[Ian Lancaster]

......as a career/job??

In my case, it sort of chose me.  I was a youngster in the late 60's and had a succession of jobs in offices, doing buying, production control, stock control etc etc and getting bored/sacked/re-employed in a soul destroying cycle.  A friend was a window cleaner in London, doing schools for one of the many firms operating at that time - just turn up, do the job, get the docket signed and get paid.  I was in one of my "just been sacked and not found anything else yet" periods and he took me with him for a day to see what it was like.  I liked it   For the first few months the sheer delight of no boss and the physical exertion coupled with the exhibitionism (no ladders - we climbed out of the windows and stood on the sills ) outweighed the drop in income.

After a year of so the penny dropped that I didn't have to give part of my hard earned to some desk jockey just for pointing me at the work, so I started my first round. 

That would have been about 1969 I think.

I've tried several other things in the meantime, but always come back to window cleaning.

I retire in December so I reckon I've done my share!!

[supernova77]

Thats a great story Ian

I was in IT for 10 years and just got bored of working in an office day in day out - So for me I chose window cleaning for the freedom and flexibility.

When you retire what are you going to do with your rounds? Do you have a buyer? Are you passing it all on to someone?

Andy

[Dean Aspects]

When l moved to Scotland my pal was a window cleaner and just for something to do i went with him ended up buying his round off him for £100  left it for a while to manage a record shop but the old boy that owned it was a pervert so decided to leave and start up again that was only 14 years ago it took me til a couple of years ago to realise i was a busy fool so im slowly changing things around i have to or i wont be a window cleaner in 14 days time never mind another 14 years

[windolene]

Hi,

I was ducking & diving & moved to a new address. The old boy across the road was a window cleaner, I used to watch him load up in the mornings & be back at home for lunch having finished.

I thought I,ll have some of that. That was 25 years back. He retired at the age of 80 something & passed his shop round to me. I pop around to see him twice a year & put him up to speed with his past customers.


Kevin WINDOLENE.

[matt]

life style choice 

people have heard my story and ive often discussed it

[Ian Lancaster]

When you retire what are you going to do with your rounds? Do you have a buyer? Are you passing it all on to someone?

Andy

Sorry Andy

As many on here will know, I've developed my business over the last three years or so and turned it into a franchised organisation so that when I retire I will still have franchisees working and paying royalties

Otherwise I would have had to work till I dropped.

[chuggers]

The Glamour

[cozy]

I haven't got as good a story as Ian, Left the army in 85 and stayed in Germany. Went driving trucks around Germany till I found 1 going from Tunisia /Germany, fantastic pay and long waiting times in Tunisia. So could doss on the beach all day for a few days every trip.

Did that for a couple of years, then my mate had started doing milkround/window cleaning round for the squaddies. Went out with him a day to have a look, didn't believe the stories of what he earned. What a shock I got.

Next day, typed out some leaflets with his help, went calling a couple of days later, bang, a round set up. Got all big headed when it took off and got "Mr Holliwood" about my turnover. Then branched out into comercial. That's when I started to see what work was. 2 and 3 thousand square meter schools etc.

Started to get bored and let my domestics fall away. Lost interest after 12 years and went back to driving trucks all over europe. Then realised what I had before and started again from scratch a few years ago. Best decision i ever made when you look at the economy now.

Love being my own boss and beating the dozy competition over here. They still think the future is in big com' jobs. The Germans aren't geared up to build domestic rounds like you lot, so makes it easier for me to get them.

All together, I have been in this game about 16 years full time and always had kept some custies even when I was driving, did them at weekends etc. I am now unemployable, and it's great.

I used to have a big chip on my shoulder about being a window cleaner for the first years,but now I don't give a toss about all these IT bods I meet on the job as I go through their offices cleaning windows. I think some still think, "Oh W/C, must be too stupid to do anything else". Yep, too stupid, but home usually by 3 and bank manageress (1 Of my custies by the way) thinks my business  is healthy.

It would have helped me a great deal if the internet was up and running when I started. Things like this forum help me realise that you lot are out there the same as me. We all go through the same crap as all the others, some more some less, but it helps alot to read what you bods put on here.

Even though there are 1 or 2 plonkers now and then

[Oakley Windows]

My mate was a window-cleaner, one day I went round his house and he'd bought a new telly, because he said in his words 'when I woke up this morning I fancied a new telly'

I liked the thought of being able to buy something when you wanted to, I'd never been able to do that in any job I'd had before.

[Oakley Windows]

Even though there are 1 or 2 plonkers now and then

So did you know I was about to post on here then

[LWC]

My dad did it...my grandad did it...simple 

I was doing it in summer holidays at school since i was about 15, 24 now and still love it, i must admit i do have my momments but i just forget how lucky i am sometimes. No one to answer to means alot to me.

Started off on ladders about 18 properly, fell off twice in 2 years lol, too keen. So got WFP and never looked back and am nice and safe now.

[windowswashed]

Left army after 9 years doing welding jobs up and down this country but wanted to settle down properly, get a mortgage and start a family.
Temporarily worked for someone else window cleaning for 3 months as a stop gap job until a better welding job come along and realised the potential working self employed so decided to work for myself instead when I had the opportunity to buy a very small round that was barely established and built it up though perserverance and time.

[mark dew]

Came back after a few years abroad and drifted around like a leaf in the wind. Worked in a factory as an agency worker (having a week off every few weeks to avoid making me permanent), but my head wasn't into it.
Girlfriend suggested window cleaning in 2004 and it sounded good to me.
Knocked some leaflets up and put an add in a parish magazine. Started getting work come in and away we went.
Like matt it is a life style job. Within a year or so after finding this and pros forum, realised i wanted quality over quantity.
This suits me and this stage of my life.

[cozy]

Even though there are 1 or 2 plonkers now and then

So did you know I was about to post on here then

No mate, you know em

[Martin-Swinscoe]

whilst been a postman way back in 2006, my mrs asked,nagged,bullied me into cleaning our windows. I got an old car windscreen ice scraper (the ones with a bit of foam on) borrowed an old pair of wooden ladders and then set about doing my windows. as i was up top a women walked past "ooooh a window cleaner can you come and do mine?" so when i done mine off i set to do hers.............
          about 2 weeks later i had a knock on the front door "you did my friends windows a couple of weeks ago could you do mine if possible?". I still do there windows to this day and at the same price
      years later i have a customer base of about 400ish and employ 2 young lads.
thank the lord my mrs cussed me, thank the lord that women walked past at that precise time, thank the lord for window cleaning  

[R W C]

Stumbled accross this forum and saw lots of "how much do you earn" etc posts so I joined the club 

[martinsadie]

my dad cleaned ,my uncle cleaned must be in the genes 

[ftp]

Brain surgery seemed to be in decline, and since I was already fully trained in rocket science it seemed the most natural thing to do.

[Window Washers]

I have always had a problem with people telling me what to do, and have always made my own money, 9/5 was never going to be my bag I found that out when I was a chef when I was 15, had to top up my wage with car washing at weekends. few business deal I got tucked up on for large amounts of money, so went with window cleaning as I liked the challenge of something new.

Ian Lancaster when you retire you should write a book, would be fasinating to read..

[Clive McDonald]

hmmm, some are born wc, some become wc's, and some have wc thrust upon them. I figured it out that if i charged so much and did so many i could make X, then if i did that five days a week and so on.

So it's a bit annoying to me that so many of you just fell into it. The early days for me were very hard- physicaly because i was past my best- and mentaly because it's a humbling experience starting a round from scratch when you are actually quite successful at something else.

I do seem to quite like it now- but i don't wear any of that own boss or lifestyle bunkum, lot's of trades have that and the money's better.What i like is that mostly it's a real stretch for me. I could have done without this credit crunch though.