[SB Cleaning]

It's a great job though!short hours,good money,virtually stress free and very flexible to fit in with your lifestyle.......

......it could be a lot worse!.......you could be  a carpet cleaner!

Every other job I've ever had has been a lot worse than window cleaning in regards to money earnt and hours worked!

Just not the most mentally stimulating job though is it 

[RPCCS]

In response to your questions and suggestions, Im coming up for 52, work alone. don't want to employ. cant afford to pay someone and pay their holiday sick pay pension and employers liability insurance. I promoted my jet washing and conni roof cladding fascia washing but only had 2 jobs from that too. £400 for a petrol jet washer has paid me back 150, so money lost there too. I work casual part time driving coaches, but wouldn't want to do it full time,too much sitting around waiting. Can't take holiday as wife work's in a school, son doing exams and daughter at uni.No hols til Easter. Seen an osteopath about my neck which has sorted it very well.

[dazmond]

Im totally sick of window cleaning now. Done it 30 years and the winters ate starting to take a toll on my joints. I now have problems with neck, back. shoulders, wrists, knees and ankles. My heart isnt in it any more, last year I started a carpet cleaning business which has failed to take off. Since starting in September, I have had a total of 8 jobs. Whether to carry on trying or give up and sell the gear I dont know. Done the leaflets, chirch mags , newspapers. .twitter and Facebook, all this generated 2 jobs. One from the paper and one from a flyer. The rest habe been from existing window cleaning customers.

I Personally think Window Cleaning is a Head Fu#k. The same Customers every month talking Bullsh#t, chasing Money owed, the long drown out Winter, keep looking at the Forecast day in day out. I've been doing Window Cleaning for 20 year's and i'm only 35! The people who say they love it must be very Mentally ill, or starved of stimulation as a Child!

Really?.......Nope I don't know what your talking about!

You don't know your born!FAR WORSE JOBS YOU COULD BE DOING!!!!

[dazmond]

It's a great job though!short hours,good money,virtually stress free and very flexible to fit in with your lifestyle.......

......it could be a lot worse!.......you could be  a carpet cleaner!

Every other job I've ever had has been a lot worse than window cleaning in regards to money earnt and hours worked!

Just not the most mentally stimulating job though is it 

I don't need to be mentally stimulated mate.....certainly not at work....I like to let my mind drift....

[RPCCS]

I agree to a certain extent, that it does your head in. I work about 30 35 hours a week and make not great, but not crap money, trouble is it doesn't go far nowadays. Plus its the cold that gets to me. 

[windowswashed]

It's not a rewarding job being a lone worker. Weather seems to be getting more extreme each year.  If you're running your business successfully like a proper business maybe you're doing too much and need to take a step back and figure out how you are going to manage remaining in this business long term. For me its about taking time away from window cleaning once I've completed my jobs.  All work and no play can lead to depression, it sneaks up if you let it, I don't. I make plans and keep to them regardless of everything else. Routine is good, but a break is rewarding

[RPCCS]

Yes its run as a proper business, not just as a beer money scheme😉. I just want a change now, I was 22 when I started, initially it was an income for a couple of years until something else came along. Nothing did, and here I am almost 30 years later. Even if I could do a bit of jet washing and a bit of carpet cleaning and the odd day on the coach, as well as the windows, each week, I would be happier

[nathankaye]

I agree to a certain extent, that it does your head in. I work about 30 35 hours a week and make not great, but not crap money, trouble is it doesn't go far nowadays. Plus its the cold that gets to me.

Would i be wrong to say that your doing the same customers that youve had for many a years?  As im taking it you must have an established long term rounds.
Perhaps break the mould and leaflet drop in more affluent areas and canvass a couple of days later and build a new round and replace some of the old baggage?  New work, possibly newer higher prices and new people to get to know, conbined with easier ways to collect payment!  May bring  a bit more life into it?

[G Griffin]

I thought about building a round somewhere warmer.
But have you seen the tds of the water in Syria? 
 

[Dave Willis]

I love cleaning windows all day. It probably stems from my parents putting the swing to close to the wall when a child.

[John Mart]

Listen to audiobooks on Audible.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

On another note.  Maybe take a visit to see your doc to make sure you're not showing early signs of depression mate.

[Stoots]

If you don't get depressed doing this job then you need to see a doctor!

[SB Cleaning]

I love cleaning windows all day. It probably stems from my parents putting the swing to close to the wall when a child.

[RPCCS]

I agree to a certain extent, that it does your head in. I work about 30 35 hours a week and make not great, but not crap money, trouble is it doesn't go far nowadays. Plus its the cold that gets to me.

Would i be wrong to say that your doing the same customers that youve had for many a years?  As im taking it you must have an established long term rounds.
Perhaps break the mould and leaflet drop in more affluent areas and canvass a couple of days later and build a new round and replace some of the old baggage?  New work, possibly newer higher prices and new people to get to know, conbined with easier ways to collect payment!  May bring  a bit more life into it?

Nathan, good advice, but not for me. I dont want to clean windows any more. Getting fresh work, better paid or not wouldn't change the way I feel. Its a cjange of job I need, not a change of area/customers.

[robbo333]

If you want to do more jet washing or carpet cleaning, do what I did.
I designed a leaflet with all my other services on and gave it to each of my customers.
I'm getting quite a good response from it.
Send me your email and I'll send you a copy.
If you like it, send me some jet washing and carpet cleaning pics and i'll make a copy for you.
As they say in Egypt..."You can't say Pharaoh than that!"

[RPCCS]

I have already done all this Robbo,  I had some flyers for carpet cleaning done professionally, my daughter is a graphic designer, and she designed them, and my neighbour works at a printing company,so he got them done for me for nowt.  I printed off my own flyers promoting the jet washing and fascia cleaning. I suppose I could print some more and refresh their memory.. Thanks for your offer though.

[Dry Clean]

[robbo333]

If you're going to print some more, stick all your services on one leaflet.

I'm guessing:
Carpet cleaning
Jet washing decking, patios, driveways, paths
Fascia soffits and gutters
Conservatory roofs
Softwashing?
Gutter clearing? (got a gutter vac?)

Do a leaflet especially for existing customers only. Guessing you've got around 300?
Get some 'nice before and after' pictures. As it's for existing customers don't mention window cleaning (they obviously know that). Focus their attention on all the other goodies you offer.
This time of year and for the next few months, it would be like a 'pick and mix' for your custys.
Blimey, you're like a 'one stop shop' for cleaning.
You're bound to get at least 20 to 30 jobs, doing something!

Get on it!

P.S. I used to be a graphic designer for over 20 years, so when I get bored I just design another leaflet.

Right! Traffic has cleared so off I go..."Hi ho hi ho it's off to work we go..."

[dazmond]

when i was landscape gardening and working on a plant nursery we started at 730am and finished at 6pm  5 days a week plus saturday 730am-1pm,sometimes in the winter months(they were colder in the 80s)we would finish at 830pm....that was proper graft....i even remember my hourly rate £2-32!.....i absolutely hated the job in the end,the days used to drag big time....and i used to dread the alarm clock going off at 6am every day....

nowadays i get up around 7-730am and have a leisurely breakfast and usually head out the door around 9am and im usually home by 3pm,you cant beat it.....im not starting til 10am this morning because i can(and its wet and windy here ATM).....4 commercial jobs and 1 domestic...still £200+ for 4 hours window cleaning.....happy days........