Thanks MarineGrunt. I really appreciate the guidance. I have been reading on the forum for a little over a month and just “joined” as a member in the last few days. I have time on my side and have been reading as much as I can and watching video’s from @Racer and others on YouTube to gain as much knowledge as possible. House washing has my interest peaked but my home is all brick and I have never tried anything like that. A view of the posts scares me a bit because of the questions…but I guess it makes sense as most people are not running to the forum to post about the 19 other houses they washed that went off without a hitch. I’ll keep reading and taking notes… and maybe keep an eye out for some deals on equipment. Oddly enough, one of my domains I had parked and listed on auction sold today (pending funding). If that goes through that will be $800 more to add to the kitty.
I’d use the beginner list as an idea to start from for your budget. Offhand with chemicals I’d say it’s at $6K.
Thanks
That’s awesome man good for you.
Here’s my suggestions
First fill in the blanks of your plan:
- who is my target market?
What is my average ticket? ($200-2000)
What is my quote acceptance rate? 60-90%
How am I going to give bids?
How much money do I need/ want to make after expenses?
List out all projected expenses
What all marketing materials will I need based off my strategy and how much will it cost
Based on my average ticket and quote acceptance how many customers would I need to obtain? If 1 out of every 25 people call you from a brochure how many brochures would you have to pass out to reach your goal?
Basically it comes down to acquiring prospects and converting to clients and then keep servicing your current clients, which is harder than I think many beginners realize. I had this fanciful idea when I started they’ll just start calling if I hand out a few flyers and have a website . They did not. I think when I passed out 100 flyers one day 1 or two people called me for a bid. Which was about 75 times less than I was expecting. This is normal. You’ll probably want to focus on residential Middle-upper income folk until you get your feet under you.
You might check out josh Latimer’s podcast the growth vault for strategy.
Gain knowledge wisdom understanding
As far as equipment, the more you invest initially Basically the faster You’ll be able to go. I wouldn’t try a pump up sprayer with bleach- invest in the 12v pump and deep cycle marine 12” Titan reel with ss manifold. I mean there’s like $1k right there. A 13hp Honda 4gpm 3500-4000 psi even if it’s a direct drive Is necessary $1k. (belt drive is ideal but you’ll want to get into an 8gpm ASAP)
X2 hose reels one for supply one for Pressure about 5-$600.
200 ft pressure hose 100’ 3/4” garden hose $300
Whisper wash Classic $600
Trailer/truck 500-1000
Extra fittings box for everything down steam injectors
So that’s like 4k in equipment
Probably 1-2k in marketing materials uniforms ect
you’ll want to plan on upgrading to an 8.5gpm 3500psi in a tandem axel trailer and get either a booster pump or air diagram pump for softwash with automatic reels. That’s like a $15k-20k Investment at least.
You won’t regret investing in the right equipment.
One other thing to consider is this, how much is insurance for your business in your area? Depending on your states laws, how you set up your business, and your consultation with an attorney $, you may need 1 - 2k+more. Then there are other little things that vary from state to state such as a licenses, and business registration costs.
SO when someone tells you a number, figure it is higher by about 2.5k, that way your safer. Besides, there are a TON of other little things you don’t think of that add up, especially when new.
Good luck to you, just food for thought.
