PART (ONE) OF TWO.

Here’s a business that, almost more than any other with equal
potential for real wealth, meets the most stringent requirements
of just about any skeptic. In fact, there’s so much in favor of
the “little guy” with this business, it’s a real mystery why more
people don’t choose this one as the vehicle for their ultimate
independence and financial security.

This is a business that can make you rich very quickly…It’s a
kind of service business that can very profitably be operated
by one person–male or female..The basic knowledge needed for
success is simple and easy to learn..Very little monetary
investment is needed for equipment–usually less than
$100. There are virtually no storage space requirements…You
can operate out of your home for virtually as long as you like;
and yet, there’s a real demand for this type of business
everywhere.

The success potential for window washing services is present in
the smallest of towns as well as the largest metropolitan areas.
Your risks will be minimal, while your rewards can far surpass
even your wildest dreams. Generally, a one man operation in a
city of 50,000 can expect to gross $4,000 or more per month after
90 days. Operating expenses for one person operations grossing
this amount should be less than $1,000 per month.

Ideally, your plan should be to solicit new accounts, do the
work yourself and establish a regular customer route. Once you’ve
established such a service route, and you’re beginning to realize
a good profit, you should hire part-time help to do the work
while you solicit new accounts and establish more regular
customer routes.

You should concentrate on providing regular window washing
services for all the one and two story office buildings and
storefronts in your area. Start with those closest to your home
and expand your efforts outward. Choose a busy thoroughfares
leading into your city’s downtown area. Select the one closest to
your home and begin calling on business owners and store managers
all along the street into the downtown area.

Usually, you won’t have to do much more than introduce yourself,
briefly explain your services, and leave your business card. We
did this regularly on a once-a-week basis, and after 6 weeks, we
had enough business to keep one man busy–6hours a day, 5 days a
week.

Until you become well established, don’t even bother soliciting
work on windows higher than the second story. However, it’s best
to call on every business, one after the other as you make your
way to the downtown area. Later on, you can call upon churches,
private schools, businesses located on side streets branching off
the main thoroughfares, and even homes if you’d like to try that
market. Generally though, you’ll find the residential market too
time-consuming to make your efforts really profitable, plus the
fact that you simply won’t be able to charge enough to make it
worthwhile in comparison to your commercial customers. Apartment
houses and condominiums are quite a different story however,
particularly when you can land several customers in the same
building.

As mentioned earlier, you can headquarter in and operate
completely out of your home. You can store your cleaning
equipment and supplies in a corner of your garage. Your
bookkeeping and other paperwork can be taken care of at the
kitchen table, with whatever office supplies your need, easily
stored in a dresser drawer.

Speaking of office supplies, you should have a supply of
business cards–and an adequate supply of billing statements with
your business name and address, plus mailing envelopes and return
reply envelopes. You can get away with rubber-stamping your
business name and address on your statements and envelopes, but
your business will grow faster–you’ll probably save time and
money as well–by going with printed supplies from the beginning.

There are nor “real reasons” not to list your home address as
your business address, but listing a post office box number–if
you prefer–will not really harm your image. The important thing is
personal contact–someone from your company regularly calling
upon prospective customers.

Talk with them. Listen to them. Get to know them. Find out
who’s currently doing their windows for them, if they have any
complaints and how you can offer them a better deal. When you’ve
actually investigated the service they’re contracted for, and
you’re certain you can offer them a better deal, put your ideas
into the form of a written proposal and give it to them. Don’t be
afraid to submit a proposal for a better deal, remember when you
do, your proposal should offer more than just a price break.
Under-cutting a competitor’s price usually means less profit for
you, and an overall deterioration of your reputation. It may
temporarily result in more work for you, but you’re in business
to attain wealth–not work yourself into an early grave.

If your spouse is home during the day, she can answer the phone
for you and generally set up appointments for you, while you’re
out making sales calls. She can also type out your monthly
statements, see that they’re sent out on time, and pretty much
handle your bookkeeping for you. Should it not be feasible, or
for some reason inconvenient for your wife to handle your
incoming calls for you, look around until you find a good,
dependable Telephone Answering Service. Many of these telephone
answering services handle typing jobs as well, so if you’re
lacking someone to handle these chores for you, chances are you
can find all the services you need without much of a search.

It’s important with this type of business that you have a
“live” voice answering your calls. selecting the right people to
handle your calls, and spending the extra time necessary to train
them according to your desires–even paying a little more to have
things done the way you want them done–is almost always well
worth the time and added expense. Remember, this is a service
business with your growth dependent upon the personal contact you
and your representatives have with prospective clients. Work on
it, develop it, and cultivate your personal contact transactions.

As the size of your company increases and you hire crews of
people to handle work assignments, you can usually get your
answering service to take on the added duties of job assignments
notification or dispatcher. All of this simply points up the
possibilities of operating your business out of your home
indefinitely, should you choose to do so.

If someone along the line you decide to set up an office in a
location other than your home, you might want to make an offer or
otherwise induce one or two of the people from your telephoning
answering service. Regardless of how large your work force
becomes, it’s always best if you supply the window washing
equipment and supplies.

Employees should be allowed to take the equipment home with
them, and required to use their own vehicles for transportation
to each job site. By all means, spend the extra money to supply
your workers with uniforms. Matching shirts and trousers with a
big patch on the back of the shirts, listing your company name
and phone number, is not only impressive in projecting image,
it’s also one of the cheapest and best advertising methods.

Once you’ve hire people to do the actual window washing for
you, get a couple of magnetic signs showing your company name and
telephone number. Be sure to “wear” these signs on your car as
you make your sales calls and spot check on the progress of your
work crews. Later on, you can get similar signs for your crew
chiefs. If you should opt for company-owned vehicles, you’ll find
vans to be the most convenient and serve your needs most
efficiently. Be sure to have your company name, phone number and
logo painted on each side of these vehicles–and allow your crew
chiefs to drive them home at night–all of which benefits you
with practically free advertising.

The kind of equipment you’ll need to professionally wash
windows is relatively simple…A12 or 18 inch window brush,
aluminum telescopic brush handle…6 inch, 10 inch and 18 inch
squeegees with replacement rubber blades…A couple of plastic or
galvanized water pails, one 2 gallon and the other 5 gallon…And
an 8-foot step ladder, plus maybe a 16 foot straight ladder…

Your start-up should include 5 gallons of liquid soap..a good
supply of clean rags, towels and chamois..And a sharp razor blade
scraper…

This entire list of supplies and equipment should total no more
than $250 in cost. You’ll need to add to your equipment only as
your business grows and you have need to hire more personnel…

Some professional window washers are proclaiming an alternative
or “better method” than with the use of window brushes and
squeegees. They’re advocating the use of “strip washers.” These
are 3/4 inch pieces of aluminum pipe covered with a nylon sleeve
that fits the pipe. These are similar in appearance to the handy
do-it-yourself paint rollers, and are used in much the same
manner. These strip washers reportedly work very well on all but
the dirtiest of windows.

Another alternative is an extension pole and brush device.
Water is pumped through the handle and out the brush in a
rinse-wash-rinse cycle. Most professionals claim this device is
ideal for second story windows, but for best quality workmanship,
they still prefer the basic brush and squeegee approach.

Still another alternative is a hose-water-fed brush that
utilizes de-ionized water where ladders aren’t feasible.
De-ionized water is a kind of water from which all minerals and
foreign elements have been removed. Using this kind of water
assures the window washer an easier and faster job with no
worries about streaking or water drops.

Your prices should range between $20 and $25 per hour. Pay for
hired help should start at $5 per hour. It’s important that you
do some homework on the various glass treatments in vogue these
days. Many of these coatings and coverings require special
treatment such as the use of soft towels instead of brushes that
might scratch the surface of the window coating.

Sadac Israel and IIM