All your customers called today and canceled for good

Can’t. They canceled too.

Take a job as a regional facilities manager for a big bank corporation.

ummm… start a new window cleaning business up under a different name? I finding a hard time trying to see where this question is going?

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Kind of already planning for this scenario! One man operation over dependent on one commercial window cleaning sub-contract.

When that goes, my thinking is that I will take some time off to go see family on the other side of the world - time off at the moment just isn’t a possibility. When I come back, I’m going to market the heck out of niche services I actually enjoy (I don’t enjoy residential window cleaning if I’m honest, and cheap window cleaning operators are ten a penny here too) and dump the rest. Use the time off to read the stacks of books and podcasts I just haven’t had the opportunity to implement.

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And yet you find yourself participating.

Why a different name?

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I get what Kyle was saying it’s really hard to imagine this actually happening and therefore what to actually do

Not to answer for Kyle, but the only way I would imagine that I would lose all of my customers would be a somehow I was scandalously portrayed in the news and then nobody wanted to do business with me. Therefore to have any semblance of an ability to start up again I would at least have to have a new name.

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This sounds intriguing. Such as…?

(falsley) accused of theft or something worse

What about the economy simply folding? Or do we not like to think about that one?

I have had a few of my customers mention a few years back that the economy does not affect them. So that tells me to focus on people and businesses that will always do good in down times. Think mandatory essentials - food, housing, liquor, clothing, medical, legal, etc.

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If it’s that bad move your area sucks. Or if it’s that bad everywhere don’t worry it’s over for everybody

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Great post! :+1:

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This is sort of what I was thinking, too. But my town is small enough that my reputation could likely be repaired (if I was indeed innocent). And if I somehow couldn’t clear my name, despite innocence, changing the business name probably wouldn’t help tremendously (everybody knows everybody…)

The other scenario is if the local economy dried up completely, as @CAS suggested. In which case, moving to greener pastures is the obvious solution.


If I had to start fresh in a new market, I would take the opportunity to focus on the services I enjoy most.

No more storm windows.

I would want primarily house washing jobs with exterior window cleaning, and some gutter cleaning. I wouldn’t actively pursue standalone window cleaning jobs, though I would probably accept some as the schedule allowed.

I would probably still do snow removal, since I really do enjoy it and keeps away the winter blues. I would cherry pick those jobs, and require everyone to prepay a flat rate for the season. I don’t think I’d do roof raking for anyone but regular customers. Too much strain on the wrist.

A fresh start would be kind of nice :smirk:

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You can make that by cleaning one window in what?..3 minutes? Who would do that!?

What if you wanna run through the streets naked with green Jello all over your body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because you suddenly might feel the need to.

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i don’t want to do that

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Safe to say we’ve veered off track.

So, I’ve always had an insecurity that the thread title could happen at any time. In addition, as I have traveled, it often leads me to wonder if I moved, would I go through the work of starting the business again?

Also, in doing route work, one sees how a lot of other businesses operate and makes a lot of contacts that could be utilized if the business ever failed.

Only one person answered that they would work for someone else but it would seem that that job would be very similar to the service they’re already providing.

I would take a job like that because it’s a lot of traveling and meeting with different vendors. Making desicions on grounds and facilities maintenance. Paperwork is a givin but the physical element would be eliminated.

I work with a regional facilities manager for a bank and I often think, now there’s a professional non physical, job I could handle. I’m sure he is well compensated.

If ALL my customers called in one day and cancelled all future services, I would be dumbfounded, unless I committed a crime that would be on national TV.

I bounce back and forth during slow times whether I should pursue work in atmospheric science, or medicine (studied both), but I like window cleaning. I don’t like parameters out of my control, albeit… mainly inclement weather, and general unpredictability of time working vs. not. Budgeting is tricky when your income is affected by external factors.

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