RCBill

Hey Jeff, Sounds like you've got a lot going on. If I were in your position I would begin to do two things. I would audit the properties, recording the data in a spreadsheet. And I would begin to create management systems. The spreadsheet will allow you to view at lot of information, determine where you need to increase capabilities, and create a budget for yourself and your PM. The PM will love you for the budget. The systems will automate your activities and provide instruction for subordinates. An excellant read is E-Myth, by Michael Gerber. It may be time to get out of the bucket and become a full-time manager. Congratulations on your success. It is easy to see that you've earned it. Bill

Beth and Rod, Thank you. I hope that you will let me know if there is something else that I can do. Bill

Jeff, Don't make too much of your nervousness. If you have not been speaking in front of people for a while you will be nervous. It's just like scrambling around on a roof. After a little exposure you get your 'legs' back. Bill

Hey Jeff, I am in Toastmasters up here in Wilmington. I suspect that each chapter has it's own culture. Mine is pretty good. A 'thing' to watch is your mentor's motivation. People get credit for mentoring. So, some will be assertive in becoming your mentor. This does not mean he or she will be assertive in actually mentoring. You gotta push them. Toastmasters is a working organization. To benefit you will need to put in a few hours a week in homework. If you are not ready for homework, you may not find the organization beneficial. There are a number of different programs that you can work in once you finish a basic course. The basic course will cure you of the stage fright. You can learn to be humorous, tell stories, do sales presentations, and more. You will benefit, but you gotta work. Bill

Greetings from the Cape Fear, I have been looking for an opportunity to sell. It just occurred to me that this cleaning business may offer just what I am looking for. I have two community college degrees; one business and one technical. I have experience selling to Purchasing Agents, Engineer Departments, and homeowners. If you are a manufacturer or distributor that needs representation in the eastern Carolinas we should talk; 910-620-6300. Bill Lightner

Hey Matthew, Your post was not up when I wrote my reply to Larry. I was not thinking of the kind of business relationship that you write of, but I'm getting feedback that is giving me a different perspective. I'm on a demanding project now. I would like to call you when I am not running around putting out fires. Thank you, Bill

Hi Larry, Thanks for responding. I just deleted a post on how marketing changes cold-calling to an educational process. I figure it is not my place. I would like a prospective employer to know a bit about me though. So, with that in mind: I was a member of an association that was organizing to offer paint contractors salesmen on the per-job basis. For example: Let's say you got a call from Mrs. Jones requesting an estimate. You would call a NAPP salesperson to do the estimate and sales call. The salesman's interest was the commission. And maintaining a good relationship with you, of course. Most paint contractors without a formal marketing plan and salesforce ask for too little money. The benefit of hiring one of the NAPP people was that they would get more money per job which would at least off-set the commission. My interest in NAPP was the management and marketing systems and tools that were being developed to help the paint contractors run their business for profit. I did not sell for NAPP or anyother contractor. Here is the URL for that organization; thenapp.com Thanks again, Bill

Hey Ryan, Thanks, but I do not have a chemical background. I think that I can build a rapport with the people out there getting wet. If anyone is calling on the businesses here, I'm getting passed by. Obviously, none of the outfits that I've purchased from have a client retention system working for them. As well as I can tell nobody is working my market. Feels like an opportunity. Bill

Hello I have a 13hp Honda. Sometimes the damn thing rips the pull cord out of my hand. I don't think this is a design feature. Any suggestions? Bill

They were good. Xterior sold me the machine and were supportive also. Sometimes things go south. How a person or company deals with problems reveals character. Well, I better go make a buck. Bill

Well, the Honda continued to give me problems to I got it to a dealer here. As it turns out Russ Johnson had it right. The compression valve that is actuated by the cam was worn. The dealer replaced both the cam and the valve. Bill

Is this defurring pad anything more that 80 grit hook and loop paper on a padded disk? BL

Shot 92 again today. Looking for the magic to break 90. Any players on board? BL

Good thread, thanks.

Looks like Tiger's back. And he may be tougher than ever. Too hot to play this weekend. Did anyone get out? I've been in the low 90's for a little while now. I started playing two years ago, so my learning curve is still a bit steep. I read "The Inner Game of Golf" and put a mental pre-shot routine into my game. I had been a pretty erratic upper 90. I recommend the book. Haven't played in more than a week. Kinda Jonesin'. Bill

Well Grime Sceners, I finally finished my deck. While I'm glad to have worked my way through different things, I'm really glad to be done now. I appreciate all the help you all have given me. I know I can wear people out with questions. Of special note; the Osbourne Brush enabled me to get a real nice finish out of some pretty crummy wood. I did a lot of lurking at the PW Institute and Steve's Cleaner Network also. Thanks to you all also. There is a great market for exterior wood restoration here. I'm pretty excited. On the 27th I'm presenting my new service offerings of wood restoration and house washing to my BNI group. I started working on a marketing plan. Well, here's a couple pictures of the deck. I'll post a couple of my house in the PW forum. Thanks again. Bill Lightner

Thanks guys. Yes, that is RS Lt. Brown. The old wood is a bit too dark. The new wood is just right. Originally I had Gold, which I liked even more. But the UV is pretty strong, so I went with the product with more pigment. I sprayed the balustrades and lattice with my HVAC. But it turned the RS into fog. Looking forward to receiving a new wand from Texas. The Osbourne was hard work. But pretty fast. I will be offering good/better/best for sanding. Good is standard sanding of hand rails and benches. Better will be buffing surfaces that the machine can reach. And Best will add hand sanding of the surfaces that the machine cannot reach. I will also offer to replace bad wood. I thought that I would go with a linear feet rate. Does anyone have a rate that is good for them? Also, I want to go after commercial accounts. Is anyone working for a property manager, HOA, or local gov? I have a real good feeling about being in this market. I'll put a couple before pictures up. BL

I built a SureFlo spraying system; hand-truck, battery, pump, etc. While I would be surprised if this thing could not spray RS, cleaning it up may be difficult. Is anyone using something like this for coatings application? Bill

Hey Seymore, LOL!!!! I'm earning my wings over here. I have the 1.8 gmp. How do you clean it up? And what do you use for a wand/tip? I want to use it for fences. I guess I could use it for decks to. Save this dummy!!!! Clueless in Wilmington

Hey All, I have a good deal too much fur on the deck I cleaned. I understand that too much pressure and/or too strong of a chemical will cause this. Oh, and inexperience. I used the 1000# tip. Could that be too strong? The deck I clean had not been coated in many years. It was very gray, split, and cracked. I've replace a lot of wood. It seems to me that removal of the dead fibers will leave fur regardless of chemical or technique. The best that I can do is minimize furring. Am I correct? Using this experience, it seems that when I am quoting a gray deck adding time to sand should be automatic. Is this correct? I am using RS Lt. Brown. After coating the remaining fur is easy to see. Would using the Med or Dark Browns or Red reduce the impact of the furring? TIA, Bill

Thanks Beth, I see your point on the solid stain. I had to concede to Lt. Brown. Happy wife/Happy life thing. I guess I'm lucky to own this deck. I purchased the house last fall. Lots of problems to work through. Good learning. This thread has been a genuine benefit. Thanks to all. Bill

Mike and Michael, Thanks for the response. Just the information I was looking for. I'll start to buff this out tomorrow with the Osbourne brush. In addition to removing fur I want to see if this will take care of faults like the remaining gray. I read that you guys put a good amount of time into surface preparation. In all my lurking and reading back posts, I didn't get this. I was concerned because this deck needs time, and I couldn't be competitive with a contractor that would do this job in just a few hours. Predicting extensive preparation and informing a client that their deck will need the investment is familiar territory for me. Thanks again, Bill

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Pierce called me. He was pretty helpful as to how RS responds to fur and what to do about fur after the RS has been applied. Jon's post gave me a lot of information. I now know how wood becomes fur, what to do about it, and how RS responds to it. I hope that other contractors will post on this matter. I'd like to know if contractors are removing fur and if furring is anticipated in pricing. The deck I am working on (see the pictures above) is in pretty rough shape. Should I be looking at a solid stain for this one? TIA Bill

Thanks Jon, I'll look into the borate. BTW, I ordered the Osbourne Brush you recommended. Bought the Makita today. When I get into something I need to know everything. What's the best. When does something fail. How to fix problems. I have an technical background. I've designed electrical/electronic/software controls for industrial machine tools. I've serviced consumer electronics, major appliances, and some HVAC. I'm used to being ignorant for a while, but I get up to speed. Thanks for your interest. Bill

Beth, My machine is 3,200, the tip was 2508, The tip could have been as close as 4". I used ESP-38. The deck could be 16 yo, and never been coated. Thanks, Bill