Crystal Clear shines through with dedication

A group of Sayville students began a window cleaning business earlier this summer and have earned rave reviews on social media community pages for their thoroughness and politeness.

Jack Barry decided to start a window washing business after seeing a YouTube video and deciding this route would have the best return on investment with equipment.

“So I wanted to have a business because I thought it was better than a job where you can make more. I was looking and saw this guy on YouTube and he made a ton of money and I started and asked a few friends,” said Barry.

Enlisting the help of his friends, Luke Stephan, Gavin Sack, Trevor Leniec, Jack Bombara, Troy Kauter, Mannix Stewart, Seamus McCartney and Josh Plitt, Barry had a formidable team for both canvassing for sales and also carrying out the jobs they had secured.

“There was one where Jack and I were working and it was before we had the water-fed pole and there was a little overhang, so we couldn’t get to the windows because we didn’t have the right angle,” said Stephan.

Initially, the team only had scrubber and poles that needed to be manually put into the cleaning solution at every swipe, which was more labor intensive. Taking the initial sales profit, Barry and his crew decided to reinvest the money into the business for the water-fed pole and other equipment, costing approximately $1,000 that increased their cleaning efficiency.

With all of Crystal Clear’s associates active in sports, Sack said, “The work ethic you learn in sports definitely helps with the dedication to going after sales because you have to keep going with all the ‘no’s to get to that one ‘yes’.”

Kauter said the sports association was also helpful in proving to potential clients, residential and commercial, about the company’s dedication to the community. “I wore my lacrosse shirt once and people asked me about the team and said how they supported lacrosse and would support us.”

Crystal Clear has a standard rate of $5 to $10 per window for residential (commercial prices are determined by size of windows) and give estimates on site.

“Even if we get a no, we’ll offer to give an estimate just so people can think about it over time, and then maybe in six months when we come around they’ll hire us,” said Stephan.

In a group interview, the boys joked about previous business ventures of Barry, including a candy retail business in the sixth grade, but praised him for his ongoing efforts.

Barry said his parents were an inspiration to him because his mother was also an entrepreneur.

The community has been cheering on Crystal Clear, with each client post (clients receive a discount for posting of their services on “Sayville Moms”) garnering dozens of comments commending the soon-to-be ninth graders at Sayville High School for having the initiative to work at such a young age.

A parent recalled that a homeowner offered cash sans window washing just out of sheer delight of seeing young men “hustle.”

With school starting, the boys are planning to work on weekends and expand to gutter cleaning and raking leaves.

Greg Giannotti of the famed “Boomer and Gio,” who is a Sayville resident, is a client of Crystal Clear and even gave a shout-out to the company during his broadcast.

Barry’s advice to other young people looking to start a business was to “start early.”

Stephan added, “Don’t be discouraged easily. The first block we did we got a bunch of ‘no’s, but then we figured out different strategies and how to sell. We became more professional and people responded more.”

Asked if being friends helped or hindered the business, the boys were in agreement that it was easier because they could depend on each other.