Choosing to start a pressure washing business can be a wonderful option for someone searching for a side hustle or a budding entrepreneur looking to enter a new industry. Not only is the cost of starting the business comparatively lower, but the profit margins are also decent considering there isn’t a lot of work to do.
Before you think about taking the plunge and heading out to get your first pressure washer, there are a couple of things you need to consider. Just as with most small businesses, trying to get your pressure washing business off the ground requires a lot more effort than simply purchasing pressure washing equipment and looking for a potential customer.
Starting a business is not without its own set of frustrations and challenges. However, the feeling of not having a boss that constantly breathes down your neck can be quite liberating. Plus, you will be solving problems for people in your locality.
How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: Learn How to Pressure Wash
This is perhaps the most obvious thing to consider when creating a pressure washing business. It is actually something that quite a lot of people forget to do. You would be surprised how many people simply start a power washing business without having a practical idea of how they can deliver the services they intend to sell.
Learning how to pressure wash is easier than learning other skilled trades, but you should understand that there will be a slight learning curve when trying to provide a professional pressure washing service. Learning anything is quite easy these days, and one of the most straightforward ways you can learn how to pressure wash is by heading over to YouTube.
There are tons of free videos available for you to learn everything from techniques to choosing the right equipment and learning how to maintain it. The most effective way to learn is to watch as many videos as possible to get a better grasp of the fundamentals.
Once you get a handle on the pressure washing equipment and the process, you can pick up a power washer and try out what you have learned. After all, the best way to truly learn how to pressure wash is to actually get a pressure washer and begin using it.
If you own a home, you can accelerate the learning process by pressure washing things in the home.
You can practice on the following surfaces:
- Sidings
- Driveways
- Brick
- Fences
- Decks
- Sidewalks
Don’t sweat it if you don’t own your home. You can get other people to let you practice your skills at their homes in exchange for free power washing. If you live in an apartment, you can consider asking the supervisor or apartment manager if you can pressure wash the common areas for free. You could also ask friends and family members who own houses to help you practice your skills at their homes.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are practicing your pressure washing skills in someone else’s home.
The homeowner needs to understand that there might be potential damages related to power cleaning. This is especially the case when you are just starting your pressure washing company. You might damage the concrete, mar their siding, or chip the paint on a surface. These little accidents and pressure washing costs and you and the homeowner should be prepared for any eventuality.
As long as the homeowner or property manager (if you are practicing in an apartment building) is comfortable with this risk, offering your services at no cost can be an excellent way of gaining some power wash experience. It can also be useful in building a potential client list for the future. This is particularly true if you have a great attitude.
If you don't have the money to buy a pressure washer or cannot find a location that lets you practice your skills, it might be best to consider gaining employment at a pressure washer business for a while.
In addition to helping you learn all the necessary pressure cleaning techniques, you might also earn some money to buy a few tools or use the money to start your pressure washing business.
How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: Fine-Tune Your Business Strategy
Planning is not limited to the corporate world. You cannot run a successful pressure washing business without proper planning. In other words, it is important to decide on the type of pressure washing service you intend to offer, how much to charge for your cleaning service, and how you go about creating a competitive advantage.
Having a great strategy can sometimes be the difference between failure and success as an entrepreneur. The most effective way to approach your business plan is to first create your operational strategy.
This could mean getting in touch with the relevant authorities to provide you with business counseling, business plans, and even funding.
Don’t have a lot of money? See the 14 businesses you can start with just $500.
How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: Getting Your Marketing Strategy Down
One of the best ways to make sure your business remains operational is to consistently sell jobs. Many new pressure washing businesses tend to approach lead generation from a sales perspective. You can use strategic inbound marketing to grow your business as it is a more effective way.
This means that when you plan your business, you need to have a marketing strategy and a budget to implement that strategy. The marketing strategy should focus on benchmarks and short-term and long-term objectives, regardless of whether you handle the marketing yourself or enlist the services of a marketing agency.
If you are quite tech-savvy, you could use social media platforms and Google ads to implement your marketing strategy. This is a cost-effective way. But there might be better ways to spend your time when you look at the overall picture. If you are perhaps not as experienced with technology or marketing, it might be more effective and profitable to outsource that aspect of your business to professionals.
How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: Getting a Professional License
Depending on where you live, it might be necessary for you to get a professional license for your pressure washing business before you can legally begin operations.
Certain municipalities, counties, and states only require a general business license, while other states (such as California) require a specific pressure washing license. This is why it is important to research and understand the rules that apply to where you live or plan to do business before you venture out. The last thing you want to do is to go against existing local laws before you even get your business off the ground.
Many states also have regulations concerning cleaning agents and detergents used in pressure washing. Most governing boards insist that the wastewater from pressure washers is kept out of public waterways and drains at all costs. That is because the detergents and cleaning agents used in pressure washing contain chemicals that can pose health risks.
Bearing this in mind, it makes perfect sense to invest in a wastewater reclamation system when you are buying your pressure washing machine. Of course, doing this means incurring additional costs, but you will end up saving money in the long run, as it can help you avoid non-compliance and the expensive fines they bring.
Depending on your county, city, and state, it might be necessary to get a separate permit or license from your local wastewater plant. These requirements tend to vary widely by vicinity, and laws can change from time to time. For this reason, you should make sure that you thoroughly research them and stay up to date.
The most knowledgeable source of information on these requirements is typically your local governing body, so reach out to them to get all the information you need.
How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: What Other Equipment Do You Need?
Apart from power washers, there are also some other bits of important equipment you might need to get your business up and running. You will need the following at the very least:
- A 3-foot lance
- 100 feet long garden hose
- 100 feet of high-pressure line typically rated at 5000 PSI
- A 4-foot lance
- Assorted nozzles such as 450, 350, and 150
- Two 100 feet hose reels
- One turbo nozzle
- Caustic degreaser
- One surface cleaner
- Waterproof boots
There might be additional equipment necessary, depending on the type of services you plan to offer. This equipment could range from specialized lances to hand spinners. It is crucial to have the right tools for the job, as that would make your new life as the owner and operator of a pressure washing business easier in the long run.
Conclusion
Starting a business in the pressure washing industry can be difficult, especially if you are not very familiar with it. However, with the steps and guidelines in this article, you should have no problem being able to start your pressure washing business.
