New Guy

[knapster]

Thanks for the kind advise everyone, it really means a lot that you answered so quickly. I can see that there is a solid community of folks out there who are genuinely interested in each others' success.
I have no plans of jumping right in. I am actually moving my family to the Spokane area in about a year and that is where I hope to expand on this venture. So, I am blessed with an entire year of planning and research and development of my brand. Was thinking of working as a grunt for the next year under someone else for the experience, figure they won't be too upset if I move 10 hours away to start my own business.
Do the big franchises make you sign a no compete clause and if so does it matter if you move outside the area to a different territory?

 

[SamIam]

Get a web site and pay someone to get you ranked properly. Your in Idaho, both your potential customers should be able to find you then.

But you have to figure out what you're doing first.

Go live with Saiger for a year.

Actually isn't it buy a Butler and Saiger comes to you?

 

[DAT]

I'll be 37 this october, and I'm currently wearing a knee brace, my hip has been getting sore, as well as my lower back. But I'm not bitching about it yet

Active stretching and powerlifting will set your body mechanics right and strong for many more years...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Thanks for the kind advise everyone, it really means a lot that you answered so quickly. I can see that there is a solid community of folks out there who are genuinely interested in each others' success.
I have no plans of jumping right in. I am actually moving my family to the Spokane area in about a year and that is where I hope to expand on this venture. So, I am blessed with an entire year of planning and research and development of my brand. Was thinking of working as a grunt for the next year under someone else for the experience, figure they won't be too upset if I move 10 hours away to start my own business.
Do the big franchises make you sign a no compete clause and if so does it matter if you move outside the area to a different territory?

Pay Mike to ride along and go work with him for a week. After a week you'll understand enough to go out on your own.

 

[J Scott W]

Greetings Ray, You have already seen that all these wizened veterans of the trade don't agree on everything. So while it is nice to have folks to answer your questions, don't expect there will always be one answer.

I was just in Mountain Home Friday and Saturday working on a project. Salt Lake City is not too far to come for a good class. I think Doug Heiferman is teaching in the next couple of months. He does a great class, brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm and is helpful to new start-up business with his background as a CPA.

If you come down to Salt Lake, let me know and I can arrange to let you try out truckmounts, OP machines, CRB and whatever else you have read about on the board but not had a chance to try out. Come on the right Saturday and you can join me in cleaning about 12,000 sq. ft of office / warehouse carpet.

 

[hogjowl]

He says we're "solid".

LOL

 

[knapster]

Greetings Ray, You have already seen that all these wizened veterans of the trade don't agree on everything. So while it is nice to have folks to answer your questions, don't expect there will always be one answer.

I was just in Mountain Home Friday and Saturday working on a project. Salt Lake City is not too far to come for a good class. I think Doug Heiferman is teaching in the next couple of months. He does a great class, brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm and is helpful to new start-up business with his background as a CPA.

If you come down to Salt Lake, let me know and I can arrange to let you try out truckmounts, OP machines, CRB and whatever else you have read about on the board but not had a chance to try out. Come on the right Saturday and you can join me in cleaning about 12,000 sq. ft of office / warehouse carpet.

Scott, I may take you up on that offer. It would be a real priveledge to tag along with you. 1 day in the field equals a month of reading... maybe more. Plus, it would be good to get the wife out of town for a day or two.

 

[Able 1]

First three years were tough for me, two of them I actually got a tax return with out paying a penny(not sure how that works, but thanks Chavez!).. Reading here can be dangerous right out the gate, so many "you need this or that tool"! I found this place after being in the business for 3 years, and it has truly helped me! If you are going to go for it, DO IT! It will take a LOT of time to build your business, but after you get it going it gets way easier ..

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[knapster]

Thanks Able, I expect it to be tough. I predict many nights and weekends of building a referral base outside of my "day job". It is exciting to think of steering my own ship. My wife is a great partner and an excellent bookkeeper so I think we'll make a great team if/when we pull the trigger on this thing.

 

[DAT]

Laws of serendipity...be bold and go forth! You cant go wrong there..

 

[TomKing]

Welcome to the board.
Question
1. No
2. Yes

Several thoughts come to mind

1. Focus on your business plan FIRST, equipment second.

2. Establish a written plan to how you will launch your business. Budget, time line, services you will offer,

3. Start part time evenings and weekends before you leave a good job. Don't just buy a rig and go for it. This will also give you time for your online reputation to start building steam. Don't get in a hurry!!!! Did I say keep your day job.

4. Come to MF so you can become known. This board, SFS and some specialized rug training have been key to our technical success.

5. Visit 3-5 solid companies across the country. I would look for companies that have started and grown well in the last 5-10 years. Do a couple ride a longs. I would suggest you do 2 days with the same company if possible.

6. Pick a business mentor. You will get lots of great information from this board but not everyone or everything is for you. To many voices messes you up. It is also hard to figure out who is who. Took me 2 years to figure out some of these guys are full of it and the ones who are not don't look like it. LOL

7. Take some real time with your mentor to help create a brand. Simple things like the wrong address, phone number or domain name can hold you back from gaining steam. Don't get in a hurry!!!!

8. Find a technical mentor to help you build your first truck. I would look for someone that has been able to get 2-5 trucks on the road. What you will get is usually a system that is repeatable and you should be able do the same in your town. Read the E-myth!

9. Do a DISC profile test. Read the book "Now Discover your strengths". Ask the people close to you what are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?Would they want to work for you? Have you ever been a supervisor? Do you have what it takes to be a entrepreneur? Lots of guys come into this business and they were good techs but are not good small business owners and they fail.

10. Save up 6-9 months living expenses before you leave your current job. Use your mentor to create a reasonable first year financial plan. Attend a Dave Ramsey debt free living class prior to starting your business.


Hope this gets you started. Welcome to the world of cleaning.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Awesome Tom!

 

[HWEOnly]

Hello Everyone,
I grew up in the floor-covering business and know a great deal about installation and materials but I hope to be able to walk after I retire and have decided to look into another honest living: carpet and surface extraction.
I have a mechanical mind and to me, common sense just makes sense.

My first two questions out of what will probably be many are:
1. Can a hard work ethic and good equipment be enough to get started in this business?
2. Should I sit on my startup savings for a year or two and learn from an established pro?

Your advice and experiences are greatly appreciated. Similarly, if you have any questions on repair or other installation related issues, I'd be happy to help.

Thank you for reading,
-
Ray da Rookie

Coming to the forum (BEFORE you start your business ) is smart!!
Lots of knowledge, humor and bad taste for music on this board.

Some of these guys affinity for the 80's boggles my mind. Hair bands NOT included.

 

[knapster]

S

Welcome to the board.
Question
1. No
2. Yes

Several thoughts come to mind

1. Focus on your business plan FIRST, equipment second.

2. Establish a written plan to how you will launch your business. Budget, time line, services you will offer,

3. Start part time evenings and weekends before you leave a good job. Don't just buy a rig and go for it. This will also give you time for your online reputation to start building steam. Don't get in a hurry!!!! Did I say keep your day job.

4. Come to MF so you can become known. This board, SFS and some specialized rug training have been key to our technical success.

5. Visit 3-5 solid companies across the country. I would look for companies that have started and grown well in the last 5-10 years. Do a couple ride a longs. I would suggest you do 2 days with the same company if possible.

6. Pick a business mentor. You will get lots of great information from this board but not everyone or everything is for you. To many voices messes you up. It is also hard to figure out who is who. Took me 2 years to figure out some of these guys are full of it and the ones who are not don't look like it. LOL

7. Take some real time with your mentor to help create a brand. Simple things like the wrong address, phone number or domain name can hold you back from gaining steam. Don't get in a hurry!!!!

8. Find a technical mentor to help you build your first truck. I would look for someone that has been able to get 2-5 trucks on the road. What you will get is usually a system that is repeatable and you should be able do the same in your town. Read the E-myth!

9. Do a DISC profile test. Read the book "Now Discover your strengths". Ask the people close to you what are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?Would they want to work for you? Have you ever been a supervisor? Do you have what it takes to be a entrepreneur? Lots of guys come into this business and they were good techs but are not good small business owners and they fail.

10. Save up 6-9 months living expenses before you leave your current job. Use your mentor to create a reasonable first year financial plan. Attend a Dave Ramsey debt free living class prior to starting your business.


Hope this gets you started. Welcome to the world of cleaning.

Thank you Tom,
'Now Discover Your Strengths' is a fantastic read, an old supervisor handed me a copy years ago. I try to apply it's principles daily and it has served me well.
I appreciate the advise, the Mrs and I are currently listening to Ramsey's Financial Peace series...
Mikey's Forum has been a wealth of knowledge so far. Who knew that in an industry as competitive as this, that one could find so many that are willing to help each other out.
I worked for a company called Les Scwab Tire Centers here in the West for a few years after I left the family business. Les had a great business model which he wrote a book on called, 'Pride in Performance, Keep it Going'. If any are interested in expansion of staff, it's at least worth a read even if it isn't for you.

Coming to the forum (BEFORE you start your business ) is smart!!
Lots of knowledge, humor and bad taste for music on this board.

Some of these guys affinity for the 80's boggles my mind. Hair bands NOT included.

I'm a child of 80's rock AND country... Doesn't get any better than Yoakam or Men at a Work, IMO

 

[Desk Jockey]

S

Thank you Tom,
'Now Discover Your Strengths' is a fantastic read, an old supervisor handed me a copy years ago. I try to apply it's principles daily and it has served me well.
I appreciate the advise, the Mrs and I are currently listening to Ramsey's Financial Peace series...
Mikey's Forum has been a wealth of knowledge so far. Who knew that in an industry as competitive as this, that one could find so many that are willing to help each other out.
I worked for a company called Les Scwab Tire Centers here in the West for a few years after I left the family business. Les had a great business model which he wrote a book on called, 'Pride in Performance, Keep it Going'. If any are interested in expansion of staff, it's at least worth a read even if it isn't for you.

I'm a child of 80's rock AND country... Doesn't get any better than Yoakam or Men at a Work, IMO

me too!

 

[Mikey P]

Have you been to Prinville Oregon where Les Schwab corporate is located?

You'd think you'd died and woke up in a Jimmy Stewert film..

Wonderful.

 

[knapster]

Have you been to Prinville Oregon where Les Schwab corporate is located?

You'd think you'd died and woke up in a Jimmy Stewert film..

Wonderful.

Oh yeah, went there for the new man meeting. Met Les and Phil (RIP). Was pretty cool to see the retread factory. Hay bales and dust as far as the eye can see...

 

[Mark Von*Lay]

Hope things work out all the way for you as a baby in this industry a year, I can't tell you what the knowledge here has done for me, it has shaved years off trial and error, I spend every spare moment learning,I'm 53 and there have been some really sore days a good back brace is a must, what's great and wonderful is I can't get enough I love it.... and 90 percent of the people and 100% of the professionals... listen to all of the Mikey's board webinars as well and it's so tempting to go out and finance a truck mount.....if the phone don't get ring what does It matter.... there are a lot of ways to get business going before one breaks the bank.

 

[The Great Oz]

I am actually moving my family to the Spokane area in about a year and that is where I hope to expand on this venture.

In that case, it's exactly like Kansas.

 

[knapster]

Well, sh!t! Not ONLY do I gotta decide whether to go all in on a TM vs. going the Portable route. Now I have to look into a VLM rig. I always figured VLM was for dummies that just made the puke smell better. Now I'm finding that it actually has a purpose!
Is this something I'll learn more about during IICRC certification? If I use it in tandem with HWE, is it going to gum up my equipment?

The rabbit hole just got deeper and I am no longer in Kansas!

"Airplanes are hard to catch"
-words of wisdom from my 3 year old son

 

[BIG WOOD]

Well, sh!t! Not ONLY do I gotta decide whether to go all in on a TM vs. going the Portable route. Now I have to look into a VLM rig. I always figured VLM was for dummies that just made the puke smell better. Now I'm finding that it actually has a purpose!
Is this something I'll learn more about during IICRC certification? If I use it in tandem with HWE, is it going to gum up my equipment?

The rabbit hole just got deeper and I am no longer in Kansas!

"Airplanes are hard to catch"
-words of wisdom from my 3 year old son

Just focus on getting a good truck mount or portable right now. Once you get it, and get accustomed to HWE, then you can mess around with vlm. I've been cleaning carpet over 13years with just a truck mount, and it hasn't hurt my business any. I've been messing around with vlm a little here and there, and I'm not gonna invest a fat check in a cimex or orbot any time soon, just because my commercial customers around here can't wrap it around their ignorant heads that maintenance is the only way to keep the traffic lanes from being permanent.

 

[Nomad74]

Stick around. It's nice to talk to someone the same age as me. These old guys keep jibberjabbering.

Gay

 

[BIG WOOD]

Gay

You're late for the party. What've you been doing? Cleaning school carpet

Can you tell how jealous I am that you have a school system that actually spends money on guys like us?

 

[Nomad74]

You're late for the party. What've you been doing? Cleaning school carpet

Can you tell how jealous I am that you have a school system that actually spends money on guys like us?

HA! Starting at 6am just to stay caught up. This last couple of weeks has been killing me. I've got 9 more rooms to clean and I'm done with that job. I cleaned 11 yesterday and a house. Going to be 111° today, wish me luck. I might actually have enough money to get my hotel room for Mikey's Fest after this week. Up until now I've been planning on sleeping in my Promaster.

 

[knapster]

HA! Starting at 6am just to stay caught up. This last couple of weeks has been killing me. I've got 9 more rooms to clean and I'm done with that job. I cleaned 11 yesterday and a house..

Badass

 

[J Scott W]

Well, sh!t! Not ONLY do I gotta decide whether to go all in on a TM vs. going the Portable route. Now I have to look into a VLM rig. I always figured VLM was for dummies that just made the puke smell better. Now I'm finding that it actually has a purpose!
Is this something I'll learn more about during IICRC certification? If I use it in tandem with HWE, is it going to gum up my equipment?

The rabbit hole just got deeper and I am no longer in Kansas!

"Airplanes are hard to catch"
-words of wisdom from my 3 year old son

You have to know what job you are going to do before you decide on the proper tool to do it.

Each method and type of equipment has benefits and disadvantages; pros and cons. But the decision needs to be put into context. Trying to be everything to everyone is not a marketing strategy. Will your target market be offices buildings? Retail stores? Institutional? Large volume residential cleaning? High end residential cleaning? Apartments and condos? etc.

Decide where you want to focus. Where are there openings in the market. Then you can decide on the tool that helps you serve that market.

 

[knapster]

You have to know what job you are going to do before you decide on the proper tool to do it.

Each method and type of equipment has benefits and disadvantages; pros and cons. But the decision needs to be put into context. Trying to be everything to everyone is not a marketing strategy. Will your target market be offices buildings? Retail stores? Institutional? Large volume residential cleaning? High end residential cleaning? Apartments and condos? etc.

Decide where you want to focus. Where are there openings in the market. Then you can decide on the tool that helps you serve that market.

Thanks Scott, good point. My marketing strategy is simple:
total world domination.
But if I can just make a solid living at it, that would be ok too.

 

[knapster]

In the interest of having the floor dry in hours and not days, I am looking at a Nautilus MX3-1200 for a porty

The Jury is still out on a TM (thought I had a clue, then someone brought Judson to my attention)

I'm sure the weakest TM would still blow away this porty but I can't afford both and it seems that no matter what, I'm going to need a porty.

After reading everyone else's horror stories though, there is something to be said for not having to dump in a toilet, ask where the breaker panel is or run off of cold water; not to mention lugging around a 160 lb. extractor.

Maybe I could just go cheeeeep on both setups and tinker on them over the winter, then kick some serious butt in the spring.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[DAT]

Did you watch grant video about daisy chain the portable extractor? You increase performance in lift and cfm. I might invest in mytee vac booster for my main porty...