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Window Washing Business
This might be a bit different than the usual type of idea posted on here, but I’ve had people tell me that residential window washing can be a very lucrative business. There’s the initial investment needed to get equipment, but once you have that, you can charge high rates for relatively easy-to-learn work. And even better, if you hire friends, you can expand and make passive income. And I happen to live near several quite affluent areas where there could be a lot of clients.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with this kind of business. I want to know if I’m overlooking something that would pose a challenge, or I’d appreciate any other advice for starting this kind of business. I’m hoping to get started this summer and make a decent amount of cash.
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13 Replies
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Never done this personally but have a good friend who’s done it for a couple of summers. He says the key is finding good clients and then getting them to refer you to their neighbors and friends.
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Does he have recommendations for initially finding clients? I was thinking Nextdoor, Facebook groups, flyers, etc.
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A tip: validate the demand before you buy anything. Go around to your neighbors and see if they’d be willing to hire you.
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Second this. You can secure customers ahead of time and make sure there’s actually an opportunity before sinking in money.
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Don’t even have to go around to people–almost everything can be achieved online now. Although making the rounds certainly couldn’t hurt, and your potential clients might be impressed by your willingness to be confident and pitch yourself in person.
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I haven’t done this type of business, but I’d be keen on following along if you post updates here. It seems like a solid business model, so I’m interested in seeing how it plays out for someone new to the space. And good luck!
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I did this after my freshman summer. It’s hard work and you need to make sure you have enough clients, but it pays well. Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer.
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I think you might be underestimating equipment costs. Especially if you want to do high-quality service or to scale to having more capacity, there’s a decent investment needed.
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I would agree. It’s a solid and proven idea, but don’t gloss over the challenges on your way to doing it properly.
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I have a bit of experience with a similar business. Won’t go too much into the specifics, but make sure you can actually scale it like you intend. Once you have success and want to take on more of an oversight role (as opposed to being the one actually doing the on-site work), guarantee you have friends/classmates/siblings who will be your employees.
Also, be professional: get business cards, have a website, etc. You’re asking clients to spend hundreds of dollars on you instead of on an established adult business. Make them as comfortable with you as possible while they’re making that decision.
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I like this idea as a change of pace from the more tech-focused ones on here. Find something that people need, and do it a little cheaper/better than everyone else. I think you could have a lot of success with this and would love to follow your progress.
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Definitely second this. I’ve been doing some reading recently and learned that while the techy/flashy ideas are the ones that get the most coverage, it’s the businesses that slightly innovate on existing models that really build wealth.
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I think you have a good plan and clearly understand the business, just make sure not to underaccount for equipment costs.