Hello everyone,
I am brand new to this forum. I stumbled upon it after ordering supplies from WCR! I wanted to introduce myself to the community and hopefully get some advice from seasoned veterans in the trade.
Im a 23 year old recent college grad who removed from school has decided to go in a very different direction and start my own window cleaning company. I wish I would have seen the opportunity in the field sooner! I am based in the Central/Southern NJ Region.
I founded my company in January 2023 (Only about 9 weeks ago) after working for another company for several months and realizing the potential I had in the trade. What I thought would be a temporary stopgap job while I looked for work after graduation could very well end up being a career (at least I hope). Part of the reason I took the leap was because of the demand I saw in my area for the work, and because of the poor quality of work that other employees were delivering for the company I worked for. Customers were requesting me at significant rates and constantly complaining about the service they were paying for- it made me feel as though I could offer a better alternative and do much better for myself on my own.
I have been focusing significantly on commercial, trying to build a base of clients in strip malls/restaurants/fast food for consistent income while preparing to enter residential in the spring and summer. I just spent some significant money on advertising for residential by running ads in community newsletters around my area. I have invested in a screen cleaning machine for houses as well, and have invested in all the proper equipment for commercial and residential work (including ladders). Luckily, I had a truck already as my daily driver, so I have been well positioned as far as transportation goes short term.
I have been doing all my soliciting by “Cold Calls”- literally just walking into stores around my region.
In 9 weeks I have amassed 32 clients (about 3/week). Of these, I have grossed monthly about $1200. Most of these are very small with a few larger sized accounts in between. 3 are twice a month, 3 are every other month, and 26 are 1 per month cleanings. I am personable and a great communicator. Thus far I have not received any complaints and I am hoping to begin to get referrals. I have calculated that at the size (of each job) and rate I am adding accounts now, I will need between 100 and 120 commercial clients before I am busy myself full time 5 days a week 52 weeks a year. That would be without factoring any residential work.
Problems I have faced thus far include the fact that my former boss has discovered I founded my company and has threatened me with a “non-compete” agreement that supposedly is effective for a year after I ceased employment (last year). Because of this I have been very limited in the areas I have been targeting (As he has a massive client base in my region with hundreds of accounts), and I have begun to run out of areas within an hour radius of my residence where I can solicit, so I anticipate my growth will slow somewhat. His pricing is also extremely low (he charges as little as $1 a pane in some instances for commercial work and he pays his workers peanuts), so there have been a few instances already where he has underbid me and I have lost potential customers. I also have been unable to capitalize on clients that were unhappy with his company and wanted me to become their full time cleaner (I did NOT solicit them nor approach them with my business idea when I was still employed, but was eventually going to make my enterprise known to them). I am hoping that residential work will help offset and stagnation I may face in commercial growth.
This has been my long rambling way of sharing the story of my first two months in business. I remain hopeful for the long term.
Questions:
What are some growth strategies others have used?
What should I do about the non-compete? I have tried to stay away from areas he has clients, but I am running out of alternate areas.
How is my commercial pricing? I have a $25 minimum for a job and usually charge about $3 pane but sometimes this varies storefront to storefront. What do others do?
I am preparing to enter the residential market in the spring. Every house will be a case by case basis, but I have a rough blueprint for residential pricing: $7 per window exterior ($12 total in/out), $3 per screen, $2 extra for 2nd story windows. How is my pricing? Am I too low/too high?
What did others gross in their first year as a startup? I set a goal of $40-50k for myself in the first year. Thus far I might not hit either, although it is still quite early in my existence. What were others experiences?
Any overall advice from veterans in the industry?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I know it was lengthy. As a first time business owner and relatively raw cleaner in the trade, any input helps.