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Jeff

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Posts posted by Jeff

  3. Posted · Report reply

    I have yet to join any PW org.

    It will take some strong points to get accross and through to convince me that 350.00 is a good investment. I can invest 350.00 in a lunch for local contractors to come to and grow my business leaps and bounds just for buying meals (proven fact It works, I have already done it.)

    However I am not opposed to joining or helping I just an keeping an open mind at this point.

    Am I rambling again ?

    Not rambling at all, thats how I was and still am at times. I have to weight the benefits on anything I join.

    I have joined a few orgs in the last 1 1/2 years. I now wish I joined them years ago

    The ***** is putting down a good base for contractors to gain knowledge & jobs and some other good stuff. I am in this biz to make money and hopefully by my good work, promote the industry too....But mainly "Show Me The MONEY" I think a good org will help me in that

    Hey Russ you going to the Bama RT? LOL

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Dan,

    You make a good point. Let me share my story.

    We have been a Pressure Washing Service contractor for over 17 years now, and you just need to be careful who you help.

    Our location is Northern Illinois but we work in about 20 States thru out the years, and still do on certain projects commercial and residential. Yes, residential hundreds of miles from home. All of this is based on volume by another customer.

    I helped a long distant popular BBS person that is well know on these Boards. They were about 1,000 miles away and we have been doing work some what close to them, but they knew nothing of us servicing my big customer which brought us in the area.

    Anyway, they wanted to kinda get involved in the work I was doing and I helped them with information on how to get started and profitable ideas to make some good money. Well that persons approach to the Big customer was all wrong, and said well "You do this for Tony, why not myself". I got all my benefits cut and lost all jobs outside my area because I helped someone I trusted because of these BBS's.

    Now, the big company changed everything Nation Wide and a lot of Pressure Washing Contractors also loss their benefits as well, because of myself trying to help another Contractor who I thought would never play a bad card against me because I was helping them out to maximum best management on this type of work.

    This person blew a good thing for alot of people in the Pressure Washing Industry.

    The INTERNET and these BBS's are powerful tools and you do not know the real motive behind some people on thses boards. This is where you need to go face to face events and dig/research before you help someone. If not you may get you throat cut by someone who you thought had honest business ethics and then lose a great customer because you helped out someone who had a big BBS spotlight.

    Don't disagree with Dan too much here guys! This story hit the pocket book HARD!!!!!!!!

    I agree, just nothing much we can or should do about BB's and newbies. I feel its best to meet someone too.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    All these BB's started basically to help newbies like most of us were. Ya some guys will take info and still be a hack in your backyard, but what you can anyone really do about it, its the way it is

    Dan, you have done a couple posts about PT State lately, if you dont like it that much, just stop going there for a while. Bob has a good BB, Bob also uses it to send newbies to, Bob sell parts, equipment and chems so its a great markketing tool also for him. Its his business to educate newbies, its his money too. Its Bobs BB

    Dan there was a lot of talk about you for some time, many think you are a newbie and they don't stop you from posting, dont worry about it, these BB's are public

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Man I just got my renewal for WC $16K, just part of doing biz. I just hate that some of my competition plays the system, they either hire under the table or they list employees as subs and they pay for their ghost policy. Theres so many ways to get around the cost of WC for contractors that dont mind taking risk.

    Just isnt fair or right, if you are going to do biz, do it the legal & right way. All contractors insurance cost are effectted by those who play the system

    They dont know when someone get hurt bad working for them it can cost them their biz. You dont think if someone gets hurt bad working for them and they have no insurance, who do they think they are going to sue when they have no money...the contractor who's been paying them & playing the system. Lawyers and insurance companies will see right through the cheating scam

    Like I said WC is just part of doing business, just like putting gas in the truck.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    We run into open windows on complexes often. We try going to the door, we can't leave and come back so we either work around it or just dont do a little section. I will notify the PM if a lot of windows are open on a few day or more project. Usually/always the PM says do the best you can. I have had 6-8 calls out of thousands of buildings for water getting in. A few were open or leaky windows or around doors

    Write it up in my proposals that I am not responsible or liable

  16. Posted · Report reply

    This all happened two weeks before the end of the new year:

    Recovering from a fractured left wrist when I slipped on ice in the driveway and shattered my right wrist. One of the bones were crushed beyond use so they had to put in another bone along with metal rods to hold it all in place. I have to go for surgery again in five weeks.

    Sold a powerwash trailer… check bounced.

    New snowblower first use… motor threw the rod.

    Goodbye 2008!

    Darn that wasnt a good way to end the year. Hope you heal well and have a great 2009

  19. Posted · Edited by Jeff · Report reply

    I answered to soon to tell. No one knows what the heck is going to happen in 2009. Every business will be effected, every person in this country will be effected. We no one has ever seen anything like this. Will it hit us in 2009, 2010 or 2030 We all are going to have to pay back all the money that has gone out and will go out in the upcoming months and year. The deficit is crazy

    Now how will it effect the pressure washing industry and all of us. The weakest may be the first to fall, but on the other had they too may just hang on through this. Many of the weak will have no choice but to keep washing, they may have no other options, there may not be another job they can go work, they may struggle just to put food on the table but hey a couple house washes a week is better than no job or unemployment that has run out. So even SOME of those who are weak may just hang on and become better businessmen because they have to. Of course many wont and sell their equipment to pay a bill

    Like I said many will be effected and you know all of us will, but may not notice it. None of us will have any way to figure what new customers never called. We all may have gotten $1000, $5000, $25,000 worth of new calls that now we will not because of the economy. We may get $15,000 in new work but it could have been $25,000 if the economy was good

    You, me all of us will lose work. You will have a regular customers that loses their job or is making less, changed jobs, moved to find work, lose their house or are struggling and they will not call you or I. Its going to happen, it happens every year, just this year a suspect it will be worse, who knows how much worse. It could be and probably will be real bad for some and for others they will barely notice

    Now the established company will fair better most likely unless their local economy completly tanks out, a few factories, industries large employers just close down and wipe out a local economy or we could all be devistated if the worse case scenerio happens and its a world wide depression, lets not talk about that I figure that hopefully will never happen is the USA. The established companies like I said should fair OK. They have a good customer base, they have advertisng in place, they may add to their advertising, think up or work harder to keep the calls coming in, they will still get some referalls. Many even if they take a hit will be able to survive. I know myself god forbid if I lost say 50% of my work I could still survive as long as I didnt worry myself to death. I would still have enough income to take care of all my basics

    Now the good news some of us and probably many in the industry will do better for some of the reasons I mentioned above, the newer or established will get more work, may land the big one, something great may just keep falling in our laps, it happens, Can you count on it, can you plan on it? No but it could happen. The one fact is you are going to have to be smart and work harder at getting and keeping the work

    Let me tell you about me. I lost work in 2008 because of the economy HOA's looking for cheaper bids, HOA's that just have no money in dues coming in, natural turnover, new PMs that didnt know I cleaned the property the past few years, they hire their guy. BUT BUT BUT after I lost at least 45K+ in biz I am still doing 70K more than 2007. August & September were scary slow but then......came the end of September and up to now Work was slamming well into December I never had 6 guys working in December I did until last week. So I planned on having the rest of December up until Jan 5th off. well guess what I am getting many calls for bids, I got a lot in October & November too its kind of crazy, I am seeing trends I havent in the past. I don't get this many calls this time of year I am now, whats up with that. I figure some of it is the properties are just dirty and they want them clean, I figure some were worried and now they waited long enough and are just going to go a head and do the work. Expand your biz, go after the work, go after things you usually wouldnt. I joine an Apartment association. I have my 1st Apratment complex to do starting Jan 5th. Never did any, they always were dirty and a PITA to get so I gave up on them. I got a lead about this association from Dave Vicars so I knew the economy wasnt looking great so I figured I better try different things and this one membership is going to be paid off 20X's the membership on this one job

    I was going to have off from Dec17th to Jan 5th....not anymore, I put a bid in Tuesday for a job I got it Friday and start it right after Xmas, I got a front of a 6 story building, I got a small parking garage I got some gutter jobs, its really unreal for me. You know I think I will even get some other work and I will actually have to squeeze it in between the holidays. Plus I am already booking and filling up some more of Jan & Feb. Depending where I put a high rise I got, Jan or Feb, Ione of those normally slow monthss will be the best Jan or Feb I ever had and the #'s will be as good as some of my good months. right now it looks good for JL but I am a realist and a worrywort sometimes so I will keep looking for more work. I have secured some very good jobs. I have a lot of regular annual work and like I said its looking like I will continue to grow. I know something could always fall through, but I will follow what I have always done. WORK HARDER to get and keep the biz and YOU ALL should too

    Doom & Gloom is everywhere I worry about it. But you have to put it on the back burner, if you are new or established WORK HARDER, if that isnt working start looking for other things to do, take on a 2nd job, leave the industry and take a full time job on and WORK HARDER to survive. The company just getting by, WORK HARDER find ways to have the income coming in. The companies that are doing OK WORK HARDER. The companies that are doing real good WORK HARDER. From the day we all got into this biz and started to realize we can make it we had to WORK HARDER to grow our biz You had to do it when you worked for someone else when you were a kid and to a grown adult you had to WORK HARD to get where you are today so the only solution I see is do what you know you have to do to succeed in life and that is to WORK HARDER

    I hope we as a country learn from our mistakes, if we don't in another 10, 20 years this mess could look small to what could be next. But if you work hard you have a better than 50/50 chance to make it through anything. I hope we all make it through this and hope we all better ourselves and don't forget to help others that deserve it. I am planning on the economy being unstable for a couple years, hope not but am planning

    All I got to say is 2009 we'll see you soon. I hope you are the year we see it turn around. Good luck everyone we are all pulling for each other, its kind of nice to have the brotherhood we do on these BB's...Rock on!!!!

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Come to my house Ron. I do up the outside every year. I do a outline of the house in lights every year, have about 5 peaks out front so it looks pretty good. I change the light color every year one year green, one year red, this year blue. Plus got some little trees all lit up. Looks pretty good this year I like the green lights the best

    Picturs never come out great

    Happy Holiday I got to get some shopping done this upcoming week. can I borrow some $$$$$$

  24. Posted · Report reply

    OMG! I did that too! I had a blast doing that.

    Beth

    I remember there was a Saturday Morning program it was Rex Trailer & Capt Billy kids show and they would send you a MD carnival package and at the end of each summer if you had a carnival you could go the the Amusement park and meet Rex & Xapt Billy.....sooooooo cool LOL

    My 1st one I only made like $2.00 so I put a cup together and wrote MD on it and I went door to door and I made over $30 big ones pretty good for 40 years ago. I went door to door for 3 days LOL

    Join in all donate $10 if thats all you can do now

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