Happy New Year!

I'd like to personally wish you a very successful 2010 for your window cleaning business. To help kick off the new year, I developed a series of tips, written just for you entitled...

"12 COMMON WINDOW CLEANING BUSINESS MISTAKES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM"

In this letter you'll receive the first 2 'Common Mistakes' and their 'Solutions'. Keep an eye on your inbox and you'll receive all 12 over the next week.

Let's get started.

MISTAKE #1: LACK OF MOTIVATION

SOLUTION: "What's your WHY?"

If you've never owned a business before, you may find it difficult to find the motivation necessary to propel you into action.

When you were employed, fear of being fired was a constant motivator. It helped urge you to get up every day, get to work on time, and do a good job for the company that employed you.

When you're a new business owner, it's easy to fail if you don't have a strong motivator ...

... You need to figure out the reason "WHY?" you are building your business.

Your WHY is very personal and is different for everyone.

Recently, I've coached many people that had lost their jobs, on how to start a window cleaning business. I can tell you that those people have an excellent chance of success!

These people that lost their jobs have a HUGE "WHY" that forces them into doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to make their new business produce positive results.

Early on for me, my WHY was simple. I was in the same boat as these folks... I was either going to Sink Or Swim!

When I started Capital City Windows, my window cleaning business, I had lost my job, and was a single parent with an 7 year old Son to provide for.

My original motivator to build my business fast was pure survival.

But, as my business progressed over the first year, and survival was NO LONGER A PROBLEM, I created a new WHY.

My new WHY was to create enough EXCESS INCOME to take Winter off work and to occasionally vacation on the warm beaches of Hawaii.

I called this NEW WHY,

"Quality Family Time".

To help motivate me I purchase yearly engagement calendars that had pictures of - Exotic Beaches - included in the calendar.

So everyday, I opened my business engagements I was constantly REMINDED of what I needed to achieve...

... Which propelled me into action.

So... WHAT'S YOUR WHY?

Figure out your WHY and remind yourself of it everyday. Make it a personal WHY that is so powerful it brings you to tears... A WHY that makes you CRY.

That may sound corny but, it can make the difference between
success and failure.

One parting note: Your WHY is different than your GOALS.

A 'goal' is the 'purpose' toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective. A goal doesn't propel you into action. The WHY is the 'emotional connection' attached to the goal.

And, while you need to have both, the WHY is what will drive you emotionally to accomplish your goals.

MISTAKE #2: LACK OF CONFIDENCE

SOLUTION: "Forget about your competition and forget about what your customers might be thinking"

When you start a window cleaning business, Lack Of Confidence is a true killer.

It can breed confusion and can create doubts strong enough to force many new window cleaners into quitting.

Much of the lack of confidence in new window cleaners comes from questions about their competition and what their future customers might think about them, like...

My competition must be faster and better at window cleaning than me, how am I ever going to compete against them?

How much is my competition pricing their jobs... Are my prices too high or too low?

I wonder if this business already has a regular window cleaner?... Maybe I shouldn't bother to find out.

What if I get hired and the customer finds out I'm not very good at cleaning windows yet?

These are the type of questions that can loom and eat away at a new business owners psyche.

My advice is...

GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO SUCCEED!

Clear these doubts from your mind. Give yourself a chance to gain some experience in sales, pricing and cleaning techniques.

Everyone person who has ever succeeded, in any business, had to walk the same road you're on right now.

Get out there and make a few sales, clean a few windows and you'll find that most of the questions that have been bothering you will quickly FADE AWAY.

One of the best gifts I've received was from a great friend who helped me start cleaning windows professionally in 1995.

What he did was he took me into a neighborhood, helped me make my first sale and start cleaning windows immediately following that first sale.

... I literally learned how to clean a window AT MY FIRST CUSTOMERS HOME -- making real money.

That was a giant confidence booster because a didn't have time to start doubting myself.

And yes, I thought I didn't do a very good job at cleaning those first windows but, I got paid and the customer was VERY HAPPY with the cleaning.

By simply getting my first customer right away, that helped me quickly pass that period of doubt that could have paralyzed me into quitting before even getting started.

Thank you Jaime!

If you're still practicing your window cleaning technique and you think you're not good enough yet to clean professionally... STOP!

My advice is to...

GET UP RIGHT NOW AND START CLEANING WINDOWS FOR CASH!

You're probably not going to be very good at first but, one thing you'll discover is that YOU are your toughest critic.

You are more likely to notice streaks and other flaws in your cleaning technique than your customers.

And, most people are going to be very forgiving especially if they know you are just starting out.

You are also more apt to be thinking and worrying about your competition.

I'd suggest forgetting about them completely because, the chance that they even know you exist is very, very slim.

Throw away any doubts you have and give your business the chance to succeed!