[Jay Le Huray]

So do you think that forums such as CIU give out too much information to newbies wanting to start up?

For example:
how the job is stress free
how much you are charging
how much you make per week
your hourly rate
equipment needed
where to get it from

ect, etc,

Firstly don't get me wrong because to me it makes no difference if we see more and more start ups and I'm semi retired and have enough work to keep me going until I pack up.

Let me explain in more details, this morning whilst out I saw yet another new van working that I've never seen before and I normally see at least 1 new start up per month.

Many years  ago in the 70's it was hard to get a window cleaner and you very rarely saw another one, these days there are about  6 different companies covering one estate, I used to clean an estate with about 200 hundred house on it and I was the only one on the estate, I had so much work in  those days I had to employ to others guys whom I would drop off at one end of the road
(they did not drive) with ladders etc and then I would start at the other end of the road and we would meet somewhere in the middle when all the jobs were done.

Now days it's a completely different game all together and my personally belief is because far too much info is available on these forums for all to see.   
What do you think, will it effect your future business?

[Smudger]

Thats what the forum is all about - helping and giving advice - if people don't like that mentality then leave the forum - don't bitch

Easy - Stress free ? - maybe for some but just as many struggle - depends on your goals and aspirations  - and like all forums - take 90% of what poured with a (large) pinch of salt  - ego's rule the threads - not is all as it seams
(example - I earn £400 a day easy - every day of the week - 2 weeks later - I cant afford a univalve its £32 - what's a cheaper option)
(I have another but im not going to embarrass this multi van operator)

Of course things change - wfp is safer and more people will try it, but the biggest factor in any business is customers - if you cant knock for work or cant sell a service then your dead in the water - the whole industry has pulled itself up 3 or 4 levels in service and quality (see Daz) if you don't adapt then you die.

To offset more windy's there is a lot more houses and IME fewer and fewer people will do them themselves - although covid may have brought a blip to this trend

The other question is are the younger generation keen to have windows cleaned ? - most new customers are in there 40's +++

Young 'uns defo go for s/f/g washes etc... but not so much reg windows

Darran

[Jay Le Huray]

Thats what the forum is all about - helping and giving advice - if you don't like that mentality then leave the forum - don't bitch

Easy - Stress free ? - maybe for some but just as many struggle - depends on your goals and aspirations  - and like all forums - take 90% of what poured with a (large) pinch of salt  - ego's rule the threads - not is all as it seams
(example - I earn £400 a day easy - every day of the week - 2 weeks later - I cant afford a univalve its £32 - what's a cheaper option)
(I have another but im not going to embarrass this multi van operator)

Of course things change - wfp is safer and more people will try it, but the biggest factor in any business is customers - if you cant knock for work or cant sell a service then your dead in the water - the whole industry has pulled itself up 3 or 4 levels in service and quality (see Daz) if you don't adapt then you die.

To offset more windy's there is a lot more houses and IME fewer and fewer people will do them themselves - although covid may have brought a blip to this trend

The other question is are the younger generation keen to have windows cleaned ? - most new customers are in there 40's +++

Young 'uns defo go for s/f/g washes etc... but not so much reg windows

Darran

who's bitching ? not me if you take the time to read the entire thread you would have seen that I said it makes no difference to me, I'm merely seeing how the other guys on this forum feel about, so perhaps next time read the entire thread before leaving negative comments 

[Dry Clean]

If anything the opposite, once these forum inspired newbies get slapped with the reality they seldom last, its the amount of people who start and quit in this game that make customers reluctant to shop around.

[dazmond]

the forums have been a massive help to me .....i didnt know cleaners could earn £200 a day when i joined back in 2009,i was living in a strange twilight zone and badly needed some help,guidance and a way forward into a better,more profitable business.....and its happened for me bit by bit over the years as ive applied myself and gained confidence to compact my work and charge higher prices and invest in better equipment and make myself more professional.....

[Smudger]

Did I direct my comment at you ?

No, I pointed out my feeling on why this forum is here - those that think it is hurting their biz and bitch about it need to o and get a life

Darran

[Smudger]

the forums have been a massive help to me .....i didnt know cleaners could earn £200 a day when i joined back in 2009,i was living in a strange twilight zone and badly needed some help,guidance and a way forward into a better,more profitable business.....and its happened for me bit by bit over the years as ive applied myself and gained confidence to compact my work and charge higher prices and invest in better equipment and make myself more professional.....

Well said Daz - you have benefitted and excelled due to this forum.

Likewise I've had many help me 11 years ago - I stay here to return that favour where ever possible

Darran

[Smudger]

There you go modded the post - hopefully that's a bit clearer on what I said

Darran

[Ortsa]

Most businesses start and fail, window cleaning is no different. It's just the failures aren't posting on this forum.

[Bungle]

Most businesses start and fail, window cleaning is no different. It's just the failures aren't posting on this forum.

You have a point there.

[robbo333]

There's a massive difference between reading this forum, and actually getting out there and doing it...
...and sticking with it!
Fair play to anyone who starts up and makes a good go of it.
I don't think this forum makes a lot of difference (in terms of newbies). There's Facebook, Youtube, all kinds of places they can find the info they need.
Personally, I don't think this forum is any threat to my business, from people starting up.
In fact I welcome them where I live. It gives me someone to palm all the crap off onto. 

[NWH]

It’s true what Darren mentioned many new customers in there 40s aren’t so keen to pay top money  on a regular basis,those that have the next generation up will be better off with a mixture of both.
25-30 years ago you could easily build this business to any level you wanted 10-20 x harder these days just to get a decent route of work for 1 person.

[jonboywalton75]

There's a massive difference between reading this forum, and actually getting out there and doing it...
...and sticking with it!
Fair play to anyone who starts up and makes a good go of it.
I don't think this forum makes a lot of difference (in terms of newbies). There's Facebook, Youtube, all kinds of places they can find the info they need.
Personally, I don't think this forum is any threat to my business, from people starting up.
In fact I welcome them where I live. It gives me someone to palm all the crap off onto. 

+1 from me

[jonboywalton75]

I joined this forum after15 years as a window cleaner but to change to wfp

[Rob.Hall]

We all started somewhere.
I loved it when we were all in the inventive stage. Everyone used to be at it.
Making light poles..fitting out vans youself... Great 😁.
This forum was great for that.

[NWH]

There’s many people about trying to get work by under cutting other cleaners for a few quid it’s sad really there’s a guy I know about always says he’s got plenty of work I only work so I can treat the wife etc I only work 1 day a week,he goes out most days that’s the funny thing knocks on doors offering to clean for less than the guy that’s already doing them.
It never pays to let a load of other cleaners know what you earn and where you work and what you charge for certain properties,you think you know people then you don’t.

[H2GoKent]

I think the forum is useful.
If I need advice I'll come on here and have a look around or ask, and have always given a couple of bits of advice whenever I've used the forum, like a quid pro quo kind of thing.

It always makes me smile when people wallet wave or try and make others feel small on here. We all do a similar job and we all do how much we want to or don't want to.
Everyone has their way or working so it can be useful to see how others think, but it always a mistake to assume you know better than a guy because he disagrees with you.
Window cleaning is a great job in a lot of ways, ultimately flexible so you can work anywhere from 1 day a week to 7 days.
You can be a young go getter, a comfortable middle aged bloke like me, or an old guy just earning a bit of money to top up his pension
I don't tend to share what I charge as I have my own price structure
If someone undercuts they soon fill up their time and personally I don't want customers who buy on price alone, you'll work yourself to death for nothing looking after people like that.
I'm always open to the idea that someone else might know something I don't it makes life interesting to keep learning 

[jonboywalton75]

I saw this video https://youtu.be/SQkRrHBSoB8


It helped me to be even more confident of how much our services are worth
I quoted £100 for a house that I would've charged maybe £60 for not so long ago
She didn't bat an eyelid before accepting the price
It is Cheshire though 😂

[harleyman]

Pointless

[Mark Dee]

I am researching and dont clean anything.


There is so much information on this site that if noone ever posted again there are answers to virtually every question a cleaner could possibly have. You have to take the trouble and time to find it, but its all on here.

With any business it takes a certain type of person to succeed at it, the knowledge is important but there are other much more important factors that go to achieving success. Drive, determination and hard work cant be "learnt" on a forum, without those personality traits all the available knowledge is wasted.

The internet has created a generation of "want it now" business wannabes who dont, on the whole, have any idea of the amount of work and sacrifice that goes into creating/building anything successful. They dont realise that the successful posters here have built  what they have over many years and in many instances have done without to get to where they want to be.

99 % plus, of us new members will crash and burn without even lifting a pole never mind reaching 12 months of cleaning. The only bonus is, we can talk the  window cleaner talk  down the pub ie how much money you can make and how really really unlucky we, the unsuccessful, were. Covid, brexit, house prices going up/down and any other excuse as to why they werent to blame for their own failings.

My opinion is, dont worry about whats posted here, the information is no use to most of the new members because they arent prepared to do the work required to use it.

Mark