John T

.My point is that. Did you do that when you had two jobs?

Same here Guy. I network with companies on both sides of the fence. I get it that people with one business or one place where their money comes in do stand to possibly lose a lot more if they fail. Tell me if you don't know these type "Fulltimers" 1-they have such a high volume of customers and they can clean faster then most so they can charge less per sq' for example but they have the ability to clean a much larger area which gives them a high revenue when completed? I know companies like that who have multiple accounts because they can do just that. 2-there desperate to keep themselves busy because they have no other revenue streams so they may lowball a job just to get it? Your wife has a good job if I remember correctly. When I had 2 jobs my income from Powerwashing was just as important as yours was because I was the only one bringing in the cash in my family.. And that was because my wife wanted to be home with our kids. I also recall that you powerwashed for a few yrs like most of us have before you went completely fulltime. Why should have you got any less respect then when you were floating 2 jobs?

Great Post Micah!! Some of these guys who crack on the partimers don't tell us that their wife has an excellent job that covers their health insurance that they would have never been able to afford with their "Fulltime" Powerwashing job. In my case my wife has been able to stay home from the day 1 after our first child was born so no matter how someone wants to crack how back then us "Part timers" meant nothing, to family it meant everything and that's what really counts. Also this remark is directed at Chris Apple so he can let those others know who are discrediting to what they think part-timers stand for in this Industry. I became a BOD as a "Part Timer" and I ended up finishing my 3 yr term as a The Treasurer but still a "Part timer" and initially I got some cold stairs in the board room but knowing I probably represented a higher % of contractors that belong to orgs and may be considered part timers I felt I gave them a voice so they won't be dismissed like some are trying to do at different places. Lastly the President of the org I served on made it a point to say that I was probably the most successful part time Powerwasher he knew. I always took that as a compliment because I was in the same room with him.. Cool stuff but don't let others tell anyone they don't matter within this industry and all professional Powerwashers who take their work seriously and get paid pretty well in doing so earned the same rights within any org they belong to and they should have the same right to vote as well. Also don't listen to anyone who wants to drag you down so they can try to make themselves all important. It only makes them look foolish is discrediting who you are within this Industry.

i think your right in your assessment here David. I just don't buy into how much he really wants to make them full timers compared to probably just trying to sell them something.. But like you I could be wrong as well.

Good points Jim. I seen those same guys do exactly what your saying over the years.

Your first problem was relying on Home Depot to sell you a "Contractor" strength anything. Home Depot is mostly geared toward the "Do it yourself" homeowner. Nothing wrong with that but if your a contractor in the Pressurewashing field I wouldn't rely on Home Depot to have the quality equipment for the contractors in this field.

Cool. So you see anyone can be a lowballer hack. Glad were on the same page with that as well as "partimers" whatever that definition is... We all count. Thanks for your understanding:)

Also look at the bb you respond to most of the time. There are "Fulltime" guys right there who say they do residential driveway cleaning for .07 a sq'. I would respond there but I'm banned but Guy Blackmons response is dead on. He's responding to the other fulltime guys. Also full time doesn't ever only mean "1 job", entrepreneurs do many different "Jobs/businesses" and if you think for a second that their par timers because of that.. Guess again. Full timers like part timers in your definition, either one can be low balling hacks. Did you ever hear of the $100,000,000 company called Fleetwash?

Fair enough Chris but you have to look at both sides of the coin to give a fair response. Don't be blind sided with "A one way point of view". Face it you can also be lowballed by the teenager or the 40 yr old who still lives with his parents and me be operating without Insurance amongst other things. Look at it this way as well. Guys like Mike and myself can charge more then possibly you can because we had that other job or where entrepreneurs as well. In my case I always charged high because I think I'm worth it. There's a guy on this bb who about 2 weeks ago recommended my company to do a residential estimate on a fairly large wood restoration job. I did the estimate and the home owner thought we were to high in price. Doesn't mean they won't come back to us.. So to be fair you have to look at both sides of the coin. Also in your org there's probably more members in there that hold other jobs as well. I know this because I served on organization boards like you do now. Don't discount or discredit "Highly motivated" individuals who own a Powerwashing business while the do "other business". I know Mike and he's probably in the top 5% income earners on just Powerwashing alone in your org. He's got such a reputable business that he was in my area helping victims of Hurricane Sandy get their most valuable possession which is their home in order. Never ever would people like this thru their insurance or their own hard earned cash higher a "low balling hack" to do this type work. Don't look down on people that "work hard for their money" like some Ignorant people that you and I know do. The serious business owners like Mike Pontillo and such with Masters degree's are no dummies. We are all in this together.

Great post Mike!! The ignorant part here is based on that word "entrepreneur". Some of these business people don't really understand what that word means. It's about taking risk and also having more then One business. A little different but somewhat similar is a guy like yourself who has basically "2 fulltime Jobs". Your taking a risk with both. The ignorant ones don't understand that. You know as well as I do and many others who float 2 jobs or 2 or more businesses--- there are risk taken that if things went wrong you could lose both. I'll give a example of this of what happened to me years ago and it wasn't business related but it could be the same. I got hurt playing softball when I just came back from my honeymoon. I was on vaca for another week from my "Other" job. I got married April 24th 1993. When I got back from my honeymoon the timing was perfect for me to make the first game of the softball yr for the team I played for. The very first inning I got a hit. The next play while rounding second I snapped my right Achilles tendon completely and tore my left one as well but not completely. I had 9 months sick & vacation time banked. The surgeon said I'd be out of work for as long as a 1.5 yrs at least. I also stand the chance of never walking the same again.. Another words totally disabled.. In the end I never missed not one rehab, I worked out continuously on my own and got back to work in those 9 months because my job was going to cut me loose if I couldn't get back. The PD surgeon was shocked... But I endured alot of pain which he never knew about.. The point being is if I was like David Vicars for example who fell off a later a couple of yrs ago and suffered a compound fracture I may have lost everything.. Just like an entrepreneur. Like you, everyone counts in this business because at any time we could lose it all... This is the part that ignorant people either on purpose or just can't understand this... But it's all a risk and we should all look out for a "Brother or Sister in need" in this business and not discredit them ever because they may be floating 2 or more jobs. I got your back brother:)

You are correct sir.

Rodney King-- what a piece of shizz he was... Sorry Shane I couldn't resist:) That line of his though was a classic.

Right in Rod. I need to adhere to that line above alot more in the future.

Book?? If it's a "Tell all book" I dunno nutten..lol Seriously when do you expect this book to come out?

One of the things I was fortunate with when I started my Powerwashing business in 96 was I had my "Other job". Because of that I was able to charge higher then most because I was still going to get paid from my other job regardless. Fortunate for me was I still have some customers from my very first year in this business and my prices were and still probably higher then most. Loyal customers and a rock solid customer base and referrals that we get all the time.... This has always been the flip side of the coin when back in the day some fulltime powerwashers were accusing us partimers as working for "Beer Money". What was never considered here is my wife walked away from an excellent job to stay home with our kids and nothing has changed since except she is the majority owner now:) and we are completely fulltime and even when I had my "other job" we still had workers and pretty much been fulltime as far as hours go for at leas 10 yrs now. I just never forget where I came from and I will never belittle anyone who takes this business serious enough to not be a low balling hack no matter what their other job is. Never forget your roots:)

Wow that looks like some convention! I guess 70 yrs can put you in that stratosphere.

Those guys had some funny post on these sites way back when. Matt's still in the business but whatever happened to Ant? I heard he's doing something else over the last few yrs.

No can't be any drama over there... Nooooo say it isn't so..lol Some legendary drama guys came out of that group. Where's that guy Anthony these days? How about Matt Bryant? He used to put up some funny stuff:)

I wanted to add one more thing here.. Surround yourself with winners and life can be sweet. Beth is a winner big time:) Thanks Beth for all you do... So many of us appreciate this probably more then you know.

Ouch!! Oh yea what's that saying again that I use to hear in the gym... "No pain no gain" Darn x-jets:) still luv that tool.

Chris if you see this thread got to PWC bb and look up the thread "Soft Washing". A few of us are trying to think who coined that phrase within this Industry. My guess is it's coming from the Roof Cleaners and who better to ask then you. Thanks

Its not AC? He portrays himself as the inventor of that word or is it just marketing hype?

Ain't that the truth:) I always over advertised and the wood calls I could never keep up once we got a decent customer base. I think I get your business model though. My brother in-law has a somewhat similiar business model where he hasn't had to advertise in many years. What he does is office cleaning of all things and he can barely keep up with his customer base.

Beautiful work Shane. Hey I got your samples sitting in my shop. Were working on some condo complexes so we pretty much been doing all Powerwashing. We pull further away from wood but the work you do shows that wood restoration is indeed art.

Amber stain is beautiful.