[Question]: Building the Empire?

Luis Orts

New member
For those of you who don't know me well... I have been in business for a relatively short period of time, and I have definitely learned a lot in the past year. I'm not exactly where I'd like to be, and I don't have some of the knowledge others have... But I have progressed a lot since day one, and I only look to move forward through hard work and dedication.

So maybe this is something you guys could chime in on to point me in the right direction.

In the past year, I have been learning not only the in's and out's of pressure washing, but also about creating systems within my business. Without the systems in place, our business (or any business for that matter) would be all over the place.

One of the things that I've been really trying to do is create this business to a point where it's me doing Marketing, and overall strategy, and my partner overseeing overall strategy.

The thing that I'm finding is, I would like to put my business in this structure.


Owner - Overall Strategy on a short term/long term basis. In constant communication with Ops Manager. Works on systems within business.

Operations Manager - Day to day operations (In charge of budgets within parameters of Owner, Employee's, Etc.) Ensure systems are implemented.

Director of Marketing - Overall Branding, Lead Generation, Analytics, Website Management, Conversion Tracking, Etc. Works with sales manager and ops manager hand in hand.

Office Manager - Bookeeping, Incoming/Outgoing Phone calls. Works hand in hand with Ops Manager.

Sales Manager - Outbound lead generation, Estimations (to be finalized with Owner), ensuring sales team is trained to standards.

Tech Supervisor - Quality Assurance, Materials to employee's, Ensuring employee's are trained to standards.

Tech's

& Equipment Technician

and maybe even a day when I bring on a Safety Director for massive projects.


What is your feedback on such a structure? If you're here, what would you say is your weakest link? And what are some of the steps to transition into setting a structure like this up? At what point in your business do you feel comfortable investing into people? Does it have to do with solely cash flow?

I currently have Tech's, Lead Tech's and an office manager... But I'd like to get a Tech Supervisor... Only after I've brought some Salesmen.

Thoughts? Feedback? It is always appreciated.
 
For those of you who don't know me well... I have been in business for a relatively short period of time, and I have definitely learned a lot in the past year. I'm not exactly where I'd like to be, and I don't have some of the knowledge others have... But I have progressed a lot since day one, and I only look to move forward through hard work and dedication.

So maybe this is something you guys could chime in on to point me in the right direction.

In the past year, I have been learning not only the in's and out's of pressure washing, but also about creating systems within my business. Without the systems in place, our business (or any business for that matter) would be all over the place.

One of the things that I've been really trying to do is create this business to a point where it's me doing Marketing, and overall strategy, and my partner overseeing overall strategy.

The thing that I'm finding is, I would like to put my business in this structure.


Owner - Overall Strategy on a short term/long term basis. In constant communication with Ops Manager. Works on systems within business.

Operations Manager - Day to day operations (In charge of budgets within parameters of Owner, Employee's, Etc.) Ensure systems are implemented.

Director of Marketing - Overall Branding, Lead Generation, Analytics, Website Management, Conversion Tracking, Etc. Works with sales manager and ops manager hand in hand.

Office Manager - Bookeeping, Incoming/Outgoing Phone calls. Works hand in hand with Ops Manager.

Sales Manager - Outbound lead generation, Estimations (to be finalized with Owner), ensuring sales team is trained to standards.

Tech Supervisor - Quality Assurance, Materials to employee's, Ensuring employee's are trained to standards.

Tech's

& Equipment Technician

and maybe even a day when I bring on a Safety Director for massive projects.


What is your feedback on such a structure? If you're here, what would you say is your weakest link? And what are some of the steps to transition into setting a structure like this up? At what point in your business do you feel comfortable investing into people? Does it have to do with solely cash flow?

I currently have Tech's, Lead Tech's and an office manager... But I'd like to get a Tech Supervisor... Only after I've brought some Salesmen.

Thoughts? Feedback? It is always appreciated.

Alot of what your asking depends on where you are and where you want to be. Only you can answer that

What is your marketing strategy to support your wishlist structure??...Is it a Sustainable marketing strategy that will bring in enough??

you've been in business a few months- I think its good to forecast however i would go very slow and add on whats needed most and whats affordable

If you fail to do that your equipment will be on Craigslist

Personally- i keep my overhead as low as possible, i keep my labor tight and i have set goals of my profitability,not gross
 
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Mike, that was a solid answer.

At what point do you figure to delegate work/tasks to keep from handling stuff you don't want to do (or stuff that your time isn't worth doing)
 
As mentioned, I have been doing this for 6.5 years now on my own and seen many try to grow too and go under. One good year, and they hire and buy lots of equipment, only to not be able to pay for who they hired or the equipment the next year. You could be the exception don't get me wrong, but 9 times out of 10 guys that expand as fast as your are saying are not around 5 years later.

You need to look at expansion in terms of employee's and numbers.

First you hire labor's to help pressure wash, once you get so many of those and have constant work you look at the guys and see which ones you can mold into the above positions while still having them wash. One of the guys might be a leader or a sales guy, and if they know how you work and want things and can wash then it will help them with the next step. Aside from the accountant if you hire guys that don't understand what you do there will be many rocky roads ahead.
 
Right. And I appreciate your words man. Where I've found success is utilizing people for multiple things, and finding people willing to bend over backwards for work.

Plus, guys that I've brought in all have more experience with the work than I do. I just offer stability. Which I've done through diversification in lead generation and simply knowing how to close the sale.

All of my equipment has been cash thus far, and we came into the business well funded with the right idea.

But I mean... is it a comfort level that you guys start to hire positions? Or where do you draw the line, so to speak?
 
Rome wasn't built in a day.....or year. When I started my business I came into it with the idea that it'd probably be me,myself, and I for at least the first 2 years. You could be in a killer area for work, I don't know, but I've personally seen guys try to turn small businesses into huge corporations (with no need) and end up losing everything. The image of having lots of jobs/employees and job titles within your business doesn't show your success.


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Owner - Overall Strategy on a short term/long term basis. In constant communication with Ops Manager. Works on systems within business.

Operations Manager - Day to day operations (In charge of budgets within parameters of Owner, Employee's, Etc.) Ensure systems are implemented.

Director of Marketing - Overall Branding, Lead Generation, Analytics, Website Management, Conversion Tracking, Etc. Works with sales manager and ops manager hand in hand.

Office Manager - Bookeeping, Incoming/Outgoing Phone calls. Works hand in hand with Ops Manager.

Sales Manager - Outbound lead generation, Estimations (to be finalized with Owner), ensuring sales team is trained to standards.

Tech Supervisor - Quality Assurance, Materials to employee's, Ensuring employee's are trained to standards.

Tech's

& Equipment Technician

and maybe even a day when I bring on a Safety Director for massive projects.

Honestly sounds like a whole lot of chiefs...you'll need a bunch of Indians in your tribe! I've got three service trucks on the road, 3 full time techs, and 5 part time ones, and a part time book-keeper. We've been in biz for 5 years as of November 1, 2014. Tonya and I wear all those hats that you've mentioned.

Sounds like that many people that high up on the food chain can make for a top -heavy company.
 
actually I just realized it was too many in management in that scenario Lol

But I don't want anybody here to think I'm doing this next week or next month.

All I'm saying is where I would like to be. I envision this happening by the 4th or 5th year of business. And probably not have that many in management.

My ultimate goal is to create a passive ownership.
 
Maybe I could do without the sales manager. And the ops manager.

I could still run sales and marketing and my partner run ops.

But I'm really thinking Long term
 
Luis

There are a ton of successful guys on this forum , and thread, who will all probably tell you to proceed slowly

If you have the sustainable business (contracts) to support what your asking then by all means grow with it

I forecast in smaller realistic increments- what do i need or foresee needing in the next calendar year
 
Ray, Actually my goal is to start a marketing firm and keep Revitalize as something that 90% of the decisions can be made by someone in management and only need me 10% of the time.And then get into real estate and hire pms. LOL

Mike, you are absolutely right. Man, there is so much wisdom on this thread... I am humbled. I appreciate the advice guys.

Here's the new level of hierachy that I would like in the next two years.


Owner/Operations Manager - Day to day operations (In charge of budgets within parameters of Owner, Employee's, Etc.) Ensure systems are implemented.


(ME) Owner / Director of Marketing - Overall Branding, Inbound Lead Generation, Analytics, Website Management, Conversion Tracking, Etc. Works with ops manager hand in hand.
(ME) Owner / Sales Manager - Outbound lead generation, Estimations (to be finalized with Owner), ensuring sales team is trained to standards.


Sales People - Lead Generation. CLOSE THE SALE!!!


Office Manager - Bookeeping, Incoming/Outgoing Phone calls. Scheduling. Works hand in hand with Ops Manager.


Tech Supervisor - Quality Assurance, Materials to employee's, Ensuring employee's are trained to standards.


Tech's


& Equipment Technician



And all I'm really missing is the tech supervisor and the sales people...

But I think what I need to figure out, like some mentioned on the facebook page and on here... Is how to find a balance between sustainability and growth. So far so good, I just don't want to cut it too close.
 
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Here would be a good question for you...

What is your ratio in your hierarchy between Administrative/sales Vs. Labor?? And how do you go about with lead generation to sustain?

What I'm also starting to see is maintenance contracts would play a PIVOTAL role in creating such hierarchy's...
 
For those of you who don't know me well... I have been in business for a relatively short period of time, and I have definitely learned a lot in the past year. I'm not exactly where I'd like to be, and I don't have some of the knowledge others have... But I have progressed a lot since day one, and I only look to move forward through hard work and dedication.

So maybe this is something you guys could chime in on to point me in the right direction.

In the past year, I have been learning not only the in's and out's of pressure washing, but also about creating systems within my business. Without the systems in place, our business (or any business for that matter) would be all over the place.

One of the things that I've been really trying to do is create this business to a point where it's me doing Marketing, and overall strategy, and my partner overseeing overall strategy.

The thing that I'm finding is, I would like to put my business in this structure.


Owner - Overall Strategy on a short term/long term basis. In constant communication with Ops Manager. Works on systems within business.

Operations Manager - Day to day operations (In charge of budgets within parameters of Owner, Employee's, Etc.) Ensure systems are implemented.

Director of Marketing - Overall Branding, Lead Generation, Analytics, Website Management, Conversion Tracking, Etc. Works with sales manager and ops manager hand in hand.

Office Manager - Bookeeping, Incoming/Outgoing Phone calls. Works hand in hand with Ops Manager.

Sales Manager - Outbound lead generation, Estimations (to be finalized with Owner), ensuring sales team is trained to standards.

Tech Supervisor - Quality Assurance, Materials to employee's, Ensuring employee's are trained to standards.

Tech's

& Equipment Technician

and maybe even a day when I bring on a Safety Director for massive projects.


What is your feedback on such a structure? If you're here, what would you say is your weakest link? And what are some of the steps to transition into setting a structure like this up? At what point in your business do you feel comfortable investing into people? Does it have to do with solely cash flow?

I currently have Tech's, Lead Tech's and an office manager... But I'd like to get a Tech Supervisor... Only after I've brought some Salesmen.

Thoughts? Feedback? It is always appreciated.

I may not have a lot of experience in the pressure washing industry, but I do have a lot of experience in business modeling.

With that said, here are my thoughts...


  • Operations Manager- not needed. These responsibilities should be split up between the owner, office manager, and tech super.
  • Director of Marketing - not needed. You said you yourself will be doing the Marketing as the Owner. Things like lead generation should fall to your sales manager. Make sure you don't confuse "marketing" with "sales".
  • Tech supervisor - I would think this would be one of your techs, but more as a Sr. Tech than a manager. You can easily have your best, trusted tech perform all these functions, as it's not a full time job.
  • Where does your partner fit into all this? Or is your partner the Owner and you are the Director of Marketing? And what does his role of "Strategy" mean? Some of the things you've stated seem to either contradict or are unclear.

See the attached org structure. This is speculation, because I'm unclear of what your and your partner's roles are, but here's an example you might consider. I slotted you as the Operations/Marketing Co-Owner and your partner as the strategy co-owner. Again, this is just an example limited to not understanding some of the questions above, but maybe it will help the thought process.

Bottom line - it's my humble opinion, after spending years in the white-collar world, that your outline in your original posts falls under "too many chiefs, not enough indians." I have seen too many companies who are very top heavy fail. Consider this...those director and manager titles come at a premium price. You will have to pay them more than you are paying your techs. You will therefore be paying the largest bulk of your profits to management. Many of those roles you listed are redundant or unnecessary. You can streamline those, still have the same results, and be much more profitable.

Just my humble two cents (okay, more like $.06).

hypothetical structure.jpg

Edit - you added your latest post before I could finish this lol
 
Yep, I hadn't thought about it until just now... The model you presented is the model I'd like to assume.

But I'd like to streamline processes onto the tech's, the sales, and the office.

Really, I'd like to only be involved in large decisions, in a corporate style fashion.

I know some people may or may not be against it, but eventually I'd like to take this to another level and keep it rolling passively!
 
I'm so not trying to pop your bubble or bust your chops... I admire your ambition!

Sales is actually pretty easy, you either cut muster, or you don't...the hard/time consuming part is the SERVICE...and that is the part that is most time consuming for me and Tonya. Its also the hardest part to ever hire out, as no one will treat your business as well as you will!!!! In this business its is so important to provide superior customer service all the time...that doesn't just mean cleaning well, it means follow-up, drop-bys, and BS sessions as needed. As I've heard before...you're not a PW business who specializes in service...you've got to be a SERVICE company who specializes in PW!!!!!

Now that being said, I think if you're more of a recurring service business, it would be easier....and thats the tact we're taking for 2015. I'd like 15K/month in recurring business each month in addition to our softwashing business.

I rarely touch a wand anymore...maybe once every two weeks to fill in for someone....but I work more now than I every have in my life. Just remember slow and steady wins the race. Grow it slow and steady!!!!
 
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