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John T

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Posts posted by John T

  2. Posted · Report reply

    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?

  3. Posted · Report reply

    I think that many probably agree with me. There's nothing against a man who's working two jobs and busting his tail to make it.

    The pita comes when a part time hack lowballs bids because his business is floated by another job. It's not something that I spend too much time worrying about but it happens on a regular basis. Normally a few things happen. It takes us longer to secure the agreement because this guy may be given a shot or places doubt, or they screw crap up really bad and make us all look bad. A lot of times both.

    Of course, I only know my market. I'm sure y'all guys don't operate like that.

    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.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    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:)

  6. Posted · Report reply

    If I see a thread and can read between the lines at a post taking jabs at some one I'll pull it before it gets started. It's always a snowball effect that never stops rolling!

    Can't we all get along......

    RIP Rodney King...

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

  9. Posted · Report reply

    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:)

  11. Posted · Report reply

    I speak to Ant all the time....he doing just fine I reckon. Matt's around.....just not posting.

    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.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Doug should we post the picture about the threads that is over on GP?

    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:)

  14. Posted · Report reply

    I just got done reading in the Cleaner Times Magazine Beth's "Marketing Your Service Business Chapter four: Building your Company's Service Bundles". Besides getting me hungry when she explains how Manufacturers bundle Potato Chips which she correlates that right into how we can bundle our company services into multiple packages--- makes me think back in time with her.

    Beth is probably going to cringe when I say this because I said it numerous times in the past... She should have been an Industry org president. She could have easily done it and many of us could have benefited from it. This Girl is smart and she knows this Industry and Beth is a leader!!

    I am probably a pain now for Beth because I am always on the ground floor duking it out with someone to help benefit others But a star always shines and once again Beth shines. Great article!!

    Beth n Rod reacted to this

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Whether your part time Powerwashing with the goals of becoming one day a fulltime Powerwasher, or you do two jobs with Powerwashing being one of them.. don't let anyone put you down like you don't matter. Even within this Industry.

    Don't buy into a anyone acting Like your second rate. If fulltime Powerwashing is your Field of choice don't let others who went to college and became lawyers for example treat you like your second rate.

    If your a part timer also don't let others treat you like you don't belong. The worst type I see is people in this Industry who want to try to bring others down within this Industry. There is a faction out there who like to put down others who have to work two jobs to make ends meet for their families. This faction likes to knock down even fulltime Powerwashers who don't feel the need to get certified in there field to be considered legit.

    They also like to knock down anyone who questions them about anything.

    Keep this in mind.. All you guys matter. Whether your fulltime,Partime,Female or minority owned don't let these people treat you like your second class citizens. We have enough problems to deal with in life but one of the most despicable things is to to see some of your own in leadership positions trying to badger you into feeling like your not worth squat because you don't buy into fattening their pockets.

    Welcome to the maze of life within this Industry. Follow your conscience and also due your own due diligence. Stand clear from the ones who's sole purpose is to make money off of you with nothing in return.

    Another words watch your back as well as your fellow full time or part time Powerwashers because we are all in this Industry together.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks John!

    Wood restoration is an art but man it's the best repeat business you will ever find with no advertising!

    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.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Where doing for a second time this IPE deck next week that's on a canal. We actually got this customer thru Beth & TGS. This deck has never been stained and it goes grey every year. We just do it the old out dated way and clean it under pressure with a 40 degree tip. It has to be done at low tide because part of this decking has a boat slip to it and it goes under water.

    If there's a pre-existing stain on it your best bet maybe to walk away from that job. It takes one nosey neighbor to call on you and it may not be worth the headache.

    Good luck on your decision.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Yup those are some sweet pics aka "The Bleach Bandit" Here's a couple of my Opel GT that I have in my drawer. I can't find the close up shots of the front and back which were beautiful shots. Somewhere probably in my closet. These pics were taken back in 1980. I missed my german shepherd named Boozer in that pic..

    As for the Opel if you look closely I had a Blaupunct(Probably spelling it worng) Cassette player in there which was Kick azz back then. I also had the CB player and under the hood I had a PA system so we could say Hello to the hot chicks in a mall parking lot and they wouldnt know where the sound system was coming from(What a Geek lol).

    You can see the two Weber Carbs under the hood. I use to race this car in the corvette club and in my class the car I had the most trouble against was the cooper mini's. They turned on a dime. In the end the only one I couldn't beat in my class was my own father(Figures).

    Sold that car when I joined the NAVY in 82. I miss that car and also the girls back then who use to tell me how they loved my Vette.... and I would tell them its an Opel and they would say..Ohhhhhh:)

    (Took pics of pics with my phone--terrible quality)

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