Sold the TM and bought a portable

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
One of my friends and competitors got so fed up with problems parking and repairs on his TM and van that he sold it and is coming up with a new business plan. He is planning on buying a fuel efficient transit connect minivan and a high performance portable and will focus primarily on condos. His costs are going down and with the type and amount of condos we have here, I bet his profit margins will go up. He can park anywhere there is a parkade and not worry about height restrictions. My first 2 jobs today are portable for $175 each, my next 2 are TM, don't know what I will charge yet. I turned down another portable job that I couldn't fit in today. With the right set up, a portable only guy can make some decent money. Even better if you have a friend with a TM who will share larger jobs with you.
 

Jim Williams

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
1,462
Location
Bynum N.C.
Name
Jim Williams
Sounds like a good plan in that market. I had to break out my old Ninja porty this week in a retirement home and I kind of enjoyed it. With Cobbs Powermax I got the carpets just as clean as my truckmount would. Sure it was a little slower doing dry strokes but not bad, and honestly I made just as much per hour. I bet his fuel use will go way down too driving a cute little van around with no truckmount pulling from the tank and about 1500 lbs less of cargo and water to haul around.
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
Sounds like a good plan in that market. I had to break out my old Ninja porty this week in a retirement home and I kind of enjoyed it. With Cobbs Powermax I got the carpets just as clean as my truckmount would. Sure it was a little slower doing dry strokes but not bad, and honestly I made just as much per hour. I bet his fuel use will go way down too driving a cute little van around with no truckmount pulling from the tank and about 1500 lbs less of cargo and water to haul around.
That's the whole idea. He's not looking to do houses or other jobs where a truck mount would be better. The porty he's looking at is with a 500 psi pump and 2-3 stage vac motors. For condos, it's the perfect set up. Add a heater and maybe a 10 inch crb, a hydro-force and he's good to go.
 
Last edited:

Rick J

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2016
Messages
891
Location
Ohio
Name
rick Jones
We have a ton of high end development going on here as well. Work needs done with a porty for sure. Usually a really small amount of carpet,because of all the polished concrete LVP etc. A real chore to servi ce.
I usually line up a helper , just to make those go easier.
 

Bob Pruitt

Member
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
2,677
Location
earth
Name
Robert Pruitt
I have a year old Ninja I have used twice. Hope I don’t have to use it again but it’s there if needed. You friend has other issues with his business if he let his TM get in that condition without upgrading.
Too low of price?
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
3,739
Location
Ann Arbor
Name
Steve Lawrence
I have a year old Ninja I have used twice. Hope I don’t have to use it again but it’s there if needed. You friend has other issues with his business if he let his TM get in that condition without upgrading.
Too low of price?

Without upgrading and learning about our biz: equipment, procedures, marketing, customer rapport, budgeting, training, office stuff, etc., etc..
 

ruff

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
11,010
Location
San Francisco, CA
Name
Ofer Kolton
Any large metropolitan area has a huge market for carpet/upholstery/area rug cleaning with a portable.
I daily send business away.

Not because of the price, I made very good money while cleaning with my portable (I charged quite a bit extra) its just that I got tired of dealing with the portable set up and the crazy traffic involved in going downtown.

If you charge high prices and you're willing to deal with the hassle, there's a great market for it.
 

ruff

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
11,010
Location
San Francisco, CA
Name
Ofer Kolton
I'd jump off the high rise if I had to clean with a portable all the time. Of course I'd push that POS portable off first. :winky:

PSD, that's what you have.
Portable Stress Disorder

Totally understood coming from someone who grew up in a carpet cleaning family and possibly had to start pushing a portable when he was three.

We're crossing our fingers for you buddy. It's a long way to recovery.
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
I have a year old Ninja I have used twice. Hope I don’t have to use it again but it’s there if needed. You friend has other issues with his business if he let his TM get in that condition without upgrading.
Too low of price?
He had a pretty nice cleanco in a Chevy Savanah but with a diesel engine. Started having fuel injection problems and was getting too expensive on repairs. Then he is frustrated because he can't park anywhere. Doesn't fit into parkades. There is a ton of portable work here if only you could find a place to park. Makes sense to buy a new small van with good warranty and a new portable. If you have the right portable and develop good systems around it, it is just as effective as a TM and makes just as much money. All of these condos have a ton of upholstery as well. If I was going to start a new business in a large metropolitan area, I would give that model some thought. Huge difference in fuel consumption and other expenses
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
I have a year old Ninja I have used twice. Hope I don’t have to use it again but it’s there if needed. You friend has other issues with his business if he let his TM get in that condition without upgrading.
Too low of price?
Basic ninja is a pos. Same as all other basic single cord portables. Once you get into a good quality porty with 2-3 stage vacuums, (10-13.8 Amp each) and a 300-500 psi pump, your talking about a completely animal.
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,928
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
You are right about that. They didn't tell me that. Need to figure out what to do with it...kind of worthless.
Good for small tile jobs in condos you can't reach with the TM. A little frustrating bealcause you go through the cleaning solution so fast at 1200 psi. A autofill/pumpout would help. Can use with a tile spinner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bob Pruitt

Nomad74

Boy Sprout
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
23,461
Location
Redding
One of my friends and competitors got so fed up with problems parking and repairs on his TM and van that he sold it and is coming up with a new business plan. He is planning on buying a fuel efficient transit connect minivan and a high performance portable and will focus primarily on condos. His costs are going down and with the type and amount of condos we have here, I bet his profit margins will go up. He can park anywhere there is a parkade and not worry about height restrictions. My first 2 jobs today are portable for $175 each, my next 2 are TM, don't know what I will charge yet. I turned down another portable job that I couldn't fit in today. With the right set up, a portable only guy can make some decent money. Even better if you have a friend with a TM who will share larger jobs with you.
Your friend is an Idiot!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom