Quitting my full time job?

Palmetto Roof

Palmetto Roof

Member
OK so the wife and I looked at some numbers... I don't make much money working my job after gas, and childcare, wife works nights too. ( child care is 900 a month for 2 kids ) I sleep most of the day, The time I need to be out getting roofs to wash! Looks like I'll do better leaving my full time job and diving into my roof company head first. I have managed to get my name out there abit, and have had very little time to put into the company. 15 hours a week or so. But I managed to make more from money from my company than I have from my normal full time job. So I think I'll be putting in a two weeks notice. Honestly Im scared to death! I have always had a good job or been in the Military for 10 yrs. I am motivated and excited about this, but can't stand the thought of failing my two lil girls, wife, and risking my house. I hope this is the right move, just looking for some ideas, thoughts, advise, tips, or suggestions. Anyone in here ever toss a perfectly good job to power wash full time? I wanna hear your story!
Thanks for the support!
 
I say dont just focus on roof cleaning, there are a lot of cheap people, not all but many that wont clean their roofs, but they will spend to clean the exterior of there houses. Go after everything the 1st couple years and then try to specialize. You have to make money for your family so wash everything, Roofs are nice, but maybe hard to stay busy day in & day out. House washes you can be washing every day down here in the moldy south.

Good luck to you

Jeff
 
I walked away from a NICE salaried position, at a Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning company, to start my business. I was 19, and had NO fear at all. There have been rough times, here and there, but it has been worth it. I don't think my business would be where it is today, if I had to juggle another job at the same time.

Good luck!
 
If you do it I agree with Jeff,you have to diversify and charge for every hour on every job.We wash everything and we also clean windows and I have a pole pruner that we will trim any trees back that are rubbing on the house or are to close.Whatever that homeowner or business needs we will try to get it done or find someone who will.

Good Luck!and keep your eye on the prize
 
Jeffrey,
I feel for you my friend. I went through the same thing 10 yrs. ago. Our venture was:
We had no work, so we took any kind of work we could do to bring in money. We plowed snow for two Winters. Our first January brought in about $176.00. My wife kept her job so we could survive. Our painting business was so slow, we were the cheapest around. We slowly learned to become more professional and looked for ways to grow. I know I slept about 4 hrs. a day. Never passed an oppourtunity to learn and make some money. Our business sucked, used the cheapest paint we could get and did everything twice, till we learned the right way. We joined the PDCA and our business took off. Belonging to an organization will help and it certainly made us what we are today. Networking and people sharing ideas. No one ever gave us a job from any organization. They gave us the tools to get jobs and keep them. By getting better and more efficient over the years, we grew. You will succeed and grow if you want to. You will become profitable and enjoy the benefits of a successful business as you wish. Working too many hrs. and keeping focus on what you want to accomplish is what you must do. If you don't already have one, draw up a business plan, NOW. You need direction. Make it believable and yet taxing to yourself. You will need a line of credit to grow. The bank will ask you for a business plan. Set goals and gather any ideas you can. Ask for help and utilize them. It's no easy task to be profitable and will require allot of heart. Your wife will have to be 100% behind you also. After all is said and done, you will not regret what you have accomplished. No one can tell everything you must do. Use your common sense and put your heart into your business. You will succeed. Hope this gives you some ideas. Thank You for sharing your goals with us.
 
Oh shoot, don't worry about it, just do it.

When I went full time, I had three kids and a stay at home wife. I was actually a manager at a local dairy with 150 employees. For all of the headaches, and I could go on all day, I was not making squat. I was actually making less than my employees. Can you say wrong??? Then worse, when one of them did not show up for whatever reason, I was expected to cover for them, and not get paid the commission. Really wrong.
Anyway, I quit that, and got another job driving a truck for a year. I was supposed to help that company start a trucking division with up to 50 trucks, but the day I started, they changed their minds and said that they just wanted me as a driver. As a driver it was a gravy gig. I barely worked 40 hours a week. My pay started from the time I left the yard to the time I returned to the yard, including sleep time, and they paid ALL my expenses.
I did that for a year, exactly. In the meantime, I had developped enough of a wash base to go full time. I had some really good accounts, almost all of them were on Saturday, and busted my hump.
I haven't looked back since. It has been great.
 
It IS scary. Ive been at the same place for 20 years. Full time job, full time biz, single dad of two, well 3 but the oldest is a Marine. The only thing that faulters is sleep, Im doing good if I get 5 hours. Its a big step, if you think you still need the extra money from the day job, cut back on your sleep. If you have a problem doing that start doing KEC, youll be not sleeping in no time.
 
Roger walked away from 12 years vested with GE - benefits up the wazoo, 401K, etc... at the same time I kicked mortgage lending to the curb. At that time we had 4 kids at home, enough of a mortgage payment to choke a horse. With both of us investing our time & energy into the business, it was scary for about 5 minutes.

Don't get me wrong - we have had our slim months, even down to sweeping cheerios out from under the fridge times, but it's all been great.

You'll be fine but worst case scenario, pick up a part time gig at a home improvement store to supplement (you get discounts!)

Celeste
 
Just make sure your wife is cool with it. If she has some hesitation then I'd say have a PT job to go along with the roofs. If she doesn't mind, then just go for it. Nothing's worth loosing your wife or your children. And up-sell like your life depended on it. Give quotes for house wash, roof wash, side walk, and driveway even if they don't ask for it.
 
Good luck, i wash part time, i have 23 years in the army, i dont have enough work to quit, and i think they put you in front of a firing squard if you quit during war time.
 
Thanks for all the advise and encouragement! I did submit my resignation this morning, I'll be a free man April 11th, The corperate BS is getting to me, and my boss is a prick. I just wanna go to work happy! I like cleaning houses. I'll still be in the Marine Corps reserves, That will help off set. I feel this is the right thing for me, Im jumping in so look out!
 
Palmetto Roof said:
Thanks for all the advise and encouragement! I did submit my resignation this morning, I'll be a free man April 11th, The corperate BS is getting to me, and my boss is a prick. I just wanna go to work happy! I like cleaning houses. I'll still be in the Marine Corps reserves, That will help off set. I feel this is the right thing for me, Im jumping in so look out!
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By you picture in your avatar, I could never tell you were a marine LOL

Best of luck to you
 
My wife and I worked for halliburton for a year and a half in Iraq, saved some money and came home. We started buying investment houses, but were spending more than we were making for about a year. After blowing through 60 grand of savings (thats after sutracting what we made), we got into PW. November was our first real month, and we made -$964 after everything cleared. yes that minus. But we have gradually worked up from there, and this month should clear 9 grand. Maybe $10k if a couple of bids come through. And we dont have much advertising out there yet. Basically just our website and word of mouth. We get up every morning and are excited for once. And even when things go bad on a job, just think, "I could be doing this for someone else, and have them breathing down my neck." (instead its my wife breathing down my neck).

You seem to really be a go getter, so I say as long as things are savvy with the wifey, go for it. Just make sure you have enough saved to go a few months in case you hit a slow patch.
 
I know I speak for Russ and Ron here, and myself, when I say many of you are the "rising stars" of PWI !
All of you new guys are class acts, and you WILL make it.
Just keep following your dream.
Scott and Jeffrey, PPC has some good marketing ideas, as does everyone here.
You guys up north are coming into your season, time to make the moohla :D
 
Scott D. said:
We get up every morning and are excited for once. And even when things go bad on a job, just think, "I could be doing this for someone else, and have them breathing down my neck." (instead its my wife breathing down my neck).
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Scott, good for you, this biz can be real exciting to watch grow. Good luck to you. It can be a great biz:cool:
 
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