Master Window Cleaner 2010 - Seth Fensterstock

This years winner of the Master Window Cleaners of America (MWCoA) is Seth Fensterstock of "Windows Only, " a window cleaner serving the NW Washington DC & surrounding area. Seth gets to win all manner of prizes being voted in by members of the MWCoA community seen here. The following is a history of how Seth made his climb up the ladder to achieve the success he now has with MWCoA....

It all started in 1982-83. For a fourth grade report I had to write about what I wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote that I wanted to be a business owner. At the time, I didn’t know what kind of business.

Fast forward to 1991 when I graduated high school. I was looking for a summer job and stumbled upon a newspaper ad looking for window cleaners, $8-$10 an hour. I applied and got the job as a residential window cleaner. The company trained me for two days at $8 an hour, and then sent me out on my own to estimate, clean the windows, and collect the money at the end. I received 30% for my wages and would only see the owner on Fridays when she would drive by the job to collect the weeks worth of checks and give me a couple new squeegee rubbers and refill my dawn dish soap. I was 17 years old and had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that it seemed I was doing everything except getting the customers. After a week on the job, I knew that one day I would own my own window cleaning company. Problem was I was still just a kid and had no interest in anything but partying and causing trouble.

A year later my Mom moved to Calabash, NC to retire. I followed and moved into an apartment with two friends. I found a job working for a mostly storefront window cleaning company called Windows Only in Myrtle Beach, SC. I found out a few months ago that our own John Lee used to be the Manager before I worked there. My manager, Chuck, was one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. He taught me to fan and use an extension pole. He also put up with me. Yes, I was a hard worker and did my job well, but I was just a young punk a** kid. I brought residential skills to the table and could climb a ladder like a monkey. I lived there for 4-5 years and would struggle to get through the winter every year.

It was about 1996 when I had had enough of the ups and downs of living in a tourist town. I was going nowhere fast!! (I had also had enough of the crazy girlfriend I was living with, but that’s a whole other story!) I decided to move back to my hometown in the Maryland suburbs of DC to start my own window cleaning business. When I moved back, I had nothing. I sold off some stuff to buy a bicycle, which was my only transportation. I moved into a good friend’s basement and got a job working in a bread bakery 5-6 days a week. The owners were nice enough to let me put my business cards out on the front counter, and that’s when it began.

Soon after I accumulated a little cash I was able to buy a 50cc Honda scooter. I would clean storefront windows in the early mornings then go to work at the bakery from 11AM-7PM, 5-6 days a week. On my day(s) off, I would borrow a friend’s car to clean houses.

In 1998, I started dating an old high school friend, now my wife. She really was the one that got me to start thinking about my future, our future. I was just floating around. Sure I was working my butt off non-stop growing my business, but it wasn’t really a business. I knew nothing about business. Insurance? What’s that? To me up to this point it was always full time pay for part time work. But I wanted more.

In August of 1998, with my girlfriend’s help, I officially started Window Only LLC. I was still working at the bakery, but I was able to lower my hours as my business grew little by little. Eventually I was able to quit the bakery and clean windows full time. It was also around this time that I bought my first computer and found the IWCA and the Window Cleaning Network. I suddenly realized that I wasn’t the only window cleaner on the world.

I was still just getting by. It wasn’t until I got married, bought a house, and had my first kid that I realized I have to take this seriously, really seriously. I’m not a kid anymore. Yes, I’m a slacker, but a hard working slacker, if that makes any sense.

Since I’ve been involved in different forums and associations I have learned tons about business and how to run a successful window cleaning company. I’m still getting there, and getting closer everyday. I have grown from a one-man operation with one bucket and a squeegee, to now having two full time employees and one part timer, along with my Wife who does most of the bookkeeping.

I’ve also been able to help many window cleaners with my experiences of trial and error. I’m actually proud to say that I’m the reason a few friends of mine have their own window cleaning businesses. In fact one of them was just elected as a BOD for the IWCA.

For so many years I had to figure out things for myself. I’ve made lots of mistakes and have never claimed to know it all. I really enjoy networking and helping out my fellow window cleaners, and also to help further the professionalism in our industry. Once I can get my business to the level of running itself, my dream is to give back even more and help others start and operate successful window cleaning businesses with as little learning curve as possible.

I seriously can’t believe I was even in the running for Window Cleaner of the Year! There are so many great people in The Master Window Cleaners of America group and so many deserving of the title. Just to be thought of makes me extremely happy and proud. It’s very overwhelming to be voted the winner, and I only hope I can live up to the title.