The Unexpected Skills We’ve Learned as Business Owner's

Going solo - I thought the job would mostly be about the work itself: turning up, doing a great job, and heading to the next one, with a good few smiles and chatter along the way - How wrong I was!

Ten plus years on, and not only have I gone beyond just going out to complete the jobs but have a full team behind me to support and never imagined we would build to the size of needing office staff, yet here we are!

We have learnt a lot along the way and we have realised that running a small business teaches you a whole set of skills you never expected.

Some of them practical, some of them personal, and some that just make you laugh at how much you’ve changed.

Patience (The Real Kind)

There’s patience… and then there’s business-owner patience.

The kind you develop when the weather stops play, a van decides it doesn't want to run today, or three people are calling at once to discuss different cleans.

Having grown and developed not only the area we cover but also the people we work with, with now a team of 4 out mowing and cleaning on the daily, we have learnt that a days delay isn't the end of the world and majority of our wonderful customer base are understanding and appreciative of being advised whenever we have to reschedule.

Expanding and growing has taught us to breathe, adapt, and keep things moving without letting the chaos win.

Problem Solving - becoming a walking troubleshooting machine

Whilst most of our jobs are pretty straight forward and rarely have any hiccups along the way, the behind the scenes can be quite a different story.

Van break downs, water filtration leaks, broken backs (Hu Hum - Darrel/Ash!) and even the odd damaged garden ornament are one of the many challenges taken in our stride.

Whether it’s adjusting a plan, finding a workaround, or making a quick decision that keeps everything on track, you learn to trust your instincts and find a solution.

Worst case scenario 'Ring Leanne for a level head and cool off' and let her deal with it!

Communities that matter

In the early days we took on every job that was offered or quote accepted however as we have grown so has our attitude to who we supply services too. We have now grown to understand the importance of the work and who we supply to really matters.

Our expansion has allowed us to expand to jobs that are not always about making money, but earning more in appreciation from the community.

Part of our services include charitable cleans, with no charge for local scout groups and community based groups such as Brighter Uckfield.

If we aren't able to offer it free of charge then we apply a reduced cost where possible to ensure these hidden hero volunteers and committees have a little less hassle.

Working together means we can all make our local communities that little bit better for all to enjoy.

Connections that mean more than just business

Professional friends are key to the Big Sam team and wider community- working alongside strong successful local businesses such as Indreco, Gutter Vac systems, English Oak and The Car Clinic not only gives us a wealth of knowledge to learn from others but also means we can share what has succeeded for us for them to try in their business.

Local window cleaners - as crazy as it sounds the competition are our friends and we believe that building the same business alongside each other can only make us all stronger.

Over the years we have had the pleasure of connections with Harrys window cleaning in Uckfield, T Harrison window cleaning in Heathfield and many more - working alongside each other has allowed us to always reach a solution that is best for all our customers, be it a first clean or regular clean, if we cant assist then we will always recommend another local reliable company who we know can.

Pride in the Details

One of the biggest surprises is how much satisfaction comes from the small things.

A job finished neatly.

A customer pleased with the service.

A space transformed.

You start to take pride not just in the work, but in the care behind it and what it means to the customer or their families.

We aren't just the window cleaner to some: we are the phone call to speak to Leanne once a month, who always asks 'How you are doing?' and the cleaner who takes 5/10 minutes for a cuppa when you haven't seen anyone else all week, or the cleaner who fixed the loose screw in the gate on his visit.

Learning the World of the Internet and Advertising

When I started this business, I knew how to do the work but the online and promotional side of things - That was a whole different world!

Turns out that our Trade Mark name - really makes a difference and is important in building a trusted branding. When we launched Big Sam The Mowing Man, the stability and trust built through Big Sam The Window Man really showed as existing customers quickly requested new services.

Over the years, We have had to learn everything from social media basics - to building successful websites with the correct SEO's and how to take photos to the best standard, including logo placement .

We've learned how to write posts that are relatable and interesting to our followers, how to share updates without oversharing, and how to show the quality of our work in a way that feels genuine (no stock images here!).

We've picked up the rhythm of when to post, what people respond to, and how to keep things positive and helpful to our customer base rather than general sales.

Despite all my knowledge and understanding - I still cant quite complete the above to the standard expected at Big Sam's, so I stick to what I am good at with physical customer relations.

My wonderful Wife on the other hand has learnt all the knowledge above, taken it in her stride, nags us all for the photos she has envisuned, and even mastered writing a BLOG as Big Sam The Window Man

(in-case you hadn't noticed this little trade secret - I have never written a BLOG!)

Still Learning, Still Growing

Running a business teaches you things you never expected about work, about people, and about yourself. And even after a decade, I’m still learning, still adapting, and still grateful for every lesson this journey brings.

Happy reading as always

Big Sam

(Always looking for the next potenital clean or new customer)

(Now servicing Uckfield, Hailsham, Heathfield, Lewes, Crowborough, Polegate, Willingdon, Edenbridge and anywhere in-between)