newest member would like some advice

[rcl1006]

hi i`m the newest member , i have been in the auto detail industry for 10 years. iget the basics on how to clean carpets.in the past i had a spit fire truck mount ithink it was a hydra master . it was definatly more machine than i needed . i live in new jersey and would like to know of any classes to attend or classes to get certified in. also i`m not interested in getting a truck mount again would like to start out small with the right machine. i know this buisness is tuff. i`m looking to work at my own pace with out the hassels of payroll and overhead.
any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks rob

 

[Scott S.]

So what exactly is your question?

Please fill out your profile..

 

[rcl1006]

looking for a class on cleaning carpets and to get certified.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

You can download a list of all the scheduled classes here at the IICRC website.

http://www.iicrc.org/pdf/IICRC_classes.pdf

Look under the CCT list for a class near you.

 

[alazo1]

You get the foundation from IICRC class but it's by far not the bible. Ride along with someone, think outside the box once you've been doing it for a while. Oh yeah, don't go crazy trying every single chem you read about. Stick to a few at first.

Albert

 

[rcl1006]

albert thank you. that was one of my problems with my detail shop , every detailer had there own product they wanted to work with. there are alot of products out there can you recomend a few for me to start of with.

shawn thanks for the info on the classes

are there any trade magazines around?

rob

 

[truckmount girl]

Yes, there are trade magazines, Cleanfax and ICS are both free and the most well known, but you will get a better leg up on the industry from the bulletin boards. Do a few searches here for issues you are facing and you will find a plethora of info on most every subject from marketing to post-grooming. if you are looking at purchasing equipment or chemicals, this is also a great place to check out what people who own/use those products and equipment have to say about them before laying out those hard earned bucks.

I've taken many classes and acheived Master Textile Cleaner and Journeyman Water Restorer status, but I learned WAY more on the bulletin boards than in any classes. Spend a half hour searching, reading and asking questions on MikeysBoard each night and you will soon have learned more than most guys learn in ten or fifteen years of experience, magazines and classes.....you will also be entertained, challenged and possibly evgen insulted. If you can handle it, you may become part of the family.

Understand that new people often get a lot of ribbing and questioning because we get our share of bogus posters, posers and shills and we try to sort out the real newbies from the fakes, so if you're real, please understand and don't take offense.

Welcome and good luck.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[The Great Oz]

Rob,
The IICRC courses are a good starting point. Experienced people can quibble with some of the information presented, but it is accurate overall and for the most part is not geared toward selling a particular product or method. There are lots of advanced classes to look into when you're ready.

The value of the trade magazines is that the information is presented with some acknowledgement of journalistic practices; information is presented responsibly. The problem is that often articles are written in a very bland manner in order to avoid controversy.

The value of industry bulletin boards is information is presented in an unfiltered way, with little concern for protecting a manufacturer that sells a poor product. The problem is that the majority of the information is colored with personal predjudices, is presented to pump the products of a "buddy" in the business, or pump the courses or programs the poster is selling, or is just plain wrong. You have to gain the experience to mine the nuggets from the sludge.

The best help you'll get would be to become active in a trade association, where you can find a mentor and meet members face to face. It takes some time and some money, but the businesses of people that belong to trade associations are far more likely to be successful than the industry average.

PS: You can work with a portable, and your truckmount may have been more than you needed for auto detailing, but one would be a definite time-saver when you're cleaning any volume of carpet. Definitely not over-rated.

 

[Torn]

If you look on the internet for the carpet cleaning chemical suppliers in your area. You can get most all of the information you are looking for from them or people who buy stuff from them.
Whenever I'm in my suppliers store and another carpet cleaners in there, I ask them what they're using for chems, equipment etc. Most guys and gals will tell you what's worked for them and what has not. You can look at different kinds of equipment and methods. Don't be afraid to ask anyone anything. The unfortunate part of looking for information on any business is weeding through the information you don't need and being able to recognize the difference. But that will come with time, like anything and everything else.

 

[bob vawter]

should i BAMM him....?

 

[Chris A]

a Truck mount probably would be over kill for detailing cars, but if your cleaning every day, its almost (almost) a neccessity.

 

[LeeCory]

There are alot of carpet cleaning companies out there, and it may be difficult to compete running only a portable. That's not even taking into consideration how much harder your job will be.

Do some research and do a ride along with a company that uses high end truckmount equipment and a company that uses a portable. If you do that, things will start to become very clear as to which you would like to be.

There is only one company in a 50 mile radius of me that I know of that uses portables and they have to deceive people over the phone to get work. They lie to every customer on the phone by saying that every other company that uses truckmounts recycle their dirty water to clean with. And they say they only use portables that use clean water from their sink.

If a portable is your only option to get a start that's ok since it's always handy to have one in a pinch for spot cleaning.

Also I would tell you that unless you have a passion for cleaning carpets or this line of work I would pass on it. You mentioned that you have 10 years in auto detailing. If you love that line of work, you may also like this. If you are only looking for some simple business to start to try and make money you may end up dissapointed unless you are able to give it a couple years to get off to a good start.

Trying to get off to a good start with a portable might seem like you have one arm tied behind your back.

Also, while you are building your business at the beginning, it never hurts to work a full time job elsewhere and do this on the side. There have been guys that come on the boards that have families and bills to pay that sit around waiting for the jobs to come it from day one.

When I started my business I had a full time job. I kept that job for several years and worked worked 10 - 12 hours a day 7 days a week. At one point my business finally made me more than my full time job.... You will know when the time is right to jump in completely.

If this is what you really want to do it could turn out to be the best thing you've ever done.

Good luck!

Lee Cory

 

[lancehollister]

Classes with no experiance will only confuse you. With some experiance behind you first then its well worth it.

Also to do it right then learn carpet repairs and water restoration.

This is a word of mouth business business so every job counts.

 

[XTREME1]

there is a guy from jersey who use to frequent this board you should contact him and do a drive along. I will pull up his name, just don't mention me LOL

 

[rcl1006]

thanks for all the helpful info .im learning alot just from reading all the forums here.
if you have the info on the guy from nj , i would appreciate it . a ride along would be great .
thanks rob

 

[XTREME1]

Marc Imbesi