Things you won’t do anymore as a window cleaner

These larger BUSINESSES with fancy vehicles are operating with a different business model than your average solo gut washing windows does.

Could you imagine having 10 employees who each day perform free services, how much money would be loss?

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When you say “sills” do you mean the tracks? If you mean the tracks is that just the inside tracks (opening the window and cleaning under bottok sash) or does that include the outside tracks (the exposed portion of the track) that you don’t do?

If you ask me a solo guy should an could be producing more per man hour then the bigger operation, an just cause your a solo guy doesn’t mean you can’t have the fancy vechike, with the fancy wrap.

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Yes, a solo guys should be producing more than an employee for a company.

The company with employees will make more money overall due to volume/labor costs is the idea.

I mentioned fancy vehicle because the original poster did. Drive what you want, many buy out of their means.

Everybody has these expectations that you’re rich or fancy because of appearances when you have no clue what the reality of a situation is.

Its jealousy.

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Nah, no jealousy at all. They do their thing, I do mine. As mentioned, different business model.

I was recently thinking about dropping everything but windows. I do gutters and pressure washing but have been considering sticking to just windows only.

The big one that I was thinking about was chandeliers. A lot of my customers have them and want them cleaned. If I didn’t do Chandeliers I wouldn’t have to have an a frame on the truck.

Most chandeliers require a 10’ A-frame too. That would take up way too much space in/on my van. Not carrying one gives me an excuse to not clean chandeliers. Too much risk messing with those. Maybe if you price it high enough it helps with the risk, but I’ll pass.

Today I got a “since you have your ladders” request. This was after I received a check too, so it was intended to be a free service. The homeowner wanted me to hang a rope over a limb so they could have a piñata for a kid’s party. I declined the request.

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I carry a 12 ft A frame. It gets 95 % of the chandeliers I run across.

A 10 ft only get about 75% of them.

I would love to get rid of the A frame. If I didn’t do Chandeliers all I would carry would be my stack ladder and that fits inside the van.

No ladders on top!!

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What’s wrong with a ladder rack I just got a rack this year love it.
Keeps them out of the van an out of the way.

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That piñata would have been easy for me, 24’ extension ladder, throw a line over. Tree trunk looks sturdy.

$20 though.

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Nothing is wrong with a ladder rack. I just like not having ladders on top of the vehicle.

And we wonder why we live in such a screwed up society.

Would it kill a guy to tip his tradesman even $5 for asking an extra add on that takes five minutes?

I wouldn’t dream of asking a worker to do something “while you are here” without a tip.

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Just got a 50$ tip for doing a while you’re here task

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Last week two jobs tipped $50 and $35 respectively. All day jobs too.

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Here’s the thing with tips, an I’ve been in a lot of other businesses also.
Some people tip some people don’t. Some people are big tippers some are not
To think you have to do xtra to get or deserve a tip is not true
An I’m not saying your thinking this !!!
Yes … Sometimes it’s the driving factor , but who knows maybe they just liked you , maybe they appreciated your work ethic , maybe just liked your demeanor.
To try an figure it out is endless. Just keep doing th right job , am charging the proper money.
I use to deliver Mattresses. We did a lot of xtra an never got tils. Sometimes we do nothing xtra an got tips.

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I wa reading on one of the forums. Don’t know if it was here or PW, but someone said. “. If you get tips it means you didn’t charge enough.”

Lol “., I get tips sometimes , every time I get one I think about that philosophy :man_facepalming:

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Yea, that’s just guessing as to why and can mess up your pricing with the next customers.
When they give you a $50 tip on top a $650 job, they are just being generous and appreciative of all that you did for them.

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It’s fummy how everyone could be different. It’s not right nor wrong just different preferences

That’s why with tools you need to find out for yourself. You could get a feel for what people are saying , but you’ll never
Truly know till you try yourself.

An I’m a believer in having all the tools. Your running a business. Tools/equipment are needed.

I agree what you say you may buy it an it turns out to be a dust collector, but that’s part of being in business

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Picture doesn’t do it justice. This limb was high. I have a 32’ ladder and didn’t think it would reach. The husband had already paid me and left for work. This was the wife asking for a favor. I don’t mind changing a floodlight here and there, but this was a bit silly.