Jump to content

John T

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    4,376

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    53

Posts posted by John T

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Tap the Spanish market. Look for hard working "Legal" people who are looking for a job. I've fired at least 20 guys before I started to go to the Spanish route. I got a few bums at first that didn't work out. Eventually I got to my star guy who was let go from a Landscape company because he was making to much money. They fired him & 4 other guys who worked for this landscape co. for 10yrs because they were at the top of the pay scale.

    He was out of work for just one day when I found out about him. I signed him up immiedetly and then a few months later he got me another star employee. My main guy eventually won a lawsuit for $37,000 against his last company.

    Today my 2 guys get paid well, work year round for my company and there both El Salvadorian who are both legally in this country and they pay their taxes.

    In 9 yrs they not once have been late or didn't show up. There so good they also collect most of my residential money.

    These guys are gold and they make my life sweet. There super motivated because of what there life is like. These guys are hungry and they should be considered for any labor intensive job because they take this livelihood very serious. I am Succesful because of them and we work my business like a well oiled machine day in and day out.

    If you go this route make sure their legals first:)

  5. Posted · Report reply

    I think the PWNA Convention ends a few days before the CETA/ISSA begins. I wished they butted up against each other so some more from from the PWNA Convention can go to this one.

    Its slim to none for me to go to both because like all of us we have to get back to our business but if I can stick around a few more days I'd love to see your presentation.

    Can you keep us in the loop as to when your speaking and what's scheduled at the CETA/ISSA event?

  6. Posted · Report reply

    As long as there willing to pay then stripping can be done. I use to do solids and to prep a deck that had a solid stain on it I would give it a good cleaning and also do some sanding to level out some of the old stain and then just reapply the solid stain right over it. I did us primers as well when needed.

    To strip an entire deck of this size will be labor intensive and if there willing to pay for that then go for it but it doesn't really seem necessary since your going to just re coat it with another solid.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Mike-- your guttersource bulletin board was ahead of it's time. Good memories.

    You were one of the few to this day that was an administrator to at least 4 bulletin boards PWN-PWNA-*** & Guttersource. You may have been the only one who did that much and you did them all well:)

  11. Posted · Report reply

    That's cool, John.    Dave Olson was a tresure, not just a Treasurer.   I had the pleasure of meeting him at a PWNA convention..........and we spoke on the phone once or twice.

    Yes Mike your are so right... David was a true treasure and was a blessing to me on giving me advice to move up to the PWNA Treasurer back in the day. As for the PWNA I'm back in from where I started. Should be interesting.

    Also I never forgot when you told me to get involved years ago. Good memories:)

  13. Posted · Report reply

    David Olson meant a ton to me and many other contractors. He was a past www.pwna.org Treasurer as I was. He impacted many of us. I had Babe Ruth's family honor him in the past because he really was like Babe Ruth to many of us in the Powerwashing Industry.

     

     I know another Industry org has just started to give out a David Olson award even though he never belonged to that org. Thats OK because he did indeed impact many of us:)

  14. Posted · Report reply

    This can also go into the residential. Set your machinery up where you can do commercial/residential work with high volume soap/rinsing!! To make max money in most cases is do you have the proper machinery to do the job and then do you have the will/gumption to do what it takes to get it done if your doing it or you employees are.

    Also build your setup to have heat in it. I learned this from my good pal David Olson who since passed away and was a previous org treasurer as I was, set yourself up to handle almost any job that comes your way.

    So are you setup for that?

    Guy B and zapp reacted to this

  16. Posted · Report reply

    In 19 yrs I aways been prepared. This is totally my fault. I would say I got lucky. Here's the damage-- my 2 big Powerwashers the pumps are fine. My small diesel PW I just put together for Chemical spraying purposes well the pump has lost pressure and is pulsating plus leaking water.

    I'll take that and I'll replace that pump out soon and then rebuild it.

    It was a good 19yr run were I never had a pump ruin from ice... Always a first

  17. Posted · Report reply

    We had some ground coverage with snow. My guys showed up to work and they went out... Called me to let me know the pump lines are all frozen solid so they came back and today's jobs were all rescheduled. We have a Walmart to do to tomorrow @4am and then residential after that and it's supposed to be freezing then to.

    As for now I hope my pumps aren't ruined since none were antifreezed.

    This global freezing sucks.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Over the years we had a few jobs that came thru TGS. Customers have searched us out and have either contacted Beth herself and she notified us or they just called us themselves.

    To this day we maintain an IPE deck on the water here that came from this site. Our biggest one and done job here was a house/deck staining job we did in the Hamptons that came from the customer researching TGS.

    If I remember later I'll post pics of that house.

    So who else got work thru TGS?

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Good thread John.

     

    Kudos to Beth & Rod for starting The Grime Scene.  Back in those days, there were few internet resources focused on pressure washing, especially information on exterior wood care.  This site has educated and helped an entire generation of contractors.

    Yes it sure has Rick. The money many of us made from the knowledge we learned here, has kept guys like me gainfully employed in the Powerwashing industry.

    Beth n Rod reacted to this

  22. Posted · Report reply

    If Beth and Rod have impacted your busines in a positive way then post it here.

    In my case I believe I was Powerwashing a couple of yrs longer then Beth/Rod but I was not a fan to use chemicals(soaps). My customers never complained but they also didn't know any better. Beth kept after me in around 2000 to try HD-80 and use a brightener afterwords. I thought she was nuts.

    Low and behold to this day the most fascinating thing I ever seen short of cleaning Babe Ruth's monument(resting place) was watching the brightener turn the stripped wood to magic while it brightened right before my eyes. You wont get much wood to clean any nicer then this.

    To Beth/ Rod I am forever great full to you both for allowing me to come to TGS from the very beginning and to just soak up all the info on this very professional site.

    I love you both and you two will always hold a piece in my heart.....always:)

    So who"s next? Bear your soul and Tell us a compelling story on now this very professional couple of Beth/Rod have helped your business over the years.

    Beth n Rod reacted to this

  23. Posted · Edited by John T · Report reply

    These are custom made web pages that you, the members can edit, change, add photo's, add video's on their own. Our members will have control of their web page on the PWNA.org.[/size]This service I am told could cost as much as 50 to 100 dollars a month for a premium service, higher than normal bandwidth and is completely searchable with Google, Bing, Yahoo and all other search engines.[/size]Here is a sample:[/size]CLEAN IMAGE LIMITED !FACILITEC WESTAgain these Web Pages are all FREE to every paid PWNA member ...yes I said ALL MEMBERS at NO additional costs. We are the First ORG in our industry that will offer to our members...[/size]

    • Discounted Health Insurance
    • A Absolutely FREE Searchable Web Page

    Hey Jim-- I can't wait to get my company up on the www.PWNA.org website!! That's going to be a huge benefit for my company to bring in some more income thru the net.

    Great job between you and the other BODs assisting you on getting this done.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Hey John-- You need to fill out your signature so we know where about your from. It's the rules and it also makes it easier to get more responses to your post cause guys like to know somewhat who their responding to.

    Oh yea Welcome aboard to the longest running most professional Power washing site on the net:)

×