I know you big operation types go through a lot more but this was huge for my little operation.
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Hope you charged them enough
Mehā¦I have him a good deal, included his lattice vinyl fence too. Iām trying to get my foot in the door with these neighborhoods, itās a delicate balance of getting the job vs figuring out what theyāll be able to afford. I did four bids on some really nasty houses and none called back.
First one was $500, I worked in a couple other add-ons.
People with nasty houses arenāt good prospects. Even if you get, theyāre not worth anything to you because theyāre not going to get cleaned again for another 10 years. You want people who take care of their property.
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Over half of the houses I wash look like that and the only cleaner houses are the newer ones. No one around here gets their house washed on a regular basis. Folks here keep their landscape looking pretty good and to hell with keeping the house and concrete clean.
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Doesnāt work that way here. People let stuff go for years, most tell me they tried to do it themselves and finally caved to letting a āprofessional do itā.
People are a different breed in KY, they prefer to do things on their own terms. I canāt tell you how many wives give me a call when their husbands screwed something up.
Yup, ditto.
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Family tree aināt got one branch. 
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No, but the roots run deep.
True that
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Thatās because you need a better clients. Every place has some of those like you have. Got to find the better neighborhoods and once you clean them, youāve got to sell them on keeping it clean. Iāve actually started upcharging if a house hasnāt been cleaned in past few years.
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āBetter clientsā? What on earth does that mean lol. Good Lord I hope someone doesnāt label me a āworse clientā when I need something serviced.
If an old WW2 vet wants the green off his little box house, Iām the one to call. Iām not in this to make as much $$$ as I can.
I think he was saying more upscale neighborhoods. I can say with all certainty he was not referring to anyoneās character based on their neighborhood. but Rick is right the more upscale neighborhoods not only pay better but most are required to keep their property maintained and looking good. here I do more driveways and pool areas with the house as an add on. I make more on flatwork and itās lower risk than washing just the house.
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Iām behind that as well. Folks around here donāt give a rats tuchus about there houseās, now there big trucks and farm equipment are another story. So my moto is ,if itās rolling on rubber,Iāll scrubber
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Yeah, thatās not our business model. I focus on the people that desperately need a good cleaning and we know they wonāt be paying top dollar for it, but the satisfaction of helping someone out is priceless.
We just did a gentlemanās small house that was covered in slime. He used to clean it himself but had a stroke and canāt get around like he used to. His house was the cleanest on the block, he was thrilled and put a good review on Google for us. Makes me upset these other local companies just donāt give a flip about the āsmallā jobs that may only make $150 or so, theyāre the ones that truly need it.
Thereās a distillery on the other side of town that is making whiskey fungus grow on older houses, and they are getting hit with $200 fines for not keeping it off. When (if) I get some time off Iāll probably get with a couple other companies and see if we can do some pro-bono work.
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Good on ya. Itās good to give back when ya can
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Ummm. Business is business. When retirement comes you have to have the money to take care of yourself and family. Thereās always room to help those you want to help but unless you are a charity profitablity has to be one of your most prominent business goals.
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I get it. Iām doing a free roof and house wash as we speak. but profit is not a dirty word. if Iām charging for a job Iām charging full price. if not Iād rather do it for free because those you give price breaks to are usually the ones that will nit pick you to death
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Pool shock?
