[jo5hm4n]

This is mainly aimed at those of you who are still running a window cleaning business but completely off the tools and just making important decisions for the business and letting office staff run the schedules and then the window cleaners doing all their own work.  Basically almost retired just getting passive income from the business doing as little as is possible mainly important decision making etc.

Is anyone on here doing this?  If so how is it working out for you.

For health reasons im looking to possibly fast track semi retirement in the next few years and wondering how viable it would be to have between 5-8 vans out, staff cleaning windows and then an office manager on a good wage to run and take care of all day to days with another member of staff to help with admin etc.  I know its possible but i just want to know if anyone on here is already doing this and if so how is it working out for them.

Cheers

[Lee Pryor]

Yep. Been exactly that way for a while. Works out fine.

[Stoots]

Thing is although you may be physically retired you won't be mentally retired.

It can be just as draining and stressful sat at home as doing the work yourself, infact usually more so as I'm sure you are aware.

Can you ever really retire if you have a business ? I don't believe so.

[jo5hm4n]

Yep. Been exactly that way for a while. Works out fine.

Hi Lee, good to hear from you on here.  I seen lately your taking lots more holidays and time away from the business etc.  So it would seem you are finally enjoying yourself and time off and letting the business take care of itself.  That is great to hear that its working on a big scale with the amount of vans you have etc 

[jo5hm4n]

Thing is although you may be physically retired you won't be mentally retired.

It can be just as draining and stressful sat at home as doing the work yourself, infact usually more so as I'm sure you are aware.

Can you ever really retire if you have a business ? I don't believe so.

You are right you can never truly retire.  But i do believe you can get to a point where if you pay a very very good wage to a manager to deal with all the day to day BS and small/medium sized business issues they can take of all of that, and you just deal with the real important issues when the pop up once a month and every couple months.  I do think doing this you could almost achieve a level of retirement.  Maybe just a couple hours per week doing important tasks but thats about it.  My only issue is trying to figure out how many vans you would need to achieve this at minimum level.  Im thinking somewhere between 5-8 vans at lower end, or 10+ vans higher end retirement.

As i say just an idea at this stage mate.  The way i see it is, ill either plan to build the business then sell it off, or build the business and pay manager/staff to just run day to day and take an income passively.

Basically i just want an end goal 2-5 years from now.  Dont want to just keep things ticking over forever, rather actually plan some kind of exit strategy so i can get out down the line.

[Lee Pryor]

Well it’s completely possible as I’m doing exactly as you have described. In reality it depends how much you want to earn while doing this as to how many vans and staff etc. you would most definitely need a minimum of 2 office staff, perhaps more like 3 as it won’t be great for the person sat alone dealing with everything when the other is on a week holiday or leaves altogether. So to achieve 3 office staff and pay yourself a decent wage it’s probably more like 12 vans.

[Splash & dash]

Well it’s completely possible as I’m doing exactly as you have described. In reality it depends how much you want to earn while doing this as to how many vans and staff etc. you would most definitely need a minimum of 2 office staff, perhaps more like 3 as it won’t be great for the person sat alone dealing with everything when the other is on a week holiday or leaves altogether. So to achieve 3 office staff and pay yourself a decent wage it’s probably more like 12 vans.

It’s not the number of vans that’s important it’s the amount of money each van is making each day , better off with 6 vans  doing a grand per day  than 12 vans doing  five hundred a day , less overheads  equals more profit .

[Lee Pryor]

Well that goes without saying doesn’t it. Realistically vans won’t be doing £1000 a day. Will they. 400-500 will cover it. He asked the question and I’m one of if not the only person doing exactly that. So if you’re doing exactly that then tell him what you think is required to achieve that goal.

[Splash & dash]

Well that goes without saying doesn’t it. Realistically vans won’t be doing £1000 a day. Will they. 400-500 will cover it. He asked the question and I’m one of if not the only person doing exactly that. So if you’re doing exactly that then tell him what you think is required to achieve that goal.

It’s is possible to do that and half as much again we do it not every day of the week but a few days a month on commercial work starting at 8:30 finished by 15.00 . As for domestic the day rate is always going to be less but 400-600 per day is not difficult to achieve  and I dont run an operation like yours , problem with more staff and vans is the overheads are much greater better off with less vans and much more profitable work .
One of the only persons doing it lol you are a dreamer 😂😂😂😂😂

[High-Tower]

You are both talking poop.

[Splash & dash]

You are both talking poop.

Just because you cannot do something doesn't mean it cannot be done

[Lee Pryor]

If you say so…..

[Lee Pryor]

I wonder if you can ever have a useful conversation on here and try to give genuine advice from actual experience without it going like this? Tell the man the answer to his question and a total stranger who knows nothing about me tells me I’m talking poop. Amazing.

[Splash & dash]

I wonder if you can ever have a useful conversation on here and try to give genuine advice from actual experience without it going like this? Tell the man the answer to his question and a total stranger who knows nothing about me tells me I’m talking poop. Amazing.

Ime still on the tools and not looking to do what he’s asking ,but am in a position to give him the advise  on how to maximise profits per van per day , this will give him far higher profits for way less vans ,staff and overheads ,  depending ware in the country you are will have an impact on potential earnings but £400-600 isn’t difficult to achieve per day on domestic and 1 to 1.5 k per day on commercial is certainly possible we have been doing that since 2004  so if he wants to semi retire on a decent wage with minimal overhead s that would be my recommendation s ,not that I have anyware near your experience or size of business,I am happy to stay at the level ime at  I don’t wish to expand further . There is more than one way to run a very profitable business.

[AuRavelling79]

I wonder if you can ever have a useful conversation on here and try to give genuine advice from actual experience without it going like this? Tell the man the answer to his question and a total stranger who knows nothing about me tells me I’m talking poop. Amazing.

Why are you amazed? This is Cleanitup. 

[anderclean]

"depending ware in the country you are will have an impact on potential earnings but £400-600 isn’t difficult to achieve per day on domestic... "


so 4 to 6 hundred per van on domestic !

is this one man per van or two ?

[AuRavelling79]

It also depends what amount of business income is aimed for.

I could come off the tools and have someone employed in my van to do my round. But my business monthly 'income' might be 5k turnover with say £1,500 profit for me. I'd still have to manage the round and maybe cover holidays.

If I had five vans I might extrapolate that but need a unit and so my profit after expenses would be less per van. I'd probably need admin help if I didn't want to spend too much time on admin, payroll, tax etc. Maybe a 'pool' van too. Maybe I would clear 4k/5k a month for myself but not be completely free of input and the need to replenish vehicles every several years.

Now if I had ten vans I might be able to take some folding money out but now I would need a manager to insulate me from it all so I don't know what my personal loot would be?

[AuRavelling79]

You are both talking poop.

So why don't you educate us with your experience and suggestions?

[AuRavelling79]

Well that goes without saying doesn’t it. Realistically vans won’t be doing £1000 a day. Will they. 400-500 will cover it. He asked the question and I’m one of if not the only person doing exactly that. So if you’re doing exactly that then tell him what you think is required to achieve that goal.

And there is the bit that shows the makings of an achilles' heel?

[jo5hm4n]

Well it’s completely possible as I’m doing exactly as you have described. In reality it depends how much you want to earn while doing this as to how many vans and staff etc. you would most definitely need a minimum of 2 office staff, perhaps more like 3 as it won’t be great for the person sat alone dealing with everything when the other is on a week holiday or leaves altogether. So to achieve 3 office staff and pay yourself a decent wage it’s probably more like 12 vans.

Good thinking here it makes sense to have more office staff and split the duties between them.  I would probably aim for this.  I have a few other investments that bring some passive income and i live up north so living costs are lower too so i dont need as much of an income from the business.  I think initially i would try and aim for 6-8 vans to see if its possible at the lower level and if it works i could always increase vans until i hit that sweet spot if needed.  I think you did that.  I remember at one point you said you were going to stop growing at £1 million but im guessing you decided to carry on growing