about us

Hi, My name is Jacob (Jake) Trapp, during the winter of 2016 I started Von Trapp Window Cleaning out of necessity.  Like most college graduates, I was useless and unemployable.  No skills and an unimpressive resume to boot. Circumstances had led me to a situation where  I would only be considered for jobs that my resume reflected work experience, all of which were hard labor or dead end jobs. My first job out of college was as a window cleaner working for a friend. I saw it as a temporary job before finding something more promising but that opportunity never came. Realizing this, I went looking for better opportunities only to find more of the same. I ended up working in construction, the industry I was consciously trying to avoid by going to college.

With $6,000.00 dollars (how many hours is that at $12-15/hr?) in savings and only my window cleaning skills to fall back on, I spent $500.00 on squeegees, towels, buckets and soap.  Too much for me to rationalize giving up and wasting that money. From there, I just moved forward one step at a time.  I sold my car, bought a truck, the business license, the insurance, the ladders, and the rest, and now here I am.

There have been moments where I have felt an intense desire to quit and close up shop but  I have stayed on the path, and built a modest and honest business that I am proud of.

I started Von Trapp Window Cleaning out of necessity but with the intention of building the skills and credibility to put on my resume for some manager to look at and hopefully be impressed. However, working for myself has shifted my mindset, now I don’t think I would want to work for somebody else. Running my business has been transformational, brutal and soul crushing at times, but it has been one of the best, and really the first decision of my life