I think it would be interesting to hear what drove others into becoming “window cleaners”
As my first year of being a window cleaner is coming to a close, I am looking back at the path that brought me into this industry.
My Story
Just a few years ago I was working part time as a firefighter and was planning on going full time. When some chronic lifelong medical stuff got worse, I kept pushing through the problems until I was finally forced to give up the dream. Spent a good two years where I literally was depressed about work and felt like I had lost both myself and my dreams, during that time my health kept declining along with chronic fatigue and muscle weakness.
About 14 months ago I was at the end of my rope, doctors couldn’t tell me what was wrong. I had spent several years in and out of doctors offices. I found one more doctor and before that appointment I literally told God I was going to “give up” and just take all the meds like I was “supposed too” and let my body finish itself off slowly - if this doctor was unable to figure anything out. I was out of hope, literally my last try. Well I believe God really did something because the new doc was the first one to try something different. I came out of her office with hope. She did tests that the other doctors overlooked or had decided I didn’t need. And in a short time I found out not only how jacked up I was, but also the reasons for it. Now through diet and supplements I have been on a slow road to recovery. I am so grateful, in fact I plan on sending her a Christmas card this year lol!
Early this year I was looking for work and ended up cleaning pools for a company this spring… until I started developing rashes from the chemicals and my fatigue was getting in the way due to the “push push” of my employer, once again forced to quit. I knew I wanted to be self employed, but was still grouchy and “lost” in terms of a career - what the heck could be as great as what I left behind in firefighting?
One day I was watching landscaping crews and the crews I saw actually looked and worked happy, while doing a simple “menial” job and it looked like they made enough to pay their bills. It hit me - they were grateful, there was my problem… I wasn’t grateful, I was confused and hanging on to my past. It was that day I started looking into the “service industry” jobs. If I remember right googled window cleaning and ended up at the wcr. A few days trolling here and I decided to commit, here was my new job.
A stack of business cards later - along with a clip art skull and cross bone T-shirt with my company name - Jolly Roger Window Cleaning was born. Scored a couple small jobs, then went and bought $70 of tools from HD so I could actually do them.
Now I am ending the year, still a little wet behind the ears… But thanks to WCR’s support I have made enough to help my family. In less than a year I was able to buy a basic WFP setup, have a great new logo, a website ranked on the first page for my town already bringing in a few customers, a $1,000,000 insurance policy and a decent set of tools.
Pretty freaking awesome. I am so grateful, humbled… and ready to kick butt this next year!
So what is your story?
Oh yeah… Little Giants vs. Sectionals?
This is what the big boys use… Now to get it into a house.
(This pic scares my wife lol)
