[williamx]

i agree with wfp being quicker and ALOT safer,i really do think wfp are great,but i really dont think this guy has a spare £500 lieing around,and a backpack is no good really,they last 15mins top and youhave to keep refilling em,wastes time and it alot of faffing,if your gunna go in2 wfp you may aswell go in properly and buy a full system,this guy dunt have a clue about window cleaning,and starting out trad,its a nice easy stressfull way to feel your way in2 the buisness,then you can save money and buy a wfp system when your ready and financially stable  like we sed b4 diffent people have different views,becoz weve all had different experiences and so on,i agree with most of the stuff you say and i respect your views coz you obviously have a good tidy buisness goin and thats sumot to be respected and to be proud of,i was jus thinkin in this guys situation that trad is the best way,and im sure he'l be glad he's chosen to do it that way 

best wishes
wayne

How much do you think that a newbie will spend going the ladder route??? compared with only spending £500 via the wfp way..



I am a professional window cleaner and without bragging or telling lies, I have at least £1000 of work to complete every week.

For the last 2 weeks, I have had to use a small car and a backpack and I have found that the backpack has not cost me any extra in time of flaffing about as you said, in fact I have learnt that it is far quicker than using the van mounted  system on quite a few of the properties I do, including commercial.

[dazmond]

if i was you pal i would start trad first and get ladders and a trad pole.u could easily spend £500 on trad gear but it"d be money well spent.in my opinion there are still quite a lot of windows on some properties that u cant reach with wfp!flat roofs,over garages etc and u would learn the basics.

if i were u i would work for another window cleaner doing downstairs for a few months and see if u like it.not a lot stick at it to be honest.

some of the wfpolers on ere think wfp is the main tool to clean windows!not anywhere near as many as trad cleaners on domestics!a lot of people dont even know what a wfp is?

ladder mitts/ladderstopper a must as well.i do very well with a trad round but im well established.i will be adding wfp later on this year though!

[Nathanael Jones]

Well I could spend £500 on trad gear easily enough if I was just starting!

I was thinking the same thing. Ladders (Decent ladders) aren't cheap, and cheap ladders often aren't safe,.. add in the scrims, squeegee's, applicator, spare rubber, spare mop sleeves, BOAB & bucket, GG3, pouch, scraper & spare blades (Get a waiver signed), trad poles, wagtail (Yes, it is an essential bit of kit!) etc etc and you're easy reaching £500.
Granted you'll need trad gear too eventually, but there's a few on here that are wfp only and seem to manage quite well.

[1wayno]

£500 quid on trad gear,if you were buyin gear made of gold maybe lol youdont need a wagtail,u dont need trad poles,most cleaners use fairy liquid,i jus think trad is best way to start despite the argument about prices for trad and wfp gear. but youve chose trad and i think you'l be happy youve made that choice 

[bobby p]

£150 absolute tops would get you a good titan ladder+scrim+wagtail flipper+bucket+a harris pole 6metre+ w5 washin up liquid 


 

[JRDEasiReach]

Thanks guys, all very helpfull, prob try to find a right price to chaged, and get me tools etc, then lots of knoking on doors locally,

m8 you say you are on the dole?  well if you can get onto a local Go for it programme that will give you the first steps into starting up a business, some of it you wont need but it does no harm in having that knowledge, I know in NI it only takes 4 weeks, 2 nights a week to go through it and if you can get access to the Princes Trust they can offer you a loan of up to 4k.

[dazmond]

personally i think trad poles are a must for sole trad window cleaners for awkward windows and ones above wet decking/gravel etc.a lot safer.last year i spent £600 on new trad gear!

3.5 metre trade 2 section ladders/small A frame single pointer

10 metre teleplus pole(5 section)/small 2 metre pole(2 section)

various scrims/microfibres/t mops/swivel squeegys/spare rubbers/sleeves etc

full belt system(pouches/b.o.ab,bottle holder,personal bag etc)

ladder mitts/rojak ladderstopper

[cozy]

Some good advice on this thread, Jackal gave a good link though, never mind the choice of WFP or Trad, check out the website http://www.windowcleaningcoach.com/

Save you a load of hassle mate. Good luck and get yourself a set of fighting gloves, so later you can come on here and threaten people about whether WFP or Trad is better. It's not important which way you go and how many custies you have, you just have to argue well about WFP Vs TRAD !!

Ofcourse, you could always get a proper job

[rg1]

we started a few months back using traditional concentrated on bungelows so everything was low level so we didnt need to but ladders after a few months we brought a backpack from wcw and a pole second hand to reach 3 floors  and a brush from ebay and a few fittings etc the set up was about 200 quid inc containers etc
the water we buy locally until we purchase a ro system in the near future
every few weeks we add to the system
it worked ok for us
just invest a few quid back into the business every week and good luck

try the citizens advice they may help as grants may be avaliable

I remember when you first posted on here to say you had just started wc.

Just out of curiosity, how many custys have you got now?

[JRDEasiReach]

I think if you unemployed claiming benefits, you can go self employed for six months and still claim all your benefits, but the money you earn has to be recorded go into a bank account and you will need permission to use it, (or the cheques counter signed), not sure of all the details but it is worth having a talk with them. After the six months you have to make a decision on weather to sign off benefits and go it alone or fold the business (if there is one) and remain on benefits.

Good luck

ewan this is right, its sometimes called 'test trading' and you can be on other benefits to avail of this too, means you dont have to take the plunge full pelt and it gives you a safely net for 26 weeks.

[Nathanael Jones]

Cheaper than ladders guys:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140369378728&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT