Just a Hello

I have been lurking on a few PW Forums for the past couple of weeks. I have been doing a ton of reading. So much that I feel an information over-load is going to melt my brain.

I would like to get in the biz. I have summers off and used to run my own lawn biz. That has been a few years now. I since moved, settled down and have daughter that will be 1 next week.

I considered mowing lawns again but it is tough during the months of April, May, June, Sept, Oct...trying to mow after work.

That is why I considered the PW biz. I would not have the worry of a weekly service agreement. I feel I could pick up jobs throughout the season and make a big push for work in July/August. Don't get me wrong; I plan to be professional from all aspects if I do it (DBA, EIN, INS ETC).

I do wonder if Part-Time will cover business expenses, but I have a whole summer to go at it...Temp is dam near freezing from NOV-first half of April.

I first though residential...but then thought commercial would be nice for evening or weekend work????

I am Completely open to ADVICE, OPINIONS and SUGGESTIONS!!!! Especially on equipment...I really need to know what to get?? Should I just start with a COLD and stick with Residential business????
Above 13HP...4-5GPM...+3kPSI???

I live in a growing community and have 10 lco's drive down my street in a day. I can't recall ever seeing a trailer with PW Equipment. Res. and Comm. growth in town...just CRAZY!!!

SORRY for the long intro.

Welcome the UAMCC forum.

If you are looking for part time, I would definitely stay residential. You can schedule customers around your job. commercial work is often done at night. in addition, commercial work requires a larger outlay for equipment and high efficiency to be profitable.

For equipment a 4 gpm machine will get you started. In residential work you do not need more than 1500 psi unless you are focusing on concrete. Shoot for the highest gpm you can afford. Set yourself up with 100' of 3/4" supply hose and 200 ft of high pressure line with at least a 50' backup of each. Factor another another $750 for hose reels, guns, couplers and a reserve tank (you won't need more than 50 gallons if you have municipal water in your area).

One thing most guys skip in their original business plan is a marketing budget. You can predict $5 back for every one dollar you spend on advertising (20%). If you want to gross $50K in 2009, you'll need to invest $10K. You can get yourself started with a couple grand and reinvest 20% of each job into your advertising. Once your company is around for three years, referrals start coming in and you can cut your advertising budget down.

If you take the time to write a business plan (you can tap resources like your local community college or SCORE) and properly track your numbers, you can grow very quickly.

Good Luck!

Welcome aboard and what Ken said. :yes:

Welcome, We are here to teach and learn.

Welcome to the UAMCC forum. One other thing I would do is run a Google search on power washing companies in your area. You may be surprised at the number you find. I don't ever recall seeing power washing companies out in my area working but there were many more around than I thought. Good luck.

Welcome Hoss to the BBS....

Good people here that are more than willing to help.

oh...can you add your name to the signature line ....it would be good to know who you are....thanks!!

Welcome to the Madness

I would suggest finding someone to do labor for learning with. You might have to travel out of your area a bit but the education will be priceless.

Doug Dahlke said:

Welcome to the UAMCC forum. One other thing I would do is run a Google search on power washing companies in your area. You may be surprised at the number you find. I don't ever recall seeing power washing companies out in my area working but there were many more around than I thought. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Ran the google search already. Found a handful of companies...none located in my Town/Suburb. They are in surrounding towns. Only 2-3 seem to be exclusive in PW; most are other biz with this service offered.