PressurePros

I agree with James. I started in this business doing commercial work and switched to residential because that is where the money is.

I would call either Sunbrite or Steve Rowlett and order a housewash with the sod meta already in it.

Sodium metasilicate is a much better choice. It cuts dirt quickly. Sodium hydroxide will warp some vinyl siding.

Celeste, would you mind sharing on here your results? Iit could benefit more contractors. I use contractors.com and get about five leads per month. Most of them are painting jobs. They charge $25 apiece. I like being charged per lead if I accept them because I may be getting leads when I am already too busy so I can just reject them.

Here is the link to a first draft video I put together for property cleaning. I am going to incorporate it into my website which I am working on in drifts and drabs. I still have some timing editing and things to add but let me know what you think. http://www.zippyvideos.com/9181518173390406/promo_0001/

Does anyone know of, or use a multiple OGM answering machine (press 1 for sales, press 2 to hear a message about PP, press 3 for a technician, etc then each mailbox will have it's own greeting) with decent digital storage that is also capable of on demand call forwarding? I can't find any info that such a beats exists.

Can that Panasonic answer the phone with an automated system then offer automated marketing systems then also forward calls through to another number? I think I am looking for too much. I did find a system but it costs $3,000. I need a phone to route calls three ways. One for my residential services, one for my retail products, and one to have a pre-recorded message played for customers (something like this on my mail out advertising.. "To hear five things you need to know before hiring someone to restore your deck, Call 1-888-855-WASH and enter Extension 3)

Zero degree number 5 nozzle anyone?

LOL, if you can regenerate platelettes and cells to donate daily you should be ready to start business in 2010.

Not trying to be short with you but no phone number, no return email (ie no customer service) sounds pretty fishy to me.. Not to mention that you cannot get placement on Google unless you pay for per click advertising. The websites that they they will advise you to submit to are probably already free to do so. Keep the thirty five in your pocket.

The nice thing about this business is you don't need to max out every credit card, take out triple mortgages and sign away your first born to get in. Like any business the more you put in, the more you get out. A mistake I see some new guys making is thinking they have to have the top of the line gear. I would recommend a guy that is starting out to go with a 5 gpm cold machine and spend any money saved on marketing. An 8 gpm hot water machine is something anyone would love to have but until you have so much business that there aren't enough hours in the week it is unneccesary. Of course, if you are doing flatwork, hot is a neccessary evil. Hre is an SBA link to get you started.. unfortunately unless you are a minority or female it's tough to get funding for a start up. http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/startup/guide.html

go with your gut.

Amen, Rod. I could probably have more crews on the road but there is no way I want to wake up with eight jobs scheduled and have three guys call out. I hope to find a foreman this year and begin my expansion in 2007. This year my goal is to maximize my profits through efficiency, the use of Wood Tux and finding the upper limit of what my market will bear. My business plan also includes an increased marketing budget. Equipment: I have vowed to STOP upgrading. While having a huge hot water rig loaded with multiple surface cleaners, a reclaim system and 500 gallons of tote capacity is sweet to have, it's just not neccessary in residential work. It's more of a liability with the price of gas. On a personal level I would like to achieve contentment, inner peace and improve my spiritual contact with my maker.

Ethically I have mixed felings. As far as customers I don't think most would ponder whether or not I attained a synchronization license for the material. How many people have wedding videos with pop music running through the entire length? If all of that music is licensed, then Enya must be a very rich lady.

Yeah the music is a tough one. You can imagine the royalties on mainstream music like the titles I used. Beth brought this to my attention and the point is very valid. I figure I am small potatoes and who would really see it but maybe a few hundred visitors to my website but the more I think about it, something like this can come back and bite you in the azz. Wouldn't it be wonderful to build a multi million dollar empire to have an artist's legal team nail you for tens of thousands for something you did twenty years ago? What does everyone else think?

I get about 1:6 from mine which is plenty on everything except brick or stucco. I use one bucket of chemicals on a 3000 s/f house. Four gallons of 12.5% SH gallons of 1 gallon of my concentrated housewash. The key to knocking down the dirt and mold is to use a housewash that is synergisitc with your "chlorine" and using the right surfactant for some cling.

Rich and Richard, Technically both methods can be classified as downstreaming. The miscommunication is my fault becuase I assumed everyone has experience using the method of which I spoke and they don't. Let me clarify.. I use a high flow, stainless steel downstreamer (after the pump, before the output hose) to draw chemicals. The difference is really made at the tip where in a windy situation I will use a 00300 tip. Richard, this tip has no spread pattern, it is a thin stream. The number 30 designates the size of the orifice. In this case it is fairly large and will activate the downstreamer to begin draw. The difference becomes more apparent as the flow leaves the nozzle of either tip. The X-Jet has a great sudsing action for about 15 feet (4.5m). The further you go from the X-Jet nozzle, the more the chemical is dispersed. This continues until the point where after 25 feet (7.5m) the spray has become very atomized. I find this 'mist' to have an ineffective amount of wetting (cleaning) power. In addition, this 'mist', as any atomized cloud will do, loves to travel. Take the drying action of the wind like Jim mentioned and you will literally have to jump like a rabbit wetting down cars and neighbors windows to keep from spotting or etching window glass, not to mention causing brown spots over eveyone's vegetation. Using my version of downstreaming I do not get this cloud. While the stream itself has less pressure than that which leaves the X-Jet, the rate of spread and diminish is much different and I get a consistent flow up to about 40 feet. On a day with no wind to contend with I can hit a 50' high dormer with relative ease.

I always wear a mask and respirator. Housewashing chemicals can tear up your lungs over time. I hate to be a broken record here but I can work in double the wind since I switched to downstreaming. Even a little wind sends that mist from the X-Jet a long distance.

The thing that can kill me is sticking to a budget. When I lay out my expenditures I always think I have enough allotted for each quarter. Then along comes someone offering to save some money on 100 gallons of sealer and I jump on it. Boom blown budget. I have gotten better with that. You have to look at expense versus return. If you save 5% on something by buying in bulk and it takes you all season to use it up you really didn't make a wise investment. You could have left your money in the bank and probably earned a better rate.

I am 100% with Jon. Before I would even consider expanding any further I would have to be maxed out in an area. Complete market saturation, maximum profit margins. I won't get into the negatives of partnerships on here but I am not a fan of them.

TSP and sodium metasilicate.

I realistically know I can do anything I set my mind to. Limitations are a self fulfilling prophecy ::end of cliches:: An example of "Spidy" sense: You are traversing buildings in red and blue tights and suddenly your vision goes wavy and your body tingles as somewhere off in the metropolis a guy is cleaning a roof with 3500 psi. I think Michael (as well as myself) is curious as to what is underlying this post.

50 degrees today and sunny. Right now violent lightning, thunder that is sending my Great Dane in circles and driving snow. Did someone forget to tell me this was the year for the Apocalypse?

Very cool input, Jeff. I agree with you on the pace of the video, it's pretty quick in many spots. I did it for video size (and short attention spans) but I could use more compression and make the video have a more pleasing tempo and still have a smallish file. The colors are tough. I have tried a few but most do not come up right, I think the key may be placement or like you said, fonts.

I'll third that. You took the words right out of my mouth, Barry. I say what's on my mind and for better or for worse an org is worthless unless it's gets the message of professionalism out to the public. So far what's been done has been unimpressive. What will I do as an individual? I will operate with integrity and professionalism. I will educate the public. I will continue to learn and better my skills in my chosen profession and then pass on that knowlege to the newcomer.