What's your Story, How did you get started in the Mobile cleaning Business?

My mother kept urging me to start a business and since I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, and college wasn't for me. Lasted about 3 months. She told me about one of her friends husbands was making good money pressure washing. My father used to clean some fleets a while back, and I had done it for some landscaping companies in the past. Did some research, built my rig. Started in spring of 07, winters around here are harsh, so I got a full time job with great benefits and 401k. I was able to wash part time, 1-2 days a week and the weekends. This year I decided if I want to build and grow my business I need to go full time. Dropped to part time so I can still keep my insurance and 401k (two young children, you gotta have medical insurance) and my big discount on sleep # beds. No better way to get in with a potential customer than installing their new Select Comfort Sleep Number bed. So now I sell and wash 4-5 days a week and work 2-3 days at what used to be my full time job. Hopefully next year I can make the leap to FULL time cleaner.
 
Pressure washing getting start

I hit the mega bucks and was bored going on vaction around the world so I deicde get a pw and low ball everthing.
 
I remember being a kid of like 5 when mhy Grandpa would clean the exterior of the house. Poor Papa was a second generation master painter, but did not know jack about pressure washing. He did not want to know. I remember him renting the "electric power washing machine" Huge things. I loved to wash the house when they let me, so maybe that was the seed that was planted. Even at 5 I thought something does not seem right. electricity...Water...only Bleach, but it was CLOROX!!! lol
 
I started 5 years ago after my first year of college. Was doing the high school thing mowing lawns and people would ask about doing their deck. During college I researched all about pressure washing and good methods and started the business. Studied Entrepreneurship and had some great professors that taught me marketing and such. The rest was trial and error and working every summer for the 3 month break.

Graduated last year and have been full time since then.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8530 using Tapatalk
 
bigchaz said:
I started 5 years ago after my first year of college. Was doing the high school thing mowing lawns and people would ask about doing their deck. During college I researched all about pressure washing and good methods and started the business. Studied Entrepreneurship and had some great professors that taught me marketing and such. The rest was trial and error and working every summer for the 3 month break.

Graduated last year and have been full time since then.

Sent from my BlackBerry 8530 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

In his finest BlackBerry Tapatalk raspy voice lol. Pretty good deal. How did you handle the old question of "How long have you been doing this" when the home owners ask?
 
I was working at a hotel and saw some guy power washing the pavers at the hotel. I asked him how much he was getting paid to do it and could not believe it when he told me $500.00. The next week I lied to the owner and told him I owned a power washing company. I sold him on the entrance way cleaning and rented a Hotsy from a local distributor and put it in the back of my truck. Made $200.00 profit and quit my job the next week.

The rest is history...
 
AZ PowerWash Pros said:
I was working at a hotel and saw some guy power washing the pavers at the hotel. I asked him how much he was getting paid to do it and could not believe it when he told me $500.00. The next week I lied to the owner and told him I owned a power washing company. I sold him on the entrance way cleaning and rented a Hotsy from a local distributor and put it in the back of my truck. Made $200.00 profit and quit my job the next week.

The rest is history...
Click to expand...

Az golf resort, nice place Ty. Clean entrance now.
 
Got hurt in a work accident sandblasting a overpass in Boston while in the union 1996? Train came through our containment and dropped 25 feet, pretty busted up for a couple years. Did odd jobs after that, didnt want to go back to union steel painting and sandblasting. Was a mess for a few years. Parents moved to Myrtle Beach I visited a couple times and finally moved here. Worked at a resort loving looking at all the bikinis 3pm-11 shift. Started washing resi in the days and did 1st complex the 2nd year and knew right then when I made 2k in 2 days that this is what I was going to go after and the Condo King was born LOL

I knew I had to grow up and do something that I could make a living in and without much education and really didnt want to work for someone so washing it is and I love this biz

Life is Good, actually great because of pressure washing and the love of family. Moving to Myrtle Beach and finding a biz I liked was the best thing I ever did
 
Earlier I made a post joking around on my phone. Got the laptop out now so I guess I will get serious here for a minute.... I will try to make this the condensed version. LOL.

Back in the mid to late 80's I drove a truck and delivered furniture up North in Rhode Island where I was born and raised. As we all know it can be back breaking work and that is exactly what happened. I blew my back out on a job and was on temporary dissability for over 9 months. During this time I relocated here to Florida in 1990. After healing up I worked a number of different jobs but they were short lived for the most part. The one thing they all had in common though was that they all involve sales.

In the early 1990's I started " Price Cuts Lawn Service". I grew that business from the ground up and within 3 yrs I had 97 accounts and 3 employees. During this time I had become very good friends with another Lawn Service contractor who also did Pressure Washing. I had gone out with him and helped out on a number of jobs and really enjoyed it. Later I would go on to buy his rig and add it to my list of services when he relocated to North Carolina.

Life was GREAT for a number of years. 7 1/2 to be exact but through no fault but my own I allowed an addiction to drugs and alchohol take it all away. It would be a number of years before I would get yet another chance, through the grace of God, to get back on my feet.

In April of 2002 I met a woman that would later become my wife. I guess the good Lord, for whatever reason decided I deserved another shot and sent me an Angel to straighten my sorry ass out.

I decided to give owning my own business another shot and in September of 2003 I opened " All Surface Pressure Cleaning". I guess as most would say, the rest is history. It has been a rough road at times but it has been worth it. With the Love and support of my wife, family, great friends and the grace of God I will have been clean and sober for 9 yrs this October and life has never been better.

I love my wife, I love my life and as Jeff always say's,,,, " I Love Power Washing, Life is good"....:thumbup2:
 
jlpressure said:
Got hurt in a work accident sandblasting a overpass in Boston while in the union 1996? Train came through our containment and dropped 25 feet, pretty busted up for a couple years. Did odd jobs after that, didnt want to go back to union steel painting and sandblasting. Was a mess for a few years. Parents moved to Myrtle Beach I visited a couple times and finally moved here. Worked at a resort loving looking at all the bikinis 3pm-11 shift. Started washing resi in the days and did 1st complex the 2nd year and knew right then when I made 2k in 2 days that this is what I was going to go after and the Condo King was born LOL

I knew I had to grow up and do something that I could make a living in and without much education and really didnt want to work for someone so washing it is and I love this biz

Life is Good, actually great because of pressure washing and the love of family. Moving to Myrtle Beach and finding a biz I liked was the best thing I ever did
Click to expand...

Great stuff condo king!
 
Larry Millette said:
Earlier I made a post joking around on my phone. Got the laptop out now so I guess I will get serious here for a minute.... I will try to make this the condensed version. LOL.

Back in the mid to late 80's I drove a truck and delivered furniture up North in Rhode Island where I was born and raised. As we all know it can be back breaking work and that is exactly what happened. I blew my back out on a job and was on temporary dissability for over 9 months. During this time I relocated here to Florida in 1990. After healing up I worked a number of different jobs but they were short lived for the most part. The one thing they all had in common though was that they all involve sales.

In the early 1990's I started " Price Cuts Lawn Service". I grew that business from the ground up and within 3 yrs I had 97 accounts and 3 employees. During this time I had become very good friends with another Lawn Service contractor who also did Pressure Washing. I had gone out with him and helped out on a number of jobs and really enjoyed it. Later I would go on to buy his rig and add it to my list of services when he relocated to North Carolina.

Life was GREAT for a number of years. 7 1/2 to be exact but through no fault but my own I allowed an addiction to drugs and alchohol take it all away. It would be a number of years before I would get yet another chance, through the grace of God, to get back on my feet.

In April of 2002 I met a woman that would later become my wife. I guess the good Lord, for whatever reason decided I deserved another shot and sent me an Angel to straighten my sorry ass out.

I decided to give owning my own business another shot and in September of 2003 I opened " All Surface Pressure Cleaning". I guess as most would say, the rest is history. It has been a rough road at times but it has been worth it. With the Love and support of my wife, family, great friends and the grace of God I will have been clean and sober for 9 yrs this October and life has never been better.

I love my wife, I love my life and as Jeff always say's,,,, " I Love Power Washing, Life is good"....:thumbup2:
Click to expand...

Thanks larry , good to hear your story.
 
I got started in the spring of 2000. I was on break at my full time job talking with some guys about starting a profitable business. I wanted to be able to retire from the factory when I turned 55. I had tried a lot of get rich quick things and MLM like Amway. Those were not for me. I decided to try PWing. I lined up a couple of jobs before I ever bought a machine. I worked part time at cleaning and built the business. In my second year of business I drove by a large tourist area in town and the PM saw my magnetic sign and little trailer and called me. That got me started in commercial work. I have been working there every week since then.
After 3 years my youngest son started working with me and then a few years later my oldest son came aboard. I was able to retire from my main job this past spring after 37 years. I missed, my goal by 2 years, but I am working for m self now and very seldom do I have to work in the evenings (other then office work) or at night. At the factory I was on a rotating shift every week. I fill great now.
I would not have been able to do it if I did not have my sons working full time while I was working in the glass factor. Thanks Jeromy and Brian!
 
AlwaysAqua said:
In his finest BlackBerry Tapatalk raspy voice lol. Pretty good deal. How did you handle the old question of "How long have you been doing this" when the home owners ask?
Click to expand...

I look older than I am so most people don't say anything but I just be honest if they ask. I've been doing deck restoration for 5 years now and if we talk more I just let them know how I started part time in school and went full time when I graduated. And having several hundred projects to back it up always makes them feel good
 
Larry Millette said:
Earlier I made a post joking around on my phone. Got the laptop out now so I guess I will get serious here for a minute.... I will try to make this the condensed version. LOL.

Back in the mid to late 80's I drove a truck and delivered furniture up North in Rhode Island where I was born and raised. As we all know it can be back breaking work and that is exactly what happened. I blew my back out on a job and was on temporary dissability for over 9 months. During this time I relocated here to Florida in 1990. After healing up I worked a number of different jobs but they were short lived for the most part. The one thing they all had in common though was that they all involve sales.

In the early 1990's I started " Price Cuts Lawn Service". I grew that business from the ground up and within 3 yrs I had 97 accounts and 3 employees. During this time I had become very good friends with another Lawn Service contractor who also did Pressure Washing. I had gone out with him and helped out on a number of jobs and really enjoyed it. Later I would go on to buy his rig and add it to my list of services when he relocated to North Carolina.

Life was GREAT for a number of years. 7 1/2 to be exact but through no fault but my own I allowed an addiction to drugs and alchohol take it all away. It would be a number of years before I would get yet another chance, through the grace of God, to get back on my feet.

In April of 2002 I met a woman that would later become my wife. I guess the good Lord, for whatever reason decided I deserved another shot and sent me an Angel to straighten my sorry ass out.

I decided to give owning my own business another shot and in September of 2003 I opened " All Surface Pressure Cleaning". I guess as most would say, the rest is history. It has been a rough road at times but it has been worth it. With the Love and support of my wife, family, great friends and the grace of God I will have been clean and sober for 9 yrs this October and life has never been better.

I love my wife, I love my life and as Jeff always say's,,,, " I Love Power Washing, Life is good"....:thumbup2:
Click to expand...

Hey Price Cuts low balled me out of job in 1991. I hated that company....
 
Doug Rucker said:
Hey Price Cuts low balled me out of job in 1991
. I hated that company....
Click to expand...
Impossible. I didn't get rolling until June of 1992. Nice try! Lol
 
I started my business in 1996 right after my first daughter Nicole was born. Kathy had a good job and was moving up fast in the management end. She worked for Estee Lauder Perfumes and in her first 5 yrs there she was now taking on a new job title there with there NY corporate office. She was taking calls at home from the girls that worked for her when they ran into problems. Sometimes I think Kath and I could have been much better off financially if she stayed there but we both believed that if the Mother could stay home the Kids would be much better off for it.

That was the best decision we made and it was a huge sacrifice financially to lose her salary but I always had that thought pattern that If I work hard we'll be OK. I would do 3 jobs if thats what it would take for her to be home with our girls.

Today Kathy is still at home with our Girls who are excelling at most everything because there Mother stays on top of them and stays involved in there lives. I think Kathy was a class mother for pretty much the first 5 yrs for each one in grade school.

My business is now taking off faster then it has ever before because Kathy from our home office runs the office end. She is a natural with dealing and talking with people and that has freed me up to do what I like to do which is stay out in the field and do estimates and fix the machines when they break.

So today both of my jobs function together as good as I could have ever expected and both of them are very managable. I can only hope our girls generation can recover from this garbage economy we live in and they get choices like me and Kath did where they can stay home if they wanted to....... but besides consulting work type stuff our girls are probably going to be locked into 2 employee house holds unless Kath and I can build our business up a little more and we can give it over to them...but like me and my father was when I was young and worked with and for him and then left.... My girls will probably want to live there own lives and try to make it on there own but our door will always be open for them to come back and have options....... and I to love this business that we do which is Powerwashing:thumbup2:
 
For some of us older guy's I would love to hear your exit strategy from this buisness. I have been getting out of this for the last 3 years now...lol...it wont be too much longer for me as I am ready to move on and relax more. I have always planned for this day since I can remember, and as tough as this economy is for most people right now, how does your plan play out?

This would be a great topic to help the newbies and others that have years to go. But dont fool yourself tomorrow sneaks up real quick and you need to take action now for yourself and your family. I dont have to start because I think most of u know my story so let's hear it.....How are you going to plan for your stepping off?
 
The Cleaner said:
For some of us older guy's I would love to hear your exit strategy from this buisness. I have been getting out of this for the last 3 years now...lol...it wont be too much longer for me as I am ready to move on and relax more. I have always planned for this day since I can remember, and as tough as this economy is for most people right now, how does your plan play out?

This would be a great topic to help the newbies and others that have years to go. But dont fool yourself tomorrow sneaks up real quick and you need to take action now for yourself and your family. I dont have to start because I think most of u know my story so let's hear it.....How are you going to plan for your stepping off?
Click to expand...

Good question Nick. I tried to exit my other job twice already but I just can't seem to pull the plug on that one yet because its a great gig. I do need to let that one go one of these days. As for powerwashing I plan on keeping that one running for another 10 yrs or so because I get so much more satisfaction from it.

But I do have other thoughts on this such as hanging it all up @55(5yrs) so I can enjoy other aspects of life then just working myself to death. I do know this, once I'm gone I'm never coming back except for maybe dropping by the boards once in awhile to see how some friends I met on them are doing but then I'll fade from the BB's eventually.
Good topic. This should be its own thread.
 
Clean County PW said:
Good question Nick. I tried to exit my other job twice already but I just can't seem to pull the plug on that one yet because its a great gig. I do need to let that one go one of these days. As for powerwashing I plan on keeping that one running for another 10 yrs or so because I get so much more satisfaction from it.

But I do have other thoughts on this such as hanging it all up @55(5yrs) so I can enjoy other aspects of life then just working myself to death. I do know this, once I'm gone I'm never coming back except for maybe dropping by the boards once in awhile to see how some friends I met on them are doing but then I'll fade from the BB's eventually.
Good topic. This should be its own thread.
Click to expand...

Hey John, I remember back in NY as a kid me and my good friend always said we wanted to be retired by 45yr old. Well it almost happenend for me until I moved here and got involved in P/W. My buddy from NY just left my house 2 days ago on a visit, we talked about this very thing. He is about ready to turn his buisness over to his kid, who is very competent and has been working along side him for years.

We have been looking for a short sale or foreclosure for them down here and I think he finally found something he can steal for a cash deal. I had a home in NY and he bought the home behind me, we had a swinging gate until I got divorced and he boarded it up...lol...from when we were little we were driven to always have more and we continued our close relationship long distance. When he finally gets down here with his wife I am pulling the plug here as well, time for full time fun and no more headaches. We have both been in buisness for ourselves since we were kid's and I think it will all pay off in the end.

Funny how stuff works out, I was in real estate when I was real young and bought and sold some homes up in suffolk county, and when the home behind me became available I bought it and sold it to my friend. We always seemed to have grown together at the same pace and hopefully we will retire together as well, most people have one true friend and I am thrilled that he will be moving down here to retire. He was already thinking of something we could do together and I dont doubt that if we get involved in something it wont be hands on.
 
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