S
soundguy7440
Guest
Hey everyone! I just discovered Mikey's Board from the youtube channel, and I have to say, I love it here! I am here looking for some feedback about whether or not I can/should start my own carpet cleaning company.
I am 18yrs old, and have been fascinated by carpet cleaning since I was a little kid; everything from designing my own inline sprayer at 12, to dressing as a Stanley Steemer tech for Halloween (even younger), to cleaning the carpets in my families house at every opportunity that I could get. over the past few months (including before quarantine) I haven't been able to get the idea of starting my own carpet cleaning company out of my head. I would prefer to start part-time, as I really like my current job. I know right now isn't ideal for starting a company, due to the economy being garbage, but I think I could be able to get a great deal on equipment as a result which leads to my first question:
Am I better off buying a package like this and running from the back of my Trailblazer or getting a used truckmount?
That package is around 5500 and I'm sure I will need more than is included in the package. On the other hand, I can get a used truckmount for between 4k for a pretty used slide-in, to 6k for a really beat up but working butler, to 11k for a reasonably nice-looking butler (I can provide links if anyone wants to see the butlers). In my area, it is pretty uncommon to see a cleaner bring a porty inside, but I'm sure that it wouldn't make that much of a difference in appearance.
Another consideration is that I live in Michigan and do not have a garage to park a van in. Is it possible to have a van and park it outside in the winter without it freezing? if so does anyone have any suggestions to prevent freezing, and if not, does anyone have any suggestions for where to look for a warm place to park it?
I know I will need General Liability Insurance, as well as car insurance on the van, and inland marine insurance on the equipment in the van, but is there anything else I'm missing when it comes to insurance?
As far as experience I have cleaned several homes for friends and family and had a very part-time job cleaning carpets for a church. I also plan to offer to do some free work for friends and family, as well as some local thrift stores. Is there anything else you guys would recommend that I do to get more experience/knowledge
I'm sure I'm not even close to covering everything I would need to do this, but it seems like a reasonable starting place. I'd love to hear any other thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or concerns that you guys have!
Thanks in advance!
I am 18yrs old, and have been fascinated by carpet cleaning since I was a little kid; everything from designing my own inline sprayer at 12, to dressing as a Stanley Steemer tech for Halloween (even younger), to cleaning the carpets in my families house at every opportunity that I could get. over the past few months (including before quarantine) I haven't been able to get the idea of starting my own carpet cleaning company out of my head. I would prefer to start part-time, as I really like my current job. I know right now isn't ideal for starting a company, due to the economy being garbage, but I think I could be able to get a great deal on equipment as a result which leads to my first question:
Am I better off buying a package like this and running from the back of my Trailblazer or getting a used truckmount?
That package is around 5500 and I'm sure I will need more than is included in the package. On the other hand, I can get a used truckmount for between 4k for a pretty used slide-in, to 6k for a really beat up but working butler, to 11k for a reasonably nice-looking butler (I can provide links if anyone wants to see the butlers). In my area, it is pretty uncommon to see a cleaner bring a porty inside, but I'm sure that it wouldn't make that much of a difference in appearance.
Another consideration is that I live in Michigan and do not have a garage to park a van in. Is it possible to have a van and park it outside in the winter without it freezing? if so does anyone have any suggestions to prevent freezing, and if not, does anyone have any suggestions for where to look for a warm place to park it?
I know I will need General Liability Insurance, as well as car insurance on the van, and inland marine insurance on the equipment in the van, but is there anything else I'm missing when it comes to insurance?
As far as experience I have cleaned several homes for friends and family and had a very part-time job cleaning carpets for a church. I also plan to offer to do some free work for friends and family, as well as some local thrift stores. Is there anything else you guys would recommend that I do to get more experience/knowledge
I'm sure I'm not even close to covering everything I would need to do this, but it seems like a reasonable starting place. I'd love to hear any other thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or concerns that you guys have!
Thanks in advance!