Mike Williamson

Agggh! They don't cover our area!

joe: Cool, thanks! However, I wind up fueling up where it is most convenient, especially pulling a 14' trailer. I actually wind up paying a little more for the convenience of gassing up where I can easily get in and out of.

That's something I've pondered also...When you look at the past 25 or 30 years, gas really hasn't risen all that much...If it was $1.00 in 1979, and was adjusted for inflation by even 3% per year, it would be at $2.42/gallon right now. Soo...we really don't have a lot to complain about looking at it from that perspective.

charlie: Not sure I understand what you're saying...How can having a lot of irons in the fire make you come across sincere and not pushy. I would think that simply being sincere and not pushy would accomplish that.

The hundreds of millions of people being reached in two weeks time is a neat idea, with only a couple problems...First, there are only about 300 million people in the entire US, and that includes children. How many of those are adults who buy a significant amount of gas? 150 million? Of those, how many have email addresses? Of those who do have email addresses, how many are actually going to take, and stick with, the actions suggested? And of those, how many actually buy a significant portion of their fuel from Mobil or Exxon? Who do you think sets the prices? Do you really think that US oil companies get together and all decide that now is a good time to jump the price $0.20/gallon? I'm sure a small part of the oil price blame lies at the feet of the oil companies, but most of it, to the best of my knowledge, belongs to OPEC. If enough people actually did boycott Exxon and Mobile, who is that going to hurt? Many small station owners who have no control over the price of gas. Many small station employees...If this were to actually work, you'd have stations closing all over the nation...and THAT won't be good for the economy.

$2.00/gallon won't be a huge jump for me...I'm already paying between $1.70 and $1.80. In a BUSY week I may burn through 80 gallons of gas...I'd say I average 45 to 50 gallons/week...So that's an extra $10-$12.00 jump per week if it hits $2.00. I can live with that. I could live with it more if it would go back down to $1.15 or so like it was 5 years ago. Hell, I'd be happy with $1.50. I like an idea someone mentioned somewhere...we ought to just tell OPEC what we're going to pay, and if they don't like it, to hell with them...Drill ANWR and offshore and begin seriously looking at alternate energy. Screw OPEC.

I've been asked to bid on a job pressure cleaning a pool deck, walkways, and to remove pine straw from the screened pool enclosure. The problem is, there are many many pieces of pine straw hanging through the screen...you can't just blow them off from the roof or from the ground. I'm concerned about using the pressure washer to remove them and damaging the screen, but that is how the lady says the guy who used to do it did it. The problem with removing these pieces by hand is that the pool, naturally, is right in the middle of the screened enclosure and so I would not be able to use a ladder in this area, without placing boards across the pool and placing the ladder on them...not my favorite idea. Have any of you Florida guy run into this, and if so, what was your solution?

Well, did the job and it came out great, quicker than I thought it would. I used a 25 degree tip to blow all the loose leaves/needles off, and then used a zero degree 40 (NOT 4.0) tip to remove the needles that were hanging through the screen. Took about two hours to do a 2000 sq. ft. screen enclosure (including blowing the house roof and gutters clean.). Gav: You don't mean to imply that a customer would lie to me, do you???

I like it also, but I too think the left menu is hard to read. In fact, as it was loading, the red and white background loaded after the links loaded...it looked better and was easier to read with a black background. Great looking deck pics!

I too would like copies of these files, if you get a chance. Thanks!

Well, the problem is, she wants it ALL gone. The guy she used to have doing it is getting out, and she says he has always been able to get it all out of the screening. Yeah, it may be a pain, but I told her I'd do it, so I will. I've gotten several good pointers from folks, and we'll get it done one way or the other. Thanks!

I'd agree that there may be other service businesses that have a greater return. What do you mean "reward their owners from pressure washing". Do you mean that you only know 8 companies who are making enough money for the owner to stick strictly with PW'ing, or do you mean you only know 8 companies where the owner doesn't have to actually pressure wash? Either statement is true for many service industries. I know many contractors in various trades who have been working quite a few years and who are still small operations where the owner is doing part of the work. Others are still one-man shows. They're making good money for themselves, but they aren't growing larger than that. You've been at it ten years, and you're still here. Maybe you've had to diversify, I really don't know. But you're still here, still apparently making enough money to stick with it....Ten years ago, what was your goal? Where did you plan to be in ten years? I still fail to see where it is a cruel industry...It may be a misunderstood industry by those who think they can jump in and make huge money easily, but that's true for most industries. That's not cruelty on the part of the industry, that's stupidity (or, to be PC, that's a lack of education). To make it work you have to have what it takes to run a business, and you have to be willing to put the level of effort into it that you expect to get back. And you have to be willing to diversify if the business isn't sufficient in your particular industry. Personally, I'm not looking to work 60+ hours/week, hire employees, and gross $200+K/year. My goal when I started this was to get away from the 8-6 Monday-Friday grind, and to be able to pay myself a better salary than I was making at my job. Thus far it has worked out great, I'm working less and making more. I'm satisfied with where I am at the end of my first year.

Ernie: Many businesses are hard, and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, as well as education and common sense, to get a business off the ground and make it successful. Some folks who have no business owning their own businesses jump into it because they see the money or the success of others, and think "how hard can it be", or they just get tired of working for someone else and want to make more than the $8.00 they're making. They spend more than they should buying all new equipment they may or may not need before they even know if they're cut out to make it in this business. They have no idea if they can handle the work physically (or if they really want to), whether they have the ability to run the business side of things, or whether they're willing to accept the pricing that their market will bear. Some of these folks will fail, some will barely make it, through sheer determination and endurance, and others will do very well. All this doesn't make pressure washing a horrible business, or a business in which it is impossible to make a great living. I think you'd probably find a similar failure rate in any similar industry that is fairly easy to become a part of.

Ernie: You're right, $36k pre-tax without benefits isn't great for some people, and in some areas. For a guy making $10.00/hour in an area where wages aren't very high, $36k is a step up. You mention that the guy with a job doesn't have to buy equipment, but that equipment should be coming out of the other $65k in gross revenue. So should other expenses that the typical working man with a job has to pay out of his salary, such as vehicle costs, gas to/from work, insurance, cell phone bills, work uniforms/clothes, etc etc. Hell, even my lunches are a partial business expense. My computer is a business expense. My internet is a business expense. There are a lot of things that I can write off as a business expense that your typical working stiff can't. I agree with the theme of Paul's post...we need to be looking at the long-term results of our business, not whether we got rich this year.

That'd depend on a lot! What the size? What's the inside like? Does the price include the lot?

Good to see you're still around! Welcome back, and don't stay gone so long this time!

Jon: No problem, I can see how that could be taken the other way. No harm done!!! Paul: I agree, and have always heard the term "Messianic Jews" used to refer to Christian Jews. Thanks for the info on the word "Coptic". I'm always learning something here!

Tony: Absolutely correct, and there's no problems with disagreements. If we all agreed, life would be pretty boring. The trouble happens when people can't deal with those disagreements without resorting to personal attacks. That often comes from a feeling of insecurity in one's own beliefs. Mature adults ought to be able to discuss these things without personal attacks or fits of anger. This discussion and the other about religion are a testimony to the maturity and intelligence of the folks on this board. Sure, a couple of people have gotten a little upset, but I haven't seen anything way out of line. Discussion is very often how we learn things, and how we share things we know and/or believe with others.

Jon: Whoah! I never said anything about hating the Jewish religion...and nothing could be further from the truth! My own religion find its roots in Judaism. My point was that I DON'T hate Jews, despite the actions of a few. Just as I don't hate Muslims based on the actions of a few. I don't hate Christians based on the actions of a few. To do this would be to have a terribly narrowminded and uneducated way of looking at things. I do my best not to hate anyone, though I've failed in that a couple times in my life, and I've been able to overcome those sentiments in time. What did I say that led you to believe that I hate Jews or Judaism?

The option was given to the Jews to allow Barabbas, a convicted murderer, or Jesus, to be released. They chose Barabbas. As Paul first mentioned, the Jews helped kill Jesus. I don't hate Jews because of that (It was, afterall, God's plan that Christ be crucified). If a person loses a loved one in an abortion clinic bombing where the bomber is a nutjob Christian, should they then hate all Christians? I've never read the Koran, have no interest to do so. I have no idea if it says in it if all non-muslims should be killed or not. I really don't care one way or the other. I wonder how many who claim it does say that have checked for themselves and how many are just parroting what they've heard from others. What I DO know is that of all the muslims I have come into contact, none have tried to kill me, and none have displayed any hatred or animosity towards me. What I DO know is that I have seen many muslims in this country who have as much love of this country as I have, or anyone else. What does it matter if muslims make up a small portion of the American population? Does that make them insignificant?

Dry heat is fine when it is 80...Not so much fun when it is 115. I can't imagine what 115 would be like here with the humidity. Ugh!

Let me preface my comments by saying that I certainly am not defending MJ's actions, nor am I saying he's not guilty. However, neither can I say he's guilty of molesting anyone. Yes, he IS guilty of poor judgement, and of doing some things that most of us consider to be wrong (sleeping in the same bed with children that are not your own, etc). However, all we have right now is an accusation, and the fact that the prosecutor felt there was enough evidence to file charges. The only ones who know for SURE that he's guilty are he himself, the child, and God. The answer to that for the rest of us has to be left to the legal system. It isn't illegal to be a freak, nor is it always illegal to be guilty of poor judgement. It will be up to the jury to decide if he's guilty. I agree with RonM about the jokes....Child molestation is certainly not a subject I find amusing.

I've been in Phoenix in the summer...... Lucky???? That's not the word *I* used....

JustMe: Nope, the retail stuff they sell is not the same stuff they sell to contractors. Not nearly as good.

There is no contractor's license in Florida for pressure washing, though particular municipalities may require one (though I'm not aware of any). In this area, you're required to hold a business license in the county in which your operations are based (not necessarily where you perform the work.) To my knowledge there is no limit on the dollar amount of work performed. The $500.00 cap in CA seems silly, since many PW jobs will exceed this, especially in the wood care area.