Washing Windows
As a kid we had a window cleaner named Eric, he was missing his two front teeth and way larger than life. I helped Eric distribute flyers one year, and his business went through the roof. Apparently the kids he had used before had not been that scrupulous about actually delivering the leaflets. He paid me well, and I retain the memory of Eric for the simple reason that he only worked half a year, the other half a year he spent in Thailand running a bar, which at 17/18 years of age sounded like a pretty good lifestyle…come to think of it, it still does.
This is possibly the least glamorous idea to date, involving little more than a squeegee, chamois leather and a bucket of water it is certainly cheap to start. If you live in a high rise block in Hong Kong or central Manhattan it may not be the most obvious idea but you will find it surprisingly competitive.
Even high rise cities have low rise blocks, and shop windows, in other words there is always a demand for this service. Shop windows are the golden nuggets of this business, with regular cleaning required so that the display can be clearly seen, but as with other services we have covered you can make a tidy part time income from serving people in your neighbourhood who do not have the time, or inclination to do this work themselves.
If you have never cleaned a window, don’t worry. You can either get someone to show you how, or read a handy online guide and practise on your own windows until they gleam. Have a look at www.ehow.com/how_431_clean-windows.html or simply search on Google for instructions.
Ok, so armed with your bucket, chamois, sponge, and nicely printed internet guide; how are you going to get your customers? We suggest the following: -
Network
Leaflets
Local Newspaper
Local Websites/forums
The best place to start is family and friends, providing they don’t all live on the 32nd floor. Start telling people what you are doing, and offer to clean their windows. One of the first questions you will be asked is how much you charge, make sure you have an answer. I recommend getting some quotes from window cleaners in your area so that you understand how they work it out, and then aim in the same ball park. If there are no window cleaners in your area then work out how long it takes you to clean 1 window and go from there.
Leaflets are great, providing they get to the potential customers. If you know someone you trust to deliver them, then great, but I would start with delivering myself so that I understand how many customers are likely to call per 100 delivered. That way you will know if something is wrong when someone delivers for you. You can print them yourself on a home printer but if you are serious then print them at a local printers and you will save time as well as money, plus you might get to clean the printer’s windows!
Local newspapers can be great for service businesses, but be aware that you may get calls from way across town. I have heard mixed stories on whether this is the best way for a one man service industry to build customers, but Eric used to advertise and I always figure the exposure can’t hurt. You should look to expand at some point, and people across town will at least know who you are.
Local websites and forums have similar issues to the local newspaper, but they will be cheaper, and providing you have transport you may be glad of any jobs you can pick up when you first start out.
There isn’t stock as such for this business, you can pretty much always run a bucket of water at the premises and just get on with the job. Bucket, chamois, sponge can all be bought at your local DIY store or maybe even your supermarket.
The issues I have heard in this business relate more to staff, where employees decide to take their customers and start up on their own. There are a number of ways to manage this.
Start by paying most of the income from jobs that they do to the employee and allowing them to keep any tips. In addition make it clear that you are the source of new jobs through your advertising and networks. Pay a little more for any jobs that the employee brings in themselves to augment this position.
Use most of the money that you make from the employee to pay for value added items like organising their tax affairs when your accountant does yours, pay some of it into a long term bonus fund, or pension scheme. Let them know that they have more security with you than they would on their own.
Try to hire young, or old employees that may not otherwise be given a chance and you are more likely to build a loyal workforce. Pre-college kids, will be too ambitious on the whole to try to get involved long term and will be planning to go away to college, equally retirees will just be looking for some extra cash as opposed to having ambitions of their own.
If you give this some thought and a little experience you will be able to work out other strategies for hiring the right people, treating them right and keeping them loyal. Even if you only make a dollar a day of each employee, that is a dollar a day that you don’t have without them.
This is hard work, but not the dirtiest job in the world, it keeps you outside and you’ll get a good tan in the summer months
This can be run part time, for a healthy second income. It will only get as big as you want it to.
There are not many businesses that you can start this cheaply.
If you do live in a high rise neighbourhood get on your bike and ride across town to where the big money houses are.