Thanks guys...appreciate it. The goal is to make your company shine and get the message parked infront of potential customers. The newspaper is one of many ways to do this....
Here is the rest of the article that was under the pic:
SUISUN CITY -- Some people dream all their lives of opening a certain business. Carlos Gonzales stumbled upon his business dream completely by accident.
After years of commuting more than four hours each way to Silicon Valley and making more than $100,000 in direct marketing, Gonzales fell victim to the dot-com bust and lost his job. He spent months sitting in his home wondering what was next for him. With the economy worsening and corporate America surrering from one scandal after another, he wasn't sure how he would be able to support his family anymore.
Then one afternoon in a fit of boredom, he rented a power wash from a local rental yard to power wash his home, and a business dream was born.
"I could not believe the number of people that stopped that day and inquired whether or not I did this professionally," Gonzales said. "It was unbelievable."
He realized power washing was a sought-after service, and began to research opening his own power-wash business. He found out that while it may seem power washing is a simple process, it is actually a complex industry.
"Anyone can say they own a power-wash company, go to a rental yard, rent a power washer, throw some ladders in the back of their truck and put a $25decal on the side announcing they are in busines," he said.
"But it is a carefully orchestrated process where you have to have knowledge of chemicals and how long they can sit on certain surfaces. You have to know about wind conditions, because if you let the chemicals dry you could do more damage to the side of the house than good. You need to understand that you need to use different pressures for different surfaces. It's a real industry where you have to know what you're doing to be considered a legitimate company."
Gonzales learned all he could, using his house as a guinea pig. He also researched how many other power washing companies there were in the area, and was surprised to learn there were very few.
"I thought to myself that this was a market that really hadn't been exposed here in Solano County," he said. It was a chance to be his own boss and work out of his home.
Today, Gonzales has given up his business suit and desk for jeans and the great outdoors. He doesn't mind it a bit.
"I enjoy it," he said. "Its a comfort to get up in the morning and know I get to climb up on somebody's roof and smell the air."
That doesn't mean his marketing savvy hasn't come in handy, however.
Besides passing out fliers, knocking on doors, and telemarketing, he's also come up with several other unique promotions. For Mother's Day, he offered to power wash homes for $150. Once every three months, he randomly selects two customers from his data base and gives them a special gift, such as basketball tickets, dinner at a fancy restaurant, or a visit to a spa. He has a customer referral program where people get cash back for helping him get another job. He's alsotaling to several real estate companies about how he can help them sell houses by making them look better.
"When people come to see a house, whether the outside is clean or dirty really sets the tone for the rest of the viewing," he said. "If they see that it really shines....it gives them the impression that the home owner really takes care of their place."
Gonzales emphasized the importance of power washing commercial property as well, to create an immaculate, professional presentation for customers. He hopes to sign on with several local businesses to do on-going power wash services.
He takes pride in the company's two simple fundamental business practices: customer satisfaction and delivery of quality services.
"Most of my business so far has been by referrals and word of mouth," he said. "If I do a good job on one house, and their neighbor comes over and comments or asks about it and gets a positive response, that helps my business grow. I want to convey to convey to customers that this is a company they can rely on."
New Look Power Wash is open seven days a week and will schedule power wash appointments two months in advance.
...and there you have it...thats how it started!! Happy hunting.
