Hey guys, I’m trying to start a window cleaning business. I work full time else were but I hate it I have always hated it but i make desent money (55,000) per year so I’ve stuck with it. I’ve finally realized i don’t want to do this work anymore (electrician) so my question to all of you out there is for a solo operation and hopefully in the future an employee or two how much can you make? I want to change careers but I can’t take a pay cut. Also for you solo ops do you still enjoy what you do or is it just a means to pay bills?
I understand. I think most of us actually have felt that way in our previous employment and slavery to the system.
I’m solo and I operate part time. In winter months about 6 hours of labor per week and about 4 days per week from April through November.
A solo operator can earn between $100 and $225 per hour.
There was a thread or survey a while back I think most solo operators ranged between 40-50k.
If you build a business and have window cleaners under you instead of just creating a job, then you could double that.
That’s my goal: 20hr work week, six figure income.
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well hopefully someday I can get to that point right now though its just me and I need to try and not take a huge pay cut
There are some guys on here that work solo, part time and do really well. I am not sure what they make. There are so many variables that determine your income.
Good luck with your business!
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Living in CT, your months to be able to clean up are likely April-November, roughly. Unless you are going to work at storefront cleaning as well. So say you have about 35 weeks of continuous favorable weather. Do you think you could do $1500/wk during that period? That might be 5-8 houses each week. Definitely attainable, especially if you can work some in the colder months.
There’s some prime real estate in CT. Aim for the upper middle class neighborhoods. Build up a solid reputation, and charge well for what you do. $2,500 in 5 easy days, or 4 longer ones is attainable. 35 full weeks is a good goal. You’ll be able to schedule partial weeks as early as march and as lat as december, depending on the weather. Also plan for a bit of a slowdown in August/September. And remember that your take home salary will be around 60-70% of your gross, probably much less when you’re in growth mode.
But it’s gonna take time to get there: time to become proficient enough to produce $500-$600 in a work day. Time to get those kinds of clients. Time to fill up your schedule. I think you’ll be hard pressed to match your current income for the first couple years. Prove me wrong 
Oh, one more thought: snow removal in the winter. It’ll help pay the bills!
Oh, and while I almost got high on going out each day to work and try growing for a few years, I can’t say I ‘love’ cleaning windows any more. Providing for my family’s needs and keeping a decent business going is my driving force now after 29 years.
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Btw, what do you hate about electrical work?
I’m curious, because window cleaning, as any trade, can become mundane after a while. It’s all about the attitude you bring, that will determine whether you still enjoy it 5+ years from now. Now if you just can’t stand the guys you work with or your employer, then being self employed might be a good change. You’ll still have to deal with people on a daily basis, just different ones!
There is no money in window cleaning. Move along, there is nothing to see here.
There’s no money in it, but you may get money out of it…
Peace
** Belief Systems Are Fragile Things. How Will You React When Your Reality Suddenly Ceases To Exist?
Cleaning Windows is Just MyJob, Not My Life…
~ Pompous Basterd
- Why do you hate being an electrician so much?
- Why would you assume that you’d like another trade so much better?
- Why didn’t/don’t you decide that being a business [B]owner[/B] in your [B]current field[/B] (the one you know)
might be a better route to go than one you know noting about?
(maybe you just hate the work, itself… I don’tknow)
Kinda sounds like you are just having a bad day and grasping for something.
For what it’s worth, I would pay through the nose for an electrician, because being shocked to death scares me.
And I’m pretty ballsy, so there is obviously a market.
You don’t want to take a pay cut, but you are thinking about dropping down to beginner status?
I don’t mean to sound like a prick, but…
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” 
So are you passionate about being a window cleaner? Usually most people only leave a good paying job for a better paying job, or to follow a passion. Do you randomly have a passion for cleaning windows, or is it that you just want to work for yourself? Are you only considering window cleaning because of the low startup costs? If that’s the case I think its for the wrong reasons.
You can definitely make that kind of money and more, but it takes time to build up clientele, unless you have some sort of huge advertising budget going into it, I would think you’d need at least 2-3 years if you’re lucky to hit that number (and I’m talking about you netting 55k, your business grossing 55k will not cut it for you), but you’re in a different market than me, so I can’t say for sure.
I don’t have a solo operation, but I still work in the field when we’re busy, and I actually do enjoy it a lot, but I also enjoy getting dirty and doing labor, it helps me sleep at night, but it is hard on the body, and it doesn’t get easier with age. The most satisfying part about it though, is the problem solving involved on every level of window cleaning and running the business.
Its fine and your not being a prick its an honest question and ill try my best to answer it. I graduated from a tech high school were I learned to become an electrician in 2006. Four days later I started working full time as an electrician and primarily have stayed that way for almost 9 years. Now from the get-go I did not like doing electrical work. The company I worked for at this time was decently far from my house and worked even farther away so in 2008 I was offered a job from a different electrical company. This company was local and paid very well. So I was optimistic that maybe this new company would be different, maybe I just didn’t gel with the pervious company maybe electrical work wouldn’t be that bad this time around. I spent 5+ years at this company and hated the work. Its the type of work I do on a daily basis while being completely capable but tired and uneasy of being stuck in 2,000 amp 480volt electrical panels all day swapping breakers, constantly working with high voltage and most of the time its live in the settings I worked in a lot of times you don’t have the option for turning things off (schools, malls, hospitals, huge factories) This type of work along with pulling wires all day long everyday I just realized from the beginning this type of work is just not for me. I hate working with live electricity and some people get used to it some don’t. The only reason I stayed was the money at 20 years old I was making very good money.
So after 5+ years of working there being miserable we as a company got slow and a bunch of us were laid off, during this time I figured it was a great time to start hunting for jobs in a different career and I found one in a different trade I was working as mechanic and actually loved it. I enjoyed going to work, I liked what I was doing and I was good at it however prior to being laid off me and my girlfriend were out living on our own and I went from a licensed electricans salary to an apprentis
[MENTION=38898]B16bri[/MENTION], that was like reading an alternate reality scenario of my life. I graduated from a tech school in 2006, as well. I spent 2 weeks in Electrical before I decided it wasn’t for me. I like doing certain aspects of electrical, and have done electrical work in my own home. But the ‘theory’ aspect of the class was drier than unbuttered toast, and incredibly redundant. So I switched to IT. My guidance counselor and pretty much everyone else thought I was crazy for switching so soon, away from a shop that was so highly regarded. I didn’t get employment in that field, but found myself getting into window cleaning, instead. I sometimes questioned whether I made the right choice, since initially I wasn’t making much. But I did have the freedom to pursue a full time volunteer work, and I’ve also implemented a lot of the skills I learned in my business and day to day life.
From the outside looking in, a lot of people will question why someone would want to give up a “good” career in electrical. But I get it. It takes a particular personality type to really thrive in that career. It’s definitely not for everyone.
The main thing with your post is you don’t want to take a pay cut.
I understand that but… You won’t start off day one as a professional window cleaner or a professional business owner . You will have some growing pains to start out with.
With that said if your going to do this an your 100% sure do it right . Have yourself a business plan. A marketing plan . Get the right tools to make you an efficient window cleaner . Read as much has you can on these forums how to do things .
On a positive at least you have something to fall back on if you need be.
Good luck bro .
Ps you found this forum which could be of great help . Ask a question an most people will answer.
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I started doing it on the side for extra cash. I was making $60,000 a year. I made a plan, had a website designed over the winter and went full time in the spring. I got an immediate raise
I can bring in way more then 50k a year… What I keep that’s another story. So many different way to do things.
Braggart
Millions of dollars
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