Hello,
I’ve been in a hunk for the last week; I’m not seeing the return I expected; Bills are 2 weeks away, and I’m trying to do all the things I possibly can to stay motivated and to keep grinding. I LOVE this life style, but could you please share your experience on what you did for the first year-second year to stay motivated, even when times look hard?
Thank you in advance.
End the day on a positive. Just sold and serviced a storefront job for monthly? Only two o’clock? Quit, keep the momentum for tomorrow. I went out day after day and sold at least one storefront a day for months. They add up and soon enough you’ll find that one that says well how about my 15 others? Those snowball. Find small add-ons that are good money. Removing that god awful perforated vinyl that beer companies are so fast to sell customers on covering their windows in. It’s good quick money with a really good razor scraper and a handful of 0000 steel wool. I also have a vinyl plotter that was 300 bucks cuts 1 by 2 foot designs. Store hours? Mr customer, Let’s lose these hand written hours and get your store looking good. 40 bucks please. Next time you visit it will be a slightly faster clean too. Instead of dodging the hours, you can squeegee right over them. Win win. Think outside the box, the work/money will come.
Last year was my first year although I did work for the company for two years before I bought it. Straight line growth would be great from week to week/month to month but for many of us the growth and margin increases are more like the sideview of stairs.
Enjoy the peaks but be ready to survive the valleys. One thing I learned from last year was that when I was real busy for a week or two my marketing (mostly the low cost door to door stuff) went flat and it would take a week or so to get that back on track. I was eventually able to invest in marketing that didn’t take me away from my hands on work on the job sites.
My first couple of years were tough, barely could make bills and at the end of the day I would come home to a stressed wife that made me feel like I should just get a job. It wasn’t untill the day I took a moment to reflect on my life that things change for me. My family of four not including our dog, were living in a cramped 1 bedroom apt. Something in me raged a fire Inside and from that moment on I knew that I had to be the best at everything window cleaning and be diverse. So I took all the money we saved up for a house, sold my truck, and grew a set of nuts and hit every f*ing account that was in my city. I got my certs for high rise and invested in a Waterford pole. I sold every aspect of window cleaning and I stayed up everynight researching and building my business plan. I never gave up, even with $20 bucks to my name, I looked at my family and refused to be a failure. I got up at 3am at work by four, hit these greedy cold streets untill 8pm. If they had hwd deposits I would bit the bullet and do it for free the first time as long as they set up a scheduled cleaning contract and made sure it never came back, I got on 40ft foot ladders to restore huge 3 story buildings, fk a lift I couldn’t of been competitive with one. I gave it my ALL, never gave up and now I can pick and choose my jobs, I’ve got some guys running my route work and I love it. My family has a home and I’m licensed and insured to do anything were I’m at. I never thought I’d be a success in my life after doing three yrs in juvie then five in the joint for gun charges. I could never work for Simone and be a success with my record, so I took the bull by his horns and owned that mf. Imo it’s all about wether or not you got that raging fire deep inside you, never give up and don’t take no for an answer. Keep on pushing my friend because life pushes back.
I’d like to just add that if it was easy, everyone would be out there doing it. Those times when it’s particularly difficult, your near a breakthrough, keep pushing. If your not comfortable doing what your doing (assuming its legal and working on your business) your on the right track, keep pushing. And @HBM mentioned marketing. Do it as early and as professionally as you can. Photocopied flyers in screen doors work, but full color, well designed postcards in gated community mailboxes work better.
If you are not motivated by fear, pride or the fact bills are coming I do not know what will motivate you. Good luck
I don’t remember much from my first year. I know that I didn’t like the smushed peas. The carrots were okay.
You beat me to it lol. I was going to say I’m told I didn’t cry much but got my diapers changed regularly.
Am I doing this right?
The fact that you still have window cleaning clients says something about what you are doing. We all start somewhere right? You can always deliver papers or pizza or something and put your flyers for your business out at the same time. That way you have some money coming in and not sitting on idle hands. Your try your luck on Craigslist, Nextdoor, and even Facebook?
My first year was not easy. I worked so hard getting my name out there. I knew I did not want to get a job. There were plenty of times I wanted to give up. My dad was always so positive. I remember talking with him one day and he told me… “Chad I believe in you. Give this business everything you got. You can do this. What would you do if you knew there was no way you could fail?” That talk got me so fired up! There was no way I was going to quit.
Hang in there. We have been in your shoes. Stay positive and give 110% every day. You got this!
Keep us posted on your success!
That hilarious!!! 
First year was not fun , you have to have that inner motivation to do it . I had to scrape and claw everyday . Any job I would get I would do my best and ask for referrals . I would keep telling my self , my kids gotta eat . Over and over again . There was lots of blood , sweat and tears . It’s not easy , but it can be done
worked …then worked harder
I kept pushing myself harder, and still do, Motivation is bogus, motivation is what i get before bed and then wake up not willing to do anything. AT least that was the old me. Just go for it, push harder, try harder, get known all over the web, do your best to impress, most of my business has been from word of mouth (WoM).
I also used to work for round table pizza and now wash their windows.
You just have to go and try, worst case scenario, they say no! If you don’t like where you are now, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! I don’t mean quit window cleaning, I mean try another way. I notice i don’t get any return on my post card/flyers what so ever, I have put out over 3000K, yes yes I know on a large scale that is nothing. But to have 0 return what so ever, and plenty of return on yelp, google, facebook, WoM, and just being seen in my shirt and hat while walking , well anywhere! My next idea is to runa contest for free services, I have a proposal to wash the windows of another local pizza chain (just the one store front) once, and they let me leave the contest box behind. We shall see how wonderful this will work! Never know without trying!
JUST DO IT! GO TRY SOMETHING NEW TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS!!
Oh and seriously you should listen to You tube speeches that encourage you to work harder!
I reccomend Mel Robbins, Les Brown, Tony Robbins (no relation) Amy Purdy! The list can go on!
5-4-3-2-1 GO!! JUST DO IT!
Another factor for the first year is that contacts you make in the first year don’t become clients until the next year.
For example, I started communications with a hotel owner in October-November for a >$700 WC job in the spring. That was my best $ from a WC job at that time. When I finished the job and was loading up my van the hotel owner’s grandfather asked if I would WC his home. So I did that job a couple of days later and then they called me last week for another. The hotel WC also led to >$2K of carpet cleaning at the hotel.
Once you get repeats and more referrals the first year struggles will have paid off.
I call that the snowball. Then you hire folks to push it for you. You just find more snow to put in front of it.
Excellent Bro!
It wasn’t easy. I did a bit of everything (Network, flyers, knock on storefronts, join local realtor group, web site, more flyers in the neighbor hood, Work came slowly but do what you find to do today, all day, and deliver quality even if it costs you (scratched $10k in windows my second year, but paid them back). 7 years in…we will do nearly $400k and I’m not in the field any longer. Must have a great team to do this. Best of luck…don’t give up!
