[combat1]

Hi Spruce, hope you are ok.
Have you gone back to work? I know you were thinking of it.
I went back a while ago but can only do about 3/4 hours a day as my partner works until 2pm.
Just found out I’m not going to get a payout. Apparently because my state pension and a small company pension take me over the State Aid limit. So going to be well out of pocket.
I bought a van to make the job easier and that drastically reduced my profits.
Oh well! Stay safe Spruce and thanks for your helpful posts.
Chris.

[Spruce]

Hi Spruce, hope you are ok.
Have you gone back to work? I know you were thinking of it.
I went back a while ago but can only do about 3/4 hours a day as my partner works until 2pm.
Just found out I’m not going to get a payout. Apparently because my state pension and a small company pension take me over the State Aid limit. So going to be well out of pocket.
I bought a van to make the job easier and that drastically reduced my profits.
Oh well! Stay safe Spruce and thanks for your helpful posts.
Chris.

Hi Combat,

I am still not working as yet. I did a morning last week but didn't feel too comfortable. Son and I did a big commercial job on Saturday morning 10 days ago - he did inside and I did outside having arrived in 2 vans. Its harder to get back into it when you get older. That SLX22 of mine just seemed so heavy.

I had new tyres put on the van on Friday in anticipation for returning to work which turned out to be a right fiasco.  Peugeot use a special tool to access the spare wheel carrier actuator under the van. Its in 3 parts. There were only 2 parts in the tool box with the jack. I ended up borrowing one from a friend so they could replace the spare as well. That took most of Friday. I'm glad I chose to replace the spare as well as I didn't know about the missing wrench.

The wife is blowing hot and then cold about me going back to work. She is concerned that I'm in the vulnerable category.  My daughter has been very ill these past 5 weeks with the symptoms of Covid19. (She works with McMillian nurses out of their local hospital.) Last week she tested negative but the doctor has sent her back for another test as so many have come back faulty. She's pretty fit and healthy, so if she has suffered like this then I will have no chance if I catch it. We need the income but for some reason the wife doesn't want me to get ill.

 I just don't know how guys still work out of their cars. To be successful as a wfp window cleaner we have to have the right equipment. I believe a van is part of that right equipment.

I have registered for the self employed assistance scheme. I don't know if I qualify for anything but whatever I get, if anything, will be appreciated. I don't get a full pension as I haven't paid into the system long enough to qualify. I have expected them to tell me I'm on pension so shouldn't be working.

Otherwise we are all well. There definitely seems to be more traffic around this week than last week. I'm starting to get the feeling that people are getting a bit fed-up with the lockdown. There doesn't seem to be any news from Government on when restrictions will start to be eased. There's lots of talk but that's about all. Other countries are showing a clear future direction with regard to opening up their economies. It just seems the UK is watching to see what happens in those countries before making a decision.

[G Griffin]

Hi Spruce, hope you are ok.
Have you gone back to work? I know you were thinking of it.
I went back a while ago but can only do about 3/4 hours a day as my partner works until 2pm.
Just found out I’m not going to get a payout. Apparently because my state pension and a small company pension take me over the State Aid limit. So going to be well out of pocket.
I bought a van to make the job easier and that drastically reduced my profits.
Oh well! Stay safe Spruce and thanks for your helpful posts.
Chris.

Is it not because they make up over 50% of your income, combat?

[combat1]

Just over a grand a month from pensions. My profits for the last thee years havebeen low, not through fiddling!! But being older bought the van, tank, pump, controller, ibc etc etc to make life easier.
Spruce should get his by the sound of it, which is great,

[capn sparkle]

Hey Spruce glad you're well - Below is an old post of mine from February 18th 2014 - nothings changed


                                                                                              ********


I've only been reading / commenting on this forum for a couple of months till now - still a relative newbie.

Vin - Always excellent information, please keep it up.

Poleking - Gave me a brilliant idea and saved me money to boot, somewhat of a genius.

Spruce and Pure H2O - Must have spent ages typing informative replies to my what wfp system (and many others I would hasten to add).

I've got a couple of windie mates who've never posted but use the forum for information.

It's about time someone said it, so :-

THANK YOU GUYS I salute you all!

And no I haven't been on the sauce before you ask 

[G Griffin]

Just over a grand a month from pensions. My profits for the last thee years havebeen low, not through fiddling!! But being older bought the van, tank, pump, controller, ibc etc etc to make life easier.
Spruce should get his by the sound of it, which is great,

Sorry to hear that, mate.
Not that it matters but I don't think it's classed as state aid, is it? I don't think you qualify because of the 50% thing.
Ah well.

[combat1]

To be honest I expected it. Managing to keep afloat with the reduced hours.
All my work is for Military, Army families etc and they all seem to have a good understanding of social distancing.

[Spruce]

Just over a grand a month from pensions. My profits for the last thee years havebeen low, not through fiddling!! But being older bought the van, tank, pump, controller, ibc etc etc to make life easier.
Spruce should get his by the sound of it, which is great,

I'm appreciative of the pension I do get. I'm also extremely grateful to the post lady who was working when I was out on my round one day. I have bumped into her often over the past 12 years cleaning that round and we always had a few niceties to say to each other.
This particular time I was in pain and struggling and she asked me how old I was. (I try not to take pain killers unless its absolutely necessary.) I told her and she asked why I wasn't on pension.  I always presumed that my pensionable aged moved from 65 to 67. Her husband was 1 year younger than I am and had just claimed his pension.

Without realising it I had accrued a small pension pot with the  Pensions dept. This came in handy as I was knew my old van would definitely fail its MOT test due to rust. Using that pension pot to buy a replacement van meant I didn't pay tax on the lump sum.

I'm feel blessed in so many ways.

[Spruce]

Hey Spruce glad you're well - Below is an old post of mine from February 18th 2014 - nothings changed


                                                                                              ********


I've only been reading / commenting on this forum for a couple of months till now - still a relative newbie.

Vin - Always excellent information, please keep it up.

Poleking - Gave me a brilliant idea and saved me money to boot, somewhat of a genius.

Spruce and Pure H2O - Must have spent ages typing informative replies to my what wfp system (and many others I would hasten to add).

I've got a couple of windie mates who've never posted but use the forum for information.

It's about time someone said it, so :-

THANK YOU GUYS I salute you all!

And no I haven't been on the sauce before you ask 

I'm sure I speak for all the others as well. I've often said I get more from this forum than I give.

Its very motivational for us all when new ones such as yourself start off, read and apply other's advise and make a success of their own window cleaning business. We can only make suggestions based on our experience; its up to new ones to apply those suggestions. That's the hard part as it takes hard work and dedication to start a new business, especially in these times.

I will always remember the gist of one of Vin's posts to a new window cleaner many years ago. He said that the first thing to do is read all the posts on the forum and then decide who makes sense and who doesn't. Then focus on the posters content that makes sense to you and ignore the rest.  But he then needs to further sift out the advice of those who he has flagged as making sense and apply what makes sense to him in his business. If that makes sense.  He put it better than I have.

Edit:
I found it;
 

My advice to new starters has always been the same - look through twenty pages of posts and see whose posts make sense (might add, are well written and calm).  Then use the search facility to find all their posts and read them all.  It's what I did six years ago; weeks with a notebook (literally weeks and I still have the notebook) taking the best ideas from everyone on here.  It's all already out there for anyone who wants it.  This site contains a perfect guide whether it's how to start, run well day-to-day, work as a one-man-band, expand, employ or franchise.  As ever though, it takes work.  So it's much easier to ask the question, get the opinion of the person who shouts the loudest and head off without planning.

I want professional, capable competition.  Sounds odd but I don't want customers to think that window cleaners are out to earn enough money to get to the pub at lunchtime.  The more professional we all are, the better.  The fewer people there are turning up in tracky bottoms and a dirty vest and charging £3.50 for a house the better it is for everyone doing a decent job.

Plus, as I've mentioned above, there is so much business out there that the difficulty isn't competition, it's being set up to be able to cover the work available.

Vin

I often wonder how many new ones start off with high expectations to start a window cleaning business but fall by the wayside for whatever reason. When you look back over the years there are so many new posters who were active for a time and then disappeared.  We often wonder what happened to them. Did they stop posting but continued window cleaning or did they stop window cleaning.  If they stopped window cleaning then this actually makes me feel sad to think about because there is no reason why they couldn't have.