So many window cleaners share that same line with me. “I planned on cleaning windows for a little while until I…” Each person might be a little different, but the theme is the same. They started cleaning windows to earn some money to help them get to the next thing on their journey. Some of the more common goals I have heard are:
I will clean windows until I…
- Complete my degree
- Get married
- Recover a bit and get back on my feet after job loss or divorce
- Figure out what career I want to get into
- I am ready to get a grown-up job
In having conversations with window cleaners, they then share how long they have been in the window cleaning industries. Usually, we talk about decades dedicated to the window cleaning industry! What started out as a side venture, summer job or almost hobby, quickly turned into a good paying profession that they grew to love and enjoy.
I think of Charlie, the owner of Malibu Window Cleaning on the east coast. I met Charlie at a recent window cleaning convention. He started washing windows after getting “downsized” from a career job. Not knowing what to turn to for a career, he stumbled on to his first customer who was struggling to find someone to clean their dirty windows. Now 20+ years later, Charlie runs a successful window cleaning company with employees, trucks and everything. After all the years, Charlie still has so much energy for the business and loves to share insights about his success.
So that leads me to ask, what role has window cleaning played in your life story? I mean, it’s a simple job of taking dirt off of glass, right? So what station are you at currently? Are you using the trade as a bridge to get to some other goal? Maybe you are enjoying the physical aspect of the work that allows you to refocus life for a season? Or maybe you never really found a career that you wanted to pursue, and you are simply taking dirt of glass as a way to make a living for now?
Regardless of what has brought you to today, I want to share 4 tips about cleaning windows for a career:
- The task is simple, yet not easy. Wash, squeegee and detail. Those are the three basic steps. But that does not mean that providing a sparkling window is exactly easy! As you practice, people will reward you with “certificates of appreciation that have presidents faces on them!” But learn and be intentional. Professional window cleaning is a craft. Use the best equipment, practice the technique and learn how to provide customers with what they want.
- Identify and remember the parts that you enjoy most about the job. Every job has its moments. Early on in your journey, notice the parts of window cleaning that you enjoy the most. It could be physical exercise, the way customers express gratitude or happiness when you finish the job, the profitability of the day, or the simple concept of being able to start your work and finish it… completely. While these might all seem simple, there is a deeper value to each of these, we are all humans after all. The basic needs of life are required of each of us. Think about it. The simple task of window cleaning can help you to be a fulfilled human!
- Keep it simple! Let’s assume you are good at washing windows and you have a skill for interacting with your customers. It won’t be long before you are asked to get into other services. It’s your journey so you can go in any direction you want! As someone that has sold window cleaning tools for almost 40 years, I can tell you that simply cleaning windows can many times be enough to provide a sustainable living. Again, some people enjoy expanding into other services and that is great. Be intentional and go for it. But also know that keeping your services simple and focused on window cleaning is a formula for success as well.
- Be intentional. The fact is, people clean windows for a living because, well, it is a living that can reward you well financially. Economics is often a big factor in guiding life’s events, opportunities, failures and successes. Money will come your way as you develop your window cleaning skills. The encouragement of tip #4 is that you are intentional about how you handle your profit. Learn about money and treat what you earn with respect. You will work hard to be rewarded. Don’t diminish that by simply letting the money float away somewhere.
One more extra perspective – going it out on your own in your own business is a good choice for many. But, in today’s economy, becoming a team member at a window cleaning business that values you, your contributions, and your work is a solid option as well. Running your own venture has its own challenges (and that’s for another blog!). Joining a successful business, sharing your skill and personality with the right team might actually be more fulfilling and fun for you.
Over all the years of providing pro window cleaning tools to window cleaners, I have heard many stories about “how it all began”. Cleaning windows is a trade. Learn how to do it well and customers will always love the results of your work. Think about it, you can do the same task anywhere on this planet and get paid. Journey on!
For questions about the window cleaning industry and how to get started, reach out to our professional Detroit Sponge team. We would love to help you get started with all the best tools in the industry. Call, email or check out our website!
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I am 67, been cleaning windows for 43 years. I hope I can continue for another 15 years.
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Going on 24 years for me and yup I had an exit strategy hinging on my bachelor degree. I finished but loved my business so much I kept with it. My grandma though I was joking when I told her. She was kinda upset that I’d waste my education, but I feel my education was my internship of sorts. I learned a ton about business and such. And yes I still have my “I’ll clean windows until” statement, which is now until I’m an empty nester to which I’ll work six weeks on and six weeks off until my customers cut me loose one by one because I’m too old and slow and need to use the bathroom too much. 🙂 I’m very pleased with my careers and thanks for the blog article and being a great supplier.