Full time & Part time Powerwashers-please read

[John T 744]

Whether your part time Powerwashing with the goals of becoming one day a fulltime Powerwasher, or you do two jobs with Powerwashing being one of them.. don't let anyone put you down like you don't matter. Even within this Industry.

Don't buy into a anyone acting Like your second rate. If fulltime Powerwashing is your Field of choice don't let others who went to college and became lawyers for example treat you like your second rate.

If your a part timer also don't let others treat you like you don't belong. The worst type I see is people in this Industry who want to try to bring others down within this Industry. There is a faction out there who like to put down others who have to work two jobs to make ends meet for their families. This faction likes to knock down even fulltime Powerwashers who don't feel the need to get certified in there field to be considered legit.

They also like to knock down anyone who questions them about anything.

Keep this in mind.. All you guys matter. Whether your fulltime,Partime,Female or minority owned don't let these people treat you like your second class citizens. We have enough problems to deal with in life but one of the most despicable things is to to see some of your own in leadership positions trying to badger you into feeling like your not worth squat because you don't buy into fattening their pockets.

Welcome to the maze of life within this Industry. Follow your conscience and also due your own due diligence. Stand clear from the ones who's sole purpose is to make money off of you with nothing in return.

Another words watch your back as well as your fellow full time or part time Powerwashers because we are all in this Industry together.

[Kristopher Pettitt 23]

Simply put; Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it, or without their help you would not succeed. Your success or failure is solely up for you to decide.

[C&S Property Services 24]

I thought I was doing good when I had a full time job and had two employees. For those fearing to make the jump dont. It can make you so much happier. Everyone has a goal in mind and its up to you to fulfill that goal. Put yourself around good people and smart people and you too will succeed.

[MidwestMaintenancellc 14]

Sounds like you encountered some haters. You must be taking money out of their pockets some how. So keep on Keeping on.

Travis

Www.Midwestmaintenancellc.com

Sent from my LT28at using Tapatalk 2

[Adrian 155]

It's tribes and villages John.

Sir Richard Bransons success was built on several failures. ( Well, you know what I mean ).

We ALL need help from time to time.

If one strikes you down, go to the next.

Personally, I've always been humbled when new startups seek help from me.

The way I see it is that everyman is entitled to his own destiny ( not to be confused with "self-entitlement ).

If that destiny consist' of charging people for your knowledge or freely giving it away in the name of "good stewardship".

Sobeit. The price of anybody's chosen destination is certainly "paid for" along the way with either positive or negative knowledge and results.

Good thread.....

Both sides of the brain indeed.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

This thread has been pruned. PLEASE keep it professional and on topic. No org discussions....you know what I mean.

Beth

[RPetry 564]

This thread has been pruned.

Beth,

I understand but am a bit disappointed with the cut. I thought our off topic banter on dog behavior was appropriate, slightly educational, and possibly humorous considering the topic at hand.

Not a problem, I'm sure other opportunities will be available.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I loved your post, but it became out of place when the other posts were pruned. It left the thread with a sense of....huh? What did I miss? maybe we should start a thread with just harmless zingers of woodie humor. So we can discuss things like staining trees and fending off dogs....

Beth

[Adrian 155]

no one talks auto detailing much anymore...........

[RPetry 564]

Adrian,

Hah! YouTube comes to the rescue. We have a female Springer Spaniel that just loves to scent car tires. I don't get it, our male Schnauzer just passes them by.

Beth,

Understood. But it was fun while it lasted!

[Kristopher Pettitt 23]

I think we should all focus on this site and helping others.

[tunatussle 14]

I have had a few customers who looked down on me until I let them know I have an MBA from Temple University in Marketing and Industrial Relations. All of a sudden their attitudes change and you are one of them. I majored in Chemistry in the 70's until Dow Chem was sued over Agent Orange then changed to business.

Learn to talk on their level and be sure you know well the subject.

[John T 744]

One of the things I was fortunate with when I started my Powerwashing business in 96 was I had my "Other job". Because of that I was able to charge higher then most because I was still going to get paid from my other job regardless. Fortunate for me was I still have some customers from my very first year in this business and my prices were and still probably higher then most. Loyal customers and a rock solid customer base and referrals that we get all the time.... This has always been the flip side of the coin when back in the day some fulltime powerwashers were accusing us partimers as working for "Beer Money".

What was never considered here is my wife walked away from an excellent job to stay home with our kids and nothing has changed since except she is the majority owner now:) and we are completely fulltime and even when I had my "other job" we still had workers and pretty much been fulltime as far as hours go for at leas 10 yrs now.

I just never forget where I came from and I will never belittle anyone who takes this business serious enough to not be a low balling hack no matter what their other job is. Never forget your roots:)

[NJWashingGuy 31]

I just have to laugh at the ignornat comments made about people that have another "job" but also powerwash. Many people portray themselves in this industry as an entrepreneur and as industry leaders, but they think that people who don't do this "full time" or only should not have a say or opinion about anything that goes on. I hope that people do their due dilligence and ignore the folish comments made on the internet about other people that they know nothing about.

I just have to laugh at the attempts to discredit people. If you think about it, what right minded adult does not have or try to have multiple steams of revenue?? Regardless of the sources of revenue, anyone that thinks that they only need a power washer for their and their families future financial success is fooling themselves. People don' plan to fail, they fail to plan. Make this business something that allows you to prosper and invest the earnings wisely. You can make money in many other markets and investments while you continue to spray water. You don't want to be the guy that lets things get away from you and wake up broke one day wondering what you did it all for.

[John T 744]

Great post Mike!!

The ignorant part here is based on that word "entrepreneur". Some of these business people don't really understand what that word means. It's about taking risk and also having more then One business. A little different but somewhat similar is a guy like yourself who has basically "2 fulltime Jobs". Your taking a risk with both. The ignorant ones don't understand that. You know as well as I do and many others who float 2 jobs or 2 or more businesses--- there are risk taken that if things went wrong you could lose both.

I'll give a example of this of what happened to me years ago and it wasn't business related but it could be the same. I got hurt playing softball when I just came back from my honeymoon. I was on vaca for another week from my "Other" job. I got married April 24th 1993. When I got back from my honeymoon the timing was perfect for me to make the first game of the softball yr for the team I played for. The very first inning I got a hit. The next play while rounding second I snapped my right Achilles tendon completely and tore my left one as well but not completely. I had 9 months sick & vacation time banked. The surgeon said I'd be out of work for as long as a 1.5 yrs at least. I also stand the chance of never walking the same again.. Another words totally disabled.. In the end I never missed not one rehab, I worked out continuously on my own and got back to work in those 9 months because my job was going to cut me loose if I couldn't get back. The PD surgeon was shocked... But I endured alot of pain which he never knew about..

The point being is if I was like David Vicars for example who fell off a later a couple of yrs ago and suffered a compound fracture I may have lost everything.. Just like an entrepreneur.

Like you, everyone counts in this business because at any time we could lose it all... This is the part that ignorant people either on purpose or just can't understand this... But it's all a risk and we should all look out for a "Brother or Sister in need" in this business and not discredit them ever because they may be floating 2 or more jobs.

I got your back brother:)

[apple 14]

I think that many probably agree with me. There's nothing against a man who's working two jobs and busting his tail to make it.

The pita comes when a part time hack lowballs bids because his business is floated by another job. It's not something that I spend too much time worrying about but it happens on a regular basis. Normally a few things happen. It takes us longer to secure the agreement because this guy may be given a shot or places doubt, or they screw crap up really bad and make us all look bad. A lot of times both.

Of course, I only know my market. I'm sure y'all guys don't operate like that.

[John T 744]

I think that many probably agree with me. There's nothing against a man who's working two jobs and busting his tail to make it.

The pita comes when a part time hack lowballs bids because his business is floated by another job. It's not something that I spend too much time worrying about but it happens on a regular basis. Normally a few things happen. It takes us longer to secure the agreement because this guy may be given a shot or places doubt, or they screw crap up really bad and make us all look bad. A lot of times both.

Of course, I only know my market. I'm sure y'all guys don't operate like that.

Fair enough Chris but you have to look at both sides of the coin to give a fair response. Don't be blind sided with "A one way point of view". Face it you can also be lowballed by the teenager or the 40 yr old who still lives with his parents and me be operating without Insurance amongst other things.

Look at it this way as well. Guys like Mike and myself can charge more then possibly you can because we had that other job or where entrepreneurs as well.

In my case I always charged high because I think I'm worth it. There's a guy on this bb who about 2 weeks ago recommended my company to do a residential estimate on a fairly large wood restoration job. I did the estimate and the home owner thought we were to high in price. Doesn't mean they won't come back to us..

So to be fair you have to look at both sides of the coin. Also in your org there's probably more members in there that hold other jobs as well. I know this because I served on organization boards like you do now. Don't discount or discredit "Highly motivated" individuals who own a Powerwashing business while the do "other business". I know Mike and he's probably in the top 5% income earners on just Powerwashing alone in your org. He's got such a reputable business that he was in my area helping victims of Hurricane Sandy get their most valuable possession which is their home in order.

Never ever would people like this thru their insurance or their own hard earned cash higher a "low balling hack" to do this type work. Don't look down on people that "work hard for their money" like some Ignorant people that you and I know do. The serious business owners like Mike Pontillo and such with Masters degree's are no dummies. We are all in this together.

[John T 744]

Also look at the bb you respond to most of the time. There are "Fulltime" guys right there who say they do residential driveway cleaning for .07 a sq'. I would respond there but I'm banned but Guy Blackmons response is dead on. He's responding to the other fulltime guys. Also full time doesn't ever only mean "1 job", entrepreneurs do many different "Jobs/businesses" and if you think for a second that their par timers because of that.. Guess again.

Full timers like part timers in your definition, either one can be low balling hacks. Did you ever hear of the $100,000,000 company called Fleetwash?

[apple 14]

Yeah. That's what I said.

[John T 744]

Yeah. That's what I said.

Cool. So you see anyone can be a lowballer hack. Glad were on the same page with that as well as "partimers" whatever that definition is... We all count. Thanks for your understanding:)

[NJWashingGuy 31]

I think that many probably agree with me. There's nothing against a man who's working two jobs and busting his tail to make it.

The pita comes when a part time hack lowballs bids because his business is floated by another job. It's not something that I spend too much time worrying about but it happens on a regular basis. Normally a few things happen. It takes us longer to secure the agreement because this guy may be given a shot or places doubt, or they screw crap up really bad and make us all look bad. A lot of times both.

Of course, I only know my market. I'm sure y'all guys don't operate like that.

Chris,

I am far from a lowball hack and would never low price something to stay busy. My available time is limited and as such, needs to be profitable to make it worth it. As an entrepreneur, I understand money, finances and investments. I have a full time job, available overtime from the full time job, the "part time" pressure washing business as well as real estate investments (which produce rent). I have three or four revenue streams and am always looking for more. The bottom line for me is that my pw business allows me the ability to afford things that I would otherwise not afford. As far as "skin in the game" goes, I can post pics of my equipment and the shop that I own (not rent or pay a mortgage on). I would say that I have put enough blood, sweat and tears into this business over the years to compare what I have built to many full timers. The beauty is that I can cherry pick work that is profitable because I pay my bills with other income(s). I would say that I have alot more to offer this industry than alot of the self proclaimed successfuls that support the hate mongoring on the boards.

p.s. John, thank you for the kind words.

Edited June 3, 2013 by NJWashingGuy

[EcoClean 14]

I have a hard time imagining how a part-timers viewpoints and suggestions should be ignored simply because he is a "part timer". Shouldn't their viewpoint or suggestions be weighed on other scales? Just because they're part time doesn't automatically mean their stand or viewpoint is bad and should be avoided.

This is like saying an elderly person shouldn't be allowed to vote - because soon they'll be dead and they won't have any "skin in the game".

And where do you draw the line. Since you're judging ones source of revenue as someones "skin in the game", should a contractor's ideas whose business makes a million dollars a year be weighted heavier then a business owner whose business makes only 100,000 a year? Crazy. The guy who's making a 100,000 a year may be making more profit then the guy whose making a million.

Or what about a full-time pressure washing contractor whose spouse makes a 6 figure income every year. Or, maybe a pressure washing contractor has a multi-million dollar inheritance. All of the sudden.. they don't have any "skin in the game" - so let's ignore them.

Heck, I don't care if somebody is a landscaper, doctor, or dog groomer. If they have an idea that could better the industry as a whole, let's hear it.

[dollarspa 14]

If anyone believes people that do this part time are hacks I don't want to know you and if ......

people that have only done this 3-4 years and now calling themselves "experts " I don't want to know you...

If on the other hand ..if people say your good at what you do and they want to call you expert at what you do ...I probably would like to know you...

class division of part time or full time or part time is nuts ....

what next ...someone doesn't like full time one man companies verses a "real company " that has more employees full time....lol

on a side note ...I believed the original poster meant when he said "I don't like part timers" my understanding was he would help people that were working part time get more business for them so they could do this full time.

I DON'T know if my interpretation of this is correct ...but would hope so.....

Edited June 3, 2013 by dollarspa

[Jim Gamble 20]

If anyone believes people that do this part time are hacks I don't want to know you and if ......

people that have only done this 3-4 years and now calling themselves "experts " I don't want to know you...

I believe an expert comes with the years of experience in the same field.

This has happen so many times where someone will say " I am an expert...I have been Cleaning Parking Garages ( For example) for 20 years, but now I am also an expert on KEC cleaning which I do with diluted simple green and a squirt gun to rinse" LOL.

I remember when I have cleaned a small KEC back in 1988. I cleaned it 1 time and did not do a great job, I am sure. I did not take any photos...I wonder why? I also did a trailer wash...ONE TIME...did I take photos...NO...I wonder why.... because I am no expert and I suck at it.

When someone says they are good...I say show me the proof...show me some before and after photos. I'm ready, are the ones who say they are experts ready ? You would be surprised all of the excuses these " So called experts" have for not showing photos of their so called expert work.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Jim Gamble

[Jim Gamble 20]

As far as Part timers...

I know of three well known internet contractors who say they started cleaning in 19** . But they never say "I was a part timer for the first 10 years of my total years of being a pressure washer". They give the impression on their site that they have always been a full time washer from day one. I have even seen them add years to their " experience". These same contractors who put these other contractors down because they are part timers also was Part Timers as well, they just do not want anyone to know it.

[John T 744]

As far as Part timers...

I know of three well known internet contractors who say they started cleaning in 19** . But they never say "I was a part timer for the first 10 years of my total years of being a pressure washer". They give the impression on their site that they have always been a full time washer from day one. I have even seen them add years to their " experience". These same contractors who put these other contractors down because they are part timers also was Part Timers as well, they just do not want anyone to know it.

Good points Jim. I seen those same guys do exactly what your saying over the years.