New Pressure Washing Business

[bturley]

Thanks ahead of time again for your thoughts and ideas ahead of time guys and gals. I'm in the process of saving money to buy the equipment to start my own pressure washing business. My company would clean the exterior of your home, sidewalks, stone, decks, patios, Restaurant store fronts* (this is my main business), and could branch out into cleaning boats, rv's, and roofs. My question is there anyone out there who has had this type of service at your home? I'm trying to gain knowledge of the demand/market for my service. The reason why I'm starting this biz is my close friend also does this line of work in a different area than me and makes a pretty good living at it. I believe I could do very well in this field that most people don't even think about. Any feedback on the experience you have with a cleaning service such as this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a great day! Oh by the way I live in southern California so it's pretty hot most of the time.

[huggytree]

i have no experience with it

id recommend working for someone in the pressure washing business for a while...learn it

[cbscreative]

Like any business, you just need to get established. One key element is to differentiate yourself from the competition. Being cheaper is a bad idea, so look for another way to stand out. Is your equipment quieter? That would be a good example of differentiation. One reason that comes to mind is we've have several instances in my neighborhood lately of noisy carpet cleaners (probably luring business with cheap prices). Since that equipment tends to run for hours at a time, I wouldn't be surprised if we get some zoning restrictions on acceptable noise levels. If someone shows up with a petition, I would sign it.

If you get past my slight rant, look for ways to be unique. Use cleaning agents that don't gag everyone within a hundred feet, apply a mildew inhibitor in the final step, use less water than competitors so your customers don't get gouged on their water bill, something...but have a unique selling point.

[huggytree]

if he has never worked in the business how would he know how to be better?

work for someone in this business....see what they do right and wrong

just jumping into a business because your friend makes good $ at it is not the best way to start...know the business first.

i worked in my fiend for 10 years before going out on my own...i saw many flaws in my bosses business plan....i saw how he was a screw up and still made tons of money......i also saw his biggest strength...he known everyone....networking was the best lesson he taught me and how important it is in my business.....

[vangogh]

if he has never worked in the business how would he know how to be better?

You don't always need to work for someone else in the business to be successful with your own. I think it's generally good advice to know the business before starting your own, but he could easily learn enough from his friend in this case. I agree with you that working in the industry is probably the best way to gain that experience. I just don't think it's the only way.

I don't have an experience myself with having a hired a pressure washer. I'm only a recent home owner. I would think there's a market for pressure washers though. I wouldn't expect most home owners to want it done all the time, but every so often it makes sense. It would certainly make sense for anyone looking to sell their home. Maybe building a relationship with a real estate agency would be a good idea.

Seems businesses would want the service more often. Maybe walk into a few local shops and talk to the owners to get a feeling for what interest there would be and how much they might pay.

Unless you and your friend live in very different kinds of communities I can't see why he would be able to find a market and you wouldn't. I would think in most areas there will be people who want your service and those who don't

[PPowerwash]

There is alot of money to be made in pressure washing. It's not easy. I would recommend maybe trying to find a contractor and trade labor for training. Alot of contractors will do that. No one locally would do it, but look for someone a hr or two away. Pressure washing isn't just spraying everything with water. Also, depending on what you are washing, you might want to look into your local discharge guidelines and the EPA laws. They are getting pretty strict about wastewater nowadays. All I can tell you is, research, research, research! Let me kno if there is anything I can help you with. I have years of experince in the industry.