We have been in business since 2005 most of the years we have always shut down for our slow season being winter. Since maybe 2019 we have worked in the winter doing snow removal/carpet cleaning and hanging Christmas lights to drum up work. We have had a good bit of growth over the years, and I am curious with other window cleaners have y'all found a good niche for the slow winter months?
Residential or commercial? If the latter, maybe offer discounts for off-season months, or sell twice-yearly cleanings if possible, with one during the slow months.
New construction cleaning is year round, and it's possible to find small final clean companies that need help with windows.
Expand to rope access and that adds new construction exterior windows, possibly air barrier test prep (stuffing foam into dryer vents), and cleaning dryer vents on mid-rise buildings in the windows off season.
High profile event/sports venues clean year round and always take new bids.
Pressure washing during days when it's above freezing.
You've probably thought of all of that, but figured I'd chime in since I used to do that work.
That's great insight, we usually do a discount sometime throughout the year when it does slow down a little during back-to-school season. Mainly the target of the question was to see if there are any different types of services to include. To that point I have never heard of air barrier test prep, defiantly something to look into thank you for that! Also to your first question we service both residential and commercial it would be either to keep the phone ringing during winter.
Do you have any interest in expanding into "rope access" window cleaning? Are you in an area with a lot of mid-rise buildings, like the 5-8(ish) story residential with retail ground level things that go up all over metropolitan areas?
Staying profitable through the winter comes down to building a solid commercial base and leaning hard into indoor work.
Snow, Christmas lights, and carpet cleaning are great, but you can also keep your window crew busy by offering interior-only residential packages, high-end chandelier and fixture detailing, and indoor post-construction cleanups when the weather freezes you out.
Storefronts, gas stations, and restaurants need clean glass all year long, so building up bi-weekly or monthly commercial routes gives you steady baseline income to cover overhead. Late-fall gutter cleanouts and selling pre-paid spring prep packages in January and February will also bring in quick cash flow during the slowest weeks and keep your crew working until spring hits. Hope this gives you some ideas!!!
