Buying a Window Cleaning Business vs Building Your Own

You have seen a window cleaning business for sale and you are wondering if you should buy it, or build your own. I have seen them for sale too. Here is what I think you are really buying, what goes wrong and how it compares to a turnkey window cleaning business like The View.

What is really being sold

You are buying the word of the seller. The customers might only really want that person to clean their windows.

What you are buying, for sure, is a van and a name. And maybe the customers, to a certain degree, but it does not mean they have to be loyal. So you are buying words from another business that may or may not succeed.

I think it is a very risky business to buy, unless it has been systemized and comes with established employees, so that for the customer nothing really changes.

What goes wrong when you buy a round without the skill

The simplest answer is that you lose the customers if the quality drops.

You need to get your skill to a certain standard before you are confident enough to buy a round of customers. Otherwise it can be a very expensive way to learn the lesson. You could invest as little as $69 in professional training, then literally days of practice, or even do some free window cleaning at the start.

That way, you know you can match the service those customers were getting, or add more value to it.

What The View gives you that a bought business does not

The View is my business in a box. A bought business gives you some files and the customers. Depending on the handover it could be in depth, but you will need to know quite a bit about managing a business already.

With The View, the time a beginner spends on logos, fonts, web pages, invoicing and everything from A to Z is about 90% covered. You buy it once, and you have the training and support from me to come back to. A bought business will also have subscriptions and software you need to keep paying for.

What a bought business gives you that The View does not

Customers. With The View, you still need to find your own. That is the honest difference.

But think about what happens after you buy. There will be some handover time, and then you are quite left on your own. You have to approach the customers, reintroduce yourself and earn their trust as the new service provider. They will be very critical of how much better or worse you are than the last one.

If you build it yourself, you only have your skills to work from, and each customer has the right expectation of you from the start. Over the years you can raise your prices. It is a longer path, and a more rewarding one.

Where to start

Before you buy anything, read about The View and let's talk. If you are still weighing up a franchise as well, read franchise vs starting your own.

Related guides

• Window cleaning franchise vs starting your own
• Business in a box: what is actually in the box
• What it costs to start a window cleaning business
• Why window cleaning businesses fail

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it a good idea to buy a window cleaning business for sale?

I think it is risky, unless it has been systemized and comes with established employees, so nothing really changes for the customer. Otherwise you are buying a van, a name and customers who do not have to stay.

What happens if I buy a round of customers without any experience?

If the quality drops, you lose the customers. Get your skill to a certain standard first, so you can match the service they were getting.

Is it better to buy a window cleaning business or start your own?

There are pluses and minuses both ways. Buying gives you customers from day one, if they stay. Building your own is a longer path and a more rewarding one, and each customer has the right expectation of you from the start.

Does a turnkey business come with customers?

The View does not. It covers about 90% of what a beginner needs to look professional, but you still need to find your own customers.