User:B137/Fermata

Taking over Miami

How it all started

The first time I ever picked up a squeegee was in my local Lowe's in New York. From my quick research I was aware of the brand Ettore as one used in the professional industry. I bought two squeegees, a 14 inch microfiber, and some Squeegee Off liquid soap. I never once cleaned a single window, in my entire life, until I came to Miami. Not even in my house with windex and a paper towel. Well, you can technically say I tried out my new tools at home, but it was on the inside as most windows were too cold to do it because the water froze.

In Miami I talked like I knew everything, of course, this is the only way to do it. And it's so easy. It's a example of where being over opinionated is beneficial. "This is the best way, I use better stuff than everyone else. I know more, I can outwork all of them." Besides being true, it helps you not look like someone who picked up some consumer tools at a local department store and headed South with an idea to take over an industry in a growing city with a bad economy.

How did I do it

It has absolutly nothing to do with being good at cleaning windows, as you can see. It's about being good at business and sounding confident, being opinionated, fast talking and loud. In three weeks I had a established a business, had a residence, a bank account, and was already marketing myself and finding interested people. I just say I'm from New York and they probably assume I have experience there. I talk about how I know so much and am new in Miami so my prices are low. Not that I need practice or to get used to their setup and learn about soaps and all that non important stuff. My first contract was on a seven story building with almost 800 windows; I did it for 1,200 dollars.

An interest in buildings

Tall buildings, views, and clean glass. Honestly I do like. And as far the good view so many expensive condos claim, it makes a big difference. I have to admit that besides the opportunity cleaning glass is somewhat rewarding in that small town little man way. I swear what makes clean glass so eye catching is that you basically cannot see it all, but your eyes can tell there is something there. It is not natural for something to be that transparent, so it has an elusive quality to it. I've used buildings as navigational beacons in a new city because you can see them so well and know the districts by them from pictures.

Image Image is a big thing. Don't look like some Joe Nobody pushing the last mile out of his 1988 dodge ram super van with "general contracting" on the side in big black letters with the same paint used for graffiti. Have a nice logo. I chose my truck because I saw it and said "that looks like a good Miami Truck." It's all white, has tinted windows, a little grille thing, and is in good shape. It's a pickup, but it's nice looking and comfortable. It's not a honkey tonk country mile jacked up chevy or a three ton gorilla, but it's also not a worthless S10 or 1988 Nissan Frontier with no tailgate or back window. My logo is great. I thought of it while sitting on the top story of the Aventura Mall parking garage before getting kicked out. (This was during a four day "vacation" I took on foot to check out Miami in late november/december). It fit so perfectly and it looks good. I kept certain things flashy that needed to be flashy and phony, just like Miami, the city that rings with the sound of silence.

Insurance

My first quote was $5,000 a month. That's sixty thousand dollars a year. More than the average income. This was for a standard (low for high rise) 2/1 million dollar policy. Two million dollar aggregate and one million each occurance. It included additional insured and allowed up to 70 floors. All the insurance brokers I called first said 1,500 or so as a predicted quote; they made it sound like this was the minimum. Then after contacting the underwriters it was 5,000. They must have seen my history, none in business and just 21, new in Florida.

Being the best

It's an industry where many people are stupid, and kind of gayish about what they do. Sticking together in little groups of three, waiting for their buddies to descend so they stay even with each other. "basically the way it works is the faster you go the more you get paid". Well you get paid by the hour and I could do faster what you're doing. Like I said earlier in the insurace chapter, the industry has been so mucked by incompetency that it's a wonder more places don't have the auotomated machines like the Sears Tower has. The job is so easy. All you do is tie the ropes off where ever you can and descend. And there is NO "two or more" rule with rope access work. This is impossible. Not only is it much more tame than rock climbing, it's right in the city, surrounded by people, if anything went wrong. And it's always user error with rope descent. With swing stages I have no commment. Not only am I able to pull myself back up if I did fall out of my chair like a moron. I could carry an extra descender and reattach myself to the safety line. It's so easy it's ridiculous. The only thing I was afraid of was bad blood. I thought it could be an in crowd industry where everyone was working together toward worthlessness, and they wouldn't like the new guy coming in offering lower prices and willing to work any time at all for well over 10 hours a day.

Quotes

"Instead of killing people, Grand Theft Auto motivated me to dominate an industry" One way or another, there's no way around it, liking the concept of Vice City surely put the idea of Miami as a potential place to want to go. That combined with the situation there made it the only place.

"No. No. It's stupid. It won't help you do anything. It makes you look stupid." Bruce Teague-go be a role model at the school and make 40k a year and brag about how you don't do any of that computer stuff and call yourself a designer. "basically the way it works is the faster you go the more you get paid" Clearview employee-yeah sure

"It has nothing to do with being good at cleaning windows, knowing your soaps, and all that other third class knowledge, it's all about confidence, fast talking, and knowing it all." Me


 * My family is drowning in mental disorder and that is the only fact that matters.