Starting a Window Cleaning Business
For starters, the amount of start up and day to day operating capitol you need is extremely low compared to the large amount of money you will make. Every building you see has windows, most likely they are dirty windows that someone else does not want to clean and would love to hire a professional window cleaning service to do it for them. This means an endless supply of work awaits anyone who is interested in going out to get it.
Here are 7 important tips to consider when starting a window cleaning business.1- Basic window cleaning tools:
With these window cleaning tools you will be able to reach and do most of the windows on an average two story home or office building. If you do not have experience with these tools especially using ladders, I would recommend doing further research on safety tips and guide lines. You want to be familiar and know how to use all your tools properly to avoid injury to yourself and others. 2 - Window Cleaning SkillsIf you have prior window cleaning experience working for someone else, then you are already ahead of the game. If not, you can quickly teach yourself a few basic window cleaning techniques found on this site. Start with your family and friends. Clean their windows for free over and over until you feel comfortable with the tools and techniques. Generally if you do five or six different jobs inside and out, you should start to get a good idea on what to expect.3 New Window Cleaning Business Name and EntityCome up with a unique business name thats easy for customers to read and remember. If you are planning to have a listing in the yellow pages, try to have a name that starts with the letters A, B, C, this will help get a top of the page listing.I would recommend going with what you can afford, yellow page ads can be a huge expense. For your legal status, check your local and state laws to find out how to register your name and what type of licenses you may need. Also, you may want to visit with a book keeper / accountant to set up the type of business entity and tax preparations you will need. 4 Business InsuranceYou absolutely need to have liability business insurance. Things happen and stuff gets broke, so you will want to be covered. Some commercial customers will require it in order to do business. Over all, its just bad business to not have the insurance. Visit with an insurance agency to find out what is the best plan for you.5 Personal AppearanceMake sure your appearance is always neat and clean. This also includes your tools and work vehicle. If a customer sees a sloppy looking person or work vehicle they may assume that you will do sloppy work.6 AttitudeWhat ever is happening in your personal life, keep it at home. Your customers do not want you to dump on them. Keep it professional and up beat while youre on the job.7 - Marketing / AdvertisingIn the years past 18 years of my professional window cleaning career Ive experimented with just about every advertising method I could think of.I must say that creating a word of mouth advertising campaign is by far the number one form of window cleaning marketing that you can invest in. People that experience a great service or product love to share it with their friends, family and neighbors. For example: if someone gets a referral from someone that they know and trust, automatically they believe that they too will be satisfied with the same service or product. This means that 90% of the time this will become a for sure sale. How do you create word of mouth advertising? First you need a few satisfied customers that are willing to spread the word. The more customers the more word of mouth referrals you will get. Typically these first customers come from classic advertising campaigns such as:
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Starting a window cleaning business is a great way to earn a good living.
