What would be your top 5 mistakes you made early on doing jobs (not doing certain chems right, striping, not doing certain surfaces correctly, offering too many services, Trailer vs. Truck, etc)
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Started with a little 5.5gpm machine
Tried to offer roof washing/fleet washing/cat cleaning etc…
Didn’t charge enough
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I need to hear more about this. And don’t tell me it’s a typo… 
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This poor new guy, we’re already hijacking his post.
But I walked right into that one, @MuscleMyHustle 
@quadzilla200 Tom, my apologies for the hijack.
My biggest mistakes starting out, was waiting too long to add power washing to my window cleaning business, and not being serious enough about upgrades. It takes money to make money.
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That was tongue in cheek, like “you can’t swing a dead cat around here without hitting an empty cheerwine bottle”. I have washed elephants for the circus though.
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-undercharging
-offering gutter cleaning
-hoping the phone would ring instead of making it ring
-stressing about things out of my control
-taking on work pretending I knew what I was doing
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Oh this 1000%. I did window cleaning for 23 years before realizing PW makes 2-3 times the money per man hour. As for equipment I just didn’t have the funds to get an 8/3500 right off the bat but wish I had bought some flavor of belt drive to start with.
Downstreaming revolutionized everything as well, along with my remote control valve.
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So not much has changed since you started…hahahahaaaha
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Hey you keep it down over there garry.
Under bidding
Not raising prices every year
Didnt have all the proper cleaning techniques… I did my research but There is a ton of bad information out there. Didn’t find PWR till about year 3 or 4
Tried fleet washing, some people do good with it but it wasn’t for us
Bought a double axel Powerwashing enclosed trailer. Turns out I hate trailers especially for residential around here. Commercial wouldn’t be so bad but we have box trucks now!
Overall I don’t really have any regrets. Its all part of learning and growing and just doing the best with what you’ve got… but some of the things I tried do make me chuckle 
for me, I started with a little 2.5gpm, not the worst, but I also was trying to be chemical free, I just didnt know. oh, and I didnt know what a surface cleaner was or any acessories to use. and then I only had the stock 30ft hose, maybe it was 25ft. lastly I bought a crap trailer and a "“needs work” “some assembly required” heating unit x 2.
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Being too nice, and doing too much…
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Don’t ever do more than you are contracted for. More than three friends at any given time is just showing off.
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Ah yes the good old days before discovering softwashing on this forum. I appreciate y’all 
Chasing the chemical game.
To big of a territory to cover.
Starting out with a 4gpm cold washer.
Washing chicken trucks to cheaply.
And the big one, Not knowing about PWRA till after 2 years in business.
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Found out today not to get roof wash on a cheap painted business sign letters must have been painted with something that doesn’t agree with bleach lol hit it with neutralizer and letters started coming off like I was using an eraser. Lesson learned. But did finish the commercial building owners water to redo the sign anyway they stated lol that won’t happen again.
So I just got everything i need trailer surfaces cleaner xjet my problem is what’s a good surfactant too use ? On house washing /concrete driveways/and a good degreeser?
Best thing to do is do a search and read as much as you can on whatever subject you need to know.
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