Welcome to Chris Addis' Window Cleaning Journey! Follow the day-to-day life of Chris Addis, a business owner who transformed his humble bucket-and-ladder window cleaning startup into a thriving enterprise with 3 vans, subcontractors, and employees.
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Great Advice Chris and just remember, if you do a good job and you are relaible then trust me there is no problem in increasing the price. The price is the price. You must under all circumstances increase your prices annually, to cover your expenses.
Inflation is the bitch that keeps taking. Every year your money is worth less, every year costs go up...for EVERYONE..if you don't keep up you get left behind
Hi Chris I’ve been working on a window cleaning calculator app on the Apple Store now It’s for us a window cleaners to help us quote quickly I’d love to here your feedback on it - congratulations on your success “exiting the window cleaning van” Dan
Yes. With well priced work and knowing the sort of customer you want, there's no reason why not. I'm not that interested in glitter clearing personally....but to not do something that is in high demand is perhaps leaving money on the table.
Quoting in person is best! Especially for residential window cleaning, if a person is asking for a window cleaner sometimes that means there neighbours don’t have one either, I like to give a quote and then canvass the street! You’ll pick up jobs so much easier rather than wondering if this street already has a window cleaner 💪🏻
Chris, Don’t ever feel the need to explain your prices to any customer, I gave up years ago. The price is the price, as window cleaners we feel like we have to justify it certainly as your starting and filling out your round/vans. Your time is worth whatever you say it is
Great to hear all is going well. I work North Manchester, Traditional Cleans only. Built business to the point where now need to get help. Step son considering. However, Summer time is great for quoting as I respond within 24 hours, can clean when I quote in person which I do after I have cleaned my regular round. I have a 100% hit rate. I have no website, no social media. Business is built on pure recommendation. I am in the process of considering gutter cleaning always get asked but always recommend someone else. What puts me off is I have looked at the skyvac system but how do you connect the electric ?? use the customers or buy a generator that could be noisey ? Any advice ??
Properties increasingly have an exterior socket for power.. But even if they don't, people tend to be OK with being in white you do the work regardless. We use a sky vac routinely, and are looking at more hefty vaccuums as an upgrade. The noise inst really a factor imo
Never quote in person. I only convert around 30% as prices are quite high. As I cover a 5 mile radius it would be a huge waste of time driving round to 10 quotes taking a few hours to convert 3. I use a description and Google maps, quote them from my sofa and if I get it wrong I adjust the price after the 1st clean. Of course this loses the odd customer if you have to increase but its not that often and it's still more efficent than driving there twice.
It's swings and roundabouts isn't it. I used to quote online when I was on the tools (understandably). But I've noticed we convert more, upsell more and get the type of customer we want, so our fall off rate is low and retention is higher. Whatever works for you mate....no two businesses are the same.
As you know mate I always do it. It allows you to assess the potential customer and vice versa. Just recently signed up a full family as I got on well with the parents. People talking to each other works wonders, chat bots can’t compete with that. Yeah you may stretch yourself a bit but hey it’s your business not a robots.
Hi Chris, i like to quote in person as you get to introduce yourself and some people like to weigh you up first. It's a good two way filter really. You also like you say have a conversation and other questions can pop up leading to other jobs or even leads. I do use google earth though to get a rough quote for gutter clears but i always follow up with a quote in person. Get to scout out the job and see any potential problems that google earth doesn't show you.
I've two businesses, one one of them is vat registered as Ltd Company the other is a sole trader. Took a bit of getting used to in terms of keeping up with quarterly payments for VAT, but just another thing to consider. With proper planning and the help of a very good accountant, we navigated it just fine.
@@ChrisAddisSometimes they do I'm learning to pickup the red flag key words at the moment when a customer is speaking to notice is they are going to be trouble.Hope all is good with you as well 👍.
It can be $5 per pane per side and that usually includes the frames and sills but it does NOT include the TRACKS. Not “traps” 😑 so the one window can be $20 or more.. but they usually only have them cleaned once per year. If that. Englishmen have them cleaned monthly I hear. Us stupid Americans are too busy looking at the tv or facebook to care about the windows.. They’re called TRACKs!!!! And also the normal houses here can be $300-500 not £60
I backpack 1 house like this on all the rounds, I’ve had her since day 1 and feel a little loyal but have thought of sacking it 3 or 4 times now. It is a pain 5 mins work for £12.50 I have keys n gate fobs. I keep them at home until I need on the day. I don’t take on anymore flats or terraced as you know mate, can’t be arsed with the hassle.
It's reasonable to do away with it if you don't want to do it. But for me the additional charge etc makes these jobs worth doing...especially because others are not generally going to take this job on.
Yeah I’ll go through garage but not a house. Garage needs to be unlocked and rear access doors also. Never thought of asking for a key. One thing I’d add to your insisting on someone being in, Iv found offering to start your day on that job, earlier the better if your willing, is a solution ie before they go to work, 7am even. I make sure they know I’m doing them a favour to sell it to the customer. And it gets you some early work 😁 if that’s what you want anyway. One thing I’d add is as soon as they mess you around they’re gone. But if they appreciate the service I’ll take them on.
Any job i pull up to that makes me sigh and say not this one again gets dumped. You dont need pita jobs theres to many easy ones out there. No access, poor parking, needing keys etc too much faff and effort for me.
Hi Chris great vid and advice as always, I have took on board a lot of your advice on running a window cleaning business and I have been trading myself window cleaning (WFP) 2 years in September and would just like to say thank you and keep up the great work 👍
Absolutely brilliant 👏 fair play to her Chris carnt wait to get my lad out canvassing and out helping me hes 10 this August so maybe this summer on light duties like hose management ect great stuff buddy 👌 I was out washing cars at 10 11 with a mate of mine and we had a cushty little round haha does u no harm and makes u realise moneys earnt not given bud
Well said Chris, I've done it most of my life. I like your positive thinking and the way you are teaching your daughter. I know you are very proud of her. Well done mate 👍
I am extremely proud of both my girls, but Sofia has made massive strides. The pandemic really sucked her joy for life and her confidence. I'm so pleased she could pluck up enough courage to push past it. One proud dad right here. Thanks for the kind words.
If its your round, raise the prices; if you're purchasing a round with underpriced work on it, use it to negotiate a better price from the seller.....or walk away.
Solid points chris, its a challange running a business. You need to be a salesman, manager, worker this that the other while being the backbone of a business. Its a challange and im constantly struggling im open about it if my customers ask me how tbings are going ill tell them im struggling at the moment theyre all good with me ive got a great set of customers especially because im so young theyre all very very understanding. My plan is to get a few months expenses covered hire then go to a full time salesman because thats what i do best. Hope your doing well mate👍
The big problem in expanding is VAT, having 2 vans full time and you should hit the threshold. Plus if you are flat out and have very little slack it just takes 1 person to be sick and you can't keep up. You need a bit of slack in the system.
VAT should not be a problem. If you're scared to add the 20% to your customers prices talk to them, you will be very surprised by the feedback. Word it along the lines of “Without this VAT increase I cannot continue to grow and offer well-paid jobs locally” As for slack in the system, put systems in place and you won't need slack. My round manager Paul hasn't taken a day off sick since he joined us 3 years ago. There are many things you can do to keep on track, stop the slack and grow like mad. Chris will tell you this.…I have grown by business by 400% in the last 3 years. Put the systems in place and run with it, mate.
As the business grows and you have staff to pay, they then can trigger the vat so the margins decrease rapidly which has taken me time to accept. The main reason for me is if I get ill or something goes wrong and I can't work I dont want the busines to grind to a halt. That's motivated me to go multivan more than anything
VAT is a challenge but not insurmountable. In the UK there's not VAT unless you turnover plus £90k.. You're spot on about sickness it can bring everything to a grinding halt when you're self employed
Good points as ever, I’ll definitely be looking to outsource as much as possible when I get there. Iv not been going long in this iteration of business but apart from anything else it makes the business more saleable at some point, even if I choose not to sell, and it’s the only way to ‘scale’ really. Personally I don’t understand or enjoy the marketing of my business, yet, I might add so I’ll certainly be looking at getting someone who both understands and enjoys that to do it for me at some point. I don’t mind the numbers side of it so I feel I can manage myself for now, but again I am aware that people who do it for a living know more than me and can work out efficiencies I never even thought of.
Very interesting. The main starting block is building a constant income. Once that is achieved building sections of the business up can be a lot easier. once you have establish a good clientele. You can sell aditional services like gutter cleaning, fascia cleaning etc. It may be easier to then employ someone whom speficially deals with just those individual jobs, that way your specialising in individual tasks, whilst controllling the growth of your business. Keep up the good work.
Well done Chris keep smashing it! Your outlook on life is remarkable, fair play for having the competence and confidence to have a stand at the cleaning expo show 💙
Do you know a online pricing website I could use or if I make a note of how many different windows then I price it per different windows as in. 4 patio doors £?? 5 small 2nd storey windows £?? 3 very large viewing windows £??.
It can definitely be done, we're looking at it ourselves. There's a company called ECLM (Exterior Cleaning Lead Management) tell him I sent you he'll square you away
