Help the Newbie Thread - Share the history and growth of your business

[Mathew Johnson 123]

The History of Pressure Washing Services DBA then to Inc,

In June of 2003, we had our driveway blacktopped. The first week in August, I bought a "massive" power washer from Tractor Supply, it was the best machine out there (so I thought at the time) (3.5 gpm - 3800 PSI with a briggs engine. My son (13 at the time) and I were washing the driveway, he looked at me as said "I wonder if anyone would pay us to do stuff like that?" I said maybe... decided that we were going into the business. I landed my first job on labor day weekend for a house wash - I hit it big $225.00 for the wash. Our family of four went to do the job, we blew up three pressure washers and it took us a total of 2 days and 12 hours of work. That came out to almost 20 bucks an hour. I took that money and bought insurance. The rest is history.

I found the grime scene and started doing my research and got hooked up with a guy named Tom Vogel, Started buying the right equipment, using the right chemicals. Went from using a ford ranger with all of the stuff loaded into the back - loaded and unloaded for each job. Decided to buy a trailer with money from the jobs - started with a 5X8 open, then a 14 foot open - then had to get a hot water machine to take up room on the trailer - back to ACR for a bigger machine - hense my first Hydro Tek, Went through a winter, realized that bills came all year long for a seasonal business, dumped more money into the business, next year - ditched the ranger, bought a f 150 and then a 14 foot enclosed. Continue to grow and reinvest, back to Tommy VOgels for deck sprayers and surface cleaners, Over the following years, business grew at about 50 percent over prior years sales every year - bought out two businesses, one local and one in NJ for the equipment only. Grew the fleet to add a 6X12 enclosed trailer rig designed specifically for wood restoration, then a one ton E 350 van with an additional hot water machine - Then the floods came - in the summer of 2006 we started flood cleanup with a sludge sucker and a Lowes shop vac, overnight expressed in a steel eagle recovery surface cleaner and purchased a 40 foot vacuboom system and a Nikro dual head vacuum of which we installed our own pump out. Back to Toms to buy my Hydrotek filtration system to complete our arsenal of reclamation equipment,

A short time later, we had been helping at ACR's RT and Jack Kramer and I decided to write the curriculum for a combined wood restoration and power washing class (I had been working part time at State University of Delhi as faculty and applied many of the concepts of adult education to the program) Hense the starting of a partnership with Jack, COntractor Education Services, which we still have today provideing individual and group educational classed to contractors starting a business or looking to expand their businesses.

Over the next couple of years the business continued to grow each year, much attributed to the marketing and branding done through KBK Graphics and Keith Bruce. I took up the hobby of buying used equipment, fixing it up and reselling it. At the same time we were getting calls from local businesses for pressure washing repairs and serviceing, we started to go out and repair them, often picking up cleaning jobs for shop floors and businesses, we started to sell machines to them through local dealers getting a commission off of the sale. The power washing entity continued to grow and in 2009 we though a contractor party - AKA The NorthEast Pressure Washing Seminar - Ended up with a great turnout and event with over 100 people from 28 or 29 states assembling in Albany with a few contractors from albany. 2009 was a great year and we continued to expand, adding an additional hot water setup, and sales to the local businesses, highway departments and school districts continued to increase. We started a distributorship and became a Hydro Tek Dealer, In 2010, my wife left her full time job and took over the majority of the Contract Cleaning Business., We added a fork lift and chemical mixing room.

2011 - What a year - We had floods again and we did an enormous amount of clean-up, We added a 14 foot Isuzu style (GMC Logo) Box Truck and purchased a mega-vacuum system that we built out in a 16 foot enclosed trailer, We continue to grow, keeping our workforce and labor cost in check, There are many to thank along the way, from the contractors on the Grime Scene, to Beth, Tom V, Bruce S, Henry B., the list goes on and on.

The moral of this story... pay attention to the contractors and distributors out there, there are a lot of very successful contractors on this BBS and throughout the industry who dont "eat the newbie" and truely want to see you succeed. Enlist their help with big projects, refer it to someone who has helped you, or ask for their help and take on the job, and know when to walk away from the job when necessary. Dont Low Ball the job - we will call you low ballin Rob, Dont cut rates and take a financial hit.... It will disenchant your fellow contractors and only land you in Sh&^!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Great story Matt! Thanks for sharing it.

Beth

[Rick2 42]

The History of Pressure Washing Services DBA then to Inc,

The moral of this story... pay attention to the contractors and distributors out there, there are a lot of very successful contractors on this BBS and throughout the industry who dont "eat the newbie" and truely want to see you succeed. Enlist their help with big projects, refer it to someone who has helped you, or ask for their help and take on the job, and know when to walk away from the job when necessary. Dont Low Ball the job - we will call you low ballin Rob, Dont cut rates and take a financial hit.... It will disenchant your fellow contractors and only land you in Sh&^!

Very well said! (or typed).

[Riley Harth 14]

Hey there newbie to TGS and still a newbie in business. Im starting into my second season and I hope i can follow in the footsteps of many of the gentleman in this industry. Thanks for the story Matt reminds myself to be patient and concentrate on real growth, sometimes i feel like i want it all to quick! looking forward to plenty of new material here on tgs and new networking relationships.