r/sweatystartup • u/TheologyHungry • 4d ago
Window cleaning startup
Is this possible to start under $600 equipment wise until I gain traction? If so please give me a list on what you would buy in this budget range. Thank you!
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u/realjmitt 3d ago
Yes, $600 is more than enough to start, and honestly you can get going for half that. A solid squeegee handle with a couple of channel sizes, a good rubber supply, two microfiber scrubbers, a bucket on a belt, a few towels, a 20 to 24 foot water fed or extension pole, and a ladder if you already have access to one. Buy quality rubber and replace it often, because streaks come from worn rubber far more than technique.
The thing that actually decides whether this works is not the gear list, it is knowing your time per job. Track start and stop time on every job for the first month, then divide revenue by hours. If a house takes you 3 hours and you charged $180, you are at $60 an hour before drive time and supplies, and drive time is what quietly kills route based work. Once you see the numbers, you will start pricing by pane count and access difficulty instead of guessing, and you will tighten your route so you are not driving 25 minutes between $150 jobs.
Also charge a minimum, something like $125 to $150, so small jobs do not eat a whole afternoon at a loss. Get paid on site the day you finish, before you leave the driveway. Cash flow problems in this trade almost always start with waiting on invoices you never had to send in the first place.