While they were trying to get the nozzle in my mouth, I’d wrap the hose around their neck, climb up your noose, out of the water and kick them in.
I’ve met several in my area, one of which we had great repore with. He was an older gentleman and when he fell off a ladder and was out of cleaning for a while we took care of his clients. He ended up retiring and selling some of his clientele to the company I used to work for (to which I have now bought clients from and went independent).
I have no reason/see no reason to be cut throat because of competition. The few in my area focus on residential since there’s many well to do homes in our area.
lol Chris, nice. I think my above quote is from Ray Kroc if I remember correctly.
I think a lot of it has to do with your market size and whether you are solo or have employees. As a solo guy you can only clean so much glass in a day; so competition may not be an issue.
When you have people on your team who depend on you to eat and whom you are responsible for; you have a moral duty to annihilate your competition and take care of your team. If push came to shove your competitor would throw you under the bus if it was necessary for their own survival; let’s not assume otherwise.
I’ll duck for cover now . . . 
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Truer words have never been spoken…
Nice guys finish last. I’m ok with being friendly to other in the business in a market that we don’t compete in. I’m not friendly with the person in my market, trying to get the work I have or want. I don’t make friends with the hungry bear that’s looking for a meal either…
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Yup, and they better believe I would do the same. At least my friendly competitors would get a kiss before I f’ed them.
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I’ve found over the years that people tend to treat me the way I treat them. Kiss them before screwing them, expect to get screwed yourself. It’s a race to the bottom.
I’m in business to make money and grow my company. I’m not in business to make friends or be the “nice guy”. If I make friends along the way, that’s a bonus.
Business is business, and friends are friends. You can’t pay bills or build a retirement on friends. It takes money.
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I came into contact with some “competition” in my area and it ended up being the best thing we both could have done. We were both one man shows and since sometimes we get too busy or go out of town we just refer work to each other if one of us can’t do it.
I got into a bit of trouble by accepting a job that had windows I thought I could reach and I didn’t think it would take that long. I ended up turning a 4 hour job into 12 hours and I wouldn’t have been able to complete the job but I called him and he brought the water fed over and I got to practice with his while finishing the job before I bought my own. It was a life saver having a contact that can help you out. Competition can become an asset.
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Ya, you did it to me, Dave!
JK. I’m still doing the ATT that you sent my way. Thanks again!
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I wish that my competition was one that I could build a relationship with, but personally, the one “competitor” in my area has a spotty reputation and is a little… slimy, so I honestly don’t want him representing me to other customers, I don’t want to be associated with him. 
There are other cleaners I know, they just don’t do work in my immediate area. 
I am in a similar area as you, and I met my competition a couple years ago. I gotta say I was nervous to, but now we kick each other work, and even are tag teaming a $2k job in May. So you just never know what it can bring.
what area are you from? Yea I just need to get over it soon.
I’m from a rural area of Minnesota. I just meant similar as in population. Don’t get me wrong I treaded lightly for awhile, than we went out got a beer, and decided there is enough work for both of us. But we are in a tourist town, so a lot of out of towners that don’t want to clean there windows on their vacation homes.
