Thanks for clicking! This is my first official post so I’ll give a short intro. Friend and I work at pressure cleaning company for about a year (my First experience in this line of work and he’s going on 7-8 years), everything is great untill owner starts expecting more with no additional pay. As soon as I started arriving home later than 6:30 I realized, “We’re doing all the leg work out here! We might as well figure out what else goes into it and do it ourselves”
I really appreciate whatever council the PWRA community may have to offer in terms of taking the next step. I’d really like have a legitamite business but for now getting all the equipment together is the main priority, I also want to add that you guys were a help before I even made an account so advice, criticisms, or anything are welcome, just give it to me straight! Anyway I mainly wonder what we have to do to get a small business set up in Miami, Fl
Too many questions to ask but not enough time to type then. Current starting equipment in attached pic
Up until now, you’ve been doing the easy part (work part) the real challange is drumming up business and keeping that phone ringing… Over time it will get easier as you grow and create your client list
The more success you have the more 6:30 days you will have. Only they’ll benefit you much more. I find once you get booked out a couple weeks in advance new customers tend to want to find someone else. So you either accommodate them or lose the customer. Just my very limited expierence.
Working for a business owner and being a business owner are two different animals. As others have said, you have the experience and equipment down. Learning how to market, set prices for your region, how to deal with competition, acquiring insurance, and keeping your schedule full but flexible enough to squeeze some customers in will be a learning phase for you. You’re already a step ahead of most who come on here looking how to do everything from scratch…including washing a house.
Man, id hate it my employees were thinking this.
It’s a shame you two aren’t happy with where you are at, have you tried talking about better compensation for the new year? How professional is he/the company?
If he keeps you two booked so much he’s doing something right, you’ll have to learn to replicate whatever he’s doing., but he’s definitely doing the hard part.
Honestly please talk to him about better compensation or better scheduling at least, if that’s the issue. If you’re getting paid well, and have a full time job man, that’s great, clock in, do your work, clock out and enjoy your free time with family or friends
Man, you guys are great. Didn’t expect so many responses already seeing as how the new year is right around the corner but I’m getting the rest of the equipment ready to go ball valve, chlorine (which was the chemical of choice at my previous company but I know a lot of you guys use other stuff that I may be ignorant about) hoses, reels, spare part etc. I like what I’m hearing about marketing though we’re not really thinking much in that realm yet because me and my coworker had some customers give us their numbers since some would occasionally take notice of our work and wanted to cut out dealing with the office people… so we have a LITTLE work lined up for us after we bolt everything down to the traiker (someone asked how professional the company me and my buddy worked for was… I’ll just say not very.)
Most customer service issues were usually the direct result of trying to squeeze as much work into one day as possible, the owner/operators arguementative nature with customers over matters that could be calmly explained (such as grey linear streaks on a gutter), and now, I know what you’re all thinking, “the pay couldn’t have been TOO bad” but honestly I’m curious what you guy’s may have to say because I made $100 a day while being regularly expected to get on top of AT LEAST 2 houses for roof cleanings (Getting a 3rd started wasnt uncommon but with 4gpm it was an uphill battle… I should also mention I was doing this alone. Friend was the same situation). The company priced things pretty low so unfortunately volume is more important than quality meaning the owner being okay if we can “get away” with leaving streaks! Crazy, right?
Ok, first off, I don’t think many guys are going to be cool with “scalping” customers from your employer. I know it happens a lot, but just think about what kind of customers you’re going to end up with that way…
That said, there’s no way I would recommend continuing to work for this company. Sending you alone to do roofs, with a pressure washer and pump sprayer… yikes. Just… yikes. And yeah, $100 for a full day of work is pretty low.
I apologize if that was so long winded hahahah I just got pretty excited to see so many responses!
@Patriotspwashing I was mainly wondering if anyone else had anything like a preferred valve, opinions on my use of chlorine (50/50)out of a pump sprayer, or anyone’s experience with these commercial honda pressure cleaners. The one we have isn’t very new but it seems like it was the standard at some point in it’s history
@Infinity thank you and I appreciate the concern but I uncuffed those shackles right before Christmas so I could enjoy the end of the month! I will admit though, taking the customers contact info down is a pretty dirty move but I just have to say that I wasn’t even actively looking for it in the first place it would mostly present itself after I had to apologize on behalf of the company for any inconvenience the customer was put through such as a different coworker half assing a job and making me show up the next day to re do it, scheduling errors that the office would put me in the middle of and all sorts of, pardon my French; jackassery.
I dont think $100 a day is bad pay. On an 8 hr day thats $12.5/hr before tax. Not sure of the minimum wage in Florida, but for a teenager that wouldn’t be bad money.
I couldn’t imagine paying less than$15/hr to anyone responsible enough to go and complete a day of workorders without any supervision. And it’s not exactly low risk work, either. (I wouldn’t be sending out a teenager for that kind of work)
I don’t have any employees though. The economy is probably a little different here, too.
(My opinion may also be skewed due to the fact that the last time I remember being paid less than $15/hr I was still a minor, and that was over a decade ago)
@Donte55 I hear you man. $100 a day is actually okay and I wouldn’t really have had much to complain about if an 8hr day was common but most days would exceed 10 out of the sheer need to achieve “volume”. I would have been okay with it if I was taken care of for my efforts but even after doing everything humanly possible to play the volume game my pay was considered “reasonable”.
Also anything you guys have to say about becoming a licensed contractor. I’m all ears.
Down the road, if you do well and grow to hire people, never forget the feelings your sharing right now! Do not hire people with the intent to run them into the dirt for dirt pay. Even if they seem on board when they are broke, need a job and agree to crumbs, dont do it. Dont hire until you can reward people with a good paycheck that provides them with dignity and in return you get loyalty, appreciation and long term stability. If they find new work for you ie. neighbor wants house washed, pay a bonus. A tangible reward for loyalty breeds more of that behavior. Just my .02
looking good 
