Questions related to getting started

[KGILL 14]

I have several questions regarding to starting a pressure washing business.

I am interested in starting with residential but would like to expand to commercial in the future.

For those who started doing mainly residential, what type of equipment did you first use? Specs about PSI, GPM, hot or cold, bed of the truck vs trailer pulled would be helpful. I understand that a hot water unit is required for commercial use (parking lots, etc..) but would a cold water unit be sufficient for residential? If a cold water is sufficient, do you believe it is better to start with a hot water unit because it is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it?

I have seen several people advise to call Pressure Tech and talk to Bob about equipment, and that is my intention when it comes down to purchasing equipment. I would just like your thoughts on the matter.

I originally thought I just wanted to do siding and clean decks/porches without staining afterwards but I have seen through this site as well as others that many companies offer staining after cleaning. If you stain, do you find that aspect of the business profitable?

Talking to someone I knew from the past, he stated he used ladders while pressure washing. I always thought it was a no-no to use a ladder while power washing. Keep in mind that I want to start with siding and wood cleaning, for those who offer those services do you find a need for ladders? I am not talking about using a ladder to gain access to a roof if you are planning on cleaning the shingles. Also keep in mind this someone from my past has made several poor life choices and is currently a resident of the state (not someone you really want to base a business or operating model on.)

Any thoughts, opinions, etc would be greatly appreciated.

[Celeste 341]

Keenan - all of your thoughts, doubts, concerns, etc... have been addressed at least one time on this forum. The quickest way to get information is to make yourself a list.....then search each pertinent term on that list. Unfortunately, posts like this that have 20 different topics in one tend to get very convoluted :)

Good Luck and Happy Learning :)

PS - GREAT job on your signature!! Thanks!

Edited January 5, 2012 by Celeste

[Doug Rucker 31]

Keenan, before u spend a dime on equipment I suggest you attend NOLA or The Albany event. Either will help you get some of the education needed and answer probably all your questions. To many people make the mistake of buying equipment before getting the proper education. Attend one of the Events first. It ell save you a ton of money in the long run. If I can help you in any way feel free to call me. Be glad to help.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.078057,-95.233834

Doug ********** Clean and Green Solutions 281.883.8470

[Ron Musgraves 240]

I personally would call Russ johnson when you figure out what direction you want to go.

I wouldn't go to any event until you had a direction.

AC is great if your roof cleaning.

Doug ********** is great for starting stages of pressure washing roof cleaning combined.

Several others here are great. Sunbrite has a school, Russ Johnson has a great Maint course for repairing your own equipment.

By a long shot Doug ruckers school for starting is great.

If your into fleets Paul k and Blaine are the best in the business.

There's also a guy in ky that might teach you and show you the ropes. His name is Michael k.

I personally would attend acr Tom vogels round because out of most rounds I have attended his equipment demos are great. Toms experience like Paul's k from the powerwashstore they both sell and actually are contractors.

Nola round table has great resources, wcra is a great resource with Chris l running the show. For 350 bucks you can join his group and get every penny back. Actually the bbs his has provides much more info than most of these bbs. Thad runs the Nola event that is a ton of industry guys who all run contractor business. They will have lots of advice and some programs they sell additional.

Nola has a starting roof and pressure washing course I cannot give a reference on this because there is no feed back. Most Nola content like all These shows have more positives than negatives. The people running the training I'm sure will do a good job.

AC courses in Florida have many instructors. The all around residential course that's the most proven. Standards that build a great foundation for success.

I personally until you know your direction would just attend a round table not a seminar at this point until you know what direction your wanting to go. Continue to research here and other places.

If you ask more specific questions I'm happy to help. I no nothing about residential but there are guys here with lots of wood restoration and exterior cleaning. Lots of Kec help here also.

If you need sidewalk cleaning for commercial that's my specialty.

Ron ********** text me for questions 480-522-5227 Pressure Washing Institute

[Celeste 341]

Keenan - I personally wouldn't attending an event if you haven't decided exactly what you want to do. The information you will gain from just talking to those already established in what they are doing can have a tremendous bearing on what you may choose to direct your energies toward.

You should also first research YOUR market. NC, TX and AZ all have vastly different circumstances than TN, particularly since you are considering the residential sector.

Education is key - look at courses but also put feelers out for companies that offer labor for learning if you have an initial start up budget that may not allow for "formal" educational expenditures.

As far as equipment, both Bob and Russ are excellent sources. You may also want to look at ACR Products and SunBrite Supply (both of whom are vendors on this site). Any of these will take good care of you in my opinion. We have had nothing but good experiences with all.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

My responses in blue: remember one thing: I do not know you, your background, education or training so what I cover here is making sure I touch all bases necessary

so that you have the ability to decide what you already know and where you should focus on what you don't. Nothing personal but I will proceed as if you know nothing about business to avoid omitting any relevant suggestions.

I have several questions regarding to starting a pressure washing business.

I am interested in starting with residential but would like to expand to commercial in the future.

Make a decision now and focus on that. Residential provides more direct control over your income while commercial has you getting paid when it is convenient to them ie; 30,60 90 120 days....after you did the work. Regardless of what you put in a contract, Commercial customers always want to stretch it out for as long as they can get away with.

Neither is without its pros and cons as many here will attest but you need to take one fork or the other, you can't take both without compromising in one manner or another...trust me, it is easier to take it in small steps.

For those who started doing mainly residential, what type of equipment did you first use? Specs about PSI, GPM, hot or cold, bed of the truck vs trailer pulled would be helpful. I understand that a hot water unit is required for commercial use (parking lots, etc..) but would a cold water unit be sufficient for residential? If a cold water is sufficient, do you believe it is better to start with a hot water unit because it is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it?

A hot water unit always comes in handy on residential work. Siding washing, concrete, brick, etc always gets better results with warm to hot water.

Also, in colder times, you can use your heater to warm the water to help your chemicals more effective.

I have seen several people advise to call Pressure Tech and talk to Bob about equipment, and that is my intention when it comes down to purchasing equipment. I would just like your thoughts on the matter.

I have to dealers, one of which is local to me and would not be useful to you but Tom from ACR Products can ship you whatever you want, ie; parts, equipment and chemicals.

I originally thought I just wanted to do siding and clean decks/porches without staining afterwards but I have seen through this site as well as others that many companies offer staining after cleaning. If you stain, do you find that aspect of the business profitable?

This one depends entirely upon two things

1. You price structure

2. Your competition

Both of these will determine if you can be profitable. There is too much to go into here but you will need to get a complete understanding of ALL your costs.

Many make the mistake of going labor and materials which is fine for a sub-contractor which has no real overhead. But that is a dead end approach.

You need to compute everything that your business has to pay for into your price.

Crack a book on business management and one on accounting (accounts payable/receivable), Payroll, controlling costs, how to price yourself etc. Get interested in some math.

Take a look into what insurances are going to cost you, ie;Workmans comp., vehicle(s), business liability insurance, Health insurance for you, your family etc.

Talking to someone I knew from the past, he stated he used ladders while pressure washing. I always thought it was a no-no to use a ladder while power washing. Keep in mind that I want to start with siding and wood cleaning, for those who offer those services do you find a need for ladders? I am not talking about using a ladder to gain access to a roof if you are planning on cleaning the shingles. Also keep in mind this someone from my past has made several poor life choices and is currently a resident of the state (not someone you really want to base a business or operating model on.)

Ladders have their place in our equipment essentials but experience with working on one while using a pressure washer does not come without risks.

OSHA has many references to working with ladders but they are ambiguous to our trade.

Siding should not require much ladder work except to access parts of a structure above a roof line which impedes aim from the ground. Never use high pressure on vinyl or aluminum siding. Remember, you are liable for the damage you cause and no court will grant you leniency for the sake of "I was cleaning it" excuse.

This is where the round table events come into play and networking with manufacturers of siding and other pressure washer contractors who don't mind giving you some advice.

We went to a PWNA convention our first year and benefited from the knowledge we gained there.

Methods, tools and equipment for specialized purposes can be found at one and the more you know beforehand, the less you are likely to make mistakes in the future albeit you WILL make mistakes. Everyone has.

Any thoughts, opinions, etc would be greatly appreciated.

One last suggestion I have always employed: Personal evaluation.

No matter what you do, there is the potential to do it better, faster and with better results which is where the profitability comes in.

Do not get complacent in your methods, techniques or chemicals. There is so much you have to learn and understand that you will never stop learning as this industry is always working on solutions for new situations and better ways to solve them either chemically or with better functioning equipment.

There is also the business side of it that you have a significant learning curve...especially with employees. When you are ready to hire one or more, focus on that because it is paramount to your success and sanity.

Rod!~

Edited January 8, 2012 by Beth n Rod

[KGILL 14]

Thanks everyone. I do have interest in attending a seminar or roundtable this year as well as participating in some training courses. I wish I decided to start this last year as there was a seminars in Nashville which is 3 hours away. I was unaware of the event in NOLA but did find information about Easton, PA and Albany, NY.

Even before the reponses to my original post I had been looking at getting formal education through courses as well as offering my labor in exchange for learning at a company. That being said, has anybody here allowed someone to learn from their company who was not a part of it? If so, were they local or did you prefer someone who would not ultimately compete in the same market as you once they were on their own? I ask because at this point I can offer my services here locally or from the town I lived in (9 hour car ride, probably 7 if my wife drives) where I live or offer in the town where I just moved from and have a place to stay with friends for free. Would you consider it tackyor be receptive if a local person asked for an agreement like this?

Once again thanks for the responses and good luck in your business.

[John T 744]

Hey Keenan- we all have different ideas on what you can do by offering advice. There all good idea's including the one your asking above. Personally I use to take newbies out(did it a couple of times) and paid them also. A lower wage because they were learning and I would be working with them along with my helper. One of these guys actually attended 2 of the PWNA conventions.

If I had to start over I wouldn't do what I did. I worked 5 yrs on my own without any knowledge and taught myself... If I knew about Schools and Conventions then I would have done that first after knowing what markets I wanted to hit...and the markets werent hard to figure out for me.

I wanted to do residential house washing etc first. No commercial.

Today I would recommend probably all the above of what the guys are saying. The Nola Roundtable may now be sold out because Thad puts on a rock solid event..here's the link that says it's sold out but maybe you can call his staff to seemif they can get another person in.. His always sells it because he keeps it small and top notch NOLA 2012! February 3th & 4th – Two Amazing Days! | Contractor Events

The other two you know already about -the ACR Roundtable ACR Roundtable - Home Is in Toms shop and his is an all around hands on experience with machinery, demo's and classes all around you. Excellent year in and year out. They fill up the place with a 100 or so attendees most years. Tom has 55,000 sq' of storage space there including his shop. You'll have fun and learn a ton there.

The Albany Seminar Welcome Matt and Jack does this with class. They put on one of the most exciting events that pretty much has it all for a very reasonable price.. You can get some excellent classwork there

and also see some demo's and win all kinds of prizes. There events they give away a Hot water skid and many other items.. They have the Powerwashing Olympics that's always fun and it's just all around a great time. Like a mini Convention. They'll be between 100-200 attendees there.

Then later in the year around oct. You have the Grandaddy of them all.. The PWNA Convention. The PWNA - The Power Washers of North America

The Conventions are the most expensive but those have alot more to them and on top of that you can join the organization if you want to market your membership. There are other organizations in this industry you can join as well.

The very least I would highly recommend one of those other 3 choices first because there all excellent in there own way. In my case because after 16 yrs in this business I'm going to hit the peddle to the metal and attend all 4 and maybe one or two more.. To soak it all up and learn and network network network..

Good luck on your start:)

[Douglas Hicks 128]

John forgot 1 detail. You will learn at least as much from the other attendees as the formal class. Take lots of business cards, pass them out like candy. Collect lots of cards. The vendors will want you to take all the literature you can carry. Take a folder, preferably one for each day. Breaks are where a lot of the learning occurs. Sit up front, unless you are like me. I sit in the back, so I can stand every so often. When I stop moving, I take a nap. Standing helps. After class, after most everyone else is hitting the bar, follow those who are not hitting the bar. You are not there to party, but to learn. In the evening, review your notes. Any questions, talk to the presenter if possible. At the end of the meeting, stay around. Meet more people and learn more. Go, meet and learn. And it is all tax deductable, so it all free!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

There is another Round Table coming up that is a do not miss event:

http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/northeastern-regional-news-events/22470-acr-round-table-march-10th-2012-mark-your-calendars-now.html

It is in Easton PA in early March, and have both newbies and many experienced veterans there as well who come from many states for this event.

Hope to see you there!

Beth

[Celeste 341]

.......offering my labor in exchange for learning at a company. That being said, has anybody here allowed someone to learn from their company who was not a part of it? If so, were they local or did you prefer someone who would not ultimately compete in the same market as you once they were on their own? I ask because at this point I can offer my services here locally or from the town I lived in (9 hour car ride, probably 7 if my wife drives) where I live or offer in the town where I just moved from and have a place to stay with friends for free. Would you consider it tackyor be receptive if a local person asked for an agreement like this?

Once again thanks for the responses and good luck in your business.

We have had many come work here in NC - from as far away as Michigan and as close as our immediate area. With that said, we may be more the exception than the rule on training someone right next door.

At any rate, feel free to call Roger (336-516-6139 Carolina ProWash) and talk with him about what may be happening this spring that might interest you. For travel purposes, zip is 27253.