Is This a Viable Business for Broke Entrepreneurs?

There are tons of people out on social media giving business advice. Some of it is good advice, but most of it isn’t good. In this new series watch CapForge’s owner react to different advice videos. He’s an expert in all things business and has 20+ years of experience under his belt. Some of the things he reacts to might even surprise you!

CapForge Founder and Owner Matt Remuzzi reacts to business advice being shared on the internet. In this video, he improves this business idea to be more scalable. 

Video Transcript: 

Business Advice Video:

So if you’re young broke ,I got a business idea for you. It worked for me. I got my best buddy, Robert, we’re traveling around the country. We get to Florida. In Florida, for all the beach communities, the mist hits the windows so every window is filthy. I got an idea we’re low on money let’s go down to the hardware store we’re opening a business Peeping Tom’s Window Cleaning. It cost almost nothing, couple squeegees, bucket, sponges, step ladder. Boom we are in business. We hit the local businesses car lots whatever just walk along the sidewalk there I realize young you have to break the ice with people Peeping Thomas Window Cleaning service is kind of funny. “hey I’m Mike this is Robert we’re Peeping Thomas Window Cleaning service. Notice your windows are filthy and we can knock them out right now.” Who doesn’t want their dirty windows clean? Clean them up, $20 $15 $20. Within a few hours we had beer money we had pizza money we had fun money. And then that’s what we did for the rest of the trip around the country. I learned a long time ago when you’re broke come up some pretty good business ideas

Matt’s reaction:

Okay, so I mean window cleaning, great idea. Lots of people need it. People are currently paying window cleaners for that service. Not quite as easy as he suggesting because if you go to a business, a car lot, a lot of them are gonna wanna work with somebody who has Insurance and has a license and isn’t going to get them in trouble if they break something or get hurt or fall off a ladder or what have you. So a lot of businesses won’t do business with somebody who walks up with a bucket and a squeegee and offers to clean windows. And a lot of times those businesses already have somebody that they have on a regular contract to clean windows. But homeowners who are looking for a deal and not all of them are concerned about liability may actually be up for that and you can go door to door to neighborhood and start developing some business.

He’s suggesting it as just a way to make some quick money and you know you’re in business one day you’re out of business the next day, which is a way to do it. But if you wanted to turn that into an actual business, we have clients who are very successful who literally make six figures with their window cleaning businesses. And he’s right you can start it for virtually nothing. I would say you don’t even need the bucket, the squeegee, the ladder, and the sponges to start. You can literally go you know with a flyer and a free website and start soliciting business. You go out the first time, you give the homeowner the quote. “Okay, you got you know 30 windows in the house there. Half of them are in the second story. The whole thing is gonna be 450 bucks.” They say “Great”, I say “Great. I’ll be back on Wednesday, we’ll clean it” and then on the way back you go and buy the bucket and the sponges and squeegees and everything else. You got the stuff ready to go. Until you make a sale you don’t even have to actually invest in the equipment. So yes, this is definitely a legitimate business. 

I would say if you wanna be serious about it treat it a little bit more like a legitimate business and work your way up. Build recurring revenue, hire crews, so now you no longer have to do the window cleaning yourself, you just sell the jobs and then even then you get a general manager they sell the jobs. And now 5 10 years down the road, you have a great passive income business. So I agree with what he’s saying, I think I would approach it a little differently do it a little bit more seriously and build it into a real business but absolutely it is a viable concept.