Starting out on the cheap

[Dolly Llama]

I just bought a 2000 chevy astro van with a hydramaster cds in it. Yes it's a little beat up but looks okay and with just a little work, the unit is working great. I just put another $1500 in tires and brakes and idler arms and its safe to drive and have made over $30,000 in the 3 weeks or so that I have had it. I bought it because my main unit is in the shop, still waiting for a computer. This board is full of second units that guys have bought for cheap and are making good money with. Only a fool will buy a used unit, thinking it's as good as brand new. You know you will have to put some work in to it but it's a lot cheaper than buying brand new and can also provide you with a back up unit if and when you decide to go brand new.

Ron, were talking about new start ups
not years long veterans with mechanical skills and learned knowledge to work on vans and TMs

I started with just type outfit you're talking about.
I'm reasonably mechanical too
I had to buy a porty the 1st or second year in biz ….as a back-up

..L.T.A.

 

[Nomad74]

I'm scared to share. You guys are meanies.

 

[Desk Jockey]

lol

 

[JohnHawkP]

Started 31 years ago in 87

Got a job as a subcontractor with their TM

The company had 30 techs in Melbourne and you had to upsell. I was consistently in the top 3 Nationwide upselling on average $700 a day.

Left in 91 and went to a provincial city in New Zealand. Employed telemarketers on commission and added pest control then WDR. Built it up to 7 techs within 4 years.

Sold and left in 01 and headed to Auckland and set up WDR. Built that up to 4 WDR jobs a day.

Sold and left in 06 for Melbourne. Bought a carpet cleaning Franchise then sold it 12 months later for double the price I paid.

In 08 moved to Sydney and set up 15 carpet cleaning franchises in 2 years.

In 09 set up a National Pest Franchise and sold 70 in 7 years.

Sold everything in 16 when i was critically ill in hospital with a brain infection and almost died.

Had 18 months recuperation then bought a Cleaning Franchise 3 months ago based 1 hour from Melbourne mainly because i greatly admire the Franchisor and future leverage.

Making exciting plans for the future.

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

I’d go ALL hard surface (T&G, Stone work,refinishing hardwood floors), and area rugs....

 

[Desk Jockey]

John it's sounds like you have trouble holding on to things.

 

[JohnHawkP]

John it's sounds like you have trouble holding on to things.

I like to travel

 

[Cleanworks]

Ron, were talking about new start ups
not years long veterans with mechanical skills and learned knowledge to work on vans and TMs

I started with just type outfit you're talking about.
I'm reasonably mechanical too
I had to buy a porty the 1st or second year in biz ….as a back-up

..L.T.A.

I realize that and I have a few mechanical skills, not many, but enough to be able to figure somethings out. I worked for a lot of other people and learned to operate and maintain different types of equipment. I think that's what you have to do before jumping in with both feet into a business that you have no clue about.

 

[Hack Attack]

First off Dan I like you. Second as good as that statement sounds...It just doesn't have much validity.

Maybe for yourself and some these elite porty cleaners on this board but not for the average Joe.

The average cleaner that only wants a paycheck but has a TM will annihilate the average porty cleaner.

You must have above average skills just to acheive mediocre results with a porty. You'll need to have superior skills to offset the inherent disadvantages of cleaning with a portable.

Totally agree the average TM user will out perform the average porty user.

But my point is more about the guys who run a TM and haven't learned the basics of chems, dwell time, agitation or dry strokes.
Nothing makes you step up your skill set like a porty..I still hate them

 

[DAT]

Unfortunately, @Mikey P That's not how life works.

Starting out with portable or VLM is excellent way to get into. Majority do not have the means to simply save to go big.

To go big, you'll just have to hustle, even it means to start with a portable....

and be smart, work for others for a couple years if you can, get some skills on someone else's dime

Or be smarter, educate yourself and join this forum like I did., not C C P or t m f...

 

[JohnHawkP]

Spot on Derrick about education.

Carpet cleaning know how was a tightly held secret up until the mid to late 90s.

I have attended 30+ Courses over the years and always learn.

The guys on this board are brilliant.

 

[Mikey P]

I recommend a ride-along before spending ANY MONEY.

thinking about this one.....
and you're suggesting they start $50K in the hole from the get go???

..L.T.A.

I did..

 

[DAT]

I did..

But is your origin the same as mine?

 

[Mikey P]

Customers dont care about your origins, the care about your commitment, your sincerity and your stability.


Does your equipment and vehical help convey those?

 

[DAT]

Does your equipment and vehical help convey those?

Yes. My portable is professional. My CRB is too. All my chems are. And my end result in mt work makes them very happy..

Doesn't mean that i have 50k on the spot.. I wish I did. All i could afford was 5k in carpet cleaning and window cleaning stuff.. but hey, I went from 29k/year to 72k last year, and I should be able to hit over 100k this year...

At which point I could upgrade...

Are you sure it's poor advice? I'd say, go for it! Fortune favors the bold..

 

[Mikey P]

It's the portable in an unmarked old minivan that will be questioned.

It's not what they're expecting..

 

[DAT]

You're not exactly a motivational character aren't you? With a tact like that, you make a lousy coach


As for my old minivan, it made me an extra 43k... gotta start somewhere..

 

[Mikey P]

Made you $43?


Did you keep count of what it lost you?


VBJs are not included in the membership here


Attaboys and go get em tigers are freely available on the FB fringe groups if you need a hug.

 

[Cleanworks]

It's the portable in an unmarked old minivan that will be questioned.

It's not what they're expecting..

Half the time, they don't even see your truck

 

[DAT]

VBJ?

 

[Mikey P]

Half the time, they don't even see your truck

Half?


Lol..


Your Van's must look like shit too if you've convinced your self of that

 

[Mikey P]

Be honest with yourself Derrick..

If you were shopping for a plumber, electrician or a house painter, are you going to call the ad that shows an old minivan or the Tallboy ProMaster?

 

[DAT]

You know @Mikey P I am proud of my accomplishment. I am fully aware of my situation and my equipment. I am glad that I can take of my son and my wife who is sick. That $43k extra as result of my purchases means a lot to me...

Did you keep count of what it lost you?

That's speculation. Sure you can guess your loss... basically I should be making $200k per year if i had a world class van like yours, I'm missing out $128k in revenue?

Do I embarras you when I park next to you at a job?

 

[DAT]

Painter...yes in a minivan...happens more often than you think. They can do good job..

Plumber and electrician, lot of them have a very old banged up promaster with peeling decals and wrap...

Yet I see an all the time at high end area... where at I parked at too in my mini van. Funny thing is that is that the neighbors would wave me down to ask for my business because they can't stand American housekeeping or the fancy looking window cleaning company..

Sometime people wants to hire someone to do the damn job right..


So, you half right and half wrong with a strong note of assumption and conjectures.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I worked for a lot of other people and learned to operate and maintain different types of equipment. I think that's what you have to do before jumping in with both feet into a business that you have no clue about.

I really have no disagreement with that, Ron .
and I don't think it bad advise from you, Mike and others for a guy thinking of getting in the biz to get some field experience

Here's where I'm at..
the failure rate for starts ups within 5 years is so high, I don't think it wise for every Tom Dick and Larry to mortgage the house to start with a TM
Cause the fact is, the majority of them will be out of biz in 5 years

.L.T.A.

 

[Dolly Llama]

PEE-ESSSSS

If one is to buy a used outfit, they should be looking for one of the many failed start-up biz units from the dude trying to off it at cost..before the lease Co repo man shows up
That's $25K +

not a worn out tired million hour/million mile outfit as a primary bread and butter money maker.
guys like you and other well established veterans may get some use as a back-up and/or seasonal over flow
But a new start-up has enough challenges to contend with.
... and the last thing they need is downtime replacing blowers, pumps, solenoids, chasing electrical fails, transmissions, head gasket, exhaust systems and oil drips in Mrs Phiff's concrete drive




..L.T.A.

 

[BIG WOOD]

I'm full of regrets on how cheap I started my business, due to my ignorance, thinking that the guy that helped me get started knew everything I needed to know. My original investment was a $6500loan to pay for my machine in the trailer, and chems from dixie steamway with new hoses as well.

I had the mindset that .18/sq. ft was a good residential price, and never even heard of a hydroforce sprayer

The equipment was a used prochem Legend in a beat up old trailer with a rotten (wood and metal frame holding the tm) floor. Keep in mind, this is 2003. I pulled the trailer with my 1978 Chevrolet Pickup Truck!!!! FREAKING IDIOT!!!

Keep in mind, my original services were carpet, windows and pressure washing, so a pickup truck/trailer business model had some potential. I just had no reliable guidance or education.

A little voice in my head was saying that I needed to invest in a better vehicle to make this business worth anything. So about 8months later, I bought a new pickup truck.

And then comes a guy who was legally blind, pulled out in front of me and totaled the pickup truck

That old bastard walked out of the hospital without apologizing for pulling out in front of me.

The prochem Legend and that beat up old trailer lived. Due to the minimum liability that jerk had, I couldn't afford to buy a new trailer yet, so I fixed the trailer. After the purchase of a new trailer, 3 truckmounts later, 3 trucks later, and 14more years with the transfer over to my box truck...Here I am

My biggest regret is starting this business in debt to income, meaning that I quit my part time job too early. I should've held on to that job until my loan from the bank and all credit card debt was paid off.

 

[Hack Attack]

Yep being self employed doesn't suit everyone, those who are doing it to "escape your boss" and "earn what your worth" (the 2 lines I hear repeated from franchises) will more than likely come up short.

Those prepared to grind the hard yards and learn from not knowing jack while still keeping optimistic with a bit of luck have a chance

 

[Todd Millar]

I started cleaning for someone else in 1997, cleaned for him for a year.
He used Butlers and I was able to learn the machine inside and out. He also taught me to be a great cleaner.
After a year with him I got my own Butler on their no money down lease and went out on my own.
First year was tight money wise but I grew 50% each year for the next 5 years without advertising, I just blew their doors off and
word of mouth grew the biz.

Nothing beats a happy customer who feels like they got more than they were expecting.

 

[Mark Saiger]

Get real Larry

99% of cleaners getting started today are vacuum hose lickers.

Boy there is a lot of truth in this statement