[Oakley Windows]

This idea of still having your very first customer from when you began is a mistake unless you nailed how to price from day one.

I didnt say that.


This is your first post Ewan on this site

Hello all.

 Left my job to go self employed as a full time Window Cleaner last April.

Need help on, trying to work out should I base my Hourly rate on 24 - 30 hours cleanning only per week?(based in the Midlands). What would be a the lowest rate for me to cover all expenses and make success of building a small business.
(or survive the 1st year).

All comments welcome.  Thanks

I assume from that post that you started window cleaning April 2007. How many months is that?

[elite mike]

matts on the ball this morning

[craig b]

ewan i need do this my self....take some of your own advice you give to others..and follow through...

[matt]

what a post

so now it seems that ewan isnt the success he has lead us to belive

year 2 i was stacked out with work, i bought the work from a guy who was retiring and a guy who was going back home to oz, infact i was at that point after about 6 months, the prices are good enough, was i lucky or just plain lazy ( to be in the right place at the right time ) ive since filled in the rounds, put flyers / said good morning to the houses in the spaces of the houses i didnt do on the street i did

im not sure why i get the sly digs off you as from where im sat with my well paid, compact round, ive done ok

my turning point was at 10.00 the day i started as a favour to my mother in law's partener, he had broke his arm and leg on a skateboard, i was still doing carpentry, i had a kitchen to fit that week, i fitted that and then helped him out as he was concearned he would lose his work, i was just going to help him out and then when he was back to fittness i would wave goodbuy and get on with my carpentry work, we started at about 9 ish and i allways stopped in the building for a 10.00 break ( along with lunch at 1 and a cuppa at 3 ) i had cleaned 1 house in about 45 mins ( trad work ), not bad to be honest, 10 quid in 45 mins trad, considering i had never done it before even if i say so myself
anyways, 10.00 came i stopped, i thought to myself, what a stress free job, next house the ladder slipped on me ( on a slab ) and that was it, i got a canvas tool bag and filled it with sand, it was allways my " foot "

so i guess my turning point was at 10.00 that first day, i decided i might like this, that same week i bumped into a guy who was planning to retire, job done, i had 3/4 of a round, it was established since the houses were built in the 60's, passed on from 1 guy to the next who i got it off

tools, poles, cars, vans, brushs, they are just tools of the game, i would like to say that another turning point was my RT Zen-flex, its certainly made my life alot easier, not sure a turning point, but certainly a plus point

[Jeff Brimble]

When I started to take pro-active decisions AND CARRY THEM OUT !! based on advancing the welfare of my business and take steps that produced real, noticeable and tangible results (such as designing and developing my website, buying and sign-writing van, going WFP, producing professional looking flyers and using them)

What percentage of work do you get from your new website, someones just offered to build me a 5 page flash site for £550 plus vat ?

[peter holley]

ewan , dont just get rid of customers, try adjusting the price first, and then drop them if they wont play....

[Mike 108]

 i got a canvas tool bag and filled it with sand, it was allways my " foot "

I like that!

I don't do much ladder work now, but I'll bet that bag of sand was even better than a 'Rojac' ladder stop.

[matt]

 i got a canvas tool bag and filled it with sand, it was allways my " foot "

I like that!

I don't do much ladder work now, but I'll bet that bag of sand was even better than a 'Rojac' ladder stop.

it wieghed a fair bit, never moved a inch to be honest

[ftp]

After two years you should be settled in the job with as much work as you can handle i would have thought. Turning point? - never had one since i started the job.

[Oakley Windows]

When I started to take pro-active decisions AND CARRY THEM OUT !! based on advancing the welfare of my business and take steps that produced real, noticeable and tangible results (such as designing and developing my website, buying and sign-writing van, going WFP, producing professional looking flyers and using them)

What percentage of work do you get from your new website, someones just offered to build me a 5 page flash site for £550 plus vat ?

Jeff I wouldnt say so far its got me a good deal. I am near enough the top of the list on various google search terms, particularly those I am trying to target.

The work comes in from it, 2 this week. One an £85.00 job every 12 weeks and a £20.00 every 6 weeks.

The £85.00 job is in my books a prestigious little number. Close Royal connections. Very pleased with that.

I did my web-page myself Jeff, no cost there, somewhere around £5.00 a month to host it.

www.oakleywindowcleaning.co.uk

[ftp]

After two years you should be settled in the job with as much work as you can handle i would have thought. Turning point? - never had one since i started the job.

I agree, but don’t mean the work you have couldn’t be better.

As for having no noticeable dates or advancement in building your business, maybe you haven’t achieved much in two years that could have been in a few weeks.
   

The usual arrogant answer from you Ewan as always, i think you need help.

[ftp]

My business has been improving steadily all the time, i priced fairly well at the start and still have 90% of my original customers, i have add ons such as conservatory cleaning and gutter vacuuming as well as full exterior cleans so i don't need a turning point, just steady work and a comfortable income. What more could i want?

[matt]

After two years you should be settled in the job with as much work as you can handle i would have thought. Turning point? - never had one since i started the job.

I agree, but don’t mean the work you have couldn’t be better.

As for having no noticeable dates or advancement in building your business, maybe you haven’t achieved much in two years that could have been in a few weeks.
   

so you are still looking for work and you havent acheived much, yet you still feel you have the right to have another of your " digs" at ftp

its statement like that, thet imply your a huge success, yet in this thread you have admitted your not

i guess ego's are strange things

[simonwonder]

when all else has failed to produce the results have now redesigned flyers and stopped trying to do everything myself
new year coming and a friend helping with flyer distribution
and a wife who until now hasn't really helped , now helping with typing up off most of the paperwork due to me suffering from tennis elbow.
have now re thought strategy and having recently gained a £300 a month contract  can now move forward  .
now gaining more custom from all avenues .
long may it continue .
what  down turn ?

may i wish everyone a fantastic christmas and a very prosperous new year

regards
simon

[ftp]

Ewan, your trouble is you put up a post (you've done it several times) asking a question about someones buisiness. They reply quite innocently and then you jump on them telling them they've got it all wrong, they don't know what they are talking about and they know nothing about business you then proceed to lecture them on how to do it, when it turns out you know very little about your own. Do you wonder why you are often described as a troll?

  .......... aparently if you put a row of these at the end you can say what you like. 

[craig b]

levels of succsess is measured on personal level..
if you acheive what you set out to.. that is a succsess..
i always wanted to be my own boss i acheived that.
i wanted two vans working i acheived that..(so i could do less work)
its what you get out of it for yourself..
next goal me not working...and retire when iam 45
34 now....

[Paul Coleman]

After two years you should be settled in the job with as much work as you can handle i would have thought. Turning point? - never had one since i started the job.

That was roughly the way it was for me too.  Two years to get a fullish workload.  That was without any customer culling though (except for a very few really awful ones who I wouldn't work for if they were the last custies on earth).

[ftp]

What's the point in turning work away if you have the capacity to do it? It's not the price that's really important it's the quality. £25.00 job that takes an hour or a £5.00 job that takes five minutes?
I don't know best and i'm not particularly strong on diy either.

[matt]

After two years you should be settled in the job with as much work as you can handle i would have thought. Turning point? - never had one since i started the job.

I agree, but don’t mean the work you have couldn’t be better.

As for having no noticeable dates or advancement in building your business, maybe you haven’t achieved much in two years that could have been in a few weeks.
   

so you are still looking for work and you havent acheived much, yet you still feel you have the right to have another of your " digs" at ftp

its statement like that, thet imply your a huge success, yet in this thread you have admitted your not

i guess ego's are strange things

I have achieved a lot so far and I will always be looking for new work.

You and a few others are always looking to comment in a negative way, you just don’t like it when you get some of your own treatment back.

No one who is just a sole trader is going to be a huge success; it’s just a question of achieving the max earnings at that level, many have said it could take up to 4-5 years if you are able to do it, obviously now according to you and others it doesn’t, but I disagree I think it does take a few years.

I don’t think you or the others have or know how, after all it’s not rocket science.

As for egos I don’t brag, you do all the time and when you here of others successes you complain that they are bragging.

Even a very simple topic like this, you having trouble with, says it all really.

I haven’t done any DIY but I could list everything that I have achieved but that’s not what the thread is about, then you will only say you are bragging.

you mention i brag, its mainly either defending myself / showing that im not some down and out part time window cleaner, or and this is mainly the reason, its just in discussion, then again, its nice to see you think im bragging, must mean something is right with my biz / life eh

this is a simple topic, you have asked me for my turning point, ive told you, yet you still think my reply doesnt have intellectual content ? ? ? ?, it doesnt say it all, your question has been answered by me, so what part of it am i having trouble with ? ? ? ?

you can come on here and spout your sales / marketing qouta's, it doesnt impress many, now we learn you have been at is a tomato season and you need more work

[peter holley]

ewan ....just wondered...how old are you? do you live at home with your parents?