Multiple Business Names?

[mikew 14]

Has anyone on this board considered using multiple business names to target customers?

For example:

DBA #1 - ABC Wood Care - use something like this to get targeted customers for deck and fence work.

DBA #2 - ABC Pressure Cleaning - use this to get customers that are wanting pressure washing services.

Just wondering if this is worth trying or not. You would have to spread your marketing costs between the 2 names which concerns me.

Thanks,

Mike

[squirtgun 122]

Mike,

I think doing buiness under several names would be confusing.If you advertise in the yellow pages have them list your company under all of the headings you feel will help you attract customers.(pressure washing,cleaning,wood care etc>)

[Don Phelps 85]

Has anyone on this board considered using multiple business names to target customers?

For example:

DBA #1 - ABC Wood Care - use something like this to get targeted customers for deck and fence work.

DBA #2 - ABC Pressure Cleaning - use this to get customers that are wanting pressure washing services.

Just wondering if this is worth trying or not. You would have to spread your marketing costs between the 2 names which concerns me.

Thanks,

Mike

A lot of companies do it. Usually those like handyman/woman, etc. If you run it by an accountant, they can get it all squared away for you. In many ways, DBA's actually simplify things at the end of the fiscal year.

[PressurePros 248]

I dba Pressurepros, Inc and Grease Doctor™. I am selling my share in Grease Doctor but I am thinking of renaming the residential business and keeping it under the pressurepros umbrella. I want to get away from the word pressure.

[mikew 14]

Mike,

I think doing buiness under several names would be confusing.If you advertise in the yellow pages have them list your company under all of the headings you feel will help you attract customers.(pressure washing,cleaning,wood care etc>)

Hi Scott,

I was going to initially advertise under all of the relevant headings. But now I am wondering if that is best. My concern is that if my name implies pressure cleaning services then customers would not want to call my company to work on their deck when they could call a company that implies wood care in their name. Same principal applies in reverse as well.

What do you think?

[mikew 14]

A lot of companies do it. Usually those like handyman/woman, etc. If you run it by an accountant, they can get it all squared away for you. In many ways, DBA's actually simplify things at the end of the fiscal year.

Hi Don,

Can you shed some light on how DBA's simplify things at the end of the year or would I need to speak with an accountant?

Thanks!

Mike

[mikew 14]

I dba Pressurepros, Inc and Grease Doctor™. I am selling my share in Grease Doctor but I am thinking of renaming the residential business and keeping it under the pressurepros umbrella. I want to get away from the word pressure.

Hi Ken,

Curious as to why you want to get away from the word pressure?

I was thinking of doing something like this:

(names are just examples....)

INC and DBA this name: ABC Pressure Cleaning

DBA this name under above INC: ABC Wood Care

Does that sound like what you have done?

Thanks,

Mike

[Don Phelps 85]

Hi Mike,

It would be best to get all the info you need from an accountant due to the fact that you're in a different locale. It probably wouldn't have any effect on it, but I don't want to mislead or misinform you.

[PressurePros 248]

Hey Mike,

90% of what I do is done with under a thousand psi. I am meticulous with technique and I don't leave anything half cleaned. A pressure washer is but a tool in my arsenal. A contractor that does construction does not refer to himself as a hammerer or a nailer. I would like to leave behind people's myths of "pressure washers" by educating people to what we do and raising the bar on standards and equipment. With all due respect to guys/gals that are new in this business, when I see posts that start "I have a 2.5 gpm 40 gazillion psi pressure washer, and I'm looking to make extra money" my skin crawls. I have extension wands that cost more than the machines at Home Depot. From a business standpoint, I don't sweat them because they find out how difficult and expensive things really are, and they disappear after the first season. But from a public image perspective, the customer gets the same result..ultra cheap price, **** job and a bad taste in their mouth. I don't want to be grouped with those kinds of "companies" or to eb known as another pressure washer.

Last night I was presenting a proposal for a monster deck. I was the highest price by double. I actually thought I was low bidding. Anyway, I kept the dialogue open and found out through Q&A that the people were not upset with my price they just wanted me to legitimize it. It wasn't too hard because they said the last company used so much pressure on their cedar deck that they were scraping splinters from the deck off of their stucco. Amazing. The name is not as critical as to where you advertise. In the yellow pages here we have a special section for deck cleaning. I get 80% of my calls from there.

[mikew 14]

Hey Mike,

90% of what I do is done with under a thousand psi. I am meticulous with technique and I don't leave anything half cleaned. A pressure washer is but a tool in my arsenal. A contractor that does construction does not refer to himself as a hammerer or a nailer. I would like to leave behind people's myths of "pressure washers" by educating people to what we do and raising the bar on standards and equipment. With all due respect to guys/gals that are new in this business, when I see posts that start "I have a 2.5 gpm 40 gazillion psi pressure washer, and I'm looking to make extra money" my skin crawls. I have extension wands that cost more than the machines at Home Depot. From a business standpoint, I don't sweat them because they find out how difficult and expensive things really are, and they disappear after the first season. But from a public image perspective, the customer gets the same result..ultra cheap price, **** job and a bad taste in their mouth. I don't want to be grouped with those kinds of "companies" or to eb known as another pressure washer.

Last night I was presenting a proposal for a monster deck. I was the highest price by double. I actually thought I was low bidding. Anyway, I kept the dialogue open and found out through Q&A that the people were not upset with my price they just wanted me to legitimize it. It wasn't too hard because they said the last company used so much pressure on their cedar deck that they were scraping splinters from the deck off of their stucco. Amazing. The name is not as critical as to where you advertise. In the yellow pages here we have a special section for deck cleaning. I get 80% of my calls from there.

Hi Ken,

What you say here makes sense to me. I have been reading (and re-reading) threads on this board for months now. There is more to this business then having a 5000psi pressure washer that is for sure.

I can see why you are wanting to get away from using the word Pressure in your name. It is kind of the same reasoning as to why I want to use 2 names. My thought is that someone who wants their deck restored would rather use a company that has a name related to wood care etc... NOT PRESSURE ******. This goes along with what you were saying that most of your work is done with low pressure.

On the flip side someone looking to have their house washed would not think to call a deck restoration company to have their house cleaned, driveway cleaned, etc...

I may just have to try it out and see what works best.

I'm open to thoughts, suggestions, experiences from anyone.

Thanks!

Mike

[JFife 14]

I think about your approach as well. Jon Fife Enterprises, DBA abc decks, etc. But....you'll multiply your biz costs every time, twice as many cards, twice as many vehicle wraps, etc. Now, let's say you are starting out, one vehicle, etc., what name would you put on it??? Both??? What if you are doing one pw job and one deck job, change vehicles during the day?? Change shirts?? I have no idea how big of a biz you currently have, but i'd think you'd need to have a substantial amount of work coming in to justify this. So, I'd start out with whichever thing is working best for you at this time, say decks, and name your biz abc deckcare, and advertise you do houses, driveways as well. ONce you have a lot of that coming in, you could consider starting abc powerwash. good luck,

jon

[First Impressions 14]

Hi folks, mind if i way in on this thought. Not sure of how well it's going to work, I felt I covered the angles of multiple jobs under my name. First Impressions Exterior Cleaning and then listing the applications that I handle.

Just wondering what your thoughts were on the Exterior Cleaning aspect?

Dan.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Large companies do this all the time. Best example I can give you, is in your grocery store. Go into the cereal isle. Look at the all the verious types and kinds. Next, count the number of companies making them. Look at General Mills and Kraft Foods. Kraft owns the entire Post line of cereals for example. Subsidiary companies can mean huge growth, but all the problems you have with one company, will be there for multiple companies, plus other unique challenges.

Persoanlly, this is not something I would not do. I have thought about it, and it sounds too nightmarish.

Beth

[newlook 265]

We have 2 companies:

New Look Power Wash

New Look Partnerships, Inc

[mikew 14]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I think I will stick with 1 name for now. Seems like more than 1 would be difficult to handle.

Thanks!

Mike

[Larry B 55]

Newlook has the right idea. I use this same type of business names as well. Mid Valley Mobile******* and Mid Valley Mobile*******. Most of my customers make the checks out to mid valley mobile anyway. Very easy book keeping and only had to register another business name with the State and makes identification with truck and cards very simple. It cost very little to get forms and business cards printed with the minor changes. I use this to reach different customer for each company name.