Haha, that wasn’t a horrible first day. My first day was a single story ranch style home with french pane double hungs (tdl) with storms windows on the outside. I bid the job at $40. Yep $40 thinking it would take two hours based on something I read online when I was getting started. I had never even seen a “storm window” before that day. The homeowner had to show me how they came apart. I didn’t have a squeegee small enough to do the french panes and so I used rags - I didn’t have foaming glass cleaner so I used my soapy water and rags to clean all the house windows, had no idea how to hold the storm windows to clean them, and to top it all off the husband had dementia and was yelling at me to hurry up all day except that I didn’t know he had dementia until I saw his wife chasing him around the carport because he took off his pants and went outside. I was working a afternoon shift at my job at the time and had to call in sick to finish this god forsaken window cleaning job and after almost 9 long hours I collected my $40 and a $10 tip she gave me because she realized how badly I screwed myself, including losing 8 hours at my regular job which was 88 bucks gone.
Hang in there, this won’t be the last time you hate yourself but the bad days will get fewer and farther in-between.
Ha let me tell you my first day . Really not my first day. I Ddi some window cleaning back in 1990. Only 6 months
So… I needed a job when I started in summer of 96. My buddy was in the business along with a handful of other guys I know. I called him he hooked me up with his old boss . My first day he told me to meet him at the diner. Of course he asked if I knew what i was doing of course I said yes.
I pull up meet him , an he says ok I’m going to go in an do the insides you start out side
Lol I thought I would be able to pick it up , j was horrible I couldnt get the first 2 panes cleaned properly I kept wetting an re-wetting finally I just went to the other side same thing.
He comes out an says are you done I was like ya just finishing up. Next job was another diner samethimg , an I was getting nervous I was like what the hell I did it but it was horrible . I swear he didn’t even check on anything. We get in the car he goes look I need you to work on your own if you work with me I can’t pay you what you asked for.
I was like ya I would prefer to just be on own. Ok I’m going to show you my route get what you can done. Lol form then on I was on my own. Doing route work.
I taught myself , an I was determined to learn fast. I new what a person looked like who cleaned Windows good because I remembered watching my friends back in the day when I was working with them in 1990, but I didn’t hone the craft of cleaning yet
It’s hard to remember how long it took me to get fast. I remember the diners, an I reemeber it was August cause it was blazing hot. He drove me around showed me his route wrote a list , an away I went . I just don’t remember how long it took for me to get it. No Utube back them , didn’t have a phone to call my mommy … Ha, Or a friend to say hey what do I do. I had to figure it out , but the good thing was I have done it before , an ice seen people who were good in action , so I had a concept . He never questioned me this I remember . Fuck him he was a dick anyway. Lol we had it out so many times. " cheaper than cheap". We still still talk to the day , but he only calls me to find out if I’m in one of his jobs .
" Mike are you doing " … Ya I am an you ain’t getting it back why cause your a dick , an they don’t like you there lol ". his son his taking over now . His son I herd is worse than him . I like his son though , but he is a spoiled brat ! I like Scotty too , but hate aspects of him. I’ve done some work with his son When I first started in business we teamed up on a couple of jobs. " Prima Donna ".
I do remember that was one of my worst winters in my life lol.
So if we analyze the numbers of you keep those accounts and clean them regularly your starting out at $9.00 an hr. Which isn’t horrible. Its not where we want to be but it’s not a horible place to start and it’s yours. You own that and regardless of what Obama says, you built it! Now don’t stop there. Add to it until it becomes something great.
That’s the key. Most people fail because they want over night success. When it doesn’t come they quit. What they don’t realize is that success rarely comes that way. Succes is built one step at a time, one small account at a time. Taking on new customers is half of building your business. The other half is keeping what you have so when you get more your growing.
Always remember something that was built in a day can be gone in a day. Something that is built over many years will last just as long. Its not just the business itself but the experience and knowledge you gain. I could take what I know and start over from scratch and grow 5 times a quick as I did the first time.
Now’s not the time to slow down but the time to speed up and poor on the gas! You will get there. My first job I cleaned their Windows in exchange for the equipment. It was an Ace Hardware. Now I’m buying a house and putting my kids in private school. I still have further to go and I never have to stop encouraging myself to keep going that’s always part of being an entrepreneur .
At least you got money in your pocket and not someone else’s. And I bet the next couple times was easier because you did that initial clean. And you got a customer
I need to work on my speed for sure, today i had a residential first clean with about 40 windows and 45 french panes in and out with vacuum tracks and sealed screens. I got there at 7 started working at 745-8a and finished at 1p when i arrived at the home i also noticed i left all my scrubbers that were hanging to dry, home. I found a wagtail 12in that i used as a scrubber. You live and learn
when i arrived at the home i also noticed i left all my scrubbers that were hanging to dry, home. I found a wagtail 12in that i used as a scrubber. You live and learn 
