Little Buddy

I was wondering if you guys have any cleaver, catchy sayings for wood restoration like the roof "whats eating your roof" saying. And, has anyone used printdirectforless.com before? They seem to be cheaper than vista print. Thanks, Joe

Agreed! As well as reducing the learning curve!

why wouldn't sq footage work on this? There are sides with height to them as well as a statue with mass in the center.

i would use envirospecs detergents, but their website is just too confusing, so i use pressure tek.

Here is my two part question: When washing a house, are the windows included (just a quick wash and rinse), and do you remove or leave the screens?

This is my advice, as a newbie as well. Take a year off before starting your business. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. You don't want to have that 10 grand go to waste in vain. The actual labor side of the industry is the easy part. What i found to be the hardest during my months of hard and thorough research is the business side. I know it sounds dumb, but you two need to sit down and sketch a rough business plan and agree upon a business model. Next, locate your distributors and start networking with them, they will know a lot about the industry and give create advice. Then comes the price matrix/list, this takes the longest to develop. Now for the fun part. The majority of your ten grand should go into a professionally designed website, and get your company branded, and advertising. Nothing screams credibility louder than a professionally designed company , no matter the size or experience. Just to give you an idea of what my budget looks like: 80% advertising, 10% legal documentation, 5% software and such, and 5% equipment. This is what a startup business's budget should look like. The bottom line...Look, Act, and strive to be a credible, reliable, and diligent company. Thanks, Joe P.S, Ask questions, but research thoroughly so they are thoughtful questions.

Where do you guys find/get your sodium hypochlorite?

Mike, Do you do a lot of residential house washing, because i could use a little chat on ballpark pricing.

I built one today and ordered the ladder saver, we'll see which one i like better.

Or can someone give my some parts numbers and where to buy them to make my own? It would be appreciated. Thanks, Joe

Does anyone have a ladder saver nozzel they want to sell because i can't seem to be able to purchase one from their website.

dude that thing is awesome!

I don't know about you, but i couldn't try to sell a service or product if i wasn't educated or confident in myself. I can't believe that people would start a company without doing at least 6 months of research before hand. In this industry, there is so much information to learn on the labor side as well as the business side. I want to start as efficiently as possible and try to carry as much credibility as possible. I would say the biggest investment you should make, besides equipment, is a PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED website and a large advertising budget. The biggest thing that has helped me out so far is the site and the amount of knowledge and people willing to share it. If you read enough, you can see all the trial and error that others have experienced, and can use that to you advantage. My favorite is the products trial and error because it will save me sooooooo much money and time and maybe some customers too. Organization is the key to efficiency and productivity. If I'm not organized, I'm not happy.

thats what i was thinking. It seems so efficient and simple, even though there is a 10:1 ratio as compared to the 6:1 with the x-jet.

Thanks Mike, However, univar's distributer is closer so i will probably use them, beacause i am sure the pricing is similiar, and i dont feel like driving through st. paul and minneapolis. Just going to use regular clorox from wally world for now, until i get some jobs next summer. I mostly want to do deck restoration and house washing (75%-25%). I will have to wait to gains some funds to either build or buy a roof cleaning system to get into the roof cleaning market.

yea i have adistributor about an hour away from me

its univarusa.com

how does univar work, do you call in then they make custom batches for you or what? It is nice to see that you can get everything at one place though. Do they deliver? or do you have to go there with a truck/trailer and get it. Thanks,

I think for now I'm just going to use 4-5 gallons of clorox bleach with some simple cherry and downstream. I'm going to talk to a few of my professors for some local suppliers. I'm going to stay away from roofs and flat work because i don't have the equipment for those projects yet. Got another job from my free listing on yellowbook.com, not too shabby!

do you think gradual calcium hypochlorite will work the same?

What do you guys use to clean a roof? Chemicals, equipment, on or off roof, and so on. Thanks, Joe

I have already, but there is a lot of inconsistencies in what people are saying. I have been reading the forums for 4 months so i know what is on here.

nobody is telling what they grossed their first year...I think this would be neat to see.