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- Mar 8, 2023
- 17
- 195
Hey Fastlaners!
I am starting a home service business in exterior cleaning.
Here's a bit of my background. I just turned 20 years old. When I was 16, I moved out of my parents' house and flew outside of my country to continue my studies in Canada since there is no future for me in my home country. During that time, I learned a lot about responsibility, accountability, and survival skills. I continued high school and graduated in 2021.
During that time, I started editing YouTube videos for famous YouTubers as a side hustle and flipping computer desktops from Facebook Marketplace for a living. After graduating from high school, I got accepted into one of the top 3 universities in Canada in computer science. However, my first year was awful. I hated the whole system, and I knew I didn't want to follow the conventional path of finishing school and getting a job for the rest of my life. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset, but I lacked information and the motivation to start something. As a result, after my first year, I was put on probation for eight months due to my lack of performance.
That's when my education began. I decided to rely on myself and learn whatever I needed to learn, whether it was coding, business, or anything else. I started reading books on March 1, 2023, just 25 days ago. The first book I read was TMF , and it changed my whole mindset. I have set myself up to read a book every week for the rest of this year on sales, communication, human nature, and money.
I decided to start a home service business, with my first approach being to clean windows and then upsell from there (exterior gutter cleaning, vinyl siding, etc.). I wake up every day at 5 am and sleep at 10 pm. I am also fasting this whole month for Ramadan, so cleaning may be a bit exhausting, but I won't mind it.
Yesterday, March 24, 2023, I designed a logo, got all the equipment for window cleaning, and had the logo printed on my t-shirt and cap to look official, all for around $250. By 12:30, I picked a neighborhood and started door-knocking. At first, I was a bit nervous, my mouth was dry, but I had to start; otherwise, I would live with regret.
So, I knocked on the first door in the neighborhood (mind you, I had never cleaned a window/frame/screen before in my life, but I had the equipment and was ready to learn on the go). The homeowner was an old man who had just returned from a trip, and we agreed on $250 for the two floors. I was nervous at that point; I never thought I would be doing this in my life. I got all the equipment and started cleaning; each window took me about 5 to 6 tries. There were screens on the upper floor, and I didn't have a ladder with me, so I took $100 off for just cleaning the first floor.
It took me about 2 hours, and it should have taken me 30 minutes if I had already practiced the techniques. The homeowner also mentioned that he wanted the siding of the house cleaned, something I had no idea about. However, I told him I'd do it for him for $300, and now I have him scheduled for Wednesday.
I will be buying a ladder that fits a Honda Civic today since most jobs will require it. It will cost $360. I will also register my business ($60 to $200) and will look to hire someone later this week after I do a few jobs myself. Doing the jobs myself will slow me down a lot, so my plan is to have someone who does all the jobs while I go knocking all day later this week. But for now, I will be doing everything myself to get more capital.
I am starting a home service business in exterior cleaning.
Here's a bit of my background. I just turned 20 years old. When I was 16, I moved out of my parents' house and flew outside of my country to continue my studies in Canada since there is no future for me in my home country. During that time, I learned a lot about responsibility, accountability, and survival skills. I continued high school and graduated in 2021.
During that time, I started editing YouTube videos for famous YouTubers as a side hustle and flipping computer desktops from Facebook Marketplace for a living. After graduating from high school, I got accepted into one of the top 3 universities in Canada in computer science. However, my first year was awful. I hated the whole system, and I knew I didn't want to follow the conventional path of finishing school and getting a job for the rest of my life. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset, but I lacked information and the motivation to start something. As a result, after my first year, I was put on probation for eight months due to my lack of performance.
That's when my education began. I decided to rely on myself and learn whatever I needed to learn, whether it was coding, business, or anything else. I started reading books on March 1, 2023, just 25 days ago. The first book I read was TMF , and it changed my whole mindset. I have set myself up to read a book every week for the rest of this year on sales, communication, human nature, and money.
I decided to start a home service business, with my first approach being to clean windows and then upsell from there (exterior gutter cleaning, vinyl siding, etc.). I wake up every day at 5 am and sleep at 10 pm. I am also fasting this whole month for Ramadan, so cleaning may be a bit exhausting, but I won't mind it.
Yesterday, March 24, 2023, I designed a logo, got all the equipment for window cleaning, and had the logo printed on my t-shirt and cap to look official, all for around $250. By 12:30, I picked a neighborhood and started door-knocking. At first, I was a bit nervous, my mouth was dry, but I had to start; otherwise, I would live with regret.
So, I knocked on the first door in the neighborhood (mind you, I had never cleaned a window/frame/screen before in my life, but I had the equipment and was ready to learn on the go). The homeowner was an old man who had just returned from a trip, and we agreed on $250 for the two floors. I was nervous at that point; I never thought I would be doing this in my life. I got all the equipment and started cleaning; each window took me about 5 to 6 tries. There were screens on the upper floor, and I didn't have a ladder with me, so I took $100 off for just cleaning the first floor.
It took me about 2 hours, and it should have taken me 30 minutes if I had already practiced the techniques. The homeowner also mentioned that he wanted the siding of the house cleaned, something I had no idea about. However, I told him I'd do it for him for $300, and now I have him scheduled for Wednesday.
I will be buying a ladder that fits a Honda Civic today since most jobs will require it. It will cost $360. I will also register my business ($60 to $200) and will look to hire someone later this week after I do a few jobs myself. Doing the jobs myself will slow me down a lot, so my plan is to have someone who does all the jobs while I go knocking all day later this week. But for now, I will be doing everything myself to get more capital.
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