Hi, All. I am trying to help a local upstart window cleaning company get set up with accounting/contact software. They are technologically challenged, so to speak. Sounds like most of you like QuickBooks, so eventually I will move them in that direction. Currently, I am simply setting them up with simple spreadsheets in Excel to show them how critical it is to track all income, expenses, contacts, etc. Can anybody provide me a detailed list of all the income and expense categories that you use? A lot of them are standard, of course, but I’m really interested in what categories are important/different in the window cleaning business. Anything that isn’t obvious, from an IT guy looking in? What unforseen expenses have you come across that needed to be itemized? How did you successfully integrate technology as you grew? Thanks, in advance…
There is a great product called Bella Solutions Window Cleaning Software that is perfect for small to medium businesses who are “technology challenged”. Bella has all the features a business needs plus an accounting module. Bella also has an interface with Quickbooks if they choose to use Quickbooks in the future to manage the financial side.
Thanks, DR. Any chance you can breakdown “Job Materials”? I just don’t know the window cleaning business - how much is spent per month (or, “per sq-inch” ??) on: squeegees, poles, rags, chemicals…, etc. I’m sure it depends on the quality of the product(s) we use, but is there a range that we should expect to invest on, say, chemical costs per month (or sq-inch, if that’s not too fine-tuned). Especially for a small, upstart. I’m specifically looking for percentages. For example, if we have ‘X’ in sales for the period, we should be spending ‘Y’ in chemicals. ‘Z’ in labor. Etc. Etc. I’m trying to translate my business/IT experience into a viable plan for this company. Again, they have a clue - it’s just not much of one. Sorry if this post is hard to read, I cut/copied/pasted probably a dozen times. Anyway, if anyone has info/feedback, please chime in…
Job materials is basically anything we need to perform our services. It actually should be broken down further and I’ll probably do that next year. Couldn’t really give you a percentage and I wouldn’t obsess over it. Just get what is needed and make sure you’re not being wasteful and buying stuff you don’t need. Once you get through the first year you’ll have that data to fall back on for future budgets/projections.
Thanks for the help - Agree that I’m probably getting too detailed to start - my long-cultivated nature. Just wanted to get an idea of the overall profitability potential of the company, starting with necessary expenditures. They haven’t maintained any detailed records over the past few years, so I’m kinda walking in blind. They’re currently doing primarily storefronts, at a rate of 6-8 per week. So, phase 2, so to speak, is to look at the income side - how to increase sales/customers/prospects/web presence. And I never was a marketing genius - I’ve run restaurants all my life! Anyway, probably a bunch of similar questions coming in the future - thanks to you, and everyone, for your continued help. I’m digging deeper into the forums, and getting a decent feel for the business, and finding new/useful info.
P.S. - I thought it was hot in Central Florida, but wow - you’re looking at triple digits the next couple days?? I may need to chat with you about window cleaning in the heat sometime. Keep cool, and thanks, again…
Just wanted to get an idea of the overall profitability potential of the company, starting with necessary expenditures. They haven’t maintained any detailed records over the past few years, so I’m kinda walking in blind. They’re currently doing primarily storefronts, at a rate of 6-8 per week. So, phase 2, so to speak, is to look at the income side - how to increase sales/customers/prospects/web presence. And I never was a marketing genius - I’ve run restaurants all my life! Anyway, probably a bunch of similar questions coming in the future - thanks to you, and everyone, for your continued help. I’m digging deeper into the forums, and getting a decent feel for the business, and finding new/useful info.
