Whoa whoa whoa whoa there, pardner! Take your foot off the gas for a second. Um, who said you needed any advertising at all? Just where is that written? Anyone? Like most new small business owners, the first mistake you’re making is to turn on that money spigot, which is NOT what you need to be doing right now. Let me guess, you no doubt went out and bought a van for this venture, right? Well why didn’t you just save yourself several thousand which you don’t need to spending right now and take out the front passenger seat of your car so you can haul around the washer that way? Bet that didn’t even occur to you. You can’t yet afford advertising. Even if you could, the one thing you have got to get good at is going door to door looking for work firsthand with flyers (make them up yourself. Remember about that money spigot?) and get some cards from Vistaprint too. I’m talking actual shoe rubber in the game out on the streets, walking, hitting every house or property on a block, stopping in at real estate and real estate property management offices, not just making a bunch of phone calls. That thing where you think you can put some bucks out there towards advertising and then kick back and wait for the phone to ring? Not gonna happen. Tried that with three businesses and it never worked. Actually showing your face does. Can’t handle it? No one said being self employed was for the faint of heart. That’s just life in the big city. Most forms of advertising take weeks to start working anyway. “advertising” and “getting work” can be two vastly different things.
Man, I wish I’d have thought about taking the passenger seat out of my car before I bought a van and trailer…
Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
in the beginning you do what you need to do. What you don’t need to do is turn on the money spigot full blast. Most suggestions people are going to give you about your business almost always involve spending money. Ever notice that? I’d rather apply innovation instead of wasting money, I’m talking about the perfectly legal, ethical hacks that they don’t teach you in business school. Harvard MBAs don’t know this stuff. How many of them would have removed their front seat to make their car into a work vehicle? My car, a tiny Hyundai Accent, by the way, is a tad cramped, but so what? Get organized and stay that way. It is in no way lacking as a work vehicle. I also run my storefront window washing business out of the trunk.
What kind of equipment are you working with?
Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
Listen to those who have been existence a long time (like Guy B) a professionally looking website that ranks high is the answer.
Yep! So is looking professional. IE NOT having to pull your equipment out of the place where your passenger’s seat used to be.
Pressurecat, I have spent a lot of money this year, most of which I could not afford to spend, or so I thought, but I spent it based on the advice of the guys here. I found, very quickly, that homemade flyers and hours spent knocking on doors yields very little ROI. I spent $1100.00 on yard signs. 1, ONE, sign has grossed over $6000.00 for me since I put it up in May. My door to door work (16 hours’ worth) with homemade flyers yielded me s grand total of $1000.00 (and that’s being generous). Oh, and by the way, the yard sign took me about 30 seconds to unload from my truck and put in the ground.
Please listen to the guys who have been in business for the long haul…NOT someone who thinks he understands marketing, but discounts every lesson about marketing that’s been tested and confirmed repeatedly.
Jesse
Atlas Services
Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
www.CallAtlas.com
One more thing Pressurecat
I’m not intending to be a jerk to you. More than your reputation as a professional is at stake, your safety is definitely a concern if you’re keeping your equipment in the vehicle with you. You could easily pull a little 4x6 trailer with your car. I just got a used one for $500.00 bucks, and there were several available that were cheaper than that. I promise, your customers will refer to you as “the guy with no passenger’s seat” and that’s who you’ll be to anyone they tell about you, and that’s a bad place to be. My truck is not new, and I will not be buying a newer one until I have to, so please don’t get the impression that I think you have to drop thousands on a van and trailer, because I don’t. What I DO think is that you need to be safety conscious and be as professional AS POSSIBLE given your circumstances.
You definitely seem to have the drive, just don’t cheap out and go out of business because of being afraid to spend s dollar or two.
Jesse
Atlas Services
Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
WJS1311: Okay lets’ do this, shall we? Um, let’s see, first, you ask what equipment I’m using. I’ll tell you. You will then no doubt feel this equipment is not sufficient for what I am doing. You will then of course, recommend the same equipment you are using. This equipment will cost way more than what I have now, so we’re back to the money spigot being turned on. Then you’re going to recommend I get a van or trailer, right? Let’s just skip that volleyball game and save the bandwidth.
Atlas1: Are they giving away free trucks>? Didn’t think so. Just what are you talking about “safety?” Wha…? Towing a trailer behind you is unsafe. You’re making your vehicle take up more space on the road, making it harder to see around and tougher for other cars to maneuver around, also making your car more unwieldy and tougher to stop. Plus that stuff on the trailer isn’t exactly going to be secured down to the point that, if you get into an accident, it’s not going to still go flying all over the place. It being on a trailer in an accident means, congratulations, you’re now endangering everyone else on the road who’s going to be hit by flying equipment. A pressure washer securely tied to it’s spot in the car or van is far safer than a trailer. As for gas for the washer being carried around in the car, I don’t do that…I put gas in the washer and in a proper gas can when I’m headed to a job. After the job, any left in the can gets put into the car’s gas tank.
Not to turn my nose up at the advice you guys gave, but I can’t use any of it because I have zero money to spend, or close to it. That seems to have been lost on everyone. Every one of those ideas costs money. Not one of them doesn’t. So my question went unanswered and no one suggested anything as far as a pitch to resi versus commercial customers, how, when and where to pound a beat, etc. There are more effective ways to rope in work, but they all cost money, so for now I need to know how to most efficiently do it the way Im going to be doing it for the time being. I go with what works, but I also have to work, for now, with what I have. And what I can do right now does work, and, done properly, will rope in enough for me to live on until I can put some bucks into other forms of advertising. I’ve built up businesses from this little before. I don’t think a lot of us here have ever had to start from zero like that. And I don’t mean “a little”, I mean zero.
There is a big difference between needing the money for advertising and actually having it.
Easy there chief. I was wondering what kind of equipment you run out of the front seat of your car. I feel that is a valid question. Are you not concerned about having a professional image or your own safety? I mean come on, this has to be a joke…right?
Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
[MENTION=13174]Pressurecat[/MENTION], if you truly have zero money to spend, I suggest focusing on the services you are already properly equipped to handle, like window cleaning. Build that to the point where you can support the purchases needed to do pressure washing safely and correctly.
I agree with Jesse’s suggestion of the trailer. If you have everything properly bolted down, a trailer will be safer than carrying equipment in your vehicle. You just have to remember it’s back there, and adjust your driving habits accordingly.
This is coming from a guy that spends as little as possible, as well. But I spend it when/where I need to. For a company like mine, where I pride myself on professionalism, proper equipment is a need, not a want. If I’m incapable of spending the money on something I need for a particular service, I don’t offer that service, plain and simple.
Also, trying to chase down work that you are not fully equipped to perform will drain your business and your energy. Just because your gross hourly may be a bit higher with pw’ing than with window cleaning, doesn’t mean it’s making you money. When you break it all down, you might find that you’re losing money with your current approach. Just my 2¢
^^^ That’s gold right there Pressurecat Listen to him!
Jesse
Atlas Services
Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
So what did these web sites cost, exactly? And who runs and maintains them?
Yeah that;s it, spend money you don’t have, go ahead and do that. You’ll also notice how no one’s exactly talking about what that web site is going to cost you, then how much blood you’ll have to sell to keep it maintained by a webmaster who’s going to own your soul because you need them to run your site and they’re the only ones with the passwords to do it, and they’re not going to give them to you or anyone else. Read the contract, it’s in there somewhere. Don’t get the web site until you can afford it and run and maintain it yourself.
Save your money with the advertising. Stand on a corner holding a hand-written sign saying you’ll do houses for a sandwhich plate and you might have some luck. You’re in another rock-bottom indiustry, my friend. You know the drill, people here will say quality matters and people will pay more for that. Um, no, they won’t. If that were true then places like Lowes and Office Depot wouldn’t be making the bazillions they are. Price is all that matters, quality counts for nothing. You’re up against people whose backs are wet who live 8 to a 2-bedroom apartment, hot bunking it with whoever can afford the $5-week rent. You’re going to lose. I am not joking.
I mean all I can say about this is…freaking Wow!!!
If you have no money…zero…to invest in a business start up then go work for someone else…it’s just that simple. And I mean no disrespect in saying that, there is no shame in working for someone else or having a job…it is however completely ignorant to expect to grow a sustainable business with “Zero” investment… “Zero” business education…and “Zero” confidence.
It seems you’re very angry at your situation. You’re blaming your failure on everything but the true nature of your failure…yourself…again no disrespect…the truth is a hard pill to swallow. You’re dripping with negativity Brother.
Some people just aren’t meant for this line of work or self employment…time for some real soul searching and self evaluation.
GuyB: thanks, and I appreciate your contemplation of my situation. But I am not biting off more than I can chew-not expecting anything extraordinary-when I spend a week pounding the pavement aaaaaand…nothing. I’ll find at least another job or two before I throw in the towel or worry about being in over my head when it comes to not being able to run the business. I’ve run a mobile service business before. If you can’t find one job at PW doing it the way I do, then the world really is just a dried up place with no future for pressure washers. And plenty of guys start out as I am struggling to do, starting from zero. Or close to zero. I can at least say I don’t owe on my vehicle or equipment. It can be done. The fact that you’re saying it can’t means you’re one of these guys that started by buying themselves essentially a fully formed company, then just had to go out and find the work, which is easy when you have the advertising $$ right from the get-go. Oh, and how much of that company do you own versus your bank and your investors, if you have them? You couldn’t do what I’m doing the way I or anyone else is doing it because you haven’t done it that way yourself. It took me a long time to find a few guys here who have started out just as I am trying to, and have offered advice from experience on how to do it because they have done it and they managed to make something out of it. But those who started out that small-and still started none the less-may be rare birds, but they’re not extinct. So don’t tell me it can’t be done from near-zero.
Pressurecat, giving up is a guaranteed way to never get there. Embrace the hard times, take it, learn from it, and then push through it. You found this site and it’s GOLD. I call going through the tough times earning your stripes, paying your dues, etc.
See this is exactly what I’m talking about P-Cat…You don’t know or assume to know how I started my business…For the second time.
Back in 1990 I started with a pressure washer & a 4 wheel drive truck and some business cards…knocking door to door…(of course working a full-time job)…and made great beer & cigarette money…and it didn’t last long…because I had no idea what I was doing.
Fast forward to 2006 I was determined to build a successful, sustaining, profitable business…while again working a full-time job…I went to business classes, went to networking events, wrote a business plan, got a handle on my market & demographic, borrowed $15k and the rest is history…The thing that helped me the most was hours of reading the Industry boards and taking advice from successful people with WAAAY more experience than me…(Clue)
You seem to think that starting a business with “Zero” investment is a badge of honor or something…if so good for ya…but if you think it will build a profitable, sustainable business in a reasonable time frame you’re delusional…it won’t happen.
By the way, I never said it couldn’t be done…I said “you” can’t do it…Prove me wrong…I sincerely hope you can…I’m pulling for you!
Guy,
Mindset has a lot of power. Pressurecat Jeff is not in a good attitude.
Short story. I started out with nothing but needing something to do. No contracting experience, but no debt, kids, or mortgage. Cleaned and stained my own deck. Neighbor’s liked the work and asked for service. Satisfied, they told their friends and co-workers. All of a sudden, I’m in business.
There are a lot of ways in America to start and continue in a viable business. I kind of know, this being #3.
The short version of guy’s story is this: He starts out with great intentions, BLOWS it and goes out of business. Then he borrows 15k. Most guys started out on a hell of a lot less than that, but he wants you to know he started on 15k like it’s a badge of honor. Sounds more to me like he wouldn’t have stood a prayer in Hades without that money backing him up. Oh no? Then why didn’t he “succeed” until after he had it? Sounds like he wants other small timers starting at the bottom to fail just as he did when he started out.
