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Smudgeoff Cleaning Services

  • Posts: 791
add ons to window cleaning business
« on: February 14, 2015, 12:10:50 pm »
Hi Guys,

Does anyone on here do chimney sweeping as an add on, as I am seriously considering it....
Any advice appreciated.

Many Thanks
Darren
" To Get It All Off Call Smudgeoff"

PoleKing

  • Posts: 8974
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2015, 12:28:38 pm »
Fella round my way does it.

Why chimney sweeping? Have you a connection?
www.LanesWindowCleaning.com

It's just the internet. Try not to worry.

Smudgeoff Cleaning Services

  • Posts: 791
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2015, 12:39:09 pm »
Mainly thinking about winter work, we have been very lucky the last three winters..
I do have a contact that can possibly get me some work once I get certified by NACS.
I think may be very profitable...
Any advice
" To Get It All Off Call Smudgeoff"

supernova77

  • Posts: 3547
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2015, 12:45:16 pm »
Quote
Hi Guys,

Does anyone on here do chimney sweeping as an add on, as I am seriously considering it....
Any advice appreciated.

Many Thanks
Darren

I tried it in the past...

The money can be good... But it didn't work out as "winter work"... Most wanted their chimneys swept in the autumn before the winter and it was a nightmare trying to schedule everyone in around window cleaning work... I would much rather still be working outside in the autumn. December, January and February were very quiet on the chimney sweeping front... September, October , November were the busiest months.

Email me if you have any questions.

Andy  ;)

TomCrowther

  • Posts: 1965
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2015, 04:36:58 pm »
Post the same post on the general cleaning section and feel their wrath. How very dare you even dream of offering "add ons". You have to watch someone for a three year apprenticeship before you clean anything other than a window. Don't you know that?

Perfect Windows

  • Posts: 4179
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2015, 05:07:47 pm »
I have a van and I've noticed that lots of builders have vans as well.  Also, I run a business and lots of builders are businesses as well.  So, I'm thinking of offering building services.

What does anyone think?

Vin

FRESHER

  • Posts: 126
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2015, 05:29:41 pm »
An interesting question, I would imagine anyone who has a large window cleaning round, being doing it for years or has a few vans would never offer anything other than window cleaning.  Those who maybe don't have a full round, new to the game or perhaps want a change in the daily routine would look at other revenue avenues. 
I did not become someone different
I did not want to be

But Im new here
Will you show me around?

Ian101

  • Posts: 7887
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2015, 05:45:41 pm »
I find add ons a waste of time now which I prefer to spend the time looking for new window cleaning customers .... don't get me wrong if a window customers wanted a quick conny wipe over / upvc wipe over there and then I would do it but as for going looking for add ons nope not anymore wasted my time last year doing that .... most wont pay what you need to charge to cover your time (compared to window cleaning) and those that will are too infrequent to make the effort of finding a waste of time.

My advice to the op is to put money to one side for bad spell and take time off when u cant work.  :)

Jim Waugh(Albright & Shiny)

  • Posts: 559
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2015, 05:52:10 pm »
As I go on and building the business Im actually thinking about offering less add ons and focusing more on the glass.. That said I have found that the Gutters and the conny's are great lead in services to be converted to regular cleans..
And to be fair the add ons filled my diary and my bank account during the first year and without them I would have been on the Bread and water diet.
I certainly wouldn't consider doing anything as an add on that couldn't be converted to regular window cleaning..

Ian101

  • Posts: 7887
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2015, 06:08:43 pm »
As I go on and building the business Im actually thinking about offering less add ons and focusing more on the glass.. That said I have found that the Gutters and the conny's are great lead in services to be converted to regular cleans..
And to be fair the add ons filled my diary and my bank account during the first year and without them I would have been on the Bread and water diet.
I certainly wouldn't consider doing anything as an add on that couldn't be converted to regular window cleaning..

yup when first start out clean anything for anyone  :)


robbo333

  • Posts: 2419
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2015, 06:14:29 pm »
Very interesting comments. I was thinking of adding a gutter vac to my window cleaning? It breaks up the monotony of windows and seems a natural progression to FSG cleans. Hopefully it would add a slightly better hourly rate.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
"Thank you for calling: if you have a 1st floor flat, mid terraced house, lots of dogs, no parking, no side access, or no sense of humour, please press hold!
For all other enquiries, please press1"

Perfect Windows

  • Posts: 4179
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2015, 07:39:45 pm »
Very interesting comments. I was thinking of adding a gutter vac to my window cleaning? It breaks up the monotony of windows and seems a natural progression to FSG cleans. Hopefully it would add a slightly better hourly rate.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

I'm repetitive on the following but it's core: There is a restriction on what you can make as a sole trader because there is a maximum number of hours you can work in a day.  Given that, you simply have to maximise the profit you make each and every hour.  Don't be fooled by an £80 job if it takes more time than four £20 jobs.

For me, gutter vacuuming cut the hourly rate so I dropped it.

Vin

Perfect Windows

  • Posts: 4179
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2015, 07:40:47 pm »
My advice to the op is to put money to one side for bad spell and take time off when u cant work.  :)

Or clean in the rain.

Vin

Smudger

  • Posts: 13438
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2015, 08:03:56 pm »
Love the add ons, but as vin says they need to be making at least what you would get on standard on the glass work, I am to get our normal hourly turnover + 50% for straightforward SFG and conny cleans - more for pressure washing work.

As a one man biz, it's more difficault to fit these in, but it really depends on you, I used to do add ons after the windows working until dark ( well past 7pm in summer ) and Saturdays.

Yes this was totally knackering, but easily doubled a weekly income, if not tripled and allowed be to invest in equipment,advertising etc.. And take on staff sooner than "just" window cleaning.

A little thought that kept me going some days was this ( esp. Where the customer, had a reg window cleaner who refused to do the conny roof or whatever ) I have just earnt in 1 hr cleaning this conny what takes their windy to earn in a year !

That's not being big headed, but the windy is happy collecting his £10 for 25 minutes work. And repeating that 12 times ( 12 visits, 12 lots of diesel, 12 lots of maybe waiting to get paid etc.. ) yet is not interested in that nice lump sum all in one day, cant understand it ?

Darran
Never argue with an idiot, they will only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience

david mark

  • Posts: 468
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2015, 10:33:33 pm »
Guy on the  dole

Ian101

  • Posts: 7887
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #15 on: February 15, 2015, 08:14:23 am »
Love the add ons, but as vin says they need to be making at least what you would get on standard on the glass work, I am to get our normal hourly turnover + 50% for straightforward SFG and conny cleans - more for pressure washing work.

As a one man biz, it's more difficault to fit these in, but it really depends on you, I used to do add ons after the windows working until dark ( well past 7pm in summer ) and Saturdays.

Yes this was totally knackering, but easily doubled a weekly income, if not tripled and allowed be to invest in equipment,advertising etc.. And take on staff sooner than "just" window cleaning.

A little thought that kept me going some days was this ( esp. Where the customer, had a reg window cleaner who refused to do the conny roof or whatever ) I have just earnt in 1 hr cleaning this conny what takes their windy to earn in a year !

That's not being big headed, but the windy is happy collecting his £10 for 25 minutes work. And repeating that 12 times ( 12 visits, 12 lots of diesel, 12 lots of maybe waiting to get paid etc.. ) yet is not interested in that nice lump sum all in one day, cant understand it ?

Darran


Darran all respect to you as I know in last 4 years your growth has shot past mine (git  ;D) but until recently my thinking was like yours ref add ons and lump sums but my thinking changed when I sat back and realised I wanted to grow my business. Looking back the last 2 years have been ok for me but the add ons have slowed my growth down as they have distracted me.

Now we all only have so many hours in a working day and currently as a 1 man band I have to utilise em long term as best I can so when I realised that if I canvass for a few hours during week and every Saturday instead of doing add ons then the following is more than possible

5 hours canvassing / leaflet dropping a week will on average give me at least 2 to 3 new customers a week @ say £12 average

48 weeks x 2 new customers per week = 96 a year  x £12 = £1152 x 12 months = £13824 (after a full 12 months of course)
48 weeks x 3 new customers per week = 144 a year x £12 = £1728 x 12 months = £20736 (as above)

Bearing in mind im 5 years into the job Im embarrassed that the above took me until last month to realise  ::)roll

Yes takes commitment to get out there and do it every Saturday / after a days graft on the glass but just keep seeing that second van in my minds eye :)

Will start rolling out my leafleting programme in April of 6000 leaflets a month which with a 0.2% will give me another 12 customers a month from leaflets but will canvass area after the drop so will bring up numbers.

Like I say you have done brilliantly with your growth so not a pop in any way shape or form where as I haven't so gonna try it differently for rest of this year with no more add ons (and sore shoulders  ;D)


Tom-01

  • Posts: 1348
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #16 on: February 15, 2015, 09:07:02 am »
Love the add ons, but as vin says they need to be making at least what you would get on standard on the glass work, I am to get our normal hourly turnover + 50% for straightforward SFG and conny cleans - more for pressure washing work.

As a one man biz, it's more difficault to fit these in, but it really depends on you, I used to do add ons after the windows working until dark ( well past 7pm in summer ) and Saturdays.

Yes this was totally knackering, but easily doubled a weekly income, if not tripled and allowed be to invest in equipment,advertising etc.. And take on staff sooner than "just" window cleaning.

A little thought that kept me going some days was this ( esp. Where the customer, had a reg window cleaner who refused to do the conny roof or whatever ) I have just earnt in 1 hr cleaning this conny what takes their windy to earn in a year !

That's not being big headed, but the windy is happy collecting his £10 for 25 minutes work. And repeating that 12 times ( 12 visits, 12 lots of diesel, 12 lots of maybe waiting to get paid etc.. ) yet is not interested in that nice lump sum all in one day, cant understand it ?

Darran


Darran all respect to you as I know in last 4 years your growth has shot past mine (git  ;D) but until recently my thinking was like yours ref add ons and lump sums but my thinking changed when I sat back and realised I wanted to grow my business. Looking back the last 2 years have been ok for me but the add ons have slowed my growth down as they have distracted me.

Now we all only have so many hours in a working day and currently as a 1 man band I have to utilise em long term as best I can so when I realised that if I canvass for a few hours during week and every Saturday instead of doing add ons then the following is more than possible

5 hours canvassing / leaflet dropping a week will on average give me at least 2 to 3 new customers a week @ say £12 average

48 weeks x 2 new customers per week = 96 a year  x £12 = £1152 x 12 months = £13824 (after a full 12 months of course)
48 weeks x 3 new customers per week = 144 a year x £12 = £1728 x 12 months = £20736 (as above)

Bearing in mind im 5 years into the job Im embarrassed that the above took me until last month to realise  ::)roll

Yes takes commitment to get out there and do it every Saturday / after a days graft on the glass but just keep seeing that second van in my minds eye :)

Will start rolling out my leafleting programme in April of 6000 leaflets a month which with a 0.2% will give me another 12 customers a month from leaflets but will canvass area after the drop so will bring up numbers.

Like I say you have done brilliantly with your growth so not a pop in any way shape or form where as I haven't so gonna try it differently for rest of this year with no more add ons (and sore shoulders  ;D)



I think the difference is that Darran has people working for him, therefore it makes sense with the upselling of additional services.

If I was just working on my own I would probably just stick with window cleaning, in fact I haven't done many pressure washing myself at all and not many gutter cleans either - I get the guys to do the majority of that work.

By offering additional services to window cleaning it really helps with cash flow, this cannot be underestimated. Plus you can treble your income from one customer, I think I've posted it on here before but I'll do it again:

A customer I've got is £30 4 weekly on window cleaning = £390 per year
Once a year gutters cleared, GFS cleaned = £350
Patio cleaned once a year = £310

So instead of one account bringing in £390 per year it brings in £1,050. And the pressure cleaning and gutter jobs are paid in full - thus benefitting cash flow.

And whilst the gutters or patio are being cleaned other work elsewhere is getting done.
For example last week we did 3 gutter cleaning jobs, which in total took about 6.5 hours, whilst they were getting done all the regular window cleaning work was getting done. The gutters bought in an additional £800. I wouldn't have been able to do all that by myself. The window cleaning money will take a while to drip through, but the gutter cleans have all paid.

It makes more business sense to have 300 customers with a much higher earning average than 600 customers with a lower one.

It depends on how you want to run your business really. I'm not a window cleaner who offers additional services. I run a business which provides exterior cleaning services, with window cleaning being one of them - the beauty with window cleaning is it's regular, repeat business.

Tom

8weekly

Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #17 on: February 15, 2015, 10:53:50 am »
Love the add ons, but as vin says they need to be making at least what you would get on standard on the glass work, I am to get our normal hourly turnover + 50% for straightforward SFG and conny cleans - more for pressure washing work.

As a one man biz, it's more difficault to fit these in, but it really depends on you, I used to do add ons after the windows working until dark ( well past 7pm in summer ) and Saturdays.

Yes this was totally knackering, but easily doubled a weekly income, if not tripled and allowed be to invest in equipment,advertising etc.. And take on staff sooner than "just" window cleaning.

A little thought that kept me going some days was this ( esp. Where the customer, had a reg window cleaner who refused to do the conny roof or whatever ) I have just earnt in 1 hr cleaning this conny what takes their windy to earn in a year !

That's not being big headed, but the windy is happy collecting his £10 for 25 minutes work. And repeating that 12 times ( 12 visits, 12 lots of diesel, 12 lots of maybe waiting to get paid etc.. ) yet is not interested in that nice lump sum all in one day, cant understand it ?

Darran


Darran all respect to you as I know in last 4 years your growth has shot past mine (git  ;D) but until recently my thinking was like yours ref add ons and lump sums but my thinking changed when I sat back and realised I wanted to grow my business. Looking back the last 2 years have been ok for me but the add ons have slowed my growth down as they have distracted me.

Now we all only have so many hours in a working day and currently as a 1 man band I have to utilise em long term as best I can so when I realised that if I canvass for a few hours during week and every Saturday instead of doing add ons then the following is more than possible

5 hours canvassing / leaflet dropping a week will on average give me at least 2 to 3 new customers a week @ say £12 average

48 weeks x 2 new customers per week = 96 a year  x £12 = £1152 x 12 months = £13824 (after a full 12 months of course)
48 weeks x 3 new customers per week = 144 a year x £12 = £1728 x 12 months = £20736 (as above)

Bearing in mind im 5 years into the job Im embarrassed that the above took me until last month to realise  ::)roll

Yes takes commitment to get out there and do it every Saturday / after a days graft on the glass but just keep seeing that second van in my minds eye :)

Will start rolling out my leafleting programme in April of 6000 leaflets a month which with a 0.2% will give me another 12 customers a month from leaflets but will canvass area after the drop so will bring up numbers.

Like I say you have done brilliantly with your growth so not a pop in any way shape or form where as I haven't so gonna try it differently for rest of this year with no more add ons (and sore shoulders  ;D)



I think the difference is that Darran has people working for him, therefore it makes sense with the upselling of additional services.

If I was just working on my own I would probably just stick with window cleaning, in fact I haven't done many pressure washing myself at all and not many gutter cleans either - I get the guys to do the majority of that work.

By offering additional services to window cleaning it really helps with cash flow, this cannot be underestimated. Plus you can treble your income from one customer, I think I've posted it on here before but I'll do it again:

A customer I've got is £30 4 weekly on window cleaning = £390 per year
Once a year gutters cleared, GFS cleaned = £350
Patio cleaned once a year = £310

So instead of one account bringing in £390 per year it brings in £1,050. And the pressure cleaning and gutter jobs are paid in full - thus benefitting cash flow.

And whilst the gutters or patio are being cleaned other work elsewhere is getting done.
For example last week we did 3 gutter cleaning jobs, which in total took about 6.5 hours, whilst they were getting done all the regular window cleaning work was getting done. The gutters bought in an additional £800. I wouldn't have been able to do all that by myself. The window cleaning money will take a while to drip through, but the gutter cleans have all paid.

It makes more business sense to have 300 customers with a much higher earning average than 600 customers with a lower one.

It depends on how you want to run your business really. I'm not a window cleaner who offers additional services. I run a business which provides exterior cleaning services, with window cleaning being one of them - the beauty with window cleaning is it's regular, repeat business.

Tom
I agree with some of that. You have done well from what I have seen, but I reckon the key to having a sustainable, predictable and in the long term a saleable business is to have regular contracted work. I use the term contracted loosely.

To take your example, in terms of planning for growth I would much rather have 600 lower earning customers which provide me with a pretty much predictable income than 300 from whom the income is uncertain. That is why I have felt confident to take on a full time member of staff at a very good hourly rate.


SB Cleaning

  • Posts: 4287
Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #18 on: February 15, 2015, 11:19:06 am »
I really like the add on jobs..We do Conny roofs...fascia/gutter cleans...gutter clearing...solar panels...but I only do them for regular customers..If I do get a call for a one off I will price it very high sometimes I get them sometimes not..

8weekly

Re: add ons to window cleaning business
« Reply #19 on: February 15, 2015, 11:26:25 am »
I really like the add on jobs..We do Conny roofs...fascia/gutter cleans...gutter clearing...solar panels...but I only do them for regular customers..If I do get a call for a one off I will price it very high sometimes I get them sometimes not..

I used to refuse them except for regular customers, but there is a little slack at the moment with having a worker so now I will quote for them.