I dont think anyone intends on being a downer. I think folks just find it frustrating when a new company comes in with significantly lower prices than what the market will allow for.
I wouldn’t worry about it, your door hangers look nice.
I don’t think you should compare what you made on a job you had. To what your business needs to make .
Why wouldn’t you target the larger houses if you can make more on those why waste time on these small one storer homes
One more question that $14 an hour was that before taxes or after. Just like people came to take out if that hourly wage. They will come after your new hourly wage.
They come in all forms when you own your own business 
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Don’t worry about it, it’s how you know they care… Just wait until you ask about ladders or soap!
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In that hour for $35 you can pay for gas? Pay for insurance? Pay for equipment?
$75-$100 is my goal on residential window cleaning work.
I’ve charged $25 for one window on some storm window jobs… You don’t have service minimums for your services? My WC minimum is $150.
If it works for you that’s great. But I’m very glad you’re not in my market dragging down my prices even more.
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
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There has to be someone in that market if yours dragging down prices. There always is there insecure they feel there not worthy or there just afraid of the “wow that’s a lot the other guy”.
I do have a minimum , but it’s all about were are you located if your within striking distance of my route I’ll stop by for a few windows an $50-60.
Ya never know what that can turn into .If not it’s 150.00 min.
A lady called me the other day she wanted 3 windows cleaned. She was within distances she was real nasty though not very pleasant so I hit her with the 150.00 min She almost keeled over .
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As a business owner it’s not about wages anymore. Yeah $25 is great if you’re making wages and just show up to work but you have to give yourself more credit as a business owner. What makes me scratch my head is why don’t you want more money? Most of us shoot for $65-100+/ hour and make that on 95% of every job… and I guarantee you can too if you’re targeting the right places.
It sometimes can be hard to ask for more money but one thing I came to realize after being raised in a blue collar family is that people have money… and a lot of it… sitting in their banks.
I don’t think any of us really meant to be downers- and I apologize for coming off strongly in my post earlier. We just hate to see new guys make the same mistakes we did starting out. But that’s part of the learning process, I guess. My suggestion, is to find a friend in a similar profession (who’s successful, of course), perhaps a carpet cleaner, who might be willing to coach you a little bit. It’s hard to learn everything you need to run a business, just over the internet.
I really wish you the best in your new venture. This can be very rewarding career. Work hard, stay safe, and pay yourself well
PS-nice job on the door hangers. I’m not sure if I could make something that nice in MS Paint and OpenOffice…
No one is trying to be a downer. Just trying to help you.
Do you want employees in the future? If so, set your prices to where they need to be now. If next year you need to hire a guy, your rates will need to more than double. That won’t go well with your current customers and you will most likely lose them all and you’ll be starting from scratch again.
As a business owner you need to be sure you’re making enough to support yourself as well as be able to afford new equipment.
Would you rather clean two houses and make $x.xx or one house and make the same? Work smart, no hard
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As a newcomer myself (started in June of this year) I can tell you these guys are right. It’s not easy to take what everyone says with a grain of salt, especially when you meant for the thread to go one way, and it went another, but these guys are dead on AND they’re successful in this business, so please, for your own good as a business owner and provider, listen to em.
As far as your hourly wage goes, don’t forget office work time, sales travel time, travel time to and from work, time chatting with the customers who just looooove you, the new vehicle you’ll have to get when the one that’s paid for right now wears out, tires, maintenance, tools, taxes…get the drift? It’s best to set aside more than you think you’ll need for expenses, etc.
Everyone on here wants you to succeed. Those who don’t want you to will be booted off eventually (look up a guy called Cyborg for proof of that).
Keep your head (and your prices!) up!
Jesse
Atlas Window Cleaning
North Carolina
The flyers are good for paint and open office work. But don’t shoot yourself in the foot with low prices. Trust me, I started with low prices and it does not work well. For you that is. You’ll find a lot of extra shit you have to clean. Super dirty windows with cake on shit that will now take you twice as long to do.
Lucky for me I quickly raised my prices and now I’m known for my service not my prices. I’m not the cheapest and I’m not gonna be. They will pay when they need it. I also started pruning on my computer but as soon as you can get high quality hangers, it really will set you apart as a professional.
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so what is a good price per pane? ny regular price is 2 per pane per side, so if i’m doing a window with two panes inside and out then its 8.
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I charge $10/12 for a 1/1 with a screen inside and out window cleaning.
$8 is my outside only price for a 1/1 no screen.
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
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^^ those are good prices , I charge by the window I don’t count a casement as a pane like the op does so if I’m at 10 a DH I’m not charging 5 for a casement .
At Mikes’ prices you will be good, but you won’t make the hourly rate he does he has been at it for a while so he will be more efficient than you are .
PS. Dam Mike that is a nice exterior only price . I do push the envelope sometimes, an shoot for higher than normal prices , an come up surprised at the yes when can you do it answers 
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other companies in our area are charging less than you, one says he charges 99 for the “average 1600 sq ft home” in and out anther does large houses (40 or more pane homes) for 125 in and out and screens so i think our area is lower than yours. it doesn’t help that we live in the unemployment capitol of california
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And that’s ok. Get used to the feeling. They can only clean so many windows, after all. I’m a full 50% higher in price than my closest competitor. Sure, I lose some bids to him (ok, I would say a good 75% of jobs we both bid on, go to his company). But he doesn’t bid on everything we do. And I’ve won over some jobs from him, simply because people like our professionalism and attitude more. Don’t focus so much on price, and neither will your customers. We can try and explain this till we’re blue in the face, but it’s something you’re just going to have to try and find out for yourself. You’ll get a lot of “no’s” to begin with, as you gain your sales legs. But it will be worth it in the end.
Btw, I’m not trying to say you’ll be able to charge the same as some of the guys here. But you don’t need to be doing a full in & out cleaning with screen washing for only $7/window. And most people are not the least surprised at a service minimum in the range of $75-$150. They know you need to make the trip worth it.
Well said Alex. Also do you really want to build a client list if two years worth of marketing at a $35 an hour rate, or would you rather take longer 3-4 years to get to that same amount of clients at a higher pay scale.
Imagine two years them all of a sudden you realize dam I can and should be getting more for my services !
Repeat customers is the backbone to everyone’s business !!!
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I would suggest doubling your pricing, get involved with Thumbtack in order to start building up some more work, find a few good stores for route so you can leave a flyer in the window and business cards on the counter.
The first storefront I ever got I still have and I will never raise his $10 price, he’s been my first ever customer for 3 years now. He lets me put up flyers in his window, leave a card rack full of business cards, he recommends me to his friends, I clean the windows at his home.
I’m not sure about the market you have out in California, but I would suggest seeing who is in your area and talking with them about prices and that way you can at least be in the ball park even if you’re a little cheaper. Work on making your company as professional as possible and try as many different ways of marketing your business. Join the WCRA and watch every webinar you can, maybe except the snow removal add on service, and watch every mile and jersey episode on YouTube.
I would also suggest getting yourself a full/part time night job (second shift 3-11 or so) and doing the window cleaning part time to really learn the game and how to play it real well. On break at your night job read every book you can about marketing, and lurk the crap out of this forum and pick at everyone’s brains until you fell somewhat satisfied that you’re gonna keep your company in the green. You’ll always learn something just from reading the forum or watching YouTube videos about window cleaning, whether it’s a technique trick or some marketing idea you didn’t think of.
Good luck! Price isnt everything, but it pays the bills. Be the most professional you can, speak well, speak with knowledge, and make every customer feel like they’re your number 1 customer and you’ll have plenty of repeat clients in the future.
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
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You gotta remember, there will always be some guy who will work for nothing, and when you lose business to him, you are really losing NOTHING…I find that the cheapest people are also the pickiest, so their business is not worth the hassle, no matter what service we’re talking about.
If you think there are too many low ballers window cleaning, just wait until you add pressure washing! (Don’t say you won’t add it…you will). The PW market is full of people who will work for nothing…like the “$99 to PW any house” guys. THEY ARE NOT YOUR COMPETITION!
Go after the people who appreciate good service. Price high, and you can always come down a bit to gain a good customer. Yeah, you’ll lose some jobs to the other GOOD window cleaning companies, but they’ll also lose some to you.
Back in July I was talking to a very good friend of mine who has been in the biz for years. I was concerned about stepping on his toes, as we service the same area. He said “Jesse, there are more windows to clean than there are people to clean them, and my customers won’t be talking to you anyway.” My sales began improving the very next day! Keep that in mind…Price FAIR, do great work, and be professional…You won’t make a decent living any other way!
Jesse
Atlas Window Cleaning
North Carolina
these are the new ones i got and they cost the same as the home made, $.10 each
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They look good.
