New to the business and looking for advice

BigG

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
28
Location
Menifee, Ca
Name
Grant
Hey guys new the the board, but been cleaning my whole damn life.....it seams. I've been following this thread and it's very reminiscent of when I first started. Except I had shotty experience (not my fault) and was unaware of these industry help forums. So to get to the point I learned the hard way. But strived to be the best, and so I found success (if you call it that). When it comes down to the nitty gritty (Anthony) there will be alot of trial and error and common sense will play a big factor. Training is good, but nothing will prepare you better than actually getting your hands dirty. Just get something going with as little money spent as possible. Then if you still like it, build it up. But if I were you I would use that degree and work for someone else. But that's just me. If you want to use your degree to do this, then you might be as crazy as all of us and it may work for you. Good luck kid...btw I know a guy selling franchises....hahaha
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
Hey guys new the the board, but been cleaning my whole damn life.....it seams. I've been following this thread and it's very reminiscent of when I first started. Except I had shotty experience (not my fault) and was unaware of these industry help forums. So to get to the point I learned the hard way. But strived to be the best, and so I found success (if you call it that). When it comes down to the nitty gritty (Anthony) there will be alot of trial and error and common sense will play a big factor. Training is good, but nothing will prepare you better than actually getting your hands dirty. Just get something going with as little money spent as possible. Then if you still like it, build it up. But if I were you I would use that degree and work for someone else. But that's just me. If you want to use your degree to do this, then you might be as crazy as all of us and it may work for you. Good luck kid...btw I know a guy selling franchises....hahaha
Welcome, nice to have you on the board.
 

Kenny Hayes

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
7,877
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma
Name
Kenny Hayes
Hey guys new the the board, but been cleaning my whole damn life.....it seams. I've been following this thread and it's very reminiscent of when I first started. Except I had shotty experience (not my fault) and was unaware of these industry help forums. So to get to the point I learned the hard way. But strived to be the best, and so I found success (if you call it that). When it comes down to the nitty gritty (Anthony) there will be alot of trial and error and common sense will play a big factor. Training is good, but nothing will prepare you better than actually getting your hands dirty. Just get something going with as little money spent as possible. Then if you still like it, build it up. But if I were you I would use that degree and work for someone else. But that's just me. If you want to use your degree to do this, then you might be as crazy as all of us and it may work for you. Good luck kid...btw I know a guy selling franchises....hahaha
Good advice for a newbie. We’ll even forgive trying to make up for lost time!
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigG

scotty747

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
My friend bought a 175 for vct at his janitorial accts. He took it back because he couldn't control it. Didn't know you had to lock the handle. Also borrowed my 24ft. ladder to add window cleaning. Got to the top and froze. After an hour he called my other friend to come and get him down. Then tried to put it on his van fully extended. Yep common sense will be your greatest investment.
 

scotty747

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
Theres a Lady in Seattle making a killing doing lice treatment. Schools don't send kids home anymore for lice. They say its not a health issue. My wife disagrees. Guess she's not working too. Nevermind. Buy a monsoon when they get the bigger pump figured out. Looks like only Mikey gets the 400. They did say they'd upgrade me when there available. That's cool.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikey P

Anthony E

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
131
Location
Santa Clarita, CA
Name
Anthony Edwards
Hey guys new the the board, but been cleaning my whole damn life.....it seams. I've been following this thread and it's very reminiscent of when I first started. Except I had shotty experience (not my fault) and was unaware of these industry help forums. So to get to the point I learned the hard way. But strived to be the best, and so I found success (if you call it that). When it comes down to the nitty gritty (Anthony) there will be alot of trial and error and common sense will play a big factor. Training is good, but nothing will prepare you better than actually getting your hands dirty. Just get something going with as little money spent as possible. Then if you still like it, build it up. But if I were you I would use that degree and work for someone else. But that's just me. If you want to use your degree to do this, then you might be as crazy as all of us and it may work for you. Good luck kid...btw I know a guy selling franchises....hahaha
Hey BigG welcome. Yea I know it’s gonna be a whole lot of trial and error. And my degree is nothing fancy, pretty much just a solid understanding of how a small business operates and how to manage it. We went into school not knowing what we wanted to start, just knew that we wanted to start something and this seems like a great place. Thanks for wishing us luck, and I’ll be avoiding franchises. Not trying to pay royalty fees haha.
 

scotty747

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
At your age I"d look into roof cleaning. I made 1500 in 11 hours last week. Good thing too, I won something on here. Low investment in equipment, always a need, low learning curve, and you can let them know you do carpets as well. I only do a few a year because it does take a toll on your body unless your just doing low pitch easy roof's and theres plenty of those as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikey P

scotty747

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
Heres what im talking about.

work pics 014.JPG work pics 001.JPG summit lake 008.jpg
 

Old Coastie

Supportive Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Messages
7,504
Location
Heart of Dixie
Name
Stephen
Shouldn’t we be discussing Workhorse vacuums or what emulsification means or why dirt trails in Nevada have so many abandoned tourists by now?
 
  • Dislike
Reactions: Mikey P

scotty747

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
836
The first pic the owners grown son would peek out the windows covered with blankets and watch me. By day 3 he was inside dead from huffing with a plastic bag over his head. So sad. Her only child.
 

steve_64

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
13,371
The first pic the owners grown son would peek out the windows covered with blankets and watch me. By day 3 he was inside dead from huffing with a plastic bag over his head. So sad. Her only child.
You are getting near Bawb kinda stories now.
 

Trip Moses

IMOL
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
3,594
Location
Savannah GA
Name
Trip Moses
How’s it going everyone? I’m getting into the business and am wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction as to what equipment I should buy? I currently have a package going with rotovac for a 360i and monsoon portable along with most of the tools needed to start. But I’m wondering if it’d be better to just start strong and go with a truck mount. It’s obviously better but it’ll eat up most of our capital if I go with one and the tools I want, leaving us with little for marketing. I’m trying to weigh out the options. Start with a portable and all the tools I need? Or a truck mount and less tools. Oh and if you could recommend any of your favorite tools and why they’re your favorite that would be awesome. How long have you been using them? What are they better than and why? Etc. Etc. Thank you in advance for anything you help out with.
Set up shop to sell chicken and beer. Don’t clean carpet.
 
Last edited:

Willy P

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
10,579
Location
Vancouver
Name
Willy P
Don't listen to the naysayers Anthony. If you do exceptional work and search out the right market you can earn good money for your efforts with a balanced portable system. I do quite well but you need to have the right equipment. You'll need a scrubber , either A 175 swing machine or a CRB. Check Craigslist for both. A host machine will suffice quite nicely and they're usually quite reasonable price wise. The 175 has a pretty big learning curve so if you get one, take the time to practice with it I strongly suggest a 500 psi with parallel 3 stage vacs. If you can afford it, an inline heater is great. I use a 3250 watt kleenrite heatrite. It does add some extra plugs but it won't take long to figure out standard wiring. An injection sprayer is a good idea as it will be easier than a pump up. You'll need a handbook or a half wand to do stairs, an upholstery tool for furniture. You'll still need things like tabs,spotters and sundry.
Take some courses. You'll learn the what, why and when. Although I'm not a big cheerleader for the iicrc, I don't regret taking the courses. A great attitude will go a long way to your success. Take the time to listen to your customer's concerns and input and don't lose sight that it's a privilege to serve them. Be sure to follow up with them and be sure they're happy. If they have a problem deal with it quickly. Be confident in your abilities as your knowledge grows. If you don't know, ask. There's a lot of resources at your fingertips here. Be prepared to work and work hard. I don't know many people who have a big ass print on the sofa and are successful at the same time.
Your market is wide open, but look for high rise and secure status buildings for good income. In the commercial sector work on maintenance contracts. They provide a good income stream that will stay steady if you work at it. Market the green side of electronic cleaning. Technology has advanced quite a bit since I started out with 100 psi pump and a wimpy vacuum system. As you grow, think about hiring a helper. A well trained team can cover a lot of area in less time. And it can be quite nice to get the time
Success is up to you, not your equipment.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom