Full time or part time?

[One Tough Pressure 580]

This pertains to all areas of washing, not just residential.

[Aplus 525]

I was part time from 1996 until May 2002, when I resigned from my day job and started in this biz full time.

I have never looked back.

[ron p 500]

just went full time

im dead in the water.

rain is killing me.

lowballer's are killing me

im going to go to school to get retrainned in a new line of work.

either HVAC or electrician.

going to the union hall on friday.

[Guest rfitz]

Ron, Not sure waht you specialize in, but I have been washing alot of homes, and the weather doesnt effect that at all, in fact the only thing rain would effect is wood, and there are products out there you can use 1 hour after a rain...

Just a thought...

[Mike Hughes 18]

Been full time since the day I started............Feb 2, 1998.

[Everett Abrams 501]

I am very surprised that no one has voted for the last option. There are folks jumping off and out all around. I would suggest that the weather has played a major factor in this year. It has wreaked havoc with scheduling for many people. This actually goes back to the winter up here in the northeast, for full-time folks, as we had a rough winter with temperatures, snow, ice, etc. There seems to be a lot of equipment that is new to nearly-new available. I stand by previous made statements, that it isn't the industry we are in that makes you successful or not. It is the individual(s) involved. Many contractors who work outside are in the same situation that we are with weather issues, lowballers, etc. Business always seems to run in cycles, you just weather the storms!

[Henry B. 4]

I thought that this year was awesome. Of course I have had a hard time sealing decks as quickly as I would like to but every other company in the area has the same problems. I have been in business for 15 years now and this has probably been one of the best year I have ever had. The constant rain is causing houses to mildew all over the place so I just started concentrating on house washing more than usual. Of course I just rigged up this real sweet double gun trailer unit with a couple x jets and my own modifications and it just kicks butt.

Here is a link to my equipment. http://www.henryshousework.com/html/power_washing_equipment.html

[Guest rfitz]

Henry, that is about the coolest website I have seen for this industry,

great job, and I couldnt agree more, this is my first year in residential powerwashing, and it has been awesome, and people never even heard of me before, I cant imagine how busy someone could be after 2-3-4 years in this business, I dont even have an ad in the yelo pages yet and I am slammed, I see doubling, if not tripling business every year, at least that is my goal, but I will make that happen with proper marketing and advertising, and selling, and of course delivering good quality work...

[mattia 14]

Been full time since last year, been a good year, I do 90% commercial, but will not turn down wash jobs for just about anything, I have one employee...

Matt

[Aplus 525]

Henry,

That looks like a beginners rig, but the Hydrotek is nice. Seriously, there's no room for expansion, and a single axle trailer is too squirrly with that much weight on it.

[John T 744]

Everett is 100% right. It comes down to the Individual. Some people just refuse to fail no matter what the circumstances are such as weather, Lowballers etc.

I am part time but I am having by far my best year. I never Powerwashed so much in my life for one season and I think the rain had alot to do with it because of the tremendous amount of Mold that is growing on peoples house,decks etc. because of it.

As far as going fulltime in this Business to be Honest next year I may make more Powerwashing then I do with my fulltime job which pays pretty good...Which leaves me with this Question.

Would I still be considered a part timer here???

[Mike Williamson 198]

John T:

I agree totally. I don't understand people jumping out and selling their equipment. Heck, worst case get a job and store the equipment until things get better...wash part time if you have to. What I think happens to some folks is that they get in thinking it is easy money, easy work, and they find they don't like it as much as they thought....so when things get tight there's their excuse to get out.

As you said, some refuse to fail, some refuse to succeed, and some are caught in the middle. It is the same with any business. Some will excel, some will do OK, and some will shut down.

[John T 744]

Exactly. Its called the law of averages. I fall into the category of refusing to fail.

The only problem that I may have if someone wants to call it a problem is when I find something that I like I stick with it. The draw back to this is I won't look into other opportunities as hard as I should because I devote all my time in what I like. What this means is that I could be missing out on something possibly very profitable because of my Tunnel vision here.

So the point I'm making is that its great to do what you like and make $$$$ doing it but always keep your eyes opened to other great opportunties that my come your way and if it means to leave your business that could be the way to go.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Some people just refuse to fail no matter what the circumstances are such as weather, Lowballers etc.

There's fear of success and fear of failure. Most entrpreneurs have fear of failure. In this case you're afraid if you don't do the right hings there is a worse consequence.

If one thing holds a person back, nothing does it faster than a fear of success. Being afraid of doing well because you never have, or fearing you won't be able to handle a challenging or uncomfortable situation, those are enough to cause anyone to make decisions they may regret later.

Cool thread.

Beth :groovy:

[Ernie Greese 14]

........they get in thinking it is easy money, easy work, and they find they don't like it as much as they thought....so when things get tight there's their excuse to get out.

Mike,

I think you're being a slight bit harsh here! What many guys do is get into the biz without a plan and very little money. Then when the bills come due on the machine, the equipment, the chemicals, the trailer, the truck, the rent, the school clothes and the taxes, etc. they don't have squat to pay. They don't have money for the family and insurance is out of the question. Then the machine or the trailer, truck, car or wife breaks down for whatever reason and they are flipping out. They end up trying to unload everything to the dealer. He dosen't want that stuff back. What's a person to do? Major industries go down for less.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Ernie:

And whose fault is it that they didn't plan very well, or jumped into it with nothing but a hope and a prayer? If they make it, great, I'm happy for them, but if they don't, the fault very often lies with their lack of proper planning. That's all. Even WITH proper planning some businesses don't make it.

[Ernie Greese 14]

Starting a small business is always risky, and the chance of success is slim. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and 95% fail within the first five years.

In his book Small Business Management, Michael Ames gives the following reasons for small business failure:

1:Lack of experience

2:Insufficient capital (money)

3:Poor location

4:Poor inventory management

5:Over-investment in fixed assets

6:Poor credit arrangements

7:Personal use of business funds

8:Unexpected growth

Gustav Berle adds two more reasons in The Do It Yourself Business Book:

9:Competition

10:Low sales

[Guest rfitz]

You only get out of something as much as you put in, and 20% of the people do actually 80% of the work...? In any business, if you dont love what you do,

chances are you wont make it... or you wont make it work..

[Ernie Greese 14]

Rob,

You are so right, love of what you are doing is extremely important I agree completely. However, the SBA report that I posted is cold and unemotional. I can probably find you guys who love this business right into bankruptcy. They enjoy what they do so much they regularly work for free or nearly free.

[Guest rfitz]

Last year I read a great book, Called, How Much Should I charge. By Ellen Rohr, and it is a great starting point for anyone that wants to go into business for themself, I highly recommend it...., for example, If Im not making over $135.00 an hour for at least 22-32 hours a week. I wont stay in business, now since we are all in the same business, this dollar amount is pretty close to what You ALL need to be making, if not you will have a short lived business, and a terrible looking portfolio... remember, your customers have to pay you and your family's medical insurance, life insurance, IRA'S

of at least $25,000 a year, kids college, not to mention all your overhead,

and your take home salary,plus they need to pay all your taxes, it's alot to think about, but if you dont, it's your loss....

[Mike Williamson 198]

Ernie: Those stats are fine, and I don't doubt them. However, I'd be curious to see how the stats for the pressure washing industry compare to the overall stats.

Every industry is different, and what may kill a business in on industry may have little effect in another.

I do agree that you typically get out what you put into it. However, as I said, even with proper planning there's no guarantee. My whole point in my earlier post was that there are different types of people, some who are driven to succeed, some who aren't, and some in the middle...A vast advantage in the road to success is possessed by the small business owner who is driven to excel. Where some find a way to fail, others find a way to succeed. That's not harsh, nor cold, it is simple fact.

[Ernie Greese 14]

Mike,

I agree. Those who don't have the drive to succeed, will hopefully see the light soonest. Those in the middle will probably not see the light till later. Those with the drive, ambition, knowledge and good sense will come out on top.

SBA list for business failure reasons (WITH MY SPIN)

1:Lack of experience - (you gotta be a quick learner if this biz)

2:Insufficient capital (money) - (if you worry about money all

the time you tend to make bad calls, just to survive)

3:Poor location - (rather be in Florida than the Arctic)

4:Poor inventory management - (buying more than you can use)

5:Over-investment in fixed assets - (too many bells and whistles)

6:Poor credit arrangements -(letting customer pay whenever)

7:Personal use of business funds - (the customer pays and guy goes out and buys a keg)

8:Unexpected growth - (If you can't handle the new business the customers will go elsewhere)

Gustav Berle adds two more reasons in The Do It Yourself Business Book:

9:Competition ( If you try to wash houses for $69.00 cause that's what the other does )

10:Low sales - (if they ain't buyin' what's the use of tryin')

[Mike Williamson 198]

Ernie:

Great points.

Robert:

I agree, too many people fail to look ahead. They think that if they're making $30.00/hour, they're doing great because their other option is a $10.00/hour job...But they don't think about things like those you mentioned...retirement, kids college, health insurance, etc etc. That's the problem with lowballers and fly-by-night operators...They're perfectly happy working 20 or so hours a week making $25-$40.00/hour...they're making more than they ever have, and they're not working 40 hours/week. They're perfectly happy to wash a house for $69.00, because they don't use any chems, they may use up $3.00 in gas, and they're done in a couple hours, if that...$35.00/hour is good money to someone used to making $10.00. They make in a couple hours what they used to make in a full day working.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Robert:

Keep in mind with those numbers that what I need to make to succeed will not necessarily be what you need to succeed. There are too many factors that come into play. The first is the area in which you live. It's relatively cheap to live where I do...my mortgage is only $54k, and that's for 2000sf on a lake. There are no state taxes in Florida. Gas prices are relatively low here, though they are some of the highest in the state.

Another factor is very simply your lifestyle. While one person's goal is to live in an expensive house in a nice subdivision, drive brand new cars and trucks, have all the latest toys, etc, another person's goal may be to live in a cheaper rural home, they may not need or even want a new car or truck every couple years, they may not desire all the newest and latest toys, etc.

Also, some of us have wives/husbands who work, and some of us don't. For example, my wife works a job that provides us with health insurance, provides her with a nice 401k plan, an excellent retirement plan, and lots of other benefits. Therefore, I don't need to factor in those expenses into what I need to make.

The bottom line is, what it takes for each person to succeed long term can't be pinned down so easily.

[Ernie Greese 14]

Mike,

Sounds like you have a good life in the Sunshine State. However, I don't know if it's a good idea to predicate a business on the fact that one has a spouse who works, has insurance, etc. That's unpredictable and heaven forbid she got downsized or whatever, you would be caught in the middle. Consider the business as a separate entity, that you work for rather than you as the business. The business has a life of its own, the business has to earn X dollars to survive and thrive. It makes economical sense to consider one's business as our employer, in that way we earn a comfortable living, invest, vacation and retire regardless of any lifestyle.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Ernie:

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not cutting my prices nor my hours just because I am saving on certain expenses! I absolutely agree with you.

And yes, it is a good life! I'll be thinking of you northern folks around January when I can still wear a flannel shirt to work, and still take it off by 10 or 11 in the morning. :)