Like many of the newbies out there, after posting my first question on this forum, I quickly discovered that I hadn’t done my due diligence in researching before asking someone to waste their time answering questions that had been answered a number of times before in this forum. After some kind answers I was redirected to do some research and leverage that magnifying glass looking thing in the upper right hand corner of the screen. After spending many hours searching for answers and reading threads it became readily apparent that a handful of the members on this site are very active and very willing to help anyone that puts forth a little effort before asking someone else to do the leg work for them.
All of that said, I am a very hands-on learner and began looking for opportunities to find a personal trainer (for lack of a better word). @Racer or Rick is one of the more respected members of this community who has shown time and again he is willing to help and just so happens to live within 3 hours of me. I went out on a limb and reached out to Rick and asked for him to “show me the ropes”. To my surprise, he was open to it and after a few phone calls, we had worked out an arrangement and he gave me a date and time that I was to show up.
As a side note, if any of you choose to do something like this, be respectful of these guys/gals time. If you work out an arrangement, keep up your end of the deal. In my case Rick arranged my rookie day to give me the most bang for the buck. To do this meant he had to do pre-planning and he stacked his day likely knowing I was going to slow him down.
My “take a rookie to work” day was this past Wednesday. The truck was rolling at 9am and during the course of the day we did three different jobs. A house wash, a garage and driveway surface cleaning, and a large roof wash. I’ve read a lot in the forums and watched even more on YouTube, but I can honestly say there is nothing like shadowing an expert. I learned so much about things I already thought I knew enough about! X-jet, JRods, trailer vs truck rig, mix ratios, ATTENTION TO DETAIL etc…. I cannot begin to count how many things I went into the day “knowing”, only to end the day with a completely different understanding of the topic.
I decided to share this post for two reasons. First and foremost, thanks Rick! The hands-on experience and detailed explanations you provided are going to help me springboard my new business! Also, I greatly appreciate that you did not post a pic of that strip of concrete I missed with the surface cleaner 
! Secondly, if any of you newbies ever questioned it, there is no substitute for hands on work with the oversight of a respected pro. Find a hands-on class or someone respected in the field to shadow. It goes so far in the learning process.
There is no doubt I have only scratched the surface and I’ve got a long way to go! @Racer , I’ll be ready for your Pressure Washing 201 class when you are ready! However, let’s bake in a 5 min lunch break next time. I was spent at the end of the day! Haaaaa.
. You can see him doing it in the picture I posted. And that was just one example! All points back to attention to detail and being methodical in your processes to streamline work, minimize downtime, and exceed the customers expectations.
