What do I need to start?

S

SpaceInvader75

New member
I know this might be a complex question, but I want to know what kind of starting budget I need? I can start with doing residential, possibly driveways and sidewalks. I may have to start with something used. From the limited research I've done it looks like I should be looking for at least a belt driven 4.0 GPM unit. I don't know much about brands yet, but I think new I would be looking at $1300 or more. I know that's not a big investment or anything, but it will be for me. Anyway, if I have the possibility of saving the money I still need to know how much money I have to save, so maybe I should start there.

One other possibility is renting equipment, but I don't know if I could make the marketing work well enough to do that. I don't think I would make any money renting equipment to do one driveway, but that might get me started if I advertise a special for a certain day. I don't know if anyone has had success staring with rentals?

I have a lawn service, and it's killing me right now with no rain and hot temperatures. I really need one or more services that are not dependent on the weather. Some places might be too cold to pressure wash in the winter; I don't know, but I know it won't be a problem in south Texas! lol
 
Use the search button and read, read, read! Too much info out there already but a little effort on your part and you will be ready to go in no time....

I have a lawn service, and it's killing me right now with no rain and hot temperatures.
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You should be raking in the profits!!!!! With your contracts in place. Right?? If not you may want to focus on the business you have now versus starting another hobby. Just being being honest with you. If you were running the lawn care correctly you would be rolling in the money right now with those steady checks that should be coming in. Not your fault the grass isn't growing.
 
Wesley Teston said:
Use the search button and read, read, read! Too much info out there already but a little effort on your part and you will be ready to go in no time....



You should be raking in the profits!!!!! With your contracts in place. Right?? If not you may want to focus on the business you have now versus starting another hobby. Just being being honest with you. If you were running the lawn care correctly you would be rolling in the money right now with those steady checks that should be coming in. Not your fault the grass isn't growing.
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Truth 101. The solution to your business struggling does not lie in another service/business.
 
Wesley Teston said:
Use the search button and read, read, read! Too much info out there already but a little effort on your part and you will be ready to go in no time....



You should be raking in the profits!!!!! With your contracts in place. Right?? If not you may want to focus on the business you have now versus starting another hobby. Just being being honest with you. If you were running the lawn care correctly you would be rolling in the money right now with those steady checks that should be coming in. Not your fault the grass isn't growing.
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Also dont take people not immediatley giving you an exact answer to your question as being unhelpful in this industry/forum ... Its just the opposite... They are encouraging you to use whats already here. The resources are limitless. I have only been in business a year and the man above ^ Wesley Teston (who is in my exact market) has answered the phone countless times coming to mine and Jenelle's aid and I would do nearly anything for him if he ever needed it. After a little reading on the internet the questions/problems you have and experience will be much deeper than your original post. Read Read Read and once your ready the industry will be there to help.
 
First off welcome to the PWI

You will find alot of experienced professional contractors all over this board

As was posted before, use the search on the above right side and explore all those threads that are packed with information that will help you - take notes

Regarding equipment 4gpm is the minimum

Any questions ask away

Feel a bit awkward call me, ill be glad to talk with you
 
As the previous posters pointed out, stick with what you have and know right now. My brother makes a killing landscaping. Make sure you are offering fertilizing, lime, herbicidal treatments, shrub trimming, etc... THAT IS WHERE THE MONEY IS. Lawns are like the regulars that come into a bar and drink the dollar drafts. Its a constant but small flow of money and they are usually good for a shot or two lol. Also make sure you utilize the towns you landscape around most and get the most accounts in atleast one to two towns, it cuts down travel which equals more time to work which equals more money. If you want to venture into pressure washing/ softwashing then this is the place to be and read read read read read. It helped me tons. P.s. buy atleast 5 gpm you wont regret it ever.
 
Maximize your lawn business..... ( you are already invested ) Heat and rain are excuses.... ( its hot and rains when washing too ) ..... IDK what your client base is like, but Lawn business is much more profitable for far much less effort. ( each client is repetitive weekly or biweekly , where as washing is clean for 9-12 months ). I enjoy washing and only started it after the i kept telling clients that asked me if I did it..."NO" .... A smile machine may get you by...... But lets say you do a $150 driveway in 1-2 hours.... how many lawn could you do at $50 per ( if you are doing a seasonal per cut postage stamp property? ) We cut residential yards in 8-12 minutes. 3 man crews.. 8-10,000 SF .. minimal ornamentals.. Do the math....... Wash is fun, can be lucrative, but u will have a substantial investment to make it proficient and efficient.. Sounds like you can revisit your lawn care first to maximize and add washing when u need to... I can always answer any questions u may have..
 
GrassButler said:
Maximize your lawn business..... ( you are already invested ) Heat and rain are excuses.... ( its hot and rains when washing too ) ..... IDK what your client base is like, but Lawn business is much more profitable for far much less effort. ( each client is repetitive weekly or biweekly , where as washing is clean for 9-12 months ). I enjoy washing and only started it after the i kept telling clients that asked me if I did it..."NO" .... A smile machine may get you by...... But lets say you do a $150 driveway in 1-2 hours.... how many lawn could you do at $50 per ( if you are doing a seasonal per cut postage stamp property? ) We cut residential yards in 8-12 minutes. 3 man crews.. 8-10,000 SF .. minimal ornamentals.. Do the math....... Wash is fun, can be lucrative, but u will have a substantial investment to make it proficient and efficient.. Sounds like you can revisit your lawn care first to maximize and add washing when u need to... I can always answer any questions u may have..
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I don't think I can make more money mowing; I don't have any crews, and I don't have thousands in equipment. I haven't been mowing for a few years: I basically have to start over anyway. I could barely get the money together for basic mowing equipment, so that means I am using a 20" mower right now. My smallest lawns probably take 40 minutes, but those would be $40 lawns, which is still $60 an hour, but I can only make that on really small lawns, I don't average $60 an hour, plus I have driving time too. I think for me washing driveways would be more efficient (unless my equipment is too slow).

I've only washed one driveway, but it did not take long to get the job with flyers. I stopped advertising pressure washing because I didn't want to wash another driveway with an electric pressure washer! lol But, it certainly wasn't any harder than mowing. We underestimated because the driveway sloped towards the house so we had to squeegee off water. The driveway looked pretty dirty before we started and it was a huge improvement we made just with that electric washer and no chemicals were used, so I think with a gas pressure washer I shouldn't make any less than $50/hour, unless I underbid.

Yes, the good thing about mowing is repeat business, so I will try to continue that but I still need to offer other services, and the best time to start would be now, or as soon as I can save some money, because it's already August and most people already have lawn services by now; they're not going to be looking for lawn service much until Spring. The heat and the rain do make a difference, because the grass isn't growing; even people with irrigation can only water once per week, but the other lawns are pretty much dead now. Yes, if I had yearly contracts then that would be one thing; I don't think I will have much luck doing that here. How am I going to sell a year round mowing contract to customers that know there will be a water shortage in the summer?

As far as the business not being successful, well that is a point. I suspect the problem right now is marketing. Certainly if I had enough postage stamp lawns I could still make $60/hour with my equipment, but I'm still interested in pressure washing and I've been thinking about it since I did my first job, and wondering what it would be like with a decent machine.
 
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Wesley Teston said:
Use the search button and read, read, read! Too much info out there already but a little effort on your part and you will be ready to go in no time....



You should be raking in the profits!!!!! With your contracts in place. Right?? If not you may want to focus on the business you have now versus starting another hobby. Just being being honest with you. If you were running the lawn care correctly you would be rolling in the money right now with those steady checks that should be coming in. Not your fault the grass isn't growing.
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OK, so I will do some more searching.

Focusing on the business I have now is what lead me to the conclusion that I need to offer other services that are not dependent on weather. This is also a timing issue. I can do all the marketing I want for lawn service right now and it's going to produce very little results. Why? The grass is not really growing now. Lawns without irrigation are practically dead, and customers with irrigation can only water once a week, due to water restrictions. People are not going to be looking for lawn service until Spring, for the most part. That is when I will be focusing more on marketing for mowing services. Between now and then I need to start at least one other service, and I've been interested in pressure washing for a while.

So possibly I can learn something about business here, since I am doing it wrong. :) Open to advice...
 
SpaceInvader75 said:
OK, so I will do some more searching.

So possibly I can learn something about business here, since I am doing it wrong. :) Open to advice...
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You have found a huge source of information by just finding this board....All the questions you have....have been asked & answered hundreds of times on this board....all you have to do is search through the past posts and you will find all your answers.....No Disrespect....but don't expect those that do (Only) this for a living to spoon feed you information that took them years to learn.....put in a little work of your own by researching this board.......if after that you have any questions....ask away.

You're new so take it easy and get to know the folks here......kinda like the "New Kid At School".

Good Luck!
 
I just recently started my business. To give you an idea, I bought a 4200 psi/ 4 gpm cold unit for about $1k. I also bought a mid-sized surface cleaner, additional hoses, steel toe wading boots, gloves, goggles, chemicals, etc. Total initial investment was between 2k and 2500. That was before my first customer.

...then I realized how much marketing costs. A website, monthly web hosting, fliers, door hangers business cards, signs for the truck....I've probably spent over 1k on those things alone so far.

Every job I get, a big chunk is going to new supplies and equipment. For instance...I need a trailer because my truck is overflowing, and I want a hot water system so I can do tougher jobs.

Keep in mind, because we are dealing with high pressure, most accessories are going to be inherotantly expensive to they can stand up to the pressure. For example, a unit will probably come with 50 ft of hose. Unless you want that heavy unit right behide you all the time and are willing to load/unload it every time, then you will need to get at minimum 1 or 2 more hoses, and they run at minimum around $80. And since high pressure hose is such a beast to work with, I promise you, you will want to get a high pressure hose reel. That will cost around 100-150 for entry level.

My point is...be prepared for all the extra costs. Take however much you estimate for your initial costs, and double that. That's probably a better indication on how much it will cost you the first month.

This is all based on my recent experience of starting.
 
Guy Blackmon said:
You have found a huge source of information by just finding this board....All the questions you have....have been asked & answered hundreds of times on this board....all you have to do is search through the past posts and you will find all your answers.....No Disrespect....but don't expect those that do (Only) this for a living to spoon feed you information that took them years to learn.....put in a little work of your own by researching this board.......if after that you have any questions....ask away.

You're new so take it easy and get to know the folks here......kinda like the "New Kid At School".

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Plus a Bazzilion!!!
 
Dave B said:
I just recently started my business. To give you an idea, I bought a 4200 psi/ 4 gpm cold unit for about $1k. I also bought a mid-sized surface cleaner, additional hoses, steel toe wading boots, gloves, goggles, chemicals, etc. Total initial investment was between 2k and 2500. That was before my first customer.

...then I realized how much marketing costs. A website, monthly web hosting, fliers, door hangers business cards, signs for the truck....I've probably spent over 1k on those things alone so far.

Every job I get, a big chunk is going to new supplies and equipment. For instance...I need a trailer because my truck is overflowing, and I want a hot water system so I can do tougher jobs.

Keep in mind, because we are dealing with high pressure, most accessories are going to be inherotantly expensive to they can stand up to the pressure. For example, a unit will probably come with 50 ft of hose. Unless you want that heavy unit right behide you all the time and are willing to load/unload it every time, then you will need to get at minimum 1 or 2 more hoses, and they run at minimum around $80. And since high pressure hose is such a beast to work with, I promise you, you will want to get a high pressure hose reel. That will cost around 100-150 for entry level.

My point is...be prepared for all the extra costs. Take however much you estimate for your initial costs, and double that. That's probably a better indication on how much it will cost you the first month.

This is all based on my recent experience of starting.
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That's great answer Dave. Your start up costs can be fairly low for the basics. I always try to find customers the best equipment they can get to fit their budget. Your first and most important choice is the power washer itself all the accessories will build off that. Sit down look at some marketing ideas and figure your budget it will the best thing you can do.

If you really want to get a head start and go to one of the free shows and seminars that are coming up. We are hosting one in Myrtle Beach and there is another in Vegas the week after that. It would be a great opportunity for you, getting many years experience in 2 days of training

I would type more but the browser is acting up and cutting off my words. feel free to call us as well are here to help its what we do..
 
Dave B said:
I just recently started my business. To give you an idea, I bought a 4200 psi/ 4 gpm cold unit for about $1k. I also bought a mid-sized surface cleaner, additional hoses, steel toe wading boots, gloves, goggles, chemicals, etc. Total initial investment was between 2k and 2500. That was before my first customer.

...then I realized how much marketing costs. A website, monthly web hosting, fliers, door hangers business cards, signs for the truck....I've probably spent over 1k on those things alone so far.

Every job I get, a big chunk is going to new supplies and equipment. For instance...I need a trailer because my truck is overflowing, and I want a hot water system so I can do tougher jobs.

Keep in mind, because we are dealing with high pressure, most accessories are going to be inherotantly expensive to they can stand up to the pressure. For example, a unit will probably come with 50 ft of hose. Unless you want that heavy unit right behide you all the time and are willing to load/unload it every time, then you will need to get at minimum 1 or 2 more hoses, and they run at minimum around $80. And since high pressure hose is such a beast to work with, I promise you, you will want to get a high pressure hose reel. That will cost around 100-150 for entry level.

My point is...be prepared for all the extra costs. Take however much you estimate for your initial costs, and double that. That's probably a better indication on how much it will cost you the first month.

This is all based on my recent experience of starting.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reminding me of extra costs. If all my budget went to a pressure washer and I had none left for marketing, the machine would probably just be sitting there, not making me money!

Thanks everyone for helpful advice. I have been doing some reading here, but of course I don't understand half of it. lol
 
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