuilder]

Even if he takes off £8 an hour its still £20 in his pocket.
Lets say he works 30 hours per week that's £240 per week in expenses.
If your spending that much per week running a one man window cleaning business
then you need to re-examine you outgoings.
I had a bigger than usual spend last year new poles van tyres, R.O. membrane and so on.
My expenses including holiday pay came in at around a £100 a week.

Holiday, sick pay, lost days, fuel, car maintenance (tax, insurance, servicing, depreciation), office overhead (phone, paper, ink). Plus the bits you mentioned  and unless he has no need to quote, travel, get vehicle ready, collect, pay cheques in, check bank account, plan day and so on all these add up to considerably more than £8 an hour.

With no pension, benefits or long term security it would be very foolish to think he is getting anywhere near £20 an hour.

For once!!! What he said 

If i could get £20 cleared an hour from just cleaning £28 an hour doing it all legal then id be praising the lord.
Spend 6k on a van to last 3 years, thats 2k off your total each year. Add on the insurence,tax,mot,2 services plus parts via wear and tear goes to another 2k a year to take off not to mention fuel which for a sole worker will be around £200 a month so theres another £2400 that comes off, then as said if you take 2 weeks a year off due to holiday/ sickness thats another 2k a year lost. Then your tax bill for an average sole worker 4-6k for the year. We are upto 13k deduction on the year already already without taking equipment/filters/resin/clothing/work lunch etc etc into consideration

[SeanK]

Strange I paid  8 grand for a van 5 years ago and its still going strong.
I would expect to get another 5 years from it as it as good today as when bought.

[roundbuilder]

I was giving an example.

[SeanK]

So as follows...

Van £800 per year.
tax and insurance £600.
Other insurance   £200.
M.o.t. last year cost £100
Van tyres            £300
Poles  and brushes   £700.
Filters and resin     £70
With a few other bits and bobs lets say £3000 and that's a big year for me.
Wont include what I spend on holiday pay as its up to me what I pay myself when not working
but I will say its well over £6.60 an hour.


So at £28 an hour over 30 hours a week over 40 weeks a year gives me £33600 take £5000
out for expenses and I still have £28600 before taxes.
O.K. this might not be a fortune for somebody living in London but where I work its well above average.
What other low skilled manual job would pay that money for those hours.

[8weekly]

So as follows...

Van £800 per year.
tax and insurance £600.
Other insurance   £200.
M.o.t. last year cost £100
Van tyres            £300
Poles  and brushes   £700.
Filters and resin     £70
With a few other bits and bobs lets say £3000 and that's a big year for me.
Wont include what I spend on holiday pay as its up to me what I pay myself when not working
but I will say its well over £6.60 an hour.


So at £28 an hour over 30 hours a week over 40 weeks a year gives me £33600 take £5000
out for expenses and I still have £28600 before taxes.
O.K. this might not be a fortune for somebody living in London but where I work its well above average.
What other low skilled manual job would pay that money for those hours.

Does your van run on air and have a maintenance free engine? That's just one glaring omission.

[SeanK]

That's why I put £5000 instead of £3000 to allow for missed expenses.
£10 a week does me on fuel as 90% of my work is within a mile from where I live.

[8weekly]

That's why I put £5000 instead of £3000 to allow for missed expenses.
£10 a week does me on fuel as 90% of my work is within a mile from where I live.

But in your quick calculation you missed off your biggest cost to your business. "I'm out". 

[LT carpet cleaning]

Think a few on here are trying to convince themselves that this is the promised land of trades....

[SeanK]

Think a few on here are trying to convince themselves that this is the promised land of trades....

I earned £15000 a year working in a factory on nights so for me it is even though I don't
earn half as much as some on here.

[Richard iSparkle]

So as follows...

Van £800 per year.
tax and insurance £600.
Other insurance   £200.
M.o.t. last year cost £100
Van tyres            £300
Poles  and brushes   £700.
Filters and resin     £70
With a few other bits and bobs lets say £3000 and that's a big year for me.

i agree Mick,

my van was leased from new, now 3.5 yrs old and is starting to fall apart!  with the amount of usage it gets 5 days a week it is inevitable.  it is out between 8-9 hrs a day so that is why the wear and tear is so high.

if your van isn;t wearing out this fast then it is most likely the case that you aren't doing as much work.  no problem with that, but it explains the difference between costs 

[gary999]

I average around £25 an hour even with tax and expenses im still miles
better off and happier than when i was a employed grunt on£9 a hour.

My biggest expense on a weekly basis is fuel which is still more than
50% less than what i was spending on my daily 40 mile return journey
to work and back.99% of my work is within 2 miles of my home.

Over the last twelve months i have bought

1x 70psi pump sparefor packs£35

2 gardiner brushes £60 +

1 harris pole £15

5mm hose from B&q £20

25 litrs resin £75

I put away weekly amounts for tax,vehicle exise duty and maintenance
and all the other expenses in life which is a lot easier to do averaging
£25 a hour

Than it was when i was an employee woking 40hrs a week earning
£9 a hour.

Im just a self employed  window cleaner what do i know

[Dave Willis]

Net profit is the main figure you should be interested in.
Many companies on here like to brag of their earnings, show off the unit and count their vans. Means nothing at the end of the day if their net profit is crap!
Remember Richy Wilts? Huge turnover loads, of staff, nice unit yet couldn't afford to pay himself a wage, couldn't get a loan and had to resort to crime to make money.

I turn over more than I used to earn as a Printer on treble shifts with overtime - impressive? You bet, until I look at my net profit for the end of year and lack of holidays.

[Richard iSparkle]

Remember Richy Wilts? Huge turnover loads, of staff, nice unit yet couldn't afford to pay himself a wage, couldn't get a loan and had to resort to crime to make money.

i reckon he should be out soon...  i think it was march he went down?  wonder what plans he's dreamed up and what state his business should be in....   

[gary999]

Net profit is the main figure you should be interested in.
Many companies on here like to brag of their earnings, show off the unit and count their vans. Means nothing at the end of the day if their net profit is crap!
Remember Richy Wilts? Huge turnover loads, of staff, nice unit yet couldn't afford to pay himself a wage, couldn't get a loan and had to resort to crime to make money.

I turn over more than I used to earn as a Printer on treble shifts with overtime - impressive? You bet, until I look at my net profit for the end of year and lack of holidays.

Thats because you spend all your cash on your love for Alex gardiner

[roundbuilder]

Thats the thing, we dont get 25 days payed holiday a year, we dont get paid the 8 bank holiday days in the year, we don get paid the 2 weeks over christmas.
Thats 56 days roughly give or take that we dont get that we would being employed.
Self employed has its cons as well as its pros.
All i know is im happy in what and how i do it so happy days.

[gary999]

Thats the thing, we dont get 25 days payed holiday a year, we dont get paid the 8 bank holiday days in the year, we don get paid the 2 weeks over christmas.
Thats 56 days roughly give or take that we dont get that we would being employed.
Self employed has its cons as well as its pros.
All i know is im happy in what and how i do it so happy days.

56 days you are having a giraffe sir michael i never had more than 30 days
ever and that was with bank holidays

End of the day we all pays our money and take a chance,what you say above
is right but i prefer to look at it as i dont work twelve hour days anymore
and the hours i do work more than compensate for the above.

when i get a shift on and take more work on from sept-dec and work
weekends its so i can put my feet up as i am now till the end of the first
week in feb...im benefitting from my endeavour not some employer
or shareholder and its mostly on my terms.

All the ins and outs of it all is irelevant far as im concerned
but it is easy for me to say that as im just a self employed window
cleaner no major business or employees to worry about.

Keeping it simple is sweet for me

[PoleKing]

Thats the thing, we dont get 25 days payed holiday a year, we dont get paid the 8 bank holiday days in the year, we don get paid the 2 weeks over christmas.
Thats 56 days roughly give or take that we dont get that we would being employed.
Self employed has its cons as well as its pros.
All i know is im happy in what and how i do it so happy days.

56 days you are having a giraffe sir michael i never had more than 30 days
ever and that was with bank holidays

End of the day we all pays our money and take a chance,what you say above
is right but i prefer to look at it as i dont work twelve hour days anymore
and the hours i do work more than compensate for the above.

when i get a shift on and take more work on from sept-dec and work
weekends its so i can put my feet up as i am now till the end of the first
week in feb...im benefitting from my endeavour not some employer
or shareholder and its mostly on my terms.

All the ins and outs of it all is irelevant far as im concerned
but it is easy for me to say that as im just a self employed window
cleaner no major business or employees to worry about.

Keeping it simple is sweet for me

Thought you had January off Gazza?
You can't say you only have another 25 days off for the whole year! Surely?

[roundbuilder]

Thats the thing, we dont get 25 days payed holiday a year, we dont get paid the 8 bank holiday days in the year, we don get paid the 2 weeks over christmas.
Thats 56 days roughly give or take that we dont get that we would being employed.
Self employed has its cons as well as its pros.
All i know is im happy in what and how i do it so happy days.

56 days you are having a giraffe sir michael i never had more than 30 days
ever and that was with bank holidays

End of the day we all pays our money and take a chance,what you say above
is right but i prefer to look at it as i dont work twelve hour days anymore
and the hours i do work more than compensate for the above.

when i get a shift on and take more work on from sept-dec and work
weekends its so i can put my feet up as i am now till the end of the first
week in feb...im benefitting from my endeavour not some employer
or shareholder and its mostly on my terms.

All the ins and outs of it all is irelevant far as im concerned
but it is easy for me to say that as im just a self employed window
cleaner no major business or employees to worry about.

Keeping it simple is sweet for me

I was guestimating the amount but even 30 is an awful lot although im sure its more though as im sure i used to get 25 days paid holiday then 1.5-2 weeks at xmas and new year roughly and the 8 bank holidays!! Was a long time ago though so i could be wrong.