How to Start a Pressure Washing Business

June 29, 2022
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Starting a business is one of the best ways to live life on your own terms and have flexibility with work! If you want to know how to start a pressure washing business and looking for information on how to get started then keep reading below.

1. Choose the Pressure Washing Services to Offer

When you're starting a new business, there's so much that goes into it. You have to decide what services and at what cost? You may need different equipment depending if you decide to service residential, commercial, industrial, or all three! Consider the following for the pressure washing services you can offer:

How To Start A Pressure Washing Business
  • General maintenance
  • Concrete
  • Gutters
  • Roofs
  • Paint removal
  • Restoration
  • Windows
  • Patio and Deck
  • Pool
  • and much more...

The secret to being successful is simple - focus on what you're good at and do it. Once that becomes a part of your power washing business, then more and bigger opportunities will come knocking!

2. Create a Budget For Your Pressure Washing Business

Cleaning Budget

You'll need to determine a reasonable budget to start company, including the initial purchase and replacement of equipment as necessary. Factor in hiring costs into the equation as well. Keep an eye on taxes and insurance coverage too!

Start up costs will vary depending on what services you plan to offer. Expect to initially spend a minimum of $7,500 up front to start your power washing company with a few must-have purchases. Below are some examples to give you an idea:

  • Gear to get started: $1,500
  • Used van or truck: $5,000
  • Insurance, permits and licenses: $500 upfront and $100 per month (both vary depending on your state)
  • Initial Marketing: $250 for a basic website, business cards and flyers

Without a plan for the long-term, you might find yourself in financial ruin. You should pay yourself an hourly wage and calculate estimated taxes so that your budget is prepared accordingly with growth expectations!

3. Choose a Brand Name For Your Pressure Washing Company

The right pressure washing business name brand can make or break you. You might choose to use the name of an interesting nickname, start with something based on where you live and what products are offered (e g., residential vs commercial), but whatever route is taken - it's important not just for success in this industry; more importantly people need personalization so they feel like their needs matter!

When considering the name of your business, it's important to think about how many domains are available for registration. This can be challenging because some domain names have already been registered by other companies or individuals before you try and get them yourselves!

There are several popular domain registration companies where you can check domain name availability. Two examples are Wix and Go Daddy. Both companies can also build and host a website for you at very reasonable prices.

4. Setup Registration, Licensing and Insurance

Business License

The brand name you choose for your company is an important part of its success. To ensure that it's not already claimed by another business, register the domain with one government agency and pay any fees required by law in order to protect yourself from liability should someone else try using their trademarked moniker first!

During the registration process you will need to decide on your company structure. Two most common options are:

  • Sole Proprietorship - A sole proprietorship is typically cheaper to establish, and you have total control over your company. However, a sole proprietorship can put your assets at risk if the company is not profitable.
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC) - An LLC reduces the amount of liability you have as an individual and instead puts the company assets on the line

Business insurance is an important part of protecting yourself and your assets. You can never be too careful!

5. Price Your Pressure Washing Services

Figuring out how much to charge for your pressure washing services can feel like an impossible feat. Luckily, this is a problem that you easily solve with some thought! Consider the following when determining what price would work best:
Lawn Care Prices
  • To get your pressure washing pricing right, you need to know who will be using the service. Higher residential clients might not tolerate any price increase while commercial ones are more open for negotiation. It's important that we charge appropriately and make sure our services meet their needs so they come back again in future!
  • If you want to get a fair price for your service or product, the first step is understanding what other companies offer in terms of services and prices. It's important that there isn't too much difference between them because otherwise it could lead people feeling like they're being blinkered with!
  • Your pricing strategy will have a big impact on how many clients you get. If your price is too high, then no one wants to work with you because it's not worth their time and money . On the other hand if there are fees that don't change (such as for legal services) people may be willing lower those prices since they know what total cost might come up at closing. The type of project also impacts this decision - projects where completion date matters most typically require higher flat rates than jobs which can wait until after everything has been completed already.
  • When you add in profit, pricing isn’t about breaking even. It's actually all for the sake of making money and becoming more profitable! With a healthy percentage set aside every month to pay yourself (and help take care on any unexpected costs), this will give way for long term success.

6. Get Power Wash Supplies and Equipment

Supplies for Starting a Pressure Washing Business
You can't become successful if you don’t have the right tools to do your job. So before you start out on a pressure washing job, make sure that you have the necessary supplies and equipment available and ready for use! Suppliers like Home Depot and Lowes are great places to initial look for these items.

The number and type of services you offer will dictate how much inventory, as well the cost to purchase it.

If you have commercial clients and need bigger equipment you’ll need a truck or trailer to transport from place-to-place. If you don't have one, invest in some wheels and get protected with commercial auto insurance!

7. Market Your Power Washing Business

Marketing your new start up pressure washing business is essential to success. You'll be competing with other pressure washing advertising for visibility and potential customers but there are lots of ways you can get ahead in this game! Some options might cost money, like advertising, while others require very little investment from an already tight budget.
Marketing

You can use a variety of methods to promote and increase business revenue, such as print fliers and online advertising. You might also want to invest in digital marketing by creating an account on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter where you'll post photos related specifically for customers who are interested only with what they see when browsing through these profiles instead if being limited just locally within one city limits!

Once you have an established roster of clients, you can sign up for a platform like Care.com, TaskRabbit, or Handy to make it easier for clients to find your business. Having customer reviews and a registered business will strengthen your online profile.

8. Setup Accounting to Manage Your Cashflow

You should have a business bank account where you can accept payments and monitor cash flow separately from your personal assets.

Select an accounting service software application to do your bookkeeping. There are many options but QuickBooks is most popular.

Pricing

Keep track of your income and expenses to make sure you’re reporting accurately when it is time for tax filing. There are many options of other tools to integrate with QuickBooks to consider help manage your operations as your start up business grows.

A great way to avoid overspending on your expenses is by creating an expense budget that's tailored specifically for you. You'll find yourself making purchases without realizing how much they are going cost until the end of each month, so this type plan ahead will keep things under control!

Also, don't forget to create a small business plan!

9. Hire & Train Workers As You Grow

When the demands of work start to take over your life, it’s time for you hire help!

  • Determine who you want as your next employee, what they need from a job and how to find them.
  • Write down the details of a person's role so there is no confusion about expectations for both parties.
  • Post an ad in online hiring websites that describes exactly why someone should apply for the position by writing out specific responsibilities along with any other requirements.
  • Make a short list from the best applications you receive.
  • Hire the person you feel will do the best job and a good fit within your company.

10. Get Organized

Growing a successful power washing business is easy when you're organized! It's important to take on a little bit at once so that the transition goes as smoothly and without problem for you. After all, if these tasks are broken down into smaller chunks over time then they won't feel quite so overwhelming! These are a few examples how Bella FSM power wash software can help you achieve this:

  • Customer Management - Easily manage all communications, notes, history, contacts and locations. Login at anytime, anywhere from any device.
  • Quoting / Estimating - Create a quote or estimate from your office or while at the customer location. Set follow up reminders to get that sale! Try our free Pressure Washing Estimate Template
  • Scheduling - Easy scheduling with drag and drop capabilities and multiple calendar views with color coding options.
  • Job Management - Manage jobs at every stage from estimate to job to invoice to paid. The jobs scheduling dashboard provides a real-time view into your business.
  • Invoicing and Payment - Invoice clients as some as the work is complete and get paid quickly.
  • Accounting - Accounting features that will assist you to effectively manage your finances, or integrate with QuickBooks if you prefer.