How to start a pressure washing business

You need to do market research on your local area, create a business plan, and apply for the necessary licenses and permits in order to start a pressure washing business. Here are more details on these steps and others you can take to start a pressure washing business:

• Conduct market research on pressure washing in your area. It is critical to do a lot of research on your local pressure washing market; this means finding out the consumer base in your area, as well as any competing pressure washing companies.

  It's best to do this research before you start to do anything else in preparation for your pressure-washing business. You might also find that this makes you pivot from your initial business idea if there are already a lot of competitors in that niche of pressure washing.

  You need to look into all types of pressure washing businesses, those that do residential service homes, ones that do pressure washing for commercial buildings, and those that do both.

  Understanding your competition, who they serve, the price quotes they have, and their clientele, will help you determine how you can do a successful pressure washing business that will stand out.

  When looking at other local pressure washing companies, try to get a sense of the types of homes or buildings they service. Do they specialize in certain homes or buildings, or are their services more broadly? What services do they offer in addition to pressure washing? If they don't list approximate prices on their website, a call to them for a price quote is a good idea.

  Another great way to learn about competitors is to talk with their customers. Here you can get information on what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong, and at the same time, you'll be doing customer research. This will be of great value later when you plan your business and decide on marketing strategies.

• Create a pressure-washing business plan. Your business plan should cover customer research, competitors, a startup budget, and financial projections for your pressure washing business.

  Other things you should add include the problems you will be solving for clients and customers, what sets your business apart from the competition, the resources your business will depend upon, and your business's mission statement and vision for the future of the company.

  Your business plan is a critical document for yourself, especially if you are looking to get a small business loan or investors in your company.

  You also need to figure out exactly what services you are going to offer. Are you only going to offer pressure washing, or are there other related services you want to offer with your business?

  Providing more services can help you stand out from competitors and create multiple revenue streams within the business; however, it is also most likely going to increase your operating costs. Just be sure to think all of these important issues through when starting to develop your business plan.

  At this stage, you should also choose a name for your business. Pick something catchy and memorable.

• Determine your business's location. Depending on the services you are going to offer, you can choose from a variety of locations.

  If you don't have much startup capital, you can also choose to start a mobile pressure-washing business that comes to clients' homes or commercial business locations.

  You can also choose a fixed location or temporary location for your business. If you have the ability to store all of your pressure washing equipment at home, then that's a good start.

  However, if your business expands, that means you have to hire more employees, and more employees mean more equipment. So, eventually, you may have to find a space to rent or purchase to run your pressure washing business out.

  You can also consider just renting a space for the storage of your equipment and vehicles; this sometimes can be cheaper than renting traditional office space.

  Most of all, you need to think about how your business location makes sense based on your market research, the consumer base you will serve, and the costs you can afford.

• Obtain the necessary startup capital. The money needed to start a pressure washing business can vary widely.

  Depending on what type of services you are going to offer and the overall structure of your pressure washing business, it may cost you as little as $5000 or as much as $50,000 to start your business.

  Determine if you can self-fund the starting of your business or if you are going to need a small business loan or get startup capital from investors.

• Find out what permits and licenses you may need to obtain. Most pressure-washing businesses require you to apply for a combination of licenses and permits from your state and federal government.

  Requirements will vary from state to state, so it's important to do your own research into your specific state's requirements. Business insurance is necessary to protect your LLC from liabilities and other possible claims. You also obviously need auto insurance for all of your business-related vehicles.

  It is highly recommended that you seek the counsel of an experienced insurance agent to determine all the necessary insurance policies you should get for your business.

  Consider applying to become a limited liability company (LLC). If you operate as an LLC, your personal and company information is entirely separate. While this changes your tax status, it does protect you from personal losses based on the company's performance.

  Once you have this determined, you'll also want to get a Federal Tax ID number. This helps you get a license to run your business. This is also referred to as an EIN or Employer Identification Number.

• Market your pressure washing business. Utilize the internet to market your pressure washing business.

  In the modern world, social media is a critical marketing tool. You should create social media accounts for your business and try to gain friends and followers. You can post about your services and pricing, as well as show actual pictures of your pressure washing services.

  Similarly, you should also develop a website for your pressure-washing business. This is relatively inexpensive, and if you have some extra cash, you can hire a professional to do a stellar website for your business.

  Your website should include your pricing and contact information, as well as things like customer testimonies about your services. Make sure your social media business accounts link to your website and vice versa.

  One of the best forms of marketing for a pressure washing business is word of mouth. Here you don't actually have to do much of the marketing at all; just simply provide very good services to your customers and ask your clients to recommend you to other possible clients and customers.

  You can also incentivize your clients to make recommendations by offering them perks, like one free pressure washing service for a referral that results in regular clients.

  Depending on your state, you might also have to meet specific environmental requirements to legally operate your pressure washing businesses. Call your local city hall to find out about any environmental regulations that may apply to your business and also for any insurance policies you must obtain to operate legally.

• Hire qualified and motivated employees. Depending on the scale of your business plan, you may not need many employees initially, or perhaps you do need large teams.

  To service many homes, buildings, or a combination of the two, at the same time, you are going to need a considerable staff.

  You also need to consider any other services you might plan on providing. Do you need mechanics or technicians in addition to pressure washers?

  There are also going to be administrative duties that you are likely going to need assistance with. You may not need staff for administrative functions at first; however, it is always a good idea to plan for the future if your pressure washing business grows.

  If you are planning on keeping your pressure washing business on the small side, you can get away with wearing many hats in the business and hiring only a few employees, but if you want your business to grow in scale, you are going to need a workforce.

  It's helpful to gauge how many employees you think you will need if your pressure washing business really takes off, just to be prepared.

• Invest in equipment and supplies. There are many instruments and products that go into car stealing; you should make a list of everything you think your business will need.

  Some items for exterior pressure washing and interior pressure washing include:

  • Pressure washers

  • Detergents

  • Acid-free degreasers

  • Waxes

  • Shines

  • Polishes

  • Applicators

  • Brushes

  • Steam cleaner

  • Liquid and foam chemicals

  • Brushes

  • You might also want to invest in computer software for bookkeeping and other pressure washing business applications