Get on your computer and buy a web domain. I like Bluehost for a cheap yet reliable option. Get a freelancer (upwork or fiverr) to make you a logo/flyer and get $45 worth of flyers printed at your local print shop. Buy a box of sidewalk chalk if you really want to grind and get gritty.
Go downtown with the sidewalk chalk and write “pressure washing and home cleaning 888-555-1234” as many times as you can in high traffic areas.
Go to a middle class or high end neighborhood and hand out flyers on porches and wherever else. Get creative. You might get ran off but its low risk. Target those with dirty payment.
Your cell phone will start ringing. Book all of the jobs for Saturday.
Rent a power washer saturday morning with the other $50 and go make $300 in one day.
Definitely don’t spray the house or the windows with the washer. Use it on the concrete and use a brush or sponge on the house. Get insurance first if you think you might damage something. Use common sense here folks.
Do the same thing the next weekend and then buy a power washer. Then put $200 into a website and a google place. Get a few people to review your google place. Make a youtube video introducing yourself and put your town and power washing in the title.
Within a few weeks of this you will start making $1000+ in profit per week.
“On demand” is going to be your competitive advantage so you can charge a higher price. Make sure you can offer next day service or same day service. As soon as you get too busy to do that hire your first employee.
Make sure that person is presentable and clean cut. Get a business polo shirt made at your local embroider. Target students because they work hard and are reliable. They have summers off which is your busiest time.
Simplify the job so your employees can thrive. Train them to do their core task really well. Don’t forget workers comp.
Now spend all of your time answering the phone, dealing with clients, and quoting jobs and doing marketing. When you get too busy buy another power washer and hire another employee.
Provide super amazing customer service. Answer the phone every time and be in a super eager positive mood. This along with the “on demand” nature will put you ahead of 99% of your competitors.
Get creative with your marketing. Put something awesome like this on your website. Maybe partner with a few realty shops in town or watch the MLS and visit homeowners the week before an open house. A home looks a lot newer with a clean driveway.
Use google maps to measure concrete area and provide instant phone quotes. Provide a 5% off discount if they let you out a yard sign up for a week.
Eventually buy a cargo van and have your own generator and water tank inside so you can be mobile and do more jobs and charge more money.
Grow from there. Start power washing entire parking lots for shopping centers. Get the contract to do it twice a year for $15,000 per service. You can get one of those big ride on power washers eventually and start doing larger commercial jobs.
Maybe new opportunities will arise and you will shift to other areas of cleaning. Keep your ears to the ground.
As your company grows launch a branch in a neighboring city with a management hire. Then another city. Sell the company or just cash the checks and sit on the beach with your family. You’ll likely get bored and end up building another business.
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