[cgh window cleaning]

marc,   do you work on your own and making £60,000 a year,   you must charge  a price for your services.
correct me if i have it wrong,  but thats a very good wage to be coming in for a solo opperator

Hi Johnny.

I am not at 60k turnover. Im am sitting just under 50k right now approx 3 & 2 3rd days a week.

My comments about the 60k, thats the figure i need to be able to have a temporary fella do some of the work in another van whilst i go out and do some hardcore canvassing, to get to 80k.

The hardest bit right now is this transition period, at 50k i cannot afford to pay someone to do the work, but i dont have the time available to do the aggressive canvassing needed to get to 80k. Even generating another 10k of business to get to my 60k so i can afford to employ someone to free up my time to push to 80k  is going to be a challange.

I will add aswell, me and the missus is only taking a small wage of 11.5k each on paye..whilst we try to build the business.

The end result for stage 1 is an 80k window cleaning business paying a full time window cleaner approx 30k a year leaving 50k for mine and the missus, modest wages of 25k and i dont have to do the physical work anymore but just concentrate on repeating the process over and over again until we reach a form of financial freedom.

As far ad pricing goes, here in Surrey our average prices are knocking around the £30 per house mark.

Mark does your wife work on the tools with you?

[Marc Stock]

She does all the admin.

[dazmond]

i dont know how you can be arsed mick with all that canvassing...i loved it when i started 25 year ago.every new customer was a buzz.....but not now...im happy with my lot.....im comfortable and content.....a nice work/life balance....

I enjoy it Daz.
Im a gambler and have a serious gambling addiction and what controls it is the canvassing i do, its like medicine to me being a commission based canvasser instead of going in the bookies/casino or online gambling sites! i look forward to every eve to go and get my canvassing hit instead of thinking in the day to hit a bookies or log online etc! I basically walk for a few hours and knock on doors and get paid for every pint the customer has after a 4 week retaining period. I see it as a game and a bit of excersise that i do with a decent bunch of blokes. All id be doing is watching soaps with the mrs in the 2 hours im out so its not as bad as it sounds.
Where its snow and ice everywhere im not doing it this week and instead im at home twidling my fingers.

fair play mick.ive had various addictions over the years.luckily i never got into gambling(i think it was because robby box who starred in "big deal" in the 80s was always in trouble!)

[CleanClear]

I don't believe sometimes what I read on here.
I'm 50 years old work 6 days a week  5.30 am till aleast 5pm
And I breeze that.
As long as you have variation  which I do.
I wish I was forty again

You make it sound like working 5.30am till at least 5pm is a good thing ?
In terms of you being able to keep that up i guess it shows the good state of your health. But in all reality if you're doing that 6 days a week, what sort of life is that ? How much life you get doing that ? I can't see many spare hours there to go have some fun, any fun doing anything.............

[paul alan]

She does all the admin.

That might just be a solution to your problem right there.

M y wife has worked with me for years and she does a great job and keeps up, she turns a 5-6 hour into a 3-4 hour day.

I know ity may just be a no go as were not all cut from the cloth but wouldnt it help you get through to the point where your ready for another van?

More work at no extra cost!

[Splash & dash]

Yes it is a  bit tight, but these are 4-5hour working days maximum, so.

By time i am hitting 60k a year i will have another van and a part time worker to balance out the work a little.

As i approach 80k i hope to have a full time employee, and then onwards to stage 2.

I dont understand why you need to be earning 60-80 k before getting an employee I know lots of window cleaners that employ 2 or more people and they don’t earn that much ?

[dazmond]

Yes it is a  bit tight, but these are 4-5hour working days maximum, so.

By time i am hitting 60k a year i will have another van and a part time worker to balance out the work a little.

As i approach 80k i hope to have a full time employee, and then onwards to stage 2.

I dont understand why you need to be earning 60-80 k before getting an employee I know lots of window cleaners that employ 2 or more people and they don’t earn that much ?

dont forget his missus is part of the business mate (and needs a wage too).....he s not a sole trader.....

[Marc Stock]

The missus does come out with me sometimes. But mostly she does all the bookkeeping admin and credit control

[Marc Stock]

Yes it is a  bit tight, but these are 4-5hour working days maximum, so.

By time i am hitting 60k a year i will have another van and a part time worker to balance out the work a little.

As i approach 80k i hope to have a full time employee, and then onwards to stage 2.

I dont understand why you need to be earning 60-80 k before getting an employee I know lots of window cleaners that employ 2 or more people and they don’t earn that much ?

Have you read the thread thoroughly?

[Jonny Swirljet]

“Money’s only something you need in case you don’t die tomorrow.”

[lee_dewing]

Don't read all your posts Marc but is franchising not a better option?

I think that employing could be a headache.
You could get to 60k then franchise say 35k.

Don't know what the  monthly tribute is you get back off that but u would have thought its better once you have a few guys signed up.

I'd imagine it's more hands off which is what id want.

Just an opinion, obviously not had any experience in employing people.

Just an average window cleaner but a fairly happy one, have got to improve as I've not got the savings I should have but also not got the debt either, small mortgage family car and van bought outright. (I do owe the wife some for van 😁)


Hope to be out next week but not going to drive or work in dangerous conditions!

Just spent 6k on a newer van don't want to smash it or myself up.

Don't think my customer's are too worried I'm running late, busy getting their kids looked after as schools being shut.

Then dealing with restricted public transport, struggling to get to work.

Whats worse being a windy who can't work, or working for someone else and having to face this sh!t.

Think temperatures go up Sunday with rain so that should hopefully be an end to this weather 😒

[Marc Stock]

Yeah its already 2 degrees here in Woking snow melting.

At the end of the day franchising is still an option. For example after 5 or so years of business growth on the window cleaning, i could package up the whole thing and sell another one as a business package with staff.

Many people franchise because they just want an easy life. But how many franchisees out there can honestly say that buying a franchise was a good business decision. Not many. I have met franchise operators from chips away, to molly maids, and asked them was is worth it and honestly speaking the answer is mostly, "it will be" or "im waiting for someone else to buy my franchise off of me" i have never actually met a franchise operator who is happy with the business model they bought into, the only happy one is the frachisor as they have their frachisee by the short and curlies tied up in a contract.

Now this shows me that the majority of franchise business oprations are simply not at a stage really where franchising is effective.

McDonald's, subway, and the big franchisors all existed as stand alone established businesses first with staff.

When you buy a McDonalds franchise you buy the whole lot, you staff it, you kit it you spend a couple of million. Its because you know that the business model works, and the branding is established. McDonald's exisited as a stand alone burger business for decades  before even the 1st franchisees bought into the model.

A business based on a franchise, for the sake of it will never really grow to huge amounts.

A busineess that proven itself as a brand, that is profitable with staff and a customer base in demand of that brand..thats a good ground for a propper franchise.

[Marc Stock]

Hahaha

Don Kee.

I am not comparing myself to McDonalds.

You are hilarious.

Ian Lancaster is an established window cleaning business, and had been for decades.

You sir just demonstrated that you do not pay attention you what you read. All i am saying is that at this stage i do not want to franchise because i personally dont think my business is ready.

Put your glasses on mate before replying.

Lee Pryor is probbably ready to franchise now, id say that he probbably had considered it weather he will who knows?. A 500k investment in a pryors window cleaning buisiness would work very well because he had demonstrated success with staff tell you what if i had 500k and lee was selling a franchise operation for another area id seriously consider it.

[Marc Stock]

Oh..Don Kee?

You deleted your thread?

I wonder why?

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

Hahaha

Don Kee.

I am not comparing myself to McDonalds.

You are hilarious.

Ian Lancaster is an established window cleaning business, and had been for decades.

You sir just demonstrated that you do not pay attention you what you read. All i am saying is that at this stage i do not want to franchise because i personally dont think my business is ready.

Put your glasses on mate before replying.

Lee Pryor is probbably ready to franchise now, id say that he probbably had considered it weather he will who knows?. A 500k investment in a pryors window cleaning buisiness would work very well because he had demonstrated success with staff tell you what if i had 500k and lee was selling a franchise operation for another area id seriously consider it.

You would be a fool then Marc.... Pryors is such a young business and has yet to prove it's position of stability, client retention etc without constant huge investment. You would seriously invest half a million into this company?

[Marc Stock]

Yes i honestly think i would.

Lee has a very good working knowledge on motivating people, granted he is a young business; but you know what? I think we are on the cusp of a major shake up in the window cleaning business.

For years and years window cleaning has been seen as a bucket and mop man, cottage industry.

If lee continues his growth, it wouldn't surprise me if in 5 or 10 years time the majority of window cleaning businesses will be run by known brands up and down the country.

Lee's brand is the only one i know of that has reached out to enough people over a wide enough area to make a decent  impact.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

This happens at the turn of every new year on CIU....... a couple to half a dozen would-be entrepreneurs get all over exited, over-encourage each other and 99.9% of the time their enthusiasm exceeds their will/capability. A great storm is whipped up, lots of bollox is spoken followed by the mandatory willy measuring contest and then shortly after everything continues as normal and usually as it did before the great frenzy!! LOL.

It does make for great entertainment though- if a little "cringe" at times!!

P.S. this is not a dig at anyone, just a general observation..... before anyone starts crying!

[Stoots]

I think there will definitely be some huge business in the next decade that operate national or at least county wide doing residential windows.

However unless some large business comes along and seriously undercuts the market (which is not really possible on a large scale as the profit margins are not there) there will always be room for sole traders and small businesses.

Maybe eventually  20 years down the line it will all change, there will be better ways to clean windows or it'll all be self cleaning or all done with nationals etc, who knows...

I plan on getting my piece of the pie whilst I can though, but I would be surprised if I was still involved in window cleaning in 30 years time. I want to grow as soon as possible and look into other businesses, I think it's better to have numerous interests and investments rather than out all your eggs into one basket with residential window cleaning.

[Slacky]

If lee continues his growth, it wouldn't surprise me if in 5 or 10 years time the majority of window cleaning businesses will be run by known brands up and down the country.

Thats never going to happen. The nature of the business is that guys can get in to this with a minimum of £300 and thats why there will always be fresh individuals coming in to the trade without the need for large branded businesses.

Companies far bigger than Pryors have been in this game since before he was conceived and they haven't made a jot of headway in what you're suggesting.

Customers like local. Fact.

[Marc Stock]

Hahaha

For the most part, i agree with you.

But always be prepared for that time when the willy waving contest, turns into something a bit more serious.

Your right though it may all just die down again for someone else to start wanging their todger about. But then again it might not either....