Category: Business

Washing windows is one of the best service businesses to start, because it requires no lengthy instruction, has low startup costs and is always in demand. Residential windows require cleaning every 3-4 months, commercial windows more routinely.

There are two main markets for a window washing service – residential and commercial. Most window washers focus on a particular niche market – storefronts, for example – and target potential customers and prospects in that niche. Others, mainly in smaller communities, can handle both commercial and residential work easily.

Before you jump into the window washing business, it’s essential that you look at it clearly, warts and all. It is still a low-tech business, although technology has had a big impact in some areas. As an example, a water-fed pole system allows an operator to clean two, three and even four story windows from the ground, saving the time and trouble of climbing up and down a ladder. Another innovation, the Tucker pole system, also allows one person, standing safely on the ground, to wash and rinse windows up to 45′ high.

Technology aside, washing windows is not a glamorous business, like writing apps for a iPad or working on Wall Street. It can get demanding when the weather turns nasty too. So when you reveal to your friends that you plan to start a window washing business, don’t expect a round of applause.

The upside is that you will have a very profitable business that will generate income very quickly – particularly when you consider that most residential and small commercial jobs are paid on the spot when you complete the work. Moreover, you can operate a window washing business on a part-time or full-time basis. This flexibility makes window washing an attractive business to a wide variety of people.

Do you have what it takes?

Window washing is a service business, so you’ll need a willingness to please customers and the desire to perform a thorough job so each window sparkles and customers call back for more.

The business skills needed to launch and run this business are quite basic. You’ll will need to be able to manage your time efficiently and have the ability to build relationships with your customers.

Most window washers are home-based businesses, which makes sense. After all, your customers have no reason to visit your shop, since all work is done at their location, not yours. Although operating out of your home makes perfect sense for most, your town may have regulations that control commercial activities in residential areas. So before you obtain a business license, determine what regulations govern home-based businesses and adjust your business operations to be in compliance.

Startup expenses for a window washing service are reasonable. You’ll need to purchase a window cleaning bucket, squeegees in several sizes, rags, cleaning solution and a basic ladder for two-story work.

To advertise your business around town, order a pair of magnetic signs for your vehicle. Magnetic signs can be easily removed if your vehicle is used for business and personal use. However, you’ll find many prospects will approach you when you’re “off-duty,” in a grocer’s parking lot, for example, so consider leaving your signage on at all times. There are hundreds of web-based businesses that make economical magnetic sighs for vehicles – just do a web search for “magnetic signs for vehicles.”

Pricing your window washing service could be a challenge initially, without experience. If your price is too low, you’re robbing yourself of income and profits that you ought to get. If you price too high, you may lose the job to someone else, or even to the customer, who may decide, “If it’s that expensive, I should do it myself.” To get a feel for pricing, practice washing windows for friends and neighbors at no charge.

Time yourself for each window and take notes. Is it a first or second story window, does it have multiple panes, and so on. Then, multiply the time per window by the hourly rate you expect to earn to reach a price. For example, if a window takes 6 minutes, and you expect to earn $ 50 an hour, then 60 minutes (one hour) divided by 6 equals $ 5. Make sure to add enough to cover your overhead costs, including vehicle costs, materials, administrative expenses such as bookkeeping, taxes, et cetera. After a few months, you’ll have it down.

How’s your image?

The image you project is an important marketing tool. Take into account how your look to others. Here are some areas to consider:

*Because your work is all done on site at the customer’s home or business, the appearance of your vehicle is very important. Your vehicle represents your company on wheels, which communicates to others a lot about your company. A clean, well-maintained vehicle, regardless of it’s years, tells others you take pride in your work.
* Are you neat and clean, wearing clothing that identifies your business, like a hat or golf shirt with your company name?
* Do your documents look professional? It costs next to nothing to have professional estimate and invoice forms printed, which will do wonders for your professional image.

Your customers also form an impression about your image, positive or negative, in how you do on the job and in following up. Here are some tips to help you enhance your business image so it sparkles as brightly as the windows you’ve washed:

* Show up on time. If you show up when you promised, your customers will appreciate it, especially if they have to be home so you can wash the interior windows.
* Be organized. Consider the most efficient way to handle each job so you don’t waste time. Carry extra squeegees and other items that wear so you will always have the right tool for every window. If you’re doing second story windows, make sure you have the right sized ladder with you.
* Return phone calls quickly. Most window washers find a business cellular phone is best for always being available, even while on the job. Make things easy for your customers to reach you – it’s expected in today’s connected world.
* Always say thanks. Thank your customers when the job is done and they hand you a check. Send a basic thank you card to customers after finishing a job, with a note mentioning that you’ve got them on the calendar for the next cleaning in XX days, and you’ll call to confirm about a week before it’s scheduled. A holiday card to each customer works the same way to build a relationship. Time the holiday card to arrive around the first of December – so your card will be distinct and be not forgotten. Always include a business card to make it easier for customers to reach you.

Anyone can wash windows. To turn it into a successful business requires much more than just a good squeegee technique. Professionalism will help you get there, so use the ideas within this article to polish your own image and build a legion of loyal customers for your new window washing business.

Why not use one of these 3 easy motivational ideas the next time you need more motivation to grow your current business venture? It sometimes becomes necessary to receive a little “push” to accomplish your goals, even when you have a deep desire to win with your business.

Make it a game. Just making your tasks or goals a game can motivate you to try a new business idea. Let’s say you feel over-whelmed about creating a new sales campaign or finishing a report that’s due.

Why not try the “time game”? Pick a certain portion of the project and tell yourself you’re going to get it done in 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes are up and you made the goal, you get to relax with a good book, your favorite show, or whatever else motivates you.

Or, split off your various projects into sections and keep track on a chart as you finish each one. Kind of like when you were a kid and your parents kept track of your grades on the refrigerator. Basically, stop looking at your projects as work and make them games. Make it fun.

Next, you can use the “Just 5 Minutes” idea. This technique is another off-shoot of the “Make it a Game” idea. Most of the time, you’ll discover that any procrastination issues you have are all in your mind. Your energy is drained more from thinking about what must be done than actually doing what must be done.

It’s weird, but once you’re doing anything, you get into it and, magically, it gets done. Haven’t you noticed this? Even if you hate cleaning the bathroom, once you just start, something in you gets going and you just naturally finish it up.

Let’s say, for example, you’re building a network marketing business and you just received a list of MLM leads. Now, you have to do the actual work of calling these people and talking to them about how you have the best MLM opportunity.

Tell yourself that you’ll just do it for 5 minutes and that’s all. If the mere thought of picking up the phone and dialing for two hours is making your stomach hurt, just mentally convince yourself that you can do it for five minutes. The amazing thing is that five minutes almost always turns into an hour or so as you realize real results in your business.

Finally, write it all down. Try writing down whatever it is you need to get done in the next week or month and then keep it where you can constantly see it. Even when you are feeling very lazy, you’ll discover that you’ll be motivated to get up and accomplish those goals that you see on paper in your own handwriting.

Planning is an essential function in the success of any business. Planning does not refer simply to pulling out a calendar and recording things to do on random dates. Planning is all about actively plotting a course to meeting goals. Goals are really the start of any discussion about planning in a business.

We all are familiar with the concept of a goal. It’s something we write down that we hope to achieve. However, we could greatly increase the effectiveness of our goals by adhering to a few simple principles.

The first principle is setting a specific goal. For example, the goal, ‘do well in the first quarter’ does not rank as a specific goal. If we changed that goal to read, ‘sell children’s books in the first quarter’ then we are on the right path.

However, a necessary caveat to specific goals is making sure the goal is measurable. So, using the same example again, ‘sell children’s books’ becomes ‘sell $24,000 of children’s books in the first quarter.’ By now we have a goal that is specific enough that we can then break it down into even smaller measurements and know whether or not we are actually getting somewhere with it.

A second principle of goal setting is maintaining a vision. If the company we work for is an internet marketing company, than selling $24,000 worth of children’s books is not a very effective or even applicable goal for our company. While this is an extreme comparison, the principle of vision can help ensure that all goals aim for the same destination. Let’s say that instead of internet marketing we’re in the grocery business and based in Utah.

We’ve conquered local markets in Utah and we want to expand further west into Las Vegas and Southern California in order to take advantage of more lucrative markets. If the vision entails aggressive westward expansion, then all the goals we’re setting will need to help us get there. A vision is actually a long term milestone-type goal, and to accomplish a vision we need to establish benchmarks along the way.

So in the grocery case some appropriate benchmarks might be to establish a store in St. George as the first major benchmark. The next might be to establish a store in Vegas; the third to flood Vegas with stores; and then the fourth and beyond to hit California. A vision is meant to be grand, and can be as grand as the senior directors have imagination.

The final principle of planning is accountability. It doesn’t do much good to establish specific goals within a defined vision when no one holds themselves accountable to the goals and makes efforts to make the vision reality. In order to facilitate accountability (which has to occur at all levels, though headed by the senior directors of a company) certain companies are hiring out managed services.

Managed services allow the directors of companies to focus on their goals and visions and give the grunt work to contracted workers. However accountability happens, through companies’ own workers or through contracted ones, it is a critical step to achieve a well-laid plan.

Are you thinking of starting a productive business? Why not consider starting a heavy equipment business? The construction industry has taken a huge leap in its growth, and is widely expected to move forward with more success. With the demand in constructions, there is also a huge demand for heavy equipments. The new constructions coming up all around prove that construction industry is booming. Companies manufacturing heavy machinery and equipments are required to a large extent by these construction industries. So, why not start your own heavy equipment trading business, which would prove beneficial, if you invest and put in efforts to run it to make huge profits.

There are two things that you can choose to do in heavy equipments business. You can either sell or rent them or do both. There are certain companies that prefer to take certain equipments on rent. You can fix a certain reasonable amount and earn rent on daily or hourly basis. There is a huge demand for heavy equipments and by becoming a dealer in this trade, you can profit like never before. The only factors that are needed to start your business are some investment and skills to be a successful trader.

Here are few tips, on how to start your own heavy equipment business.

. Before you take up this business, get to know the facts about the gadgets and heavy equipments that are required by the construction companies. For any business to run successfully, you need to have passion to achieve success. If you love to spend time using and maintaining huge tools and machineries and love to deal with people manufacturing them, then this is the right business for you.

. Before you step into this business look out for a mentor, who will guide and help you set up your business. It can be very risky and at the same time profitable to set up your business. A well-known professional in the same field would prove to be of great help to you.

. Chalk out a business plan. Research and find your competitors. Get familiar with the various equipments available in the market and get information about them. It is good to know your rivals. Get in contact with the manufacturing and construction industry. This will help you generate potential customers.

. Heavy equipment business requires a huge investment. Other than storage space, you also need to purchase the best and latest and most commonly used equipments. These equipments may be very costly. The transportation charges would be different. You would need to have ready cash in hand.

. For any business, whether it is big or small, you need to market your product. Start with letting your friends and relatives know about your business. Spread the word among the industry circle and offer some discounts at the beginning to attract customers. Place a huge signboard outside your store to let the passersby know about your business.

. If you can afford, publish an advertisement in your local newspaper, so that the entire area are aware about your business. It is good to set up business close to the industrial area.

. Hire a professional and trustworthy team to set up and run your business.

If you put in enough effort to market your business and supply quality equipment you would certainly benefit. Heavy equipment is in great demand and is sure to yield good profits.

Turn a Problem into a Business Opportunity by creative thinking.

People pay money to create a problem and then somebody else turns that problem into a business opportunity. How do we do this? First step is to examine and define in great detail what exactly the problem is? Then look at innovative ways to turn the problem into a business opportunity.

Problem – We are eating a lot more then we should. Opportunity – exercise classes, weight loss diets, larger size clothes & diet drinks / foods.

Think of traffic, then think of bottlenecks! Problem – a lot of people stuck in traffic. Opportunity – Billboard advertising & more demand for entertainment on the move!

Problem – In this day of high speed life, people don’t have time to sit down and eat. Opportunity – Create a fast food franchise that serves hot food within minutes for customers to take away and eat on the move.

Problem – people are drinking more. Opportunity – diet drinks, drink dispensers, low calorie alcoholic drinks, vitamins, more fun drinks & definitely more counselling!

In our previous business, we had a problem when we were manufacturing specialised, shock absorbing pallets. We always many pieces of a certain size of wood left. I sent our salesman round local businesses to see if he could find a use for it. In the end we ended up making “button-ups” which had a 100% profit margin after expenses for pieces of wood which we used to throw away!

Problem – Higher number of asylum seekers & refugees. Opportunity – low cost housing, lower paid labour force and increased demand for economy products!

Problem – More spam! Opportunity – more demand for new software, better firewalls & more experts needed!

What problems have you faced recently? Can you nail it down and turn it into an opportunity?

Here are the steps we should take to turn a problem into a business opportunity:

1) Identify the problem
2) Do overall market research
3) Get a team in to collectively debate the problem
5) Sleep on it
6) Do some more market research
6) Apply creative thinking and problem solving strategies to identify a business opportunity

Many questions can be answered by market research. What is the current state? Where is the market going? Who are the main players? How do consumers feel about the current solutions to their problems? How can we meet their needs better?

We can turn every challenge into a business opportunity. Every business process can be improved. Every problem is a business opportunity. Every time you have a bright idea, make sure that you write it down in an ideas notebook. Can you solve last weeks problems in a way which people will pay money?