What's a window cleaning teenager progress?

[WJK]

I'd focus on going out there and selling until you're doing like $1000 per day or hiring other people to clean for you. Yes, giving out invoices will make it easier to close stores, offices, warehouses, etc that need cleaning.

But that's for B2B, which you shouldn't prioritize right now. I'd focus on making some good money from residential first.



I was 15 recently. Actually, I was 15 a good 10 years ago, but it honestly feels like yesterday.

Now, unlike you, I only began being interested in entrepreneurship at 18, and between 16 and 18 I partied a lot, met my first girlfriend, etc. A lot of exciting teen stuff.

So I'd definitely recommend to NOT miss out on some of those experiences (but don't be dumb about it).

But at 18, before I even graduated high school, I was already taking action and making money while everyone else was panicking about what subject to major in, partying, and riding high on that social media life (trust me, the cool kids' popularity fades away quite quickly when people suddenly have more things to worry about than counting likes on their photos).

Let me tell you that now, 6+ years after graduating HS, the majority of my friends and acquaintances are, for lack of better words, broke losers:

– More than half are currently unemployed

– Most of them do not have girlfriends (the "IDGAF cuz I smoke weed bro" attitude only works to impress in high school... and even then it still falls short)

– None are brave enough to start a business or a side hustle. Even though I've always been very open about my journey, my failures, and my successes and sought to help them set bigger goals and follow up on them, they feel MUCH more comfortable hanging out in the local parks smoking weed and playing cards until 3 AM

– They're broke as hell. They still live with their parents and only keep talking about what they want while working dead-end shit jobs for 2-3 months a year and then spending what little money they have on weed, beach vacations, and gambling

– They talk about money and life like they've got everything figured out but it's just a circlejerk of "yeah, this country sucks and you can't make good money here" and/or bragging about getting a €7.50/h job at a DHL warehouse in a foreign country 2000km away from home

– They chase after "easy" money and do not understand the concept of adding value to others. They look for jobs where "you don't really do anything 95% of the time" that pay minimum wage. That's how ambitious they are

Now, I do have another friend group from high school that ALL pursued careers in the tech industry.

Most of them are programmers/coders in some form and the most successful one amongst them works for Amazon where he gets paid mid 6-figures. Unsurprisingly, he would only seldom hang out with the others and spent most of his time studying.

But to cut a long story short...

In just a few short years from now, you'll be LIGHT YEARS ahead of your friends EVEN if you just kept doing what you're doing now.

And you don't really have to "learn business". You already know the basics of business and are applying them!

Plus, you have MASSIVE balls to be doing what you're doing at 15. So even though your confidence is shit now, in just 2 or 3 years you'll be a F*cking badass.

I promise you, you have NO idea how awesome your life will be in the near future if you just keep this up. Girls will be all over your future confident self, too.

Just keep going and don't be afraid to share your failures here—we all go through our own on a regular basis. This includes feeling like you want to quit.

Take the ideas in this post down the road for a lot more years...

I went to my 50th high school reunion last fall. It was both interesting and dismal

I went to the meet-and-greet the night before the main dinner. I saw one of my best friends from high school. She told me off in front of everyone for helping her mom & dad too much when they were alive (I regularly sent them small amounts of grocery money on gift cards when they really needed it.) She was really angry with me. for financially helping her parents when she couldn't. I had never told my friend what I did, but I realized that her mother told her. My friend was mad at me. I tried to tell her how much I loved her mother and how grateful I was for her Mom helping me when I was a little kid. Nothing I said helped. So, my husband and I left that get-together early.

The next evening, I went to the main dinner event. People showed up dressed up and ready to have their pictures taken. (I didn't want a picture, so I hadn't bothered to dress up.) But, in spite of their formal appearances, a lot of them really haven't gone anywhere or anything interesting. They had worked lower-level jobs. As I talked to different people I realized I was the odd man out. I'm a Juris Doctor (graduated from law school when I was in my 40s, plus my 3 other degrees) while most of them never further their educations past high school. Most, in that huge room, were retired with side jobs and were totally broke. They were just squeaking by.

I realized I was in a totally different life situation from the people I grew up with. I couldn't tell them about my business success without making them feel bad. Anything I said would sound like bragging. So, I told them that I'm retired and I kept asking them questions about their lives. I was glad I hadn't dressed up so I could fly under the radar. No one there had any idea of who I had become, so I focused on them. Listening hurt my heart. I sure don't share their challenges and problems!

So, I called my husband in the middle of the event and had him pick me up. I just stood up, excused myself, and walked out. We took off and went on a nice unexpected vacation for the rest of the time we had planned for that trip.

 

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[Simon Angel]

Take the ideas in this post down the road for a lot more years...

I went to my 50th high school reunion last fall. It was both interesting and dismal

I went to the meet-and-greet the night before the main dinner. I saw one of my best friends from high school. She told me off in front of everyone for helping her mom & dad too much when they were alive (I regularly sent them small amounts of grocery money on gift cards when they really needed it.) She was really angry with me. for financially helping her parents when she couldn't. I had never told my friend what I did, but I realized that her mother told her. My friend was mad at me. I tried to tell her how much I loved her mother and how grateful I was for her Mom helping me when I was a little kid. Nothing I said helped. So, my husband and I left that get-together early.

The next evening, I went to the main dinner event. People showed up dressed up and ready to have their pictures taken. (I didn't want a picture, so I hadn't bothered to dress up.) But, in spite of their formal appearances, a lot of them really haven't gone anywhere or anything interesting. They had worked lower-level jobs. As I talked to different people I realized I was the odd man out. I'm a Juris Doctor (graduated from law school when I was in my 40s, plus my 3 other degrees) while most of them never further their educations past high school. Most, in that huge room, were retired with side jobs and were totally broke. They were just squeaking by.

I realized I was in a totally different life situation from the people I grew up with. I couldn't tell them about my business success without making them feel bad. Anything I said would sound like bragging. So, I told them that I'm retired and I kept asking them questions about their lives. I was glad I hadn't dressed up so I could fly under the radar. No one there had any idea of who I had become, so I focused on them. Listening hurt my heart. I sure don't share their challenges and problems!

So, I called my husband in the middle of the event and had him pick me up. I just stood up, excused myself, and walked out. We took off and went on a nice unexpected vacation for the rest of the time we had planned for that trip.

Wow. Thank you for the story. It seems that people, throughout their whole lives, don't try even close to hard enough.

And it also sounds like age didn't do much for your friend's self-awareness either.

 

[Chet Shen]

Take the ideas in this post down the road for a lot more years...

I went to my 50th high school reunion last fall. It was both interesting and dismal

I went to the meet-and-greet the night before the main dinner. I saw one of my best friends from high school. She told me off in front of everyone for helping her mom & dad too much when they were alive (I regularly sent them small amounts of grocery money on gift cards when they really needed it.) She was really angry with me. for financially helping her parents when she couldn't. I had never told my friend what I did, but I realized that her mother told her. My friend was mad at me. I tried to tell her how much I loved her mother and how grateful I was for her Mom helping me when I was a little kid. Nothing I said helped. So, my husband and I left that get-together early.

The next evening, I went to the main dinner event. People showed up dressed up and ready to have their pictures taken. (I didn't want a picture, so I hadn't bothered to dress up.) But, in spite of their formal appearances, a lot of them really haven't gone anywhere or anything interesting. They had worked lower-level jobs. As I talked to different people I realized I was the odd man out. I'm a Juris Doctor (graduated from law school when I was in my 40s, plus my 3 other degrees) while most of them never further their educations past high school. Most, in that huge room, were retired with side jobs and were totally broke. They were just squeaking by.

I realized I was in a totally different life situation from the people I grew up with. I couldn't tell them about my business success without making them feel bad. Anything I said would sound like bragging. So, I told them that I'm retired and I kept asking them questions about their lives. I was glad I hadn't dressed up so I could fly under the radar. No one there had any idea of who I had become, so I focused on them. Listening hurt my heart. I sure don't share their challenges and problems!

So, I called my husband in the middle of the event and had him pick me up. I just stood up, excused myself, and walked out. We took off and went on a nice unexpected vacation for the rest of the time we had planned for that trip.

Thank you @WJK for always responding and replying to this thread. It feels like everything I do and post in this thread is supported by entrepreneurs and experienced people so I don't feel alone.
@Simon Angel thanks for replying as well, really big help there!

I can really see my friends going out in the holidays having fun. Some studying for maths for their engineering courses in uni, some going somewhere and some chilling. I'm kinda viewing this window cleaning as a "I'm a doer and doing business" and seeing this as an opportunity to learn how and what businesses needs. So instead of applying for a job, I'm doing business and learning at the same time, posting problems after problems here and seeing what I can learn from.

Going D2D today, going to be the nicest person ever and see if they need my service or not. My brother went for a job which makes me jealous cuz I haven't made any income yet. I'm going to try to give them candy to appreciate their time (if I have any) and just knock spreading positivity.

 

[WJK]

Thank you @WJK for always responding and replying to this thread. It feels like everything I do and post in this thread is supported by entrepreneurs and experienced people so I don't feel alone.
@Simon Angel thanks for replying as well, really big help there!

I can really see my friends going out in the holidays having fun. Some studying for maths for their engineering courses in uni, some going somewhere and some chilling. I'm kinda viewing this window cleaning as a "I'm a doer and doing business" and seeing this as an opportunity to learn how and what businesses needs. So instead of applying for a job, I'm doing business and learning at the same time, posting problems after problems here and seeing what I can learn from.

Going D2D today, going to be the nicest person ever and see if they need my service or not. My brother went for a job which makes me jealous cuz I haven't made any income yet. I'm going to try to give them candy to appreciate their time (if I have any) and just knock spreading positivity.

Keep going. The education will take you a lot further than a little bit of money in your pocket!

 

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[Chet Shen]

Btw I'm starting to look at the digital marketing side of my biz. Looking at creating Facebook ads and putting myself top 3 in window cleaning in my area(I'm already top 3).

Right now my challenges ahead are learning Facebook ads and putting myself top in Google. I've seen Johnny boy's YouTube shorts and argeed that digital marketing is absolutely critical and maybe better than d2d.

Here's my GMB, please leave some reviews so I can put myself even higher or tell me what I'm doing wrong. Would appreciate any feedback about my GMB.

Here's my Facebook page as well.

Give me advice, roast me, scold me or whatever. I need some feedback about this.

Friends in this school holidays are going to places(I'm going to as well but not as excited) and they are having fun. Been thinking about "I should provide value to people, not just having fun playing basketball". Ngl I feel much more complacent nowadays on sales, not getting sales at all. Ya sure I'm in school holidays but I feel like doing digital marketing is WAY better than d2d. Really been convincing myself that Facebook ads and putting myself GMB number 1 is the way to go

 

[datagod]

Btw I'm starting to look at the digital marketing side of my biz. Looking at creating Facebook ads and putting myself top 3 in window cleaning in my area(I'm already top 3).

Right now my challenges ahead are learning Facebook ads and putting myself top in Google. I've seen Johnny boy's YouTube shorts and argeed that digital marketing is absolutely critical and maybe better than d2d.

Here's my GMB, please leave some reviews so I can put myself even higher or tell me what I'm doing wrong. Would appreciate any feedback about my GMB.

Here's my Facebook page as well.

Give me advice, roast me, scold me or whatever. I need some feedback about this.

Friends in this school holidays are going to places(I'm going to as well but not as excited) and they are having fun. Been thinking about "I should provide value to people, not just having fun playing basketball". Ngl I feel much more complacent nowadays on sales, not getting sales at all. Ya sure I'm in school holidays but I feel like doing digital marketing is WAY better than d2d. Really been convincing myself that Facebook ads and putting myself GMB number 1 is the way to go

Btw I'm starting to look at the digital marketing side of my biz. Looking at creating Facebook ads and putting myself top 3 in window cleaning in my area(I'm already top 3).

Right now my challenges ahead are learning Facebook ads and putting myself top in Google. I've seen Johnny boy's YouTube shorts and argeed that digital marketing is absolutely critical and maybe better than d2d.

Here's my GMB, please leave some reviews so I can put myself even higher or tell me what I'm doing wrong. Would appreciate any feedback about my GMB.

Here's my Facebook page as well.

Give me advice, roast me, scold me or whatever. I need some feedback about this.

Friends in this school holidays are going to places(I'm going to as well but not as excited) and they are having fun. Been thinking about "I should provide value to people, not just having fun playing basketball". Ngl I feel much more complacent nowadays on sales, not getting sales at all. Ya sure I'm in school holidays but I feel like doing digital marketing is WAY better than d2d. Really been convincing myself that Facebook ads and putting myself GMB number 1 is the way to go

Congrats! Regarding NOT enjoying life when you are young that's the WORST mistake.

Yea helping people is good but man you are 16 years old. You should turn off and play basketball no matter what.

With sports and socializing you met people. You think different so you get back fresh.

Don't do this mistake of not enjoying life.

- make page more personal. But nonethless i think most important is to get to 2-3 places clean them windows and in return you'll get a case study, testimonials.
- text make better text. If you are not creative use gpt. Cancer word on FB was a bit off with emojis. Doesn't come serious. Maybe like did you know that cleaning windows for 30 days will increase respiratory problems for up to 30%! (Ofcourse don't lie put out some real facts)

What I would do: i wouldbt give up on calling but first make better FB page. More serious.

Then start cold calling, putting out flyers to apartment buildings etc. Whatever you think it would sell. You don't know yet. Maybe people in apartments are "lazier" don't want to spend time cleaning windows.

Don't give up!

 

[Ing]

How are you doing?

 

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[Chet Shen]

How are you doing?

Not good

I completely stopped window cleaning and did not want to look at it ever since I stopped. I even have it hanged in my laundry room sitting there still.

I stopped because of exams or rather that's my excuse. I stopped in like after my last post in this thread, this thread has completely turned off and stop, sorry guys. I completely stopped going to fast lane forum and even went back to my bad old habits like P*rn and just pure idleness.

I think I stopped because I saw that WC was not recurring enough and needed a lot of d2d which I'm not very excited about. My excuses:
- WC is not recurring enough for me( all I did was on residential and not on storefront BECUZ idk how to)

- I used to constantly check on FB and Nextdoor even in school class and was constantly paranoid about my WC sales and how to get more customers

-Pain in the a$$ to clean doubles story windows because it's hard to access the top exterior windows(Perhaps target different houses that has easier access to upper story windows?)

-Idk how to make a subscription for window cleaning to have a recurring income. (Perhaps more services like exterior house cleaning?)

-Should I target customers who have pets specifically as they pay more and are much more willing to pay?

In the end, these are just my thoughts thrown out of my brain and into here and rn I have completely stopped everything and now I'm Tryna get back at it.

I was thinking maybe I could post insta reels about calisthenics in Instagram since according to others I have a great body and I LOVE calisthenics. But idk how's that's gonna work. I'm probably gonna find a solution toy WC biz by probably adding services like caret cleaning or pressure washing to it. Not sure about subscription tho for recurring.

Anyways, I'm truly sorry to not keep this thread going and stopped everything completely. I know that fastlane is a mindset so there's totally no excuses here. @piano @Subsonic I'm coming back

 

[WJK]

Not good

I completely stopped window cleaning and did not want to look at it ever since I stopped. I even have it hanged in my laundry room sitting there still.

I stopped because of exams or rather that's my excuse. I stopped in like after my last post in this thread, this thread has completely turned off and stop, sorry guys. I completely stopped going to fast lane forum and even went back to my bad old habits like P*rn and just pure idleness.

I think I stopped because I saw that WC was not recurring enough and needed a lot of d2d which I'm not very excited about. My excuses:
- WC is not recurring enough for me( all I did was on residential and not on storefront BECUZ idk how to)

- I used to constantly check on FB and Nextdoor even in school class and was constantly paranoid about my WC sales and how to get more customers

-Pain in the a$$ to clean doubles story windows because it's hard to access the top exterior windows(Perhaps target different houses that has easier access to upper story windows?)

-Idk how to make a subscription for window cleaning to have a recurring income. (Perhaps more services like exterior house cleaning?)

-Should I target customers who have pets specifically as they pay more and are much more willing to pay?

In the end, these are just my thoughts thrown out of my brain and into here and rn I have completely stopped everything and now I'm Tryna get back at it.

I was thinking maybe I could post insta reels about calisthenics in Instagram since according to others I have a great body and I LOVE calisthenics. But idk how's that's gonna work. I'm probably gonna find a solution toy WC biz by probably adding services like caret cleaning or pressure washing to it. Not sure about subscription tho for recurring.

Anyways, I'm truly sorry to not keep this thread going and stopped everything completely. I know that fastlane is a mindset so there's totally no excuses here. @piano @Subsonic I'm coming back

Working is like that. That's why we call it work. Too bad you had a living situation that let you quit. There's a lot you could be learning right now that will carry you for the rest of your life -- like grit and persistence.

 

[Chet Shen]

Working is like that. That's why we call it work. Too bad you had a living situation that let you quit. There's a lot you could be learning right now that will carry you for the rest of your life -- like grit and persistence.

It is tough but I'm gonna find a way around it, got ideas like posting Facebook ads on exterior residential cleaning or even just posting reels on Instagram. Not really a big end of the world for me but Im going to do my best

 

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[WJK]

It is tough but I'm gonna find a way around it, got ideas like posting Facebook ads on exterior residential cleaning or even just posting reels on Instagram. Not really a big end of the world for me but Im going to do my best

Persistence is a big deal.

 

[maverick]

The pain isn't big enough

 

[harumi]

Interesting thread, thank you!

Made me wonder what's the percentage of those who own their homes and those who rent.
Will tenants not care as much as homeowners?
If that's so have you thought about approaching letting agencies and offering your service to them?
Homeowners might want these services done (monthly), while their tenants don't care as much.

 

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[piano]

@piano @Subsonic I'm coming back

Oh I love that your ping didn't get shown up in my feed. Imma just ping @Subsonic in case he didn't get it as well.

I stopped because of exams or rather that's my excuse. I stopped in like after my last post in this thread, this thread has completely turned off and stop, sorry guys. I completely stopped going to fast lane forum and even went back to my bad old habits like P*rn and just pure idleness.

I think you should ask yourself why you stopped coming (exams are surely not the reason).

I think I stopped because I saw that WC was not recurring enough and needed a lot of d2d which I'm not very excited about. My excuses:
- WC is not recurring enough for me( all I did was on residential and not on storefront BECUZ idk how to)

Hm, is that the answer? Close enough, here are my thoughts:
I don't know how much you tried out, however I do believe that you're able to crack recurring cleans.
For example; you clean at their house and they say that they'll call you back when they need it.
Now many months have passed and they didn't call back.
What do you think happened?
Perhaps they forgot about you or they lost your number.
Now what if you call them instead in a few months?

Thinking like that, right? Trying and figuring things slowly out.

And for window cleaning not being recurring enough; something I heard @Johnny boy do are subscriptions. You can find it somewhere in his lawn mowing thread. That way you can get a steady paycheck all year round.

As for storefronts; they are imo the easiest to sell to. You could drop me off in France and I'd be able to sell windows (I speak bad school French lol).
Or in other words; if you manage to sell to residential d2d, then you definitely can sell to storefronts, albeit perhaps not with the same prices as stores normally pay less.

- I used to constantly check on FB and Nextdoor even in school class and was constantly paranoid about my WC sales and how to get more customers

But was that the most important thing at the time? Considering that you spent so much energy on it and failed, perhaps not.

-Pain in the a$$ to clean doubles story windows because it's hard to access the top exterior windows(Perhaps target different houses that has easier access to upper story windows?)

Lol I fully agree with you. I want to cry when I get higher windows. For this, you can research on your own (window cleaning forum, Steve0 window cleaner etc). In Germany however it's not that big of a problem when doing inside and outside (as you can do the outside windows from the inside).

-Idk how to make a subscription for window cleaning to have a recurring income. (Perhaps more services like exterior house cleaning?)

What do you mean? Making a contract is probably a good idea because I can already see the a$$ pain you're gonna get if you make it inofficially.

-Should I target customers who have pets specifically as they pay more and are much more willing to pay?

Lol you see what you're doing there?
What the F*ck does that matter?
There's more important stuff to think about; you should rather think about step 1 than step 8.

About this: I think I'll actually discard the idea for now (to do an SMMA). Partly due to your guys' messages to me and also partly due to @Subsonic .
Subsonic is about the same age and in the same country as me and already has got some promising results. And the fact that @heavy_industry teased me a bit in the thread... I don't know if this is just the kind of motivation that will die tomorrow but I thought that I should at least try again. After all, I only knocked on a few doors!

What I did today:
-woke up early to get the piano task out of my way fast
-went to town hall and got some knowledge on legal stuff (not business related but essential)
-got myself a hip belt to look more like somebody who actually does shit (I feel like my appearance plays a big role)

What I am going to do after posting this:
-knock on doors or businesses

I'm scared to the bone but whatever.
Let's see what I can do.
About an hour until it gets dark...

Here is me in a very simialr situation to you ^; I wasn't getting any sales and I thought about starting an SMMA but people encouraged me to continue.

Whatever you do bro Imma cheer for you however I think this horse isn't dead yet (is that even a saying?)

Also, IT'S SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA RN WHY ARE YOU DECIDING TO QUIT NOW ???

Good luck!

 

[Subsonic]

Oh I love that your ping didn't get shown up in my feed. Imma just ping @Subsonic in case he didn't get it as well.


I think you should ask yourself why you stopped coming (exams are surely not the reason).

Hm, is that the answer? Close enough, here are my thoughts:
I don't know how much you tried out, however I do believe that you're able to crack recurring cleans.
For example; you clean at their house and they say that they'll call you back when they need it.
Now many months have passed and they didn't call back.
What do you think happened?
Perhaps they forgot about you or they lost your number.
Now what if you call them instead in a few months?

Thinking like that, right? Trying and figuring things slowly out.

And for window cleaning not being recurring enough; something I heard @Johnny boy do are subscriptions. You can find it somewhere in his lawn mowing thread. That way you can get a steady paycheck all year round.

As for storefronts; they are imo the easiest to sell to. You could drop me off in France and I'd be able to sell windows (I speak bad school French lol).
Or in other words; if you manage to sell to residential d2d, then you definitely can sell to storefronts, albeit perhaps not with the same prices as stores normally pay less.

But was that the most important thing at the time? Considering that you spent so much energy on it and failed, perhaps not.

Lol I fully agree with you. I want to cry when I get higher windows. For this, you can research on your own (window cleaning forum, Steve0 window cleaner etc). In Germany however it's not that big of a problem when doing inside and outside (as you can do the outside windows from the inside).

What do you mean? Making a contract is probably a good idea because I can already see the a$$ pain you're gonna get if you make it inofficially.

Lol you see what you're doing there?
What the F*ck does that matter?
There's more important stuff to think about; you should rather think about step 1 than step 8.


Here is me in a very simialr situation to you ^; I wasn't getting any sales and I thought about starting an SMMA clench but people encouraged me to continue.

Whatever you do bro Imma cheer for you however I think this horse isn't dead yet (is that even a saying?)

Also, IT'S SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA RN WHY ARE YOU DECIDING TO QUIT NOW ???

Good luck!

Thanks for the ping.

I have got some trouble getting sales right now, but that's just part of the game.


@Chet Shen My favorite saying is "If it was easy, everyone could do it". We don't want easy because we don't get paid for easy.

 

[Chet Shen]

Interesting thread, thank you!

Made me wonder what's the percentage of those who own their homes and those who rent.
Will tenants not care as much as homeowners?
If that's so have you thought about approaching letting agencies and offering your service to them?
Homeowners might want these services done (monthly), while their tenants don't care as much.

I reckon marketing will help me seperate the people as renters or homeowners as renter wouldn't even think about it in the first place as they are renting

I'm actually thinking of adding pressure washing into the window cleaning biz, like maybe a water service related company? I reckon that'll make my biz more recurring?

 

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[WJK]

I reckon marketing will help me seperate the people as renters or homeowners as renter wouldn't even think about it in the first place as they are renting

I'm actually thinking of adding pressure washing into the window cleaning biz, like maybe a water service related company? I reckon that'll make my biz more recurring?

Um. I have renters who wash their windows. Are you sure about your basic premise?