The Window Cleaning Marsh Dynasty Advances

Donnie Marsh, owner of New View Window Cleaning, poses for a portrait on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus Monday morning. Marsh is currently a business student at the university. Click to enlarge.

UTC student learns from father, starts own business: If you don't recognize this young chap - think podcast king! This is the son of Don Marsh, a former Gainesville Mayor runner & one of the most prolific window cleaning video makers out there. Don has been making videos for window cleaners who are new to the trade for quite a few years now. See here. Donnie also made the music for his fathers podcasts.

• Name: New View Window Cleaning

• Location: Chattanooga

• Contact information: Owner Donnie Marsh, 352-672-3532

• Products/services: Window cleaning and pressure washing for business and residential customers

• Age: Marsh has 20 years of experience cleaning windows with his father's business in Gainesville, Fla., but started New View when he moved to Chattanooga in December.

• Family history: Marsh has cleaned windows for nearly all his life. When he was a child, his father would take him to work so the two could spend time together.

• Getting started: Marsh came to Chattanooga to pursue a master's degree in business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. "I moved here never wanting to clean another window," he said. But window washing offers a steady income, and Marsh soon found himself starting his own business. "I'm really enjoying it. When I said I never wanted to clean windows again, I didn't even consider the possibility of owning my own business."

• Future goals: Marsh plans to apply his studies to running the business. He hopes to continue to grow it past graduation, one day possibly franchising. "I will never sell. I want to keep doing this," he said.

• Target market: Small commercial customers don't pay as well as residential jobs, but home work is seasonal, hitting mostly during pollen season and right before the holidays. Marsh hopes to split his time between the two types of clients to keep business steady and sheltered from economic factors outside his control.

• Biggest hurdle: Networking to find customers. "I didn't really have any connections," Marsh said. "It didn't really matter how good I was if nobody knew who I was." So Marsh joined the local chapter of business networking group BNI. Now he pulls about 75 percent of his business from people he met through the group.

• Biggest reward: Owning his own business. Marsh said he wouldn't trade anything for the ability to set his own rates and schedule, allowing him to spend time with his friends and family. "There are so many positives," he said. "If it is possible for you to work for yourself and survive doing it, you should."

Just some of Dons videos, click to travel.

Midwest Window Cleaning Conference

Just one week to go before the Midwest Window Cleaning Conference kicks off on Saturday July 18th at the Country Inn and Suites in Coralville, Iowa hosted by Tony Evans. The room rate for the event is $84.95 - just let them know you're with the window cleaning event. Tony Evans aka Mr. Squeegee has a whole host of conferences lined up for your enjoyment & admission is absolutely free. Just contact Tony so that he can better organise the event if you plan to go. Places are filling up! You may remember Tony from his "weather or not" video series. It promises to be an outstanding event!

Sponsors: WCR, RHG, Titan Labs, American Window Cleaner magazine, Mr Longarm, Presto Inc., Greg Hanson (MagmaBullet), MWCoA, and Mrs Squeegee. Please click the links either here or above on the pictures to show recognition for the sponsors.

Agenda as follows:
9-9:30 Introductory meet and greet w/ complimentary coffee and donuts
9:30-10 Hard water stain removal discussion (T. Evans)
10-10:30 Scratch removal demonstration (A. Lambrinides)
10:30-11:00 Fabrication Debris discussion w/ Q&A (T. Evans)
11:00-11:20 Quadrant Pricing Theory w/ Q&A (M. Draper)
11:20-11:35 Factor Bidding Theory w/ Q&A (T. Evans)
11:35-11:50 Ladder Safety for the one man show (T. Evans)
11:50-12:10 Marketing Q&A (P. McQuillan)
2:15 Lunch (Cost is $10 see below) which will blend right into the round table discussions.
1-2 Round table discussions determined by those present
2-4 WFP demos w/ Reach Higher Ground

Also a novel "show and sell" - bring any old gear you're not using & sell it on.

A Window Cleaning Bag of Goodies..

Window Cleaning Resource have updated & upgraded the American forum. Chris Lambrinides tells us what's new in the video below. Some neat features, probably the best forum around for navigating & finding topics for your window cleaning business.

Tony Evans a.k.a. Mr Squeegee of "A New View" Window Cleaning in Iowa has just followed on from his Winter how-to series: "Weather or not" for the new Summer version. The first episode is below. Great stuff as always from Tony.

Let the "Window Cleaning -Balcony Access - Championships" begin...

Window Cleaning with the wfp in Colchester...

Imagine baseball without the home plate! By Larry Galler:

Yes, I know that is a silly, maybe even a stupid, concept! Yet it often occurs to me that many businesses are working every day in the same manner as a baseball team playing without home plate.

Without home plate the batter wouldn't know where to stand, the pitcher wouldn't know where to throw, baserunners wouldn't know how to score, and the game wouldn't make any sense. Without a goal line on a football field the game would be total chaos. Without a finish line bicycle racers would end up all over Europe instead of riding down the streets of Paris at the end of the Tour d' France.

It is the focus on the goal that makes sports so alluring, competition so thrilling. Business is just like that... almost. The difference is that business goals are not physical realities like a basketball hoop or the edge of a swimming pool. Business goals are far more abstract, often negotiated or even arbitrary, based upon the ambitions of owners, executives, and managers and those are the effective business goals. They are plenty of ineffective business goals that need to be addressed also.

I'm surprised that many business are working without clearly defined, well articulated goals. They have difficulty leading their staff forward into the future because the staff doesn't know were the future lies, how to work towards it, and what will happen when they get there or even if there is a there there. So they all come to work in the morning and, robotlike, go through the motions of trying to do business, satisfy the customers, and satisfy the boss without having firm criteria for satisfaction.

Every member of a sports team, from a Little Leaguer to a Major Leaguer knows what it takes for the team to win the championship and what he or she is expected to accomplish every game in order to win. Does the staff in your business know what is expected? Do they know how the company is keeping score? Without clear goals they are working without reason. Give them something to focus on. Start winning.

Window Cleaning Videos for Your Enjoyment & Pleasure

Mr Squeegee (aka Tony Evans) of New View Window Cleaning in Wellman, Iowa gives us a taste of the weather & cleaning windows in cold weather. Second video: Sean the salesman, just back from the IWCA trade show gives us an update on the inititive program for the window cleaners.

Mike Draper of Reach Higher Ground gets interviewed at the first Canadian convention in the first video. Whereas Wayne of Specialised maintenance & awning cleaning services shows us round his local supplier - Dallas Window Cleaning Supply in Dallas, Texas.

Window Cleaning tips from Park City, Utah. Joseph, owner of Mountain View Window Cleaning, explains the cause and solutions to hard water on glass.

The "saviour of windows" shows us how quick of a draw he is - not as fast as the second guy.

Mr.Squeegee & the 10 Foot Snowman

Mr Squeegee (aka Tony Evans) of New View Window Cleaning in Wellman, Iowa gives us a taste of the weather & cleaning windows in cold weather: this week "scheduling."

Thumbs up for 10ft Giant Snowman on the hills: It was a glorious sunny day on Saturday (7th February 09) with inches of snow covering the ground, rather than sitting at home doing nothing all day. AboutMyArea site editors Karen and Jamie gathered the family round for a trip up to the hills towards Honiton and made a giant snowman to the amusement of passing motorists. As the snowman was slowly building its way up, amazed motorists were hooting, giving the thumbs up and even stop to take a picture with their camera and mobile phones. A passing police van stopped by to admire the snowman much to the amusement of the officers inside but unfortunately were not able to give us a helping hand. Several motorists have returned to see how we were progressing.
Jamie Wadham (left on photo), local window cleaner (Crystal Windows) brought his ladder to create the head and add a finishing touch to the snowman's face. Steph who is the tallest 5'6 with the giant snowman stands happily at just over 10 ft high. This had taken over 3 hours and they've thoroughly enjoyed the day and brought a smile for the motorists on their travels.

In the same area: Police warn of window-cleaning con (North Somerset): Police are warning householders in North Somerset to be on their guard after reports of homeowners being conned out of cash by a man offering a window-cleaning service. Officers are investigating more than 30 such incidents in which a man has cold-called, cleaned the windows, then taken payment up front for a year's work and not been seen again. Clevedon Neighbourhood PC Nick Butler said: "Our advice to anyone who needs work done on their home is always to get three quotes from reputable firms – ideally with a personal recommendation from someone you know. "Trading Standards does have a website of approved traders available online.

See more "snow" window cleaners here from a previous blog.