Three Window Cleaning Owners Talk About Money

New businesses given a helping hand: Jobless people refused credit by their banks can get help to start up their own businesses thanks to a new £60,000 fund. The Fredericks Foundation charity was set up in 2001 as a social enterprise to help young people who had made bad decisions to get back on track. Because of the credit crunch, with banks less willing to lend to small businesses, it has branched out to help existing companies rejected by their banks, as well as lending to the long-term unemployed. Now it has received £60,000 from a Government scheme, through Oxfordshire County Council, to spread the initiative to the county.
One of its first clients was Harwell window cleaner Dominic Greenough, who received a loan to buy a van and equipment after being made redundant. The banks did not consider him credit-worthy, but his business is now flourishing and he hopes to pay off his Fredericks loan next year. He explained: “The Jobcentre put me on to Fredericks. They gave me an interview and I explained our situation. “They were only interested in the business we have got and the drive behind it.”
His company, DG Professional Cleaning Services, uses a water-fed pole to clean windows, as well as offering pressure washing and carpet cleaning. He said business had grown by word of mouth, despite the recession. The Fredericks Foundation was set up by computing millionaire Paul Barry-Walsh, founder of SafetyNet, now Guardian IT. As well as Mr Barry-Walsh’s money, the foundation is also funded by the European Union’s European Social Fund and the Government’s Phoenix Fund. Affiliated businesses give one per cent of their profits each year, as well as giving up some of their time to support the charity’s work. One of its supporters is Mike Jennings, of Monument Business Park, in Chalgrove, who has offered office space to the charity’s new Oxfordshire representative, former bank manager Tim King. Mr King said: “The foundation was set up because Paul Barry-Walsh wanted to give something back, helping disadvantaged people to start up in business. “Over the years that has widened from the unemployed and ex-offenders to helping single operators – people who would not be able to save up the money needed. We help anyone who cannot get traditional bank finance.”
Clients are referred by advice services such as Business Link, as well as Jobcentres. Decisions on loan applications are made by a panel of business experts. Mr King said: “The panel interview is more like Dragon’s Den than The Apprentice. It’s a friendly interview.”

Seth Brown Panes & Drains Inc. Liberty - In 1990, Seth Brown was a sophomore at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., when he began cleaning windows for Northland homeowners in the summer. “I was just a one-man operation with my supplies in the back of a truck,” Brown said. He did windows every summer until he graduated in 1994, then landed a “real job” in sales and moved to St. Louis.

In 1998, Brown moved back to Liberty and continued working 40 to 50 hours a week in sales. But requests by customers from his college days prompted Brown to begin cleaning windows again on weekends in 2000. Brown discovered that he was making as much in two days as he was working five days during the week. “From there, I just decided to hang out my shingle and clean windows full time,” Brown said. “I was very informal. I had no cards, no invoices.”

To the panes of window cleaning, Brown added the drains of gutter cleaning, and Panes & Drains was born. “At first it was more of a courtesy because I was already up there cleaning the windows,” Brown said. “Then I realized people would pay to have their gutters cleaned.” Brown, now 40, became an accidental entrepreneur in June of 2002 and has been operating his business from a home office since then. He has a payroll of three full-time and three part-time employees. His business has grown so much that Brown is preparing to move to a commercial location later this year.

How the VAT rise will affect families in South Wales: Mathew Davies spent much of 2010 balancing being a first-time dad and business owner, after opening his window cleaning firm Simply Pure in September. The VAT rise will affect the cost of the specialist equipment Mathew uses as well as the transport involved. The 38-year-old of Pentwyn, Cardiff, dad to 10-month-old Tabetha, said: “Obviously the business is quite new and we are expanding. I am not overly concerned when it comes to the shopping side of it. My concerns are with regard to the business supplies that I need with equipment and that side of it. When you are talking big amounts, it’s going to have an impact on that.

“The fuel price rise is going to have much more of an impact with two vehicles which are constantly being used, that’s going to be a bit of a struggle. With regard to clothes, that’s going to be a little bit of a pinch but I suppose you need to watch your budget a bit more and reassess it at the end of the first month and see what impact it has had at that point. “I am not in a position to be VAT registered so I am going to hold my prices for as long as I can to make sure I keep attracting more business.” Wife Johanna, 30, works part-time at Barclays. She said: “It’s just going to be another expense that’s going to make things more expensive. I think petrol is the main one that’s going to have a knock-on effect. With a baby I don’t pay VAT on most of the things we buy for her anyway because it’s all exempt.”

Cleaning Windows for 50 Years

When I'm cleaning windows: Veteran window cleaner Peter Lawton is celebrating 50 years in the job - and has no intention of hanging up his chammy leather! Peter 71, who joined the family business in October 1959, admits he now spends more time talking to customers than cleaning windows. But he is proud of his contribution to the town over half a decade and describes his work as 'a lovely job'.
He said: "The first time I went up a ladder was when I was seven. My father was in the fire service during the Second World War, and he had a 100ft turntable ladder, and he told me to go up it. "I went right to the top, apart from the last bit. So I've never really suffered from a fear of heights. "I'd done it during school holidays and weekends so when I started, I just went into it. "I've got no plans to retire. My grandfather worked into his 80s and it looks like I will be doing the same." The firm was set up by Peter's grandfather in the 1930s and his father also worked as a window cleaner. During its peak the round stretched from Rhyd y Foel to Llandudno and took in Colwyn Bay Hotel, Queen's Hotel, Mount Stewart, Rhos Abbey and Bodnant Hall.
Peter, a member of Conwy Camera Club and keen walker, said: "It was a nice town, a very community spirited town. The shops were fantastic, people used to travel from Chester to shop at Wood's on Station Road, which is now Peacocks. It was a cracking place. Full of people working for themselves. "Stead & Simpson, which is where KFC is now, had a bronze shop front and we used to have to polish it. They were nice shops. I felt proud making the shops look their best, to make the town look good." Peter, who now works part-time on the round, has seen a number of changes including the introduction of the one-way system, the pedestrianisation of Station Road and the closure of the town's hotels.
He said: "I've taken pride in my work over the years, you can't stay with the same customers if you don't. You had to do a good job in the old days, shop manageresses would pick you up on anything. "My advice is that you have to work, people don't seem to want to work these days. You need to take pride in your work. "The cold mornings don't bother me, where there is no sense there is no feeling. It's a lovely job, but I spend more time chatting than window cleaning these days."

Window Cleaning News

Jon to spend winnings on sending dad to visit dying brother in Oz: Kind-hearted game show winner Jon Goodall will use his prize money to send his father half-way round the world to see his dying brother. The self-employed window cleaner received £10,000 when he won the action-packed BBC1 show Total Wipeout. Immediately after winning the show, the 34 year old, from Roath, in Cardiff, called his parents to tell them to pack their bags. He had planned to send them to India – where dad Joss is from – until his father said he would like to see his sick half-brother Collin Scott in Australia. Collin, 84, who lives in a Sydney suburb, is suffering from diabetes and gangrene. The pair last saw each other seven years ago – they were reunited in the mid-1990s after 48 years apart. The family was split up in India when Joss’ mother died in 1946. “What Jon has done for us is take all the stress out by saying the money is there as soon as you need the tickets.”

Seattle Window Cleaner Shot By Police Wants To Know Why?: A man who was shot in the face by Seattle police in May is speaking out for the first time and wants to know why officers shot him. Seattle police were called to an apartment at Greenwood Avenue North and North 125th Street in Seattle back in May for a report of a possibly suicidal man who may be holding his son hostage.
Nathaniel Caylor was the man the report was referring to. Caylor insists he was not suicidal and that his only gun was an old shotgun dismantled and in a closet. "I've fought long and hard to make it to 29, and there's no way I could take my own life, ever. I'm a high-rise window cleaner. I've had millions of opportunities to do that and it's never even been an issue,” Caylor said. He said he was despondent after the sudden death of his longtime girlfriend and mother to his 20-month-old son Wyatt. He was sad and wanted to be left alone, so when he didn’t return phone calls an out-of-state brother asked police check on Caylor. When officers arrived he wouldn't let them in. "The reason why I didn’t let them in is I wanted to be alone. I didn’t want a bunch of uneducated jerks out there who had nothing to offer me. They weren't therapists, they weren’t grief counselors, they couldn’t understand the pain I was feeling. They couldn’t imagine what I was going through," he said.
Police persisted and they said Caylor threatened them. “The individual said he had a gun on the table, out of sight of the officers and said if you come in it's gonna be a bloodbath," said Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department in May, just after the incident. Police talked with Caylor in the patio behind his apartment. At one point when he tried to re-enter his apartment an officer fired one shot, hitting the side of his face, Whitcomb said. Police said they feared he was going for a gun. The bullet hit Caylor in the jaw and exited through the opposite side. "The fact is he shot me in the face and I was unarmed," Caylor said. An X-ray showed his jawbone replaced by something that looks like a chain. "It's incredibly painful all the time," he said. More than the physical agony, Caylor said he is hurt by the knowledge that he was shot within view of his son.
"And fell literally at my son's feet spitting out pieces of my jaw and teeth and tongue and blood all the while my son's standing over me sobbing like I'd never seen him cry like that in my life. It will haunt me forever," Caylor said. Nathaniel's father, Steve Caylor, said he and his wife are livid that a police welfare check resulted in their son being shot. "I think they grossly misinterpreted whatever was going on that day. There's no way that Wyatt was in danger from anyone except perhaps from the police," Steve Caylor said. "I feel they went in with blinders on their eyes. They had a preconceived notion, they had expectations and they acted on those. They didn’t see reality," said Nathaniel’s mother, Anne MacAlpin.
After undergoing surgery and spending a month at Harborview Medical Center, Nathaniel was transferred to jail and charged with criminal mistreatment, unlawful imprisonment and felony harassment. In a plea deal that would allow him to leave jail and return to his son, Caylor pleaded guilty to harassment last month. He said he felt trapped. "I have these cops all ganging up on me saying one thing and I have no one to say anything for me," Nathaniel said. Now out, he is starting the process of getting his son back. He still doesn’t understand why police shot him. It's a question he asked the officer right after it happened.
“I was holding my face and talking like this and saying ‘Why did you shoot me?’ He just told me to be quiet. I said you could have tazed me or maced me. He just kept saying be quiet," Nathaniel said. Seattle police continue to defend what happened that day. The officers had reason to believe Caylor might have a gun and they feared Nathaniel was a threat to himself, the child, or to the officers themselves. An internal police shooting review board found the shooting to be justified.

JB’s to clean school windows free of charge: JB’s Professional Window Cleaning Service is helping the Steamboat Springs School District by cleaning the windows at all the schools and Horizons for free this year, JB’s owner Jon Smalley said. JB’s has been cleaning windows in Steamboat for 33 years and has eight employees, Smalley wrote in an e-mail. The company usually offers the schools window-cleaning services at cost. But the schools’ budgets were tight, so JB’s is providing cleaning for free at each Steamboat campus and at Christian Heritage School, Smalley said.

Lyndon V. "Lynn" Fleming, 69, of Great Falls, a Navy veteran, died Aug. 6 at a local hospice facility from injuries he received in a fall. Lyndon was a window washer and served a great many downtown businesses throughout the years. He also had worked at the Meadow Lark Country Club.

Licence fees go up/Scotland: Highland councillors have approved increases in public entertainment licence fees, which may mean rises in ticket prices for the region’s biggest music events. The increases, which are also being applied to street traders, window cleaners and tattooists, have been prompted because of a shortfall in council income from licensing. Under the current fee system, the council would have a deficit of £33,788 each year.

CANADA - RCMP warn of fraudster window cleaners: Revelstoke RCMP are warning the business community about a couple of cases of fraud over the last few days. Seems some men have been claiming to be with a window washing company, and invoicing businesses for work they never did. Mounties have two suspect descriptions. Tne is a 40 year old caucasian man, six feet tall with a shaved head. The other is a five foot 8 man, late 20's with olive skin and a thin build. If you're approached by anyone representing Clearview Window Cleaning, you're asked to call the police right away.

UK - Window cleaner conman is targeting elderly in Grantham: A Conman is posing as a window cleaner to steal from pensioners in Grantham, say police. On Thursday (Aug 13), police received five separate reports about the man from people living in Manthorpe Road, Grantley Street and Agnes Street area of town. The criminal is knocking on people's doors and then telling them he has cleaned their windows in the past couple of days and is demanding payment for the work. Police believe he is deliberately targeting pensioners and vulnerable people. Grantham sector inspector Nigel Storey said: "What this man is trying to do is fraud and we suspect he is also looking to enter properties and steal as well. We need people to ring us immediately with a description of this man if he approaches them. "Under no circumstances should anyone give him any money. Just shut the door on him and call us straight away."

Window cleaning uses less water than taking a shower (Canada): While the Comox Valley is in Stage 2 water restrictions few residents are aware of how this affects businesses. As stated on the Regional District Website residents cannot wash sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, exterior windows, or exterior building surfaces; however, businesses in the valley are exempt from this bylaw. Dwayne Robertson, owner of Shine-Eze Window Care, continues to work during this period, but has adjusted his business to restrict his water usage. On average Dwayne's crew of six uses 8 to 10 gallons of water a day - about the same or less than an average shower and far less than what a business such as a restaurant would use in a day. Dwayne also offers siding cleaning as part of his business but suggests customers not to have it cleaned during the summer months when water usage is a concern. In light of the Stage 2 restrictions Dwayne urges you to stick with the professionals when cleaning windows. Dwayne is offering $10 off any interior/exterior window cleaning booked during the month of August. He can be contacted by phone at 250-897-6282.

Squeegeeology & Other News

Sid Graef, a 15 year veteran window cleaner describes his marketing system for the US market. Sid owns "(A full) Spectrum" window cleaning in Missoula, Montana & has just started a blog called Squeegeeology.

Window-washing notices not a scam, ORL says (Boston University): Suspicious window cleaning notices posted in six South Campus apartment-style residences last week, originally thought to be a hoax, were determined to be legitimate, Boston University administrators said. The Office of Residence Life alerted South Campus resident assistants last Tuesday to an alleged window cleaning hoax after flyers appeared on residence doors notifying students of indoor window cleaning to take place that week, ORL Director David Zamojski said in an email. The notices, which lacked a BU logo and contained typographical errors, requested that students either move belongings away from the windowsill or hang a note on their door declining service. ORL verified the flyers over the weekend with the company contracted to clean windows, Zamojski said. RAs were then notified that the notices were real on Monday. Window cleaning took place as scheduled last week, Zamojski said.

PPDG also specialises in supporting unemployed Teessiders to set up their own business. A major success story is Robert Ramsdale, who set up his own window cleaning business. “My coach was great and identified what training I needed in order to set up my own business,” said Robert. “Even months after establishing my business, my coach was still available to help me with any queries I had.” Robert Windows’ client list has grown from seven to more than 270 residential and business clients over the past two years and continues to go from strength to strength. PPDG has helped more than 1,000 employers within the region by supplying job-ready candidates and Mark Harrison, Redcar centre manager, said the organisation prides itself on tailoring its support to each client. “We have a wealth of support packages available and dedicated staff who work tirelessly to support people into sustainable employment, which is very important at this time.

Top safety accreditation for David Morris Window Cleaning: David Morris Window Cleaning is one of the latest companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record. The Cornwall based firm, which employs four people, recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a program which recognises very high standards of Health & Safety practices amongst UK contractors. The company's application for SAFEcontractor accreditation was driven by wanting to set new standards of safety in the window cleaning industry. Specialising in the commercial sector with a rising client base, the company has doubled its turnover in the last 12 months. Recent clients include Marks & Spencer, The Tate St Ives, The Porthminster Hotel and many other landmark buildings. "We are delighted to have achieved the SAFEcontractor accreditation," enthuses David Morris. "It shows our clients how committed we are about their Health & Safety obligations while we are cleaning on their premises. So many businesses don't understand their obligations when employing window cleaners and we believe this is a step in the right direction to give them a choice of who to consider when employing window cleaning services."

It’s a fresh start: Window cleaner Michael Parle, 25, from Llanedeyrn, Cardiff, also said business was picking up. Having launched a leaflet and telephone marketing drive with the help of his mum, the former St Illtyd’s Catholic High School pupil, who started his own business to build a brighter future for his daughters Michaela, two, and Demi Renee, eight months, has got Cymru Cleaning Services off the ground. “I already have a few regulars and, as there aren’t that many window cleaners around, I’m always picking up more. “It’s been a fairly slow start, but I am still glad I started my own business. I’ll just have to see where it takes me now.” With high hopes for expansion in the future – he hopes to move into carpet cleaning, floor maintenance for shops and office and household cleaning – Michael stays upbeat even when business is quiet. “I do have quieter days,” he said. “But even then I will go out delivering leaflets and will spend some time developing my website.”

Sunnyside Window and Pressure Cleaning are one of the many businesses' using Google Search Engine Advertising to grow their Business. In this video Jan, the owner of Sunnyside window cleaning shares how ineedhits Easy Search Advertising Service has helped to grow his business.

High service standards help Greenscape scoop internationally recognised mark: A Black Country-based gardening and cleaning service is celebrating today after being awarded a government backed award for Quality Standards. Greenscape Estate Services, based in Wednesbury, is one of only a handful of UK businesses to be awarded the Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 certification. Phil Greaves, Business Development Manager at Greenscape, said: “We have a great team of staff who strive to ensure that our clients are satisfied with the services we provide, this award is testament to their hard work and commitment. “We have always been proud of the service that we offer to our clients and the way that we conduct our business. Now with the award of this certification, this has been confirmed by outside experts who are use to judging standards on a daily basis in a wide variety of trades and industries.” Greenscape works for its parent company Accord Housing Association, other Housing Associations, the NHS, local residents and private companies in the West Midlands area. The company offers a range of services including, grounds maintenance, tree surgery, landscaping, commercial cleaning and window cleaning.

Window cleaners need to be licenced: Central Scotland Police carried out a joint operation with Falkirk Council to target unlicensed window cleaners. Within two hours of the operation starting, on January 13, three window cleaners were detected working in the Bonnybridge area without a licence. They received a warning letter and then applied for licences which have since been granted. Sergeant Derek Simpson, licensing officer, said: “Checking window cleaners is an important part of our business. These people are permitted access to private property, often unsupervised. It is essential that these individuals are trustworthy and are not going to abuse that privilege. “The licensing system allows us to check the background of window cleaners and prevent anyone who might be dishonest obtaining a licence to clean windows. Over the coming weeks we will continue to carry out checks along-with Falkirk Council staff and we will take enforcement action against anyone found working unlicensed.” Brian Douglas, Falkirk Council’s Licensing Co-ordinator, said “It is a legal requirement for window cleaners to be licensed before they can clean windows in the Falkirk area. This applies to cleaning both residential and commercial premises. We consider it is important that members of the public who allow window cleaners onto their private property should be able to do so safe in the knowledge that they are bona-fide operators who have undergone the relevant vetting and are properly insured.”

Sovereign Windows & Doors (Australia) new range of products incorporate the latest in Venetian technology, which allows high performance in terms of thermal efficiency with “U” values of 0.78 for the whole window. The new windows feature the versatility of Venetian blinds that never need cleaning. The new fibreglass energy efficient windows, with Venetian blinds inside a double glazed unit, are alternative to uPVC, Aluminium or Timber. These fibreglass windows are suitable for awning, casement, fixed and sliding doors. Standard sizes in white are available for early delivery and non standard or colour matched Venetian blinds by special order. Sovereign Windows & Doors specialise in the fabrication of pultruded fibreglass windows and doors. Sovereign Windows & Doors utilise pultruded lineals and some completed product to create an innovative range of fenestration solutions. Sovereign Windows & Doors create high performance products with a wide range of glazing offerings from Heat Mirror Super Glass to a full range of Dual and Tripane glass with low e and Super Spacer.

Q & A Welsh Window Cleaner

Marc Rees had ambitions to be a teacher before he realised he could never spend every day indoors. The 22-year-old, from Whitchurch, Cardiff, is now a window cleaner and has been doing the job for two years.
How did you get into it?
I started working with a friend who had a family business and I’m trying to start out on my own. I’ve been canvassing for the last few months. I cover Whitchurch, Rhiwbina, Birchgrove, Lisvane and Thornhill but eventually I want to expand, maybe take on a partner and work all over Cardiff.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I love working outdoors. I hated the idea of working inside and could never do an office job for that reason. Being out in the fresh air is one of the best things, but I love how independent I get to be. You never get told what to do, the hours are flexible and you can work at your own pace.
I also love meeting people and having a chat. I’ve seen couples argue behind the windows – that’s embarrassing but I just ignore them politely and get on with the job. I used to feel awkward when I saw a potential row about to start – now I just get on as quickly as possible and leave!
What qualities do you need to be a window cleaner?
You have to be fit. There is a lot of walking around and carrying heavy equipment. It’s a good work-out every day. You also have to have good time-keeping and be organised enough to keep a busy diary. It’s important you’re very self-motivated.
Safety’s obviously a big issue – you have to know how to put up the ladder so you don’t fall, and know which roof tiles you can’t stand on because they’ll crack. Obviously you can’t be afraid of heights either.
What’s in your kit?
I carry an applicator, blades which we call squidgeys, a special soap, scrins (cloths), a reach-and-wash brush for conservatories and purified water. I carry it around on a belt with my appointment book and a bucket. I’ve recently started painting exteriors so I’ve got all the tools for that too.
Did you always want to be a window cleaner?
No, I wanted to be a teacher. Part of me regrets not going to university after school. I started training, to be a teaching assistant and worked at nurseries, then was planning on doing a Post Graduate Certificate in Education but I soon realised it wasn’t for me. I can always go back to it though and for now I’m enjoying what I do. It’s a lot less tiring than looking after screaming reception children but it keeps me just as busy. My great-grandfather was a window cleaner and had a good business brain apparently – I hope that rubs off on me!
What’s the worst thing about the job?
The weather. If it’s belting down with rain you can’t work but I’ll go out in showers – I have to or I wouldn’t earn anything! You also have to understand things like that will mean that you won’t always have a completely reliable income. So far I haven’t been affected by the dreaded credit crunch. I think people always want their windows cleaned and nobody wants to get up a ladder and do it themselves. I’ve seen some really disgusting windows. I did a friend’s who lives with two other girls and they’d lived there a year without having it done – the windows were filthy and were covered in spiders. I should have charged them more really!
How difficult do you think it will be to maintain a business on your own?
There are a few costs when you’re starting out so I’ll have to save up. You can get a transit van for about £800 and the equipment costs just over £100. Then there’s the business cards. I enjoy working with my friend because you can chat as you go along. But I don’t get lonely when I’m out on my own. I get on well with all my customers, they’re always polite and most offer you a cup of tea. I’ve only ever had one customer who was really miserable, most are really chatty and take an interest in what I’m doing.
Would you recommend it?
Yes – it’s a great job and I genuinely love it. When I tell people I’m a window cleaner I get mixed reactions. Some people give me a wry smile and look as if they wonder why I’m doing it – people can be a bit snobby. Others congratulate me on doing my own thing and trying to start a business. A lot of people don’t understand the hard work that’s involved.

Picture of a window cleaner at work at the St David's Hotel in Cardiff Bay -

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