Customer Profile
Name: Ernie Nales
Company Name: Quality window cleaning
Location: Honolul Hawaii
Website: windowcleaning.com/honolulu
What type of business do you specialize in?
High Rise window cleaning ,residential, and commercial.
Do you offer any other services? yes carpet cleaning and some light pressure washing.
How many employees do you have? Do you like it that way?
I have 2 employes and a couple of subs..Its enough for now.
How did you start your business?
I started out with small ad in the newspaper, a couple of ladders ,a bucket a pole,and a Buick 4 door sedan. i forgot the name but i would just tie down the ladders on top the car. then I also started doing some sub work for this other company also because i would be able to buy the work truck from him, for $500, so we transferred the title to my name. i worked about a year till i quit..but i keep the truck and kept it running for years. it was a pretty ghetto truck,,i hung up a piece of wood on the ladder rack and spray painted “Dirty Windows? call…” with a stencil kit at least.. but we got calls! amazing I thought. I don’t know, Maybe the felt sorry for me,or maybe they thought my price would be cheap too! lol eventually we made enough money to get another van.
What is your favorite piece of window cleaning equipment?
Brass Ettore squeegee, I love the classics.
What is the best new thing you’ve seen in the industry lately?
Unger cleaning pads. are cool.
Do you utilize WFP in your business?
Yes but not all the time, only when i need too. i don’t like to waste water,water is precious here in the islands and should not be wasted for the sake of cleaning a window.
What is something you need help with to better serve your customers?
Not sure
What do you most like to do in your business?
sitting on the beach in the sun or on my boat,sipping iced tea and taking phone calls..
Least like to do?
louvers ! lol
What do you need to get your business where you want it to be?
I need the right kind of people on my team.
Whats the tallest building you have worked on?
i don’t know they are all about the same with the height limit here.. I’d have to say nauru tower 45 stories.
Whats your favorite building to work on and why?
i don’t have a favorite but the ones by the ocean are always nice.
What style of building to you dislike?
ones with block and tackle work involved , its so much easier to just get in your chair and go!
How competitive is the marketing for high rise window cleaning?
how low can you go seems to be the name of the game around here,,very competitive.
So you recently were part of a reality TV Show pilot called “The Drop”…
What was your experience on during the process?
Well, they wanted to make it seem more exciting and dangerous than what it actually is, while being entertaining at the same time. with dialog or what they call “sound bites” if not the show wont get far if it is just all plain window cleaning, guys not talking.. so they suggested rousting each other. then the interviewed me in this hotel room , they turned the ac off! to noisy thy said.. then asked me all these questions in front of the camera.. i was sweating it out. then we had a meeting set up at o tools Dino and i showed up , but Derick did not.. we talked about a lot of thing that never made it to the pilot. no biggie .
How hard is it to clean windows in Hawaii?
I don’t know i never cleaned anyplace else
How would you best describe your crew?
hardcore
Can you tell us, how really difficult the Hawaiian First Tower really is?
Its not difficult at all , but for the price they are willing to pay ,,its just not worth it.
You came in as the middle bid. Who ended up winning the contract?
Derick , hes the lowballer, so have fun with that dude!.. me and Greg did the construction clean up on it in the 90s anyways. kind of a pain with all the frame wiping that needs to get done.
How did your employees feel about the show?
2 were stoked! but Greg thought it was stupid lol
Would you be on this reality tv show permanently if it actually were to be broadcasted on TV?
not sure , just depends how much money we would gain or loose..
What do you believe would be the outcome for future business for yourself?
we’ll be around for a long time for sure. this business has been successful with out even trying. just do good work and more will come my way. word gets around fast on a small island.
