The New Guy

[Shannon Fouce 14]

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I started Fouce's Pressure Washing and Cleaning LLC this May. I have been taken notes a lot of notes and researching this board since August '08. In a way i learned almost everything i know about pressure washing from you guys and gals. Not saying i know everything about it because i don't. I will have some questions sooner or later. I want to say thank you for this site and so much information. I started this business because i feel there is a demand for it. There are only 2 other Pressure Washer business in the county and they don't advertise (they have other full time jobs). There may be some that do it on the side, but they are not legit.

I plan on touching a little of everything, but washing cars to see where the market in my area is at. So far i have cleaned houses, driveways, patios, sidewalks, pool decks, and preped a deck for staining. So far the majority of my calls have been for houses, driveways, and sidewalks. I plan on doing alot of decks because there are so many in this area. I am currently trying to get in with the construction and masonary companies for construction clean-up. There are a lot of new buildings and homes that are currently being built in my area.

I am having a hard time getting any big bussiness to clean. I'm currently trying to find out who the property management companies are that contract for the places. For example the McClure gas stations. We have several in our area and the sidewalks are packed with gum and the concrete at the pumps are filthy. So i am working on finding out who these companies are so i can get in touch with them about it. I am go bust my butt and do what i have to, to make this a successful business

I am currently doing direct mail, but i started handing out cards and flyers to everyone and in every neighborhood i could. I generated alot of calls from this, but i only closed on 4-5 out of every10 so i dont think that is bad at all.

Again i just wanted to say hi and thank you to everyone on this forum. If there is anything else you want to know just ask.

Shannon Fouce

Fouce's Pressure Washing and Cleaning LLC

Marion, IN

Edited August 1, 2009 by Shannon Fouce
My info

[Adrian 155]

Welcome to TGS. It's a great place to learn.

Please go to "My Controls" and complete your signature.

[lmspeir 14]

Welcome. I lived in Marion back in the mid-80's. In fact, my son was born there. Good luck with your new venture.

Larry

[Shannon Fouce 14]

Thought i had everything filled out correctly. Filled my signature out now.

One more thing about my business is that here in the north it gets pretty cold in the winter, so what i will be doing at that time is foreclosure and rental cleanout.

Thanks, i have lived here my whole life why did u leave?

Thanks Shannon Fouce

Edited August 1, 2009 by Shannon Fouce

[Russ Johnson 141]

Hi, Shannon. Great to see you around here.

[Beth n Rod 1,278]

The first year or two until you get name recognition and a reputation developed is going to be slow. While you may be ambitious to get to the bigger stuff keep in mind that if you are not cautious, you could get in over your head real quick.

Take your time, pace yourself, evaluate your work, the process (effectiveness, time to complete, etc), your methods, putting into practice a form of a regimen and understanding your set up and breakdown times. All of this will go into helping you to develop your pricing model and help you to quote more accurately and become more competitive with the more established companies.

ex: I used to wash a section of rails and see how long it took me under various circumstances to do it. This gave me a benchmark for other employees to follow.

Doing the same with staining, sanding, housewashing, concrete driveways and more will help you to get a hold of your costs and maintain profitability.

Also, I would like to mention that for our first 5 years, we did a great deal of reinvesting in the company with those profits to upgrade our equipment and vehicles to improve our performance and quality.

Don't stop shooting for the stars but beware of the ones that fall on you, they may be the ones the other guys didn't want and for good reason.

Rod!~

[Rick2 42]

Welcome Shannon, I'm sure you will find much useful information on this site along with a lot of good people.

As far as finding work... I always keep fliers in my car, truck and wife's car. There are three different fliers that read something like " Hello. I was drving past your house a noticed your roof needs to be cleaned. The important reasons for keeping your foof clean are bla, bla bla. Let me introduce myself; bla bla bla." The other two fliers are for the fence and house siding. It only takes a second to stick one in the door of the house and I usually get good results. If the home owner calls and wants to meet you be sure to bring some before and after photos of past jobs.

Just keep your eyes open while you are out driving and you are sure to see hundreds of houses that are in need of some type of attention.

I also run a small ad in the Yellow Pages that brings in lots of work. After you become established you'll find most of your work comes from repeat customers.

I hope this helps you. Rick.

[Shannon Fouce 14]

Thaks for the welcome and the comments.

[Brad Corns 14]

Read, ask questions, read some more, practice and be patient. It takes time to build a sucessful business. Good Luck.

[Beth n Rod 1,278]

Welcome Shannon :groovy3:

Glad you found us!

Beth :cup:

[gawashman 15]

Welcome Shannon!...Are ready for the madness?

[Paul Kassander 26]

Welcome, jump on in!