window cleaning business

[Dedicated37]

My friend and I are starting a window cleaning business. He has been cleaning windows for 3 years for another company and wants to have his own. We are planning on working together for the first bit and then if we start to get busy we are planning on hiring 1st or 2nd year university students. We hope to get a few crews running around the area. I'm working on getting the website up and am planning on getting a logo done through www.99designs.com. We haven't registered the business yet or the business name and are looking how to register the name/business so that no one can take it.

What are everyone's thoughts on this business?

[Vixen Media]

Hi,

All you gotta do is find a great web hosting service that will register your domain for window cleaning business. As usual, the rules for creating good domain names should apply. When it comes to hosting and domain name registration, I have actually compiled the best web hosting services today (Note: Godaddy is not on the list, though I have nothing against them.) If you want to know, just send me a message. These web hosting services have free sitebuilders so that you can design the website yourself at no extra cost. Minimum monthly fee is about $3, which is not a bad price!

Good luck to your new biz!

Marie of Vixen Media Blog

[jrod31]

i have used ipower or bluhost.... did you incorporate or llc?

[Mr.Allen]

I used to be a Window Cleaner for a national company called FISH Window Cleaning in the Phoenix Area in Arizona, United States. This is a desert area, so there was business year around.

There was great money in this business for my manager and main boss. I was paid about 30%, but the problem was that when I was getting 15% having to share jobs with my coworkers.

High buildings were always great money, especially because there was less competition. It wasn't impossible for me to make $200-$300 a day, but there were days when I would only make $50. I also only worked about 6 hours a day, which was 6 in the morning until 12 in the afternoon.

After being ripped off a couple times by my boss, I formed my own Window Cleaning Company, and undercut FISH by 10% for the buildings that I previously contacted on behalf of FISH while I worked with them. I even paid someone to call FISH and the clients and my behalf to tell them they were no longer interested in their services. I told them I started my own company and offered better and quicker service. I did this for about 6 months until I sold the business and all of my contacts. I was making about 16k a month, easy. Then I got burned out and I knew nothing about hiring people, managing, accounting, etc or else I probably would have kept with it. I had some pretty nice contracts too, I was doing a good amount of stores within the Scottsdale and Chandler Mall, which were high paying clients. I probably could have hired people and got the ball rolling and started earning what my previous employer was, but I couldn't trust hiring employees because of what I did to my previous employer.

I made enough money to pay my way through college, and buy a nice car, two investment rental properties, and of course, throw around.

[Stefanhunter]

Mr.Allen that sounds like a really cool story, I like how you managed to take some of your old clients!

Dedicated, I like your idea and it seems like you have a good vision of what you want to do. Marketing is going to be key to getting your business bigger, so make sure you have read up on all the possible strategies to use for both your website and word of mouth in you local area! You should definately go for it tho, especially when you already have some experience in that trade!

[Stone]

My friend and I are starting a window cleaning business. He has been cleaning windows for 3 years for another company and wants to have his own. We are planning on working together for the first bit and then if we start to get busy we are planning on hiring 1st or 2nd year university students. We hope to get a few crews running around the area. I'm working on getting the website up and am planning on getting a logo done through Logo Design, Web Design, Design Contests | 99designs.com. We haven't registered the business yet or the business name and are looking how to register the name/business so that no one can take it.

What are everyone's thoughts on this business?

Go for it! it appears you have the skills and know how, all you have to do it take massive action and learn as you go.
I live in Australia so it may be different from where you are, however to register a business name in Australia you simply go to the office of fair trading fill in a form and a few hours later you ahve your business name. If you want to register a company it will cost a bit more and is probably best to get your account or lawyer to lodge it for you.
If you need a domain name for your wedsite there are hundreds of companies to buy them from, most offer similar things, more just a personal prefference. My advice is go will a big, reputable company. I personall use GoDaddy and have no complaints.

I hope this helps, I think you are on to a great idea.

P.S if you need help with marketing and want to know how to generate hundreds of new and fresh leads every week without hiring expensive SEO or PPC firms then check out the link in my signature

Best of luck