Most people desire to gain control over their schedules, have freedom and income. The best way to gain all that is starting a business. A great business is one where you enjoy the job and get paid for it. For many people, this joy is brought about by pressure washing. The joy and satisfaction that comes after a dirty surface is clean is often immeasurable.

However, everyone looking to join this business needs to know that starting and running a pressure washing business is much more than just purchasing a pressure washer and starting with your neighbors’ lawns. A successful pressure washing business takes a lot of preparation, dedication, and innovation to start and keep it profitable. If you’ve been thinking of starting the business for a while, this is all you need to know.

You need experience

Pressure washing your driveways and doing it professionally are two very different things. Before you invest your hard-earned cash in this sort of business, you first need to gain some experience. Gaining this valuable experience will assist you in doing the job you are hired without destroying the surroundings.

Pressurized water doesn’t do well with plants, flowers, or soft ground. If you know someone who is running such a business, you can ask them for a job for a couple of weeks. During this time, you can learn how to clean and operate these machines safely. Alternatively, you can rent a similar machine from a tool store like Home Depot and use guides on YouTube to learn what should be done.

Once you have the washer, you can clean your driveway, house siding, car, patio furniture, fence, and any other surface you can. Although it won’t make you a pro, it will help get the initial mistakes out of the way so that you don’t repeat them on a client’s home.

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The initial expenses you should expect to cover

Before you commit to starting this business, you should have a clear picture of what expenses you are likely to incur at the beginning. Unfortunately, many service-oriented businesses are capital intensive. A Rome Georgia pressure washing business requires:

  • Power washing equipment including the pressure washer itself, corresponding nozzles, surface cleaners, chemicals trailer or the equivalent.
  • Costs associated with getting your first clients, such as pamphlets, ads, flyers, and so on.
  • Business permits, insurance costs, and a contractor license.
  • Transportation costs to get to the client’s homes; these can be trucks, vans, and so forth plus the fuel.
  • Uniforms for you and your staff. These can be full uniforms, or for simplicity, branded shirts can also do the job.

It’s important to note that once you start shopping for equipment, you’ll find those that are of lower quality that will be cheap and the quality ones that will cost you a few extra hundred dollars. While you might think that you are saving money by purchasing the more affordable equipment, their repair and maintenance cost might cost you money, which will be eating at your profit margins. It thereby makes more sense to feel the initial pinch but get something that’s worthwhile.

Figuring out pricing

A successful Rome Georgia Pressure Washing business must cultivate a culture of trust with its customers. When your clients trust you, you’ll never lack repeat business. They will even go as far as recommending your company to their friends if they require a similar service.

To accurately figure out your pricing, you need first to take a hard look at what your competition is doing. How much are they charging their customers, and can you afford to go slightly below them and still turn a profit? You can also keep the prices as they are but offer more value for money than the competition. That often means throwing in some freebies with each service.

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Generating leads

Once all that is figured out, it’s time to start generating some leads. This means getting word out there that you are open for business. If you are targeting the older demographic, then more traditional forms of advertising might bear more fruit than the digital ones. That means handing out flyers, pamphlets, and so on.

However, if the areas you are targeting have a younger demographic, you can benefit a lot from marketing yourself online. It is also crucial to get a professional to design your website so that should anyone look you up, they can get your location and contacts in a click. You can brand your vehicles and uniforms in a way that will arouse curiosity and make people want to check out your business.

Conclusion

The way to make money in the pressure washing business is to raise your potential customer’s attention and then to lure them in by creating a desire to pay for the service. You can do this by headlining marketing with your offer, such as getting an extra free cleaning with the purchase of another. Once you prove to be reliable and trustworthy, you can rest assured of a continuous flow of clients.