Jeff
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Posts posted by Jeff
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My 1st year & a half I did everything the hard way & wrong. I bought a 3GPM machine I would have bought at least a 4gpm, I used all HD & Lowes chems & household bleach. I use to use a white nozzle to do driveways, then when I found out about roto nozzle I thought I was golden. Iused to be up on ladders & step ladders. I mean I did everything!!!! the hard way. I just didnt know better
I have guys that come up to me now and if Idont have time the one thing I do is tell them about theses BB's
It wasnt until Ron Strickland of Xterioor told about TCN & TGS that I started making my life easier.
To answer your question. I would have liked to know about these BB's and done some research. I basically wasted alot of time
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I was reading some of the posts and going over alot of what Ive writen and asked etc etc. And I was thinking what a great thing these BB's are (TGS) Where else can someone go to hash over ideas, ask questions about how to run a business, fix a piece of equipment, what to buy, how to do something etc etc. I mean the BB is the most valuable tool out of everything I own in my biz and its a free resource
I have learned so much, gotten so many great ideas & helpful hints and have had a place to share other parts of my life other than business. I would be somewhat lost without this resource. Go back & read the questions you've asked, the ideas and help and try to think of all the time and hard knocks you would have went through without this BB. WOW I'd still be doing alot of things the hard way if it wasnt for this & other BB's
Like I said I love you guys (Im not being gay about this and you wont see me watching Brokeback Mountain lol) But I do love the fact I have a place to go in my busy life where I can learn, share & relax
Thanks
JL
p.s.become a site supporter, best $$$ spent
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Are you guys talking 1 crew say 2 guys doing 1 mill?
Pwing I can see multiple crews making a total of 1M or more in a urban area and the owner doing all the sales etc. They would have to corner the market. In an urban area if someone was to do restoration cleaning I think that well over a mill or several million could be done. Im talking more than just pwing
My goal is to by 2008-2010 to have done 500K in one year. I just dont know if that 500K could be maintained year after year in this area just doing PWing & gutter cleaning. this would be running 3, 1-3 man crews with some additional labor as needed. Close to a 1/3 of that being profit. I dont think this is unobtainable goal for my area so I would think in a urban metropolitan area 1 mill could be done easy
To achieve 1 mill doing PWing tone of he hardest part is employees, maintaining reliable help
JL
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I'm thinking of it more becuase of the time factor, which is also money. But the time spent is really bugging me. I have to drive all over hell & back one day, say doing 10 estimates Ive lined up. It takes 3-5 hours of my time and I get 5 of the jobs but there simple house washes and say there is no upsell. So those 5 jobs total $850. Not great money but ok even if I can have them all done in a day, Ive spent so much time on them. Taking 10 calls for estimates, going to do the ten estimates, driving all over, only getting the 5 jobs for not that great of money.
Now add that I have to do estimate like that twice a week totalling 6-10 hours spent doing them calls & estimates. Thats a long 6-10 hours just for 2 days work.
Id say 75% of residential around here is 1200-2500 sq ft homes and there almost all vinyl. If I charged $200 Id be lucky to sell 1 or 2
I like residential and Im pretty good at upselling so my figures are probably better than my example but Its just taking to much time!!!!!! Ive been very busy and Im looking at this as a time management thing, weighing the pros & cons.
If I could get better prices for house washes I wouldnt even think of dropping residential, but the more I up my prices the less jobs I am getting and Im pretty good at sales, tell them the benifits of hiring a pro Im personable and the peple like me and how I explain the process, but they still dont want to pay
Between the banks I do,contract condo gutter cleaning jobs and say 1 big condo job which all of this takes say a total of 40 days to do. I make more than all the houses I wash in a year and it takes many more days than 40 days to do the house/ You get what Im saying
Plus Im really liking the condo & gutter cleaning work. Ive been pretty darn busy this winter and it looks like it will continue and then some the rest of the year. So Im looking at being busy year round year after year (hopefully) Now I need time to keep this busy stuff coming and need time for my family and cant work 5-6 days a week 52 weeks a year. With the commercial condo and other commercial I do I can can have my 2 fulltimes guys and my seasonal fulltime workers do almost all the work and I'll actually just be supervising much more. I can have my guys on jobs that my reg guys can oversee/work while Im doing other stuff. A condo complex I can go the first day explain what has to be done & how to do it and then I actually could leave for the 5 days it takes and they would get it done( now I wouldnt not check a job for 5 days but I could)
Now residential I have to explian each job, what to do house, drive, gutters etc. I like to check behind my guys also TO MUCH TIME involved compared to commercial. I do 18 banks twice a year plus 1/4ly drivethroughs Now I send the guys to do them and I have Sundays with my family, just any way I look at it I come up with better time management doing commercial.
Time is money, but time is also just time and Im not liking the time it takes for residential. Now if I could get $250 or more per house it would be different.
For now Im keeping residential, a year from now who knows
Thanks everyone theres been some GREAT input on this. You all are a great help I love TGS
JL
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House washing rates are tough around here and just doing the estimates are a PITA and only land 50% tops. Out of the past 10 house estimates Ive done these past few weeks I got 3 jobs. Its all getting to time consuming and cost
I like making thousand doing commercial/condos instead of hundreds in a day and thats how it is with residential around here
They do house washes for $65-$80 2200sq ft or less
I have one neighborhood Ive charged $100 for a wash for past 2 1/2 years, these homes are 1500-2200sq ft they're easy but Ive done 4 homes in this neighborhood out of probably 50 estimates in person and probably 20 over the phone. When some one calls from this neighborhood I now tell them most homes are around $100 and they say they'll call back or to much etc
My commercial I just do so much better and less time. I can go on one estimate and have work for a week or 2.
Im going to keep residential at least another year then maybe make a decision
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it does not look heavy enough to hand over side of a building without it blowing in the wind. You got the money I have some plans drawn out for one that would work on the side of a building and possibly with balconies.Jim, Build it they will come:lgsideway
Thats what the eyelets are for, can tie it or run it down a cable. I'll show you how when we do the job. If you want to come to the job when we start it, I'll show you how to pressure wash too. lol
Whats up Dude
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Ordered one of them tuesday with a couple additions to it. Put another set of wheels at low pressure end and a couple eyelets Cant wait to put it to work
JL
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I wondering someday if I'll drop my residential side of my business.
Anybody out here that has been in business for awhile and maybe started their biz with alot of residetial work, then dropped it over time and just do commercial
Residential work I get still fills in some of the slower times I have and i plan on still offering residetialbut can possibly see sometime in the future dropping it for a couple reason
1) May have to much commercial work or enough to support biz without doing residential
2) Profit isnt as good as commercial
3) Residential is much more time consuming, estimates, so many of them take alot of time & $$$ fuel
4) Residential isnt a great money maker, compared to my commercial work. I'd say 50% of my residential is good money, roofs, concrete and highend homes. But many of the neighborhoods that I do are not great money makers.
5) targeting & marketing of residential takes alot of time and money. Time mainly. The more I tim I spend on residential marketing the less time I have for comm. targeting
Now I'm thinking two different ways when it comes to residential. Should I find that my commercial supports me just fine should I drop Res. Or should I work harder to grow residential and have a part of my biz/crew dedicated to residential.
Its a crossroads in my biz that I know Ill have to cross within the next several months or at least with in the next couple years. Do I keep res. or drop it
Has anyone out here dropped their residential side and just gone with commercial & why?
JL
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We probably share some goals for this year in that regard.
There good goals Mike, You'll surpass them Im sure!!
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Yeah Jeff,....Don't apologize for your posts. LOL, I think you are one of those that wears your heart on your sleave for all to see......and that is a gift. My dad is like that....he can be best friends with a stranger in five minutes, along with discussing his deepest, darkest fears, etc., without even thinking twice. I'm not like that, far more stand-offish. I imagine your "laying it all out there" personality makes you a very good husband and father, and probably keeps your stress levels down. What a gift!
Jon some nice comments thanks dude!!! //
Stress some years ago would depress me & bring me down, now stress makes me hyper and I just work harder at getting through it instead of stressing more. Its like a challenge, I get stronger. Fun sometimes.
Does that make sense.
This year is going to test my stress levels, but when I get through everything it will just be another challenge conquered.
Watch out for hyperspeed:lgwave: :banana:
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Wonder what Roland is up to now?Me too, I hope he's well !!!!!! Im sure theres many more Roland stories since the last time I saw him in the 90's. I can only imagine and laugh.
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Freakin rats, I have a friend that I wash with and I do the back of the place and the dumpster, because he hates the rats. You pull the dumpster out and they just come out from everywhere as they run for the storm drain. I always thought no biggy, and kinda laughed that he was so bothered by them.Well. I have done this place several times with him, and this past Thursday he was unable to go, so I did the place myself. I usually shine my 10 Million candlepower spotlight and they take off, then a couple kicks on the dumpster and they are gone. I decided to use my flashlight this time, which is fairly bright, but apparently not bright enough.
I did the usual shine the light, kick the doors, open the doors and started to pull the dumpsters out. A few slow ones were still coming out, so I backed off and waited till they ran off, but as I went back to grab on, one jumped out on my arm, and as I swung at him with the Stream Light, another leaped off the dumpster onto my pant leg.
They both ran off and went wherever, as I stood there cussing up a storm. No harm done, but it was a real shocker as I do not like rats very much, but never had them come my way before. They now have a new respect from me.
Man I would of died
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You know I havent been able to pressure wash for the past couple weeks due to my hernia surgery. It went well I see the Doc today
Well I have all this time off and guess what I havent stopped, Ive been so darn busy with getting the guys out working, getting things together for building the house & closing, tons of last minute stuff, taxes, biz calls and an endless amount of commercial estimates & proposals, sick kid etc etc etc.
I'm going crazy and tired every night. Just think I call this TIME OFF???:lglolly:
Im not complaining its just amazing to me that theres always so much to do and so little time. The only way Id want to change it all thou is if I won the lottery. Oh ya got to get my ticket. Just one more thing to add to my list
Just babbling
Life is GOOD
Jeff
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Newbies starting out have to know any biz is hard to get going at first, once you get some experience that of corse helps. But getting the work is the hardest. Wether your a good business man or just a guy like me who wanted to make a biz work and eventually be fulltime self employeed it takes time.
You have to spend tons of time getting the work. You may have to send thousands & thousands of post cards fliers etc. My 2nd & 3rd year I sent at least 10,000 fliers & post cards, Got in 5 or 6 newsletters, posted fliers at supermarkets, left biz cards in doctors office on counters at banks and fast food places, asked evey customer to tell others and more etc etc.
You can start with the mininuim or a nice new full rig. But you have to get the jobs, work hard, show up on time. It can take 2, 3 years or more just to get enough work to where you think you might be able to make it.
You can make it but you always have to work at and dont slack.
Sell Sell Sell thats how you make it in this biz
Good luck to you guys, I want to hear your success stories in a few years
JL
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The Rat Story
We used to do a lot of bridges & overpasses. I used to partner up with this guy Roland Rouge. Roland was a crazy kind of guy with 2 kids that also worked the bridges. Roland was about 50 years old 5 8" but he was solid muscle arms the size of my thighs, huge hands he was just a powerhouse. He and his sons were in & out of prison, not the smartest family in the world , but they would do anything to help a brother, they were nice guys just crazy. We worked together alot . Roland would be the muscle & I was the speed. He'd do all the heavy moving & rigging and I do 3/4's of the painting, I could really move. One day we were doing a little overpass on Rt 93 in Boston. We would work of of aluminum 24' planks/beds and we would have cables rigged from one side to the other and slide the planks as we would go and paint. Roland hopped off the plank to get in the shoes(the area at the embankment were the steel met the concrete supports) well I slid the rig to the next move so it was about 15 feet away from roland. I few minutes later I hear Roland screaming & swearing and I see him JUMP to the cable, he jumps and grabs the cable and drops about 10-15 ft down the embankment. Im yelling whats going on. He runs to his car and runs up ambankment and starts blasting away with his gun. I was like what the ----. All of a sudden you see rats everywhere. I'm going what the heck is going on, everybody comes down off their rigs and the State cop comes flying over. Well it all ended there and the cop was cool , he worked this detail with us for awhile. After we all just went back to work. I'll tell you looking back on it sometime later, I just laughed & laughed.
I have alot of Roland stories, the time he was in a lift truck driving to the next move and the lift ingaged as they were driving and tipped the truck over on an off ramp or the time we had to tell an out of state contractor/boss that he had to back off us the union guys and Roland was drooling all over the boss as he was telling him he'd kill him. Or the barroom brawl when I watched Roland & his 2 sons take on about 20 guys and win. Theres many more Roland stories. He was good to have on your side
I miss Roland he was a unique guy
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Too funny Jeff....:lolsign:Maybe someday I'll tell you the one about the rats
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God Bless 9/11
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If money is the issue, get a small 6x10 trailer a beltdrive cold 4 gpm a good surface cleaner, odds & ends, some real good signage on trailer, practice on yours and families homes and driveways etc. And advertise like crazy, fliers, post cards neighborhood newsletters, newspaper etc
I started with less and am doing pretty well
Good luck
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Thanks Ken
Keep it coming
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Let me tell you a story about me and a hawk
When I used to be a steel painter we had to wire brush these 2 metal grates on the side of a smoke stack. It was 350 feet high. Well we rigged a bosons(sp) chair on the outside of the stack, The grates were about 40 ft down from the top. Now I had walked steel 200 ft high, been on swing staging 40 stories up, but had never been in a chair this high before, I was scared, couldnt tell anybody I was but I was. So I figure no big deal just go over the side get in the chair and do the job, thats what I did.
Well I wasnt in the chair 2 minutes and my guy above was telling me to look up, This damn huge hawk was circleing about 25 feet away and swooping even closer. He didnt want me there you could tell I saw it in his eyes, Really!!!!well I hurried up the wire brushing and started up. This damn bird kept swooping over my head and I really couldnt go up with out fear of it coming at me. It may never of attacked me but I wasnt sure. So here I am 300+ ft up on a rope chair. We yelled at it my partner threw things towards it etc etc. My partner finally called on the radio to our boss. Well this was a trash to energy plant. They brought some rockets over that they use to chase away seagulls and shot them up my way, So now here I am a hawk that hates me and now their shooting rockets at me. OH FUN, well it worked
I got up quick and then we took the ladder down the inside of the stack 350 I get o the ground my boss and a few other were laughing their ****** off. I just gave them the finger and went on a break
I love bird of prey, except when Im the prey
Got to love the construction trades anything can happen
Jeff
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Elite,
What are your goals for this biz. Do you want to start out slow , residential or commercial or both???
Tell us what your goals are in your head and if you have a plan and we might be able to suggest a way for you to go
Ifyou just want to do some residential for extra cash to help raise your family, do you want to work towards fulltime
Alot depends on your goals & then you can figure what you need for equipment and what kind of bank roll you'll need
Jeff
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I'll give newbies or pros in my area helpful hints but I wont show them how to take my biz. If there were other companies on this board TGS from the Myrtle Beach area, I wouldnt be talking & discussing everything I do on this board. I talk to much on here but none of my compitition is here that I know of, i like to share and help when I can on TGS
Nothing wrong with helping if you want, but if you dont theres nothing wrong with that, just tell them you dont gve out your biz info. Some of these guys could be a help to you in the future or stab you in the back
JL
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Ive been doing office work and watching A&E channel tonight, they have a show on now about the anatomy of 9/11 at the World Trade Center. What a show God Bless All
Tomorrow night they have a movie of flight 93 at 9/11, just the previews are brining tears to my eyes. But I think everybody should watch it. We should NEVER FORGET the victims of this horrible attack
They should show the towers coming down every month so we and our elected offials see what can happen and remember
Osama is still out there and they hate in the arab countries against us is growing. Why is osama still alive I have some houghts and I think we dropped the ball in Afganastan & Iraq, but Im not going to start a politcal discussion
Watch Flight 93 Monday at 9PM eastern
Good Bless the many victim of 9/11 and their familys and good bless the 1st responders
You will never be forgotten
Jeff
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Good luck finding something, its hard to fight mother nature. Nothing I ever heard of to fight spiders except have his pest control people more often. People (homeowners)are looking for the easy way quite often, sometimes theres no easy inexpensive quick fix. If he has spiders tell him you would be glad to wash 2 times a year
Alot of the condo complexes around here have a maint. guy and on the breezeway areas quite often they'll have the maint. guy brushing off webs, & droppings once a week
JL
insurance
in Business Topics & Tips
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Rservices You present insurance company wont even write a new policy for pressure washing. Did you ask why? I'd figure any insurance company that writes Gen Liabilty would/could/should be able to cover pressure washing.
Whats their reason, I figure if the work you do now is covered as a handy man in restaurants & retail you probably deal with electric plumbing etc. I would think thats more of a risk than spraying water.
Just wondering
My policy was about $750 a couple years ago but now they are baseing it on my payroll also so its up around $1400
Id look around & shop for price, I would think you shouldnt have a problem getting GL
Good luck
JL