[Shrek]

But I thought he worked three days a week?
Room for improvement but nice lifestyle. He’d be working at least an extra week every month at Aldi.

He said he has other commitments which is why iv made a like for like comparison

[Dave Willis]

Difficult one, cos when all this furlough comes to an end I can’t see many jobs being available anyway. Either get out quick if you can (like in the next two weeks) or get used to working self employed.

[Spruce]

"When you are up to your ass in alligators it’s difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp”.

If Tyler is cleaning houses for £5 -£6 a house then he is cleaning 25 houses a day to earn £150. No wonder he has lost his joy. 

Long summer evenings are starting to draw in. I would try to spend a couple of evenings canvassing areas where people are better off financially. The further east we go in our region the lower the window cleaning prices are. We stay away from areas where £5 is still the going rate for a 3 bed semi.

In our region we have some newer established estates that we can get a higher price per clean from.  Some have been able to get good work cleaning windows between villages as nobody canvasses these areas. Tyler is so busy that he hasn't time to look for better paying work which is a long term trap.

Maybe he has to focus more on the positives. If he is still managing to pay off debt then this is a good thing.  The very fact that he is reducing that debt is something to be happy about.

We had a window cleaner who had a beat up old Transit van. He had another cleaner working with him. He moved into a upmarket estate. We charge £15 for a row of houses 3 stories high on that estate. He sent a flyer out to all the customers we do and a couple we didn't do at £8 a house including cleaning the garage door. He took one of our customers.

When cleaning one day I noticed a company van in his driveway. A couple of days later he saw me cleaning in another street nearby. He was driving this company van. He stopped and asked me if I would clean his house as he had sold his van and entire round to a local cowboy outfit. He couldn't earn a living from window cleaning so had gone back to paid work.
I quoted him £15. I knew the house as we cleaned it previously. He was visibly shocked at the price.  I only charged £8 for that house he blurted out. Yes I know I relied.

He was prepared to do more work than I did for half the price. Give them their due, they worked hard and they did a good job cleaning the windows of their customers,  but even for the depressed North East their prices were way out.

There is a lesson to be learnt from that.


 

[Jonny 87]

I think your prices must seem ok Tyler.

At £1 a window plus a bit more you won’t be far wrong. In fact, your prices might even be higher than mine.

There must be a reason why your not getting through enough work though.

Say for example, A 4 bed detached house;

Atleast 12 windows so say £12.
10 of those a day isn’t enough work to fill A day on a regular maintenance clean. For example in my work days, I can get through Atleast 3 of those in an hour taking it easy. 10 properties would be a morning’s work.

Is your work very spread out?

How many properties are you getting through a day?

It could be something as simple as you over cleaning.

I know it seems risky, but any customers who cancel on the day, just tell them “I’ll need to take you off the regular schedule”.

They are dead weight in this business. We don’t charge a lot of money because it’s a regular service. If they want an “as and when” then the price is Atleast 3x the monthly price.

The sooner you get rid of the dead weight the better.

Canvass canvass canvass.

[deeege]

It’s quite refreshing to see someone tell it how it really is being a new starter these days, without all the £400/£500 a day BS that they are all spouting over on FB.

[Spruce]

I think your prices must seem ok Tyler.

At £1 a window plus a bit more you won’t be far wrong. In fact, your prices might even be higher than mine.

There must be a reason why your not getting through enough work though.

Say for example, A 4 bed detached house;

Atleast 12 windows so say £12.
10 of those a day isn’t enough work to fill A day on a regular maintenance clean. For example in my work days, I can get through Atleast 3 of those in an hour taking it easy. 10 properties would be a morning’s work.

Is your work very spread out?

How many properties are you getting through a day?

It could be something as simple as you over cleaning.

I know it seems risky, but any customers who cancel on the day, just tell them “I’ll need to take you off the regular schedule”.

They are dead weight in this business. We don’t charge a lot of money because it’s a regular service. If they want an “as and when” then the price is Atleast 3x the monthly price.

The sooner you get rid of the dead weight the better.

Canvass canvass canvass.

I noticed this discrepancy with Gold's search of Tyler's previous posts and Tyler's comment here on this thread of his pricing structure. The 2 don't correlate.   

[dazmond]

I've been wondow cleaning 1 year with my dad. Went solo April 2019.

Worked my arse off for the last year and a bit to get my round to £1500 a month but I have £650 of monthly expenses. I work 3 days a week from 8.30 to 4 usually.

Haven't taken a day off since I started for my dad in 2018.

Recently the last 3 or 4 months ive just lost all joy with my business, I wouldnt say motivationg because I get up an go to work but I definetly don't enjoy it.

Fed up of dealing with chappy customers, late payers, customers who skip cleans, lack of money/new business.

Anybody else feel like this? I'm considering packing in as I just can't get in the groove. I feel more like an employee than a business owner.

Can anyone give me any pointers?

Rant over 😂

You need to spend more time building another round in a nicer area at better prices.....you also need to work at least 5 days a week on your cleaning business IMO......

Alongside the above I'd put all your existing work up a pound or two....if your any good you wont lose more than a handful.id also upsell existing jobs and offer to clean f/s/g,conny roofs,etc....

It takes many years to build up a great paying window cleaning round....you have to put the work in....

I work similar hours to you and turnover £45k+ a year with lower expenses.......but 12 years ago I was lucky to earn £18k a year trad!I'd lost all motivation and was seriously thinking of packing it in as I was so fed up of climbing ladders and cleaning underpriced work......

[Tyler Williams]

I think your prices must seem ok Tyler.

At £1 a window plus a bit more you won’t be far wrong. In fact, your prices might even be higher than mine.

There must be a reason why your not getting through enough work though.

Say for example, A 4 bed detached house;

Atleast 12 windows so say £12.
10 of those a day isn’t enough work to fill A day on a regular maintenance clean. For example in my work days, I can get through Atleast 3 of those in an hour taking it easy. 10 properties would be a morning’s work.

Is your work very spread out?

How many properties are you getting through a day?

It could be something as simple as you over cleaning.

I know it seems risky, but any customers who cancel on the day, just tell them “I’ll need to take you off the regular schedule”.

They are dead weight in this business. We don’t charge a lot of money because it’s a regular service. If they want an “as and when” then the price is Atleast 3x the monthly price.

The sooner you get rid of the dead weight the better.

Canvass canvass canvass.

I noticed this discrepancy with Gold's search of Tyler's previous posts and Tyler's comment here on this thread of his pricing structure. The 2 don't correlate.

My business prices are £1 a window plus a bit extra afterwards.

HOWEVER, to get started I bought work off a family friend who is a window cleaner and his prices were very low hence my previous post of the £5 a house. That was his work at his prices which is too low but unfortunately I need to work it in order to pay my bills.

If that makes sense?

[NBwcs]

"We had a window cleaner who had a beat up old Transit van"

Standard ciu stereotype for dodgy wc.,judge em by their vehicle
In my 16yrs window cleaning, the stand out "cowboys/liars/bullies" (delete as appropriate) I've encountered, have been driving newish sign written professional looking vans. Appearances can be very deceptive. (other than that a very good moral to your post Spruce,). I post as a driver of a  non sign written transit van which is getting more beat up by the year  .

[Tyler Williams]

I think your prices must seem ok Tyler.

At £1 a window plus a bit more you won’t be far wrong. In fact, your prices might even be higher than mine.

There must be a reason why your not getting through enough work though.

Say for example, A 4 bed detached house;

Atleast 12 windows so say £12.
10 of those a day isn’t enough work to fill A day on a regular maintenance clean. For example in my work days, I can get through Atleast 3 of those in an hour taking it easy. 10 properties would be a morning’s work.

Is your work very spread out?

How many properties are you getting through a day?

It could be something as simple as you over cleaning.

I know it seems risky, but any customers who cancel on the day, just tell them “I’ll need to take you off the regular schedule”.

They are dead weight in this business. We don’t charge a lot of money because it’s a regular service. If they want an “as and when” then the price is Atleast 3x the monthly price.

The sooner you get rid of the dead weight the better.

Canvass canvass canvass.

I get through 12 - 15 on usual days

I have a round i bought off another window cleaner that is severely underpriced and I go through about 20 houses on that day for the same money as I earn doing 12 😂

Houses are pretty spread out usually a 2-5 minute drive between houses so unpacking/packing can cause a big delay.

What is a good way of canvassing? I usually use our friend Green Pro Clean and his lead generation. Had amazing results off that

[Stoots]

12 to 15 isn't enough, I'm guessing you are pricing OK, as that equates to about £10 to £12 a house which is about the same as me. I don't know your location but up north that's decent, maybe you could get more than that I don't know...

But I have done 11 just this morning (and have stopped for a bacon butty) I will cruise to 20 jobs today and probably finish between 2/3.

It sounds like you don't have much money to throw at this other wise why not just invest heavily in the lead generation if it's working?

If you have little money to invest then you need to canvass, leaflet or advertise for free on the likes of Facebook, next door etc. Maybe learn how to make a website and seo and get it ranking etc.

You either need to invest time or money you can't do nothing and expect anything to change.

In hindsight you shouldn't have bought that round at £5 a pop but what's done is done.

If you are limited to 3 days and they are full the only thing you can do is find new work at proper prices and drop the lowest priced ones as you go, before you drop them give them the option to remain on at £10 a house (but doubling their prices will be unlikely to go down well but worth a punt if you are going to drop them anyway)

The doesn't happen overnight, when started out I could only do 10 a day because I was slower and work was more spread out but with continuous advertising dropping and replacing customers I've now got to the point where 20 plus a day is the norm and I'm not working much harder for it.

[Richard iSparkle]

12 to 15 isn't enough, I'm guessing you are pricing OK, as that equates to about £10 to £12 a house which is about the same as me. I don't know your location but up north that's decent, maybe you could get more than that I don't know...

But I have done 11 just this morning (and have stopped for a bacon butty) I will cruise to 20 jobs today and probably finish between 2/3.

It sounds like you don't have much money to throw at this other wise why not just invest heavily in the lead generation if it's working?

If you have little money to invest then you need to canvass, leaflet or advertise for free on the likes of Facebook, next door etc. Maybe learn how to make a website and seo and get it ranking etc.

You either need to invest time or money you can't do nothing and expect anything to change.

In hindsight you shouldn't have bought that round at £5 a pop but what's done is done.

If you are limited to 3 days and they are full the only thing you can do is find new work at proper prices and drop the lowest priced ones as you go, before you drop them give them the option to remain on at £10 a house (but doubling their prices will be unlikely to go down well but worth a punt if you are going to drop them anyway)

The doesn't happen overnight, when started out I could only do 10 a day because I was slower and work was more spread out but with continuous advertising dropping and replacing customers I've now got to the point where 20 plus a day is the norm and I'm not working much harder for it.

agreed.

we do 20-35 houses a day depending on the size and driving

15 houses is a mornings work. even with a 5 min drive in-between each

sounds like you're spending too long cleaning each house.

maybe you need to spend a day with a window cleaner with a really decent business and see how they operate. a lot of efficiency is  what you do when you are not on the glass. i suspect at your rate of work you are cleaning too long AND not efficient with all the other bits n pieces

[Dave Willis]

‘We’ or ‘I’ Richard?

[Ooooooog]

Think we do about twelve a day each. Seems about right.

[Richard iSparkle]

‘We’ or ‘I’ Richard?

I have done it. I dont do it much now. but can if i need to.

To work for me thats what they need to do

[Dave Willis]

One person, 35 houses a day. That’s impressive. Do you use a cattle prod?
5m driving between every job is what? 3hrs down time so in five hours you can clean 35 jobs?

[Richard iSparkle]

One person, 35 houses a day. That’s impressive. Do you use a cattle prod?

it depends on the rounds. some are easy rounds and 35 a day is fine.

put it this way, i would rather do one of our big rounds than our smaller number but big houses rounds...

i got trained by julie and carl at concept 20 near cardiff. they were brilliant at getting a really slick operation and i copied everything.

they were ahead of the game on DDs and everything. just very slick system

[NWH]

Tyler don’t even begin to think that you’ll be able to do 4/500 a day will you when you’ve been at this game 20 + years and no longer need to clean 20-25 houses a day and know what you are doing to a tee,it’s impossible and why do I know this because someone on here told me 🤣🤣🤣,you can take it as far as you want-need to with window cleaning get yourself to the point that you can work 2-3 days a week if need be and make way more than a weeks money doing something else,when you get to something like that the word “enjoy” will appear more in you’re posts 👍.

[Stoots]

35 is extremely impressive given up to 5 mins between houses. Im surprised they have the stamina for that i would be exhausted.

I can do about 25 if i work hard, with maybe a minute or 2 between houses and thought i was pretty fast. Mind you i only work till 3

What time do your guys start and finish Richard ?

[NWH]

This is my point entirely if you’ve been at this game for years you shouldn’t need to be cleaning that many houses a day 🤣,no wonder people who want a job don’t last getting put in the van with a collar on 🤣🤣🤣. 
I told you I could have a carve up and divide my work in to 3,I was cleaning that many houses a day 25 years ago lol sod that.