New to Carpet cleaning, business ownership, and forums (basically a horse)

BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
That said, I can only imagine where these words will end up, how embarrassed I'll be once I realize the scope of my audience, and how I'll set aside my remaining pride while trying to navigate all these new things happening.
The heading was genuine; I'm literally brand new at each aspect that ties together all of the members here.
Are these supposed to be short? Here goes:
I'm a new cleaner with zero experience. Zero. I held my first wand and cleaned my first carpet one day in April with the gear I got from a huge loan after I decided being a police officer wasn't the right trajectory.
I'm having a difficult time starting out (I think) and I expected the phone to ring at least once a week after doing all the local neighbor Facebook pages and CL ads, yet that's not the case. I'm not as upset about that as I am about trying to understand the chemistry and its applications.
I attended UFT and CCT online, and I didn't learn nearly enough to make me confident, party because my own learning style, and partly because all of the other students had at least a rudimentary understanding on board prior to the class. Then my notes were destroyed.

Here's what I have now, minus any competence:
Transit 350
Titan 575
Devastator Wand
Brush Pro 20
The sprayer that hooks up to the van and has a handle and a yellow tip that I don't understand (Mark haha)
Super expensive Tupperware upholstery thing
Archaic stair tool
Super expensive electric Tupperware sprayer
A smattering of chemicals

Here's what I'm looking to achieve, in this order:
Competence and confidence in my chemistry
Not hauling the same exact pre-spray to every job I've ever had (maybe 20 since April, largely people known to me)
The ability to custom create pre sprays that are job-specific
The ability to even turn off italics, apparently ugh FML
Marketing tips and strategies
Finally, income

I live in a huuuuuge metro area and there is more than enough business to go around. I'm reticent to ask anyone locally for tutelage locally for obvious reasons, so I have no metric to tell if this rate of growth is normal.

I also just ordered an Orbot Vibe to add to my arsenal of unused equipment, and I'm hoping it can allow me to go higher off the ground, and maybe into hard surfaces.
I really want to figure all this out, and I sure hope that this website can help. I have known that forums exist since they came out, but I've always stayed far far away due to how complex they are. I have never read a forum, and it's no wonder- I can't even shut off the italics haha
 
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FredC

Village Idiot
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
26,227
Welcome Nick,

Consider a ride along with an established cleaner....even if you have to travel. Maybe even consider getting a carpet cleaning job for a bit since your schedule seems open. Check for more hands on at distributor.

Watch vids from folks like Mark Saiger

https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkSaiger (but don't get caught up in buying more toys)

Your goal should be a single prespray (or two) that covers almost all jobs - not being a chemist -but of course it shouldn't be the shit you mixed up in April

italics button
italics.jpg
 
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Desk Jockey

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
64,833
Location
A planet far far away
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Rico Suave
A horse? I'd say you sound more like a jackass asking these morons anything.

For a mere $1,000.00 a month I am willing to take you under wing. Careful it might be damp under there.

I'd normally do it for no charge but a ruthless bass-turd is charging me for cooking lessons.

Seriously welcome! And it's not really $1000.00 a month. Hell no!

It's only $999.00 🙂
 
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BIG WOOD

MLPW
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Feb 4, 2016
Messages
13,157
Location
Georgia
Name
Matt w.
How many churches, daycare centers, office complexes, etc. have you physically went out to, did some old fashioned shaking of the hand (or fist bump), thanked them for taking 30seconds out of their day to let you give them your business card, and offered to provide your services to?
 
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BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
Welcome Nick,

Consider a ride along with an established cleaner....even if you have to travel. Maybe even consider getting a carpet cleaning job for a bit since your schedule seems open. Check for more hands on at distributor.

Watch vids from folks like Mark Saiger

https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkSaiger (but don't get caught up in buying more toys)

Your goal should be a single prespray (or two) that covers almost all jobs - not being a chemist -but of course it shouldn't be the shit you mixed up in April

italics button
View attachment 111026
Oh man, in the interest of time, I didn't mention how many hours and HOURS of YouTube I have consumed, and how many good people I have hassled over the last many months (poor Mark, dude I'm so sorry) with my inane blithering.
My spray isn't from April (lololol) but it's the same shit as I always use. Actually I'v used two: some powdered stuff with something called bio-break in it, and something called Zone Perfect. The first stuff smells like oranges on your hand, not in the air. The other stuff smells a bit, but nothing I have used is present in the air afterward. When I'm done cleaning, it just smells like damp carpet. Or unchained, if I've clawed some piss that day.
I want to be able to mix for that specific job (I almost used italics there, but they wouldn't shut OFF haha) instead of using the same thing over and over, but that leads to another question: how much spray are you wasting if you're mixing for each job? Do you conveniently run out with your last spray pass? or do you put the remaining in a grog bucket to use for meth labs?
 

Willy P

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
10,579
Location
Vancouver
Name
Willy P
A horse? I'd say you sound more like a jackass asking these morons anything.

For a mere $1,000.00 a month I am willing to take you under wing. Careful it might be damp under there.

I'd normally do it for no charge but a ruthless bass-turd is charging me for cooking lessons.

Seriously welcome! And it's not really $1000.00 a month. Hell no!

It's only $999.00 🙂


First piece of advice - avoid the above charlatan desk dingleberry. He gets paid to sleep.
1633560029941.png







FRESH MEAT!
 
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Cleanworks

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Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,927
Location
New Westminster,BC
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Ron Marriott
I am astounded that you spent so much on equipment without knowing how to use it. What motivated you to choose carpet cleaning? You've already jumped in so now you have to learn to swim. Concentrate on easy jobs. Vacuum, prespray, rinse extract. Getting a job at another carpet cleaning company is like paid training. Both in what to do and what not to do. Welcome to the group and fire away with questions. Sounds like you already have a thick skin so you'll fit right in.
 
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Messages
1,990
Location
Athens, Ga
Name
Evets
Matt's advice is good; shake some hands. Fred's advice is good; don't get up into buying a lot of toys.
We have a 575, so you're badass on that one.

You only need a couple of presprays, and I recommend Saiger's Code Red for the Rat nastys.
Saiger's P-LYME for dog urine.
Something with a ph of 10 for normal soiling.
Read the MSDS sheets on all chems and consider your long term health vs cost to buy.
 

Nomad74

Boy Sprout
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
23,461
Location
Redding
I see you are in Twin Cities. You should go do a ride along with Saiger’s crew. You’ll learn a lot. If you were closer I’d say come hang with me for a few days. I’ll show you the best drive thru restaurants.
 
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F

FB7777

Guest
‘Trajectory” “metric”, dumps a ton of money on equipment with zero experience


you’re a carpet cleaner alright…….



don’t blame you for passing on being a cop in minnesota ….. have you visited the Floyd memorial statue yet?
 
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BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
I am astounded that you spent so much on equipment without knowing how to use it. What motivated you to choose carpet cleaning? You've already jumped in so now you have to learn to swim. Concentrate on easy jobs. Vacuum, prespray, rinse extract. Getting a job at another carpet cleaning company is like paid training. Both in what to do and what not to do. Welcome to the group and fire away with questions. Sounds like you already have a thick skin so you'll fit right in.
That's a great word.
I was confident that I could learn how to turn on the machine. I stood there in strangers' driveways operating my Titan using notecards. I didn't care- I knew that I wanted an opportunity that I created myself. If I did it the grassroots way, I may have gotten frustrated along the way and stopped, and this way I'm so hard in the paint that I have to succeed.
I chose carpets for many reasons, largely because I don't have a brick and mortar I'm tethered to, and I have no schedule.
Every bit of failure is on me and me alone.
Every success I've had is because someone assisted me somewhere along the line. With the shit I have parked outside, there's no reason I can't find success. Plus ever since I was a kid, every time I was asked with vacuuming or even shoveling show, I HAD to ensure that the lines were symmetrical and even. I cannot allow myself to have sloppy work. Not ever. I just want the work to be better.
I'm doing everything I can to keep my gear off your classifieds page at this point. And I feel I made a pretty solid choice, given the EXTREME grace that seems to be intrinsic among a lot of cleaners.
I've fought enough in my life. I had a shitty first marriage. I struggled in high school (I failed English of all things and never walked a stage in a robe until I graduated college with my bachelors- finished HS in summer school). I spent long hours in Iraq fighting. I'm done with the bickering I see on the FB pages. I want to LEARN. I want to try to hone the skill of shutting the **** up and learning again after instructing bullshit for so long.
I'm just hungry!
 

BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
A horse? I'd say you sound more like a jackass asking these morons anything.

For a mere $1,000.00 a month I am willing to take you under wing. Careful it might be damp under there.

I'd normally do it for no charge but a ruthless bass-turd is charging me for cooking lessons.

Seriously welcome! And it's not really $1000.00 a month. Hell no!

It's only $999.00 🙂
The only thing that really sunk in here was the dampness. I'm trying to buy these tickets to the thing in Scottsdale, so once I figure that out, make sure you get an extra room key (I'll be staying off-campus) and let's see how serious you are about that dampness
Wait where are the smileys? I wanted the snarky one after that...
 
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BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
How many churches, daycare centers, office complexes, etc. have you physically went out to, did some old fashioned shaking of the hand (or fist bump), thanked them for taking 30seconds out of their day to let you give them your business card, and offered to provide your services to?
Matt that's great question. The answer is, I'm not sure. I've been to maybe 3-4 churches, probably 10 hotels, 5-6 clinics, 3 retirement communities (commons areas) and a fistful of restaurants. One thing I hang my hat on is I am NOT shy, and being a cop for so many years, selling comes absolutely effortlessly for me, thank God.
 

BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
Matt's advice is good; shake some hands. Fred's advice is good; don't get up into buying a lot of toys.
We have a 575, so you're badass on that one.

You only need a couple of presprays, and I recommend Saiger's Code Red for the Rat nastys.
Saiger's P-LYME for dog urine.
Something with a ph of 10 for normal soiling.
Read the MSDS sheets on all chems and consider your long term health vs cost to buy.
I just took delivery of a case of P Lime. I've been using a water claw and unchained for that.
 

Desk Jockey

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
64,833
Location
A planet far far away
Name
Rico Suave
That's a great word.
I was confident that I could learn how to turn on the machine. I stood there in strangers' driveways operating my Titan using notecards. I didn't care- I knew that I wanted an opportunity that I created myself. If I did it the grassroots way, I may have gotten frustrated along the way and stopped, and this way I'm so hard in the paint that I have to succeed.
I chose carpets for many reasons, largely because I don't have a brick and mortar I'm tethered to, and I have no schedule.
Every bit of failure is on me and me alone.
Every success I've had is because someone assisted me somewhere along the line. With the shit I have parked outside, there's no reason I can't find success. Plus ever since I was a kid, every time I was asked with vacuuming or even shoveling show, I HAD to ensure that the lines were symmetrical and even. I cannot allow myself to have sloppy work. Not ever. I just want the work to be better.
I'm doing everything I can to keep my gear off your classifieds page at this point. And I feel I made a pretty solid choice, given the EXTREME grace that seems to be intrinsic among a lot of cleaners.
I've fought enough in my life. I had a shitty first marriage. I struggled in high school (I failed English of all things and never walked a stage in a robe until I graduated college with my bachelors- finished HS in summer school). I spent long hours in Iraq fighting. I'm done with the bickering I see on the FB pages. I want to LEARN. I want to try to hone the skill of shutting the **** up and learning again after instructing bullshit for so long.
I'm just hungry!
You type too much. We don't really care that much about you. We just want ammunition to make fun of you...and damn! You've give us plenty! 😉
 

BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
I see you are in Twin Cities. You should go do a ride along with Saiger’s crew. You’ll learn a lot. If you were closer I’d say come hang with me for a few days. I’ll show you the best drive thru restaurants.
I've petitioned a relatively local mentor or two. I was asked once and I couldn't clean that day.
 

BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
I think they have Wendy's in Minnesota.
They do. Not in reputable areas though, largely, around here. I went to the Red Lobster the other day, the one we went to on my birthdays as a kid. I regaled management with all the warm memories I have of that place and how invested I am in its continued success. They were giddy, but then told me that a cleaner from out of state cleans all the Red Lobsters in the entire area. I'm hearing a lot of that. Seems insurmountable as these biz owners are loyal to their cleaners.
 
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BFC Nick

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Twin Cities, US
Name
Nick Torok
‘Trajectory” “metric”, dumps a ton of money on equipment with zero experience


you’re a carpet cleaner alright…….



don’t blame you for passing on being a cop in minnesota ….. have you visited the Floyd memorial statue yet?
I will never go near that area.
 

Cleanworks

Moderator
Joined
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Messages
26,927
Location
New Westminster,BC
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Ron Marriott
They do. Not in reputable areas though, largely, around here. I went to the Red Lobster the other day, the one we went to on my birthdays as a kid. I regaled management with all the warm memories I have of that place and how invested I am in its continued success. They were giddy, but then told me that a cleaner from out of state cleans all the Red Lobsters in the entire area. I'm hearing a lot of that. Seems insurmountable as these biz owners are loyal to their cleaners.
Franchise chains often look for national deals. I don't bother with them.
 
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