Hey everyone! How you guys doing?!?
So I’m running a window cleaning business in Montreal, Qc, Canada. We get lots of cold temperatures for the winter period that is almost 6 months out of the year. I am wanting to add another division to my business to really keep busy year round, something that can mainly be done indoors. I thought about post construction cleaning, what do you guys think? Do you have any other suggestions?
Thanks!
Route work is year round.
The company I work for also does the cleaning of new-build apartments. Windows, Kitchen, Clean everything up, etc.
Kind Regards
SqueegeeBE
Like Dan mentioned, route work will give you consistency through the winter.
Another option could be Christmas light installation / removal or snow removal.
I know a few people in winter climates opt for putting aside a percentage throughout the year to take some months off when its too cold - I’m personally opting for that this year while also holding onto a bit of route work to tie it all together.
This is my goal for the winter months. I know others who do this every year I’m just finishing my first winter with mostly floating by. Six month winter season is long though, I would consider plowing. My bro in law plows through the winter. He does pretty well with it.
I’ve started building a commercial run (larger jobs every 2-3 months) and have added pressure washing, and builder’s cleans to combat bad weather and slower weeks. so far yet to have a slower week!
I have seen others mention on here that their "side-hustle"s are things like:
I know this is all outside, but the automation would allow you to get back in the heated cab of your truck, but you could look into getting a contract with an HOA neighborhood or local municipality to do trash bin cleaning. If you have a vehicle capable of towing at least 3400kg there are options for single can trailer mounted systems.
Thank you everyone for your input!
This all sounds horrible, and way too far removed from window cleaning. Trash bin cleaning??? Come on son.
Either figure out how to make window cleaning work year round, as we all have. Or be a jack of all trades and go clean trash bins?
SMH
@DanTheWindowMan
The Original Post was from a guy in CANADA. Where it gets cold. Apparently (according to a quick google search) 22°F is the average HIGH in January. So he was looking for ALTERNATIVES TO WINDOW CLEANING.
To point out the obvious, this is the Add-Ons page of the forum. It literally means doing things other than window cleaning to make money.
I don’t do route work, but do whatever you can to keep working. Likewise, I don’t do trash bin cleaning myself, because in my area the County already provides that service. I also don’t do Christmas Light hanging or snow removal, but that is 100% due to the fact that I live in Florida. However, I’ve posted multiple times on this forum that diversification of services is what will most easily guarantee you consistent work. Some of the services I offer include:
In the first 6 months of my business (July-Dec 2018) I only did Trad Window Cleaning and Pressure Washing and Grossed $38k. Starting in February of 2019 I began to add everything else including WFP, by the end of the year I had Grossed $105k. So far in 2020, I have averaged and booked through the end of March $45k of work. That’s $15k each month. Yes I dumped about $30k into equipment, supplies, and my trailer initially, but that is all paid off already, I only have about $3500/mo overhead including supplies for paver driveway sanding and sealing.
@DanTheWindowMan do you average $15k/mo doing just windows?
I admit that I have the advantage of being able to work year round, though the summer months’ humidity and heat can make mid afternoon work difficult and the daily summer time afternoon thunderstorms are an annoyance, but I don’t have to shut down for months on end like @Nettoyage.eb in Canada. All I was and continue to recommend is Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. Do whatever you can do, in a professional manner and skill level, to provide for you and your family.
I disagree, you can be a jack of all trades if you want, that’s cool, fill your boots.
But, I feel that it is better to specialize in just a couple things that synergize well with your core business, which if you are on this forum is Window Cleaning.
Also, I live in Canada as well, and I do route work 4 days a week, year round. So, my point was that you CAN work in the winter cleaning windows. You don’t need to resort to washing out trash cans.
During the Spring, Summer and Fall, I add pressure washing, gutters and solar panels to bring me up to 5 days a week.
@GSARMedic I am not going to get into a measuring contest with you, but, let’s just say that according to the numbers you posted I do just fine.
I personally would rather be a tradesman/specialist than a jack of all trades. But, you do you.
I agree with you fully. I guess my contention is how wide of a spectrum each of us defines our trade.
To correlate it to medicine, you would be a cardiothoracic surgeon or neurosurgeon where they specialize in one area of the body, do it extremely well, but do little to nothing else (I mean this in diversification not activity parameters). I align myself as more of a general or trauma surgeon capable of doing more, doing it to a professional standard, and being more active and useful to my clients. Both of these are more specialized skill sets vs a general practitioner doctor, which in this example would be the jack of all trades or handyman. I do define myself as a window cleaner as that is the core of my business. Everything I offer as a service has been a direct or cotangent lead off of window cleaning.
I don’t know if where @Nettoyage.eb works and resides is capable of sustaining route work. I know where I live and work, there is way more residential work due to multiple 55+ retirement communities. So, all I was offering was options based on the question for Add-On work that could be done inside during cold months, but as I was simultaneously searching for a new rotational spray bar for my surfacer, I came across advertisements for trash bin cleaning and seeing that it is highly automated and uses the same equipment that at least half of us window cleaners own because we also do pressure washing, I floated the suggestion.
I guess my frustration stems from the subtle ostracization and negating of any proffered idea, because it does not align with your core synergy and work flow. Again, I don’t do trash bin cleaning either. But I guess my stand point is: Any idea is a good idea if it works for you. Think outside the box a little and don’t be so focused on one aspect, that you miss out on opportunities that you are capable of making money with.
Lastly, I re-read my direct question about the $15k and I can see how that can be read with a more hostile tone as it was also abruptly worded. To clarify, I was attempting to make the example that as a single-man operation, by being diversified in my service offering, I am able to bring in larger sums vs when I was focused on only two skills. So I apologize for the contentious way in which you read that question.
We disagree. We have two totally different approaches to both our own businesses and how we affect/fit in to our singular industry. We may never agree on anything else posted in this forum, but can we at the very least agree that we all come here to gain knowledge and seek outside diverging opinions to at least consider other options to handling issues that we face and are struggling with? And that there is no need to be derisive to one another’s opinions if we disagree with them?
I apologize I just realized your comment was not pointed towards me.
To be fair, I was not talking about emptying trash cans incase anyone felt insulted. When I say post construction cleaning, I meant delivering a brand new house to a client looking impeccably clean and smelling fresh, taking on the finishing touches and complete cleaning from contractors who build brand new homes.
Here in Quebec on a good day it is -10c and on a bad day it can go between -25c ~ -40c. If you research that, in farenheit that means between -13f to -40f. Who wants to do route work while it is blowing snow and your fingertips and toes are about to fall off? To each their own but it is not something I “enjoy” which is why I was looking for another niche.
It’s definitely not enjoyable in winter, but it’s great the rest of the year, and the relentless reliable income is awesome.
I agree 100% and I love window cleaning! My idea is to have employees do the post construction cleaning and I manage my job sites and in the nice warm months I can do the window cleaning myself with 1 or 2 helpers. That would be in a perfect world but hey, if you work for your dreams it can all become a reality!
Buckle up! You will have scratched glass, lawsuits, insurance claims or out of pocket payments. I don’t do CCU myself simply because I hate doing it, but I would never send an employee to do it.
Who cares if you enjoy it or not, no one does. Get paid, soldier on, or don’t and leave the nice route jobs to people like me.
Ok listen, I think you’ve been dragging this on for a little too long now with your boring comments and opinions. If you prefer to just have a pay day and choose money over happiness, that’s great for you but maybe you should stop bothering others with your thoughts about weather things are good or not and who cares about what and leave you the work. This place is about getting info and helping others out, not bashing their ideas and indirectly insulting people.
It’s hard to say buddy. We have our routes to maintain so that keeps us busy through out the winter.
Anything window cleaning related will be difficult as an indoor only type work. Or at least that I know of.
I’d say if you can endure the cold try getting some solid commercial accounts. But if not, the sky is the limit.