Neil Serafin ⋅ Easthampton, MA Telecommunications ⋅ 40 years experience

I am a big fan of contracts with colleges and utilities. You have many colleges nearby. As for utilities: Power and Telephone. The amount of utility nodes and pedestals that I see that have a need for cleaning, should keep you very busy.

Barry Sosnick ⋅ Greenlawn, NY Great Whites Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics ⋅ 5 years experience

I like puzzles and this is an interesting one. It will require a bit of an exchange to get down to find the disconnect. First two questions: (1) how many businesses are in your area that would need your service; (2) and how many competitors are there? It is a good starting point for solving this problem.

I have a few ideas to work on immediately...

First, since you have a residential business, perhaps consider creating a package. They pay a slightly higher fee to have their homes and decks power washed throughout the warmer months.

Second, approach the local civic association or chamber of commerce. Our association maintains the garbage pails, planters and benches along the main street. You can offer to maintain them in exchange from promoting your service. You can do the same for the chamber of commerce: power wash and paint the meeting room in their headquarters. Hopefully, this will lead to clients.

Finally, network with realtors. Offer a service to power wash and paint homes before they go on the market. We did this for our house before we put it up for sale.

Best of luck!

Tim Mathews ⋅ San Antonio, TX U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 11 years served

Heath,

My first job, from age 11 to 18, was working for a pressure washing company. It was a small business that my father started. We did not get rich, but it paid the bills. My job was to connect to the water and electrical sources, fill the soap jugs, scrup all surfaces with a giant brush, and get drenched by the power sprayer in 35-degree Maine weather.

We had very steady, weekly business, from oil companies, schools, public transportation, paving companies, and some utility companies (cable companies, phone companies). Back then, I think we charged $10-$15 per oil/gas truck or dump truck, more for buses, and a little less for smaller vehicles. There were about 2 or 3 weekly customers who owned 10 to 30 buses, and about 5 or 6 weekly customers who owned anywhere from 5 to 30 large trucks and 2 to 10 smaller trucks, for an average week of 50 buses, 100 large trucks, and 40 smaller ones.

Our startup and overhead costs were proportionately higher back then. Equipment prices in the industry, from what I've seen, have come down dramatically from the $12,000 power washer we started out with in 1989, and I would expect that with 20 years of inflation, you should be able to charge more than we did, especially since I was in a locale with a low cost of living.

Takeaway: the core of our business was cleaning vehicles for oil and gas companies, school districts, public transportation, paving companies, and utility companies. They present steady, frequent work, because they are always on the road, getting very dirty. Companies quickly realized that many of their customers' perceptions were positively shaped by seeing a shiny service vehicle pull up in their driveway, rather than one caked in muck and grime. Once we gained a steady customer in one industry, their competitors took notice and hired us as well. As for school buses and commuter buses, it was a safety and maintenance issue. Buses have a lot of windows to clean and they get frequent maintenance - even if only for preventive checks. Clean windows and clean parts improve safety and simplify maintenance.

I don't know what the market is like in your locale, but that is what worked for us. My father was able to make a good living at that for over ten years, and I was able to earn a decent part-time paycheck on weekends, and full-time in the summer. With regard to the painting side of your business, my only thought on that is that stripping paint with a power washer is a lot quicker and probably has a higher profit margin than applying new coats. Perhaps focus on the pressure washing side of the business first, and branch out to include paint work later, if necessary to augment your revenues.

One other note: initially, we also cleaned restaurant kitchens (mostly degreasing the oven areas to reduce fire hazards). This was such time-consuming, unsteady, unprofitable work, that we simply stopped doing it. (It was also a bit unsettling to see what many restaurant kitchens look like - there are some I won't eat in after those experiences).

Best of luck,

Tim

Michael Mitchell ⋅ Nashville, TN EMF Telecom Inc ⋅ 25 years experience

Heath,

You've gotten some really good advice Neil and Barry. Perhaps I can give a a little advise too.

Starting a business from scratch is very difficult and can be mentally exhausting as well. So here is my advice...

Know where your revenue is coming from and try to make that piece of your business larger. If you're selling in residential then push residential. You need to eat and pay bills, exploit what works!!!

You're in a very competitive business so you need to set yourself apart somehow. If you can't get traction in certain segments be it geographical or by type of business, usually there is a reason. Is there too much competition in the area, are your prices too high or too low to be believed? Do you not offer services your competition offers? Do your hours of operation not align with the company you're trying to serve? Or is it as simple as what you wear to a sales call or does your sale flyer need to look better?

Here are a few things I live by when running my own company.

1 ) "You can't eat prestige" Don't try to be something you're not, if it pays the bills exploit it.

2 ) "Eliminate the Customers Problems" On your next sales call, take a different tack, ask the customer what currently keeps them up at night? And what doesn't your competitors do? Find a crack and stick your foot in it!

3 ) "Manage, Market and Maintain" Manage your gear and keep everything clean and very functional, be proud of what you do so let it show. If a customer sees dirty crappy looking trucks, clothes and gear, they are going to think crappy job. Be presentable and generally interested in a quality job. Everything you do is for that next sale, it's easier to sell by referral's then it is go door to door. It sounds corny but orders some customized work T-shirts, keep them clean and wear them everyday.

4 ) Being an Entrepreneur is a Marathon not a race. Stay out of debt as much as possible and aware of any purchases. Don't buy stuff you don't need.

5 ) You're only as good as your last job!

In closing, take 5% of each job and throw it in a savings account. Use this for your taxes, nothing will close your business faster than not paying your taxes. Plus it makes a good "rainy day" fund in an extreme emergency.

Good Luck,
MjM