First real business success -- pressure washing!

[fridge]

Hey all,
April 3rd 2021 (about one month ago) after being told I was going to be kicked out of my place of living within a few months, I opened up my first real business focusing on pressure washing. I still work 40hr/week at my full time job, so all of my jobs are scheduled on the weekends (primarily Saturday).

I initially invested the following:

• $1550 for equipment -- brand new 4 gpm pressure washer, surface cleaner (for concrete cleaning), hoses, reels, gas can and special equipment for house washing (j-rod and downstream injector)
• $50 for graphic design -- logo, marketing materials such as door hangers, EDDM post cards
• $0 for website hosting -- I was already hosting a web site for one of my side hustles so I used the $50/yr hosting on there to add my website for free
• $200 for physical marketing materials -- yard signs, door hangers, business cards
• $110 for online marketing materials -- FB ads.
• $70 for misc -- gas to and from jobs, gas for the pressure washer itself

For a total of around: $1980

Just yesterday I hit my total money in of: $2280/total! I plan to hit around ~12k-~15k by summer's end due to raising my rates much higher than in the beginning and having a better understanding of what marketing works best in my area.

At this point, I am now making anywhere from $70-$120/hour profit per job after expenses (gas, marketing, maintenance) now that all my equipment is paid off. Eventually, I am going to look into actually creating this into an established business, but for now, I am still working 40 hours a week at my full-time job, in addition to a couple of side hustles I've been running for years.

Some things I've learned so far:

• If you don't have an idea, spend a day or two researching, then just start something. I spent months searching for the perfect idea and came up with very little and caused myself too much stress trying to perfect something. Once you get a good service based business running with high paying money in per hour, then you can look into more competitive areas like e-commerce
• Online marketing is extremely competitive, you have to sink in a lot of time figuring out what ads work and what doesn't. I'm still trying to wrap my head around just FB ads.
• For service-based businesses, yard signs will bring in a LOT of high-paying work.
• Don't be afraid to talk to people or market physically, people love a hard-working, polite, customer service-oriented business owner. I've been in neighborhoods where I did 2 jobs and left doing an extra job and quoting 4 other jobs in the $170-$450 area.
• Join forums and Facebook groups dedicated to your service-based niche. This helped me tremendously and I gained a mentor within a few days of being in these places.

Closing remarks:
Just get out there and do it, it seems scary but you will be 100x happier acting than sitting in your room waiting for something to come to you. Not everyone is going to get into a million-dollar e-commerce business right off the start. That's OK, you can still create a very high pay for your time, and transfer that money into action on a business that operates without needing your time.
Ending this post with a video that helped when I was feeling overwhelmed:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdTMDpizis8&ab_channel=JockoPodcast

 

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[Hampus]

Jiz Gsofhi! Vjev't exituni. Ov't iydovoph vu jies zua xisi ecmi vu hiv zuas ofie ugg vji hsuapf epf tvesv neloph nupiz tu raodlmz cz tonqmz veloph edvoup. O'f ci jeqqz vu jies ep aqfevi up jux nadj zua'wi ciip ecmi vu neli epf jux nepz juast zua tqipv xusloph up zuas catopitt op 1-2 xiilt gsun pux. Liiq aq vji huuf xusl!

 

[new_in town]

Jiz emm,
Eqsom 3sf 2021 (ecuav upi nupvj ehu) egvis cioph vumf O xet huoph vu ci lodlif uav ug nz qmedi ug mowoph xovjop e gix nupvjt, O uqipif aq nz gostv siem catopitt gudatoph up qsittasi xetjoph. O tvomm xusl 40js/xiil ev nz gamm voni kuc, tu emm ug nz kuct esi tdjifamif up vji xiilipft (qsonesomz Tevasfez).

O opovoemmz opwitvif vji gummuxoph:
$1550 gus iraoqnipv -- csepf pix 4 hqn qsittasi xetjis, tasgedi dmiepis (gus dupdsivi dmiepoph), jutit, siimt, het dep epf tqidoem iraoqnipv gus juati xetjoph (k-suf epf fuxptvsien opkidvus)
$50 gus hseqjod fitohp -- muhu, neslivoph nevisoemt tadj et fuus jephist, IFFN qutv desft
$0 gus xictovi jutvoph -- O xet emsiefz jutvoph e xic tovi gus upi ug nz tofi jatvmit tu O atif vji $50/zs jutvoph up vjisi vu eff nz xictovi gus gsii
$200 gus qjztodem neslivoph nevisoemt -- zesf tohpt, fuus jephist, catopitt desft
$110 gus upmopi neslivoph nevisoemt -- GC eft.
$70 gus notd -- het vu epf gsun kuct, het gus vji qsittasi xetjis ovtimg
Gus e vuvem ug esuapf: $1980

Katv zitvisfez O jov nz vuvem nupiz op ug: $2280/vuvem! O qmep vu jov esuapf ~12l-~15l cz tannis't ipf fai vu seotoph nz sevit nadj johjis vjep op vji cihoppoph epf jewoph e civvis apfistvepfoph ug xjev neslivoph xuslt citv op nz esie.

Ev vjot quopv, O en pux neloph epzxjisi gsun $70-$120/juas qsugov qis kuc egvis iyqiptit (het, neslivoph, neopvipepdi) pux vjev emm nz iraoqnipv ot qeof ugg. Iwipvaemmz, O en huoph vu muul opvu edvaemmz dsievoph vjot opvu ep itvecmotjif catopitt, cav gus pux, O en tvomm xusloph 40 juast e xiil ev nz gamm-voni kuc, op effovoup vu e duaqmi ug tofi jatvmit O'wi ciip sappoph gus ziest.

Tuni vjopht O'wi miespif tu ges:
Og zua fup'v jewi ep ofie, tqipf e fez us vxu epf katv tvesv tunivjoph. O tqipv nupvjt tiesdjoph gus vji qisgidv ofie epf deni aq xovj wisz movvmi epf deatif nztimg vuu nadj tvsitt vszoph vu qisgidv tunivjoph. Updi zua hiv e huuf tiswodi cetif catopitt sappoph xovj johj qezoph nupiz op qis juas, vjip zua dep muul opvu nusi dunqivovowi esiet moli i-dunnisdi
Upmopi neslivoph ot iyvsinimz dunqivovowi, zua jewi vu topl op e muv ug voni gohasoph uav xjev eft xusl epf xjev fuitp'v. O'n tvomm vszoph vu xseq nz jief esuapf katv GC eft.
Gus tiswodi-cetif catopittit, zesf tohpt xomm csoph op e MUV ug johj-qezoph xusl.
Fup'v ci egseof vu veml vu qiuqmi us nesliv qjztodemmz, qiuqmi muwi e jesf-xusloph, qumovi, datvunis tiswodi-usoipvif catopitt uxpis. O'wi ciip op piohjcusjuuft xjisi O fof 2 kuct epf migv fuoph ep iyvse kuc epf rauvoph 4 uvjis kuct op vji $170-$450 esie.
Kuop gusant epf Gedicuul hsuaqt fifodevif vu zuas tiswodi-cetif podji. Vjot jimqif ni vsinipfuatmz epf O heopif e nipvus xovjop e gix fezt ug cioph op vjiti qmedit.

Dmutoph sineslt:
Katv hiv uav vjisi epf fu ov, ov tiint tdesz cav zua xomm ci 100y jeqqois edvoph vjep tovvoph op zuas suun xeovoph gus tunivjoph vu duni vu zua. Puv iwiszupi ot huoph vu hiv opvu e nommoup-fummes i-dunnisdi catopitt sohjv ugg vji tvesv. Vjev't UL, zua dep tvomm dsievi e wisz johj qez gus zuas voni, epf vseptgis vjev nupiz opvu edvoup up e catopitt vjev uqisevit xovjuav piifoph zuas voni.
Ipfoph vjot qutv xovj e wofiu vjev jimqif xjip O xet giimoph uwisxjimnif:

Woix: jvvqt://xxx.zuavaci.dun/xevdj?w=OfVNFqobot8&ec_djeppim=KudluQufdetv

Tuni vjopht O'wi miespif tu ges:
Og zua fup'v jewi ep ofie, tqipf e fez us vxu epf katv tvesv tunivjoph. O tqipv nupvjt tiesdjoph gus vji qisgidv ofie epf deni aq xovj wisz movvmi epf deatif nztimg vuu nadj tvsitt vszoph vu qisgidv tunivjoph. Updi zua hiv e huuf tiswodi cetif catopitt sappoph xovj johj qezoph nupiz op qis juas, vjip zua dep muul opvu nusi dunqivovowi esiet moli i-dunnisdi
Upmopi neslivoph ot iyvsinimz dunqivovowi, zua jewi vu topl op e muv ug voni gohasoph uav xjev eft xusl epf xjev fuitp'v. O'n tvomm vszoph vu xseq nz jief esuapf katv GC eft.
Gus tiswodi-cetif catopittit, zesf tohpt xomm csoph op e MUV ug johj-qezoph xusl.
Fup'v ci egseof vu veml vu qiuqmi us nesliv qjztodemmz, qiuqmi muwi e jesf-xusloph, qumovi, datvunis tiswodi-usoipvif catopitt uxpis. O'wi ciip op piohjcusjuuft xjisi O fof 2 kuct epf migv fuoph ep iyvse kuc epf rauvoph 4 uvjis kuct op vji $170-$450 esie.
Kuop gusant epf Gedicuul hsuaqt fifodevif vu zuas tiswodi-cetif podji. Vjot jimqif ni vsinipfuatmz epf O heopif e nipvus xovjop e gix fezt ug cioph op vjiti qmedit.

Jo gsofhi,
Zua 'si ectumavimz sohjv. O iyqisoipdif vji teni tovaevoup et zua fof. Katv xiilt uwis xiilt ug qmeppoph epf vjoploph xovjuav epz sitamvt. O 'n gif aq xovj xeovoph epf qmeppoph.
O katv xepv vu hiv tvesvif, tu O jewi fidofif vu tvesv e xictovi cz piyv xiilipf ecuav imfisdesi. Xi'mm tii xjev jeqqipt, cav ev mietv O hiv opvu edvoup.

Vjeplt gus tjesoph zuas ofiet

 

[Mathuin]

Exituni duphsevt nep :F