[Rob_no2]

Hello everyone....first post as i've been lurking and have decided to take the plunge and go ahead with the new buisness.  looking to start in 5/6 months time once i have confirmed funding is in place for capital investment in equipment.

I have spoken to a buisness development manager from the RBL and they are going to help me with buisness plans....marketing, bookeeping  etc and have allocated a buisness mentor to me, with whom I met for the first time today.

I'm going to base the  business along the A3/A27 corridor basically South hampshire and West sussex border.

I've yet to come up with a name.

specifically  I would like to know about what and how you went about setting up your buisness what worked for you and what do you think, "if I set up again I wouldn't touch with a barge pole" I know I have a lot to learn... which is why I am asking on here for your assistance? I want to set up a professional and succsessful business so that I can leave something in a way of an ongoing concern for my two kids.  I'm really quite excited about getting this venture up and running but want to do things right....so have a few questions

With regards to

risk assessments/ method statements....what are the obvious and not so obvious things I should be including.

staff training, reduce risk...ppe etc?

costings.....I have looked at some websites and £4 per square metere seems to be the going rate.....am I wide of the mark for this area?

How and what equipment would you set to maximise time working on a job and jobs available to you? van/ trailer...Hot/cold. 10 meter hose etc?

What training courses have you found absolutely nessecerray to be able to tendeer for council contracts etc....working at height....Nebosh?....

what sort of PPE, waterproofs etc do you wear? what piece of equipment do you find you could never be without...but it took you ages to find it. but that it helps you to work smarter?

I have a thousand and one questions and I'm sure some may sound very silly....but if anyone is willing to give me some pointers...or let me come and work for them for the day....to pick up some tips...I'd gladly buy you a pint if we get to catch up

thanks for any advice

Rob

[Griffus]

What experience have you already?

[Ged]

rob how are you planning to market the business and what research have you done in your target area. you need to establish that there is a market for your services. i would recommend you place some adds in local papers/ go door knocking/ network at local chamber of commerce, try approaching local hotes etc. do this for at least a couple of months next spring then you will be in a postion to make judgments based on reality and not what you think may happen. then you can buy the equipment you need. you can always tell clients who are interested that you are a startup business or that there is a long lead time and book them in for when you have your gear and done a few freebies for friends to get the hang of it. when you have a track record you can look to the commercial ventures wher the good money is and there are some guys on here who may be able to advize you in this area.

[Rob_no2]

with regards... to jet washing I have done some small garden patios and a couple of driveways when working with a friend....never run a company before as I have always worked for somebody else.

On the marketing front...I intend to cover that aspect with the Business deveelopment Manager but I will be looking at a website, door knocking, local small buisness enterprise council, vehicle sinage, approved trader scheemes etc.  A small budget will be set for the above, all be it small. 
I take onboard about getting out there before purchasing the equipment...but in reality a lot of how and when I will need to market the buisness will need to be covered in the buisness plan anyway so that I can raise the capital to purchase the equipment.
I need to show that I can get customers to ensure a safe return on the investment so getting out there as you have said maybe a way of securing the evidencee of a potential customer base.
I  have just started my Market research at the moment....hence coming on here to speak to those in the know already, like yourseelf......I know I have a long way to go yet and part of learning is being receptive to new ideas....thanks for your help...I will bear in mind your points.

Rob

[mike roberts]

quick read of your post  <£2 /sq m ..... may be closer depending on size - £4 /sq m small jobs if your lucky

[Griffus]

In relation specifically to pressure washing. I would recommend a direct sales approach to start with (door knocking). This will be your cheapest and most likely your most successful approach.

Nothing stopping going out there now and selling with winter discount. Alternatively offer discount for any bookings made now for the end of Feb onwards.

Sounds like you want to do this right and door knocking isn't for everyone, including me, but it will have a reasonable percentage of success. Just be honest and convincing at the same time.

I wouldn't even waste your time targetting anything other than domestic until you have quite a bit more experience.

Do a few free (or cost) jobs for close family and friends. This will be where you reallly start to learn what is involved and how best to operate.

What's your planned equipment budget?

[Rob_no2]

Budget?? well I was hoping to get some idea on what would be a good set up package? I dont want to invest in equipment and then six months down the line realise that I need to upgrade equipment. So in short budget is dependant on what combination of equipment I need, I would say sub 5k.

[Griffus]

You'll need a minimum of:
van (or trailer mount)
pressure washer - min spec - 15lpm, 3000psi
reservoir tank, connecting hoses
hoselock type hosereel (min 20m). several alternative water supply connecting methods.
1m lance with quick release trigger
variable nozzle
range of nozzles
turbo nozzle
30m twin wire hose + reel if cash spare

a whirlaway would be good, but turbo will serve you well for all bp jobs.

tarps
low pressure sprayer or watering can
plastic shovel
extra large squeegee
stiff brush
soft brush
dustpan and brush
scraper or even better a leatherman multitool
rhino bucket (aka krugg i think)
buckets
gardeners sacks
fuel cans
rope
towels
small garden shovel (potting size)
toolbox with spanners atc.
containers to carry any loose bits in

ppe
steel toed wellies
waterproof trousers
waterproof jacket
fleece for colder days
hi viz
goggles + anti fog spray
ear protection
gloves
respirator (for when using certain chem's)
acid resistant hooded suit, gauntlets and goggles if build cleaning using acid
braces are a must as the heavier trousers get with water and crud the more they pull down

Apart from the whirlaway and acid ppe then the rest of the above is the basic but essential kit imo.

This isn't the sort of business where you're going to just walk into a load of commercial work. If you are serious then start trawling around all active building sites and speak to the brickies. They'll be your best starting point as they're often responsible for cleaning up their own mortar staining etc. even for the big builders.




 

[Matt Gibson]

Good post Ian.

When i started, i had experience, but i was starting from scratch with equipment. I found that even now, after a year, im still buying things. Just buy the essentials, as above, but be prepared to be spending money on specialist/extra things as the jobs come up. A good set of tripple ladders is always good to have too, and ive found a single smaller ladder is handy to have on the roof racks.

All in all, just be prepared to spend your budget on setting up, then spending more money on things you didnt think you needed but because of a certain job you get, all of a sudden you need something specific.

[BDCS]

I'd add a drain hose to that list which for £50 will be earning money the first time you use it

[Rob_no2]

Thanks for the Reply's

and thannks for the comprehensive list there...certainly gives me somewhere to start!

With regards to a tank mounted within a van...does anyone have any experience of purchasing one of these and how did you go about securely mounting it? Does the tank have to be mounted to a subframe/chassis?


Oh and sorry for sounding stupid, whats the drain hose used to drain?

Thanks once again guys your posts are really appreciated.

Rob

[Matt Gibson]

I think he means draine hose, for cleaning blocked drains.

[lee winters]

quick read of your post  <£2 /sq m ..... may be closer depending on size - £4 /sq m small jobs if your lucky

is that for purely pressure washing or pressure washing and sealing?

[Mike_Boxall]

When I used to supply equipment we did a lot of patio cleaning start ups but not as many of them made a success of it compared to window cleaners and carpet cleaners. In fact, I've had two staff that left to start up their own cleaning businesses. The one who went into patio cleaning really struggled to pick up regular business after going through friends and family, and friends and family of theirs. He did it for about 18 months but gave up during the second winter as he simply couldn't get enough work in. The second person, who's husband wanted to start their own business, bought a van mounted window cleaning system and has done extremely well with it - in fact they wish they'd done it years ago. I think they key difference is that with something like window cleaning, if you pick up 10 customers at £10 each, that's £100 of work every month (hopefully) Although carpet cleaning is a higher cost and less frequent, it's still a service you can sell regularly. My advice would be look at a cleaning service you can get customers contracted into and then maybe offer patio cleaning as an extra.

Regards

Mike

[mike roberts]

quick read of your post  <£2 /sq m ..... may be closer depending on size - £4 /sq m small jobs if your lucky

is that for purely pressure washing or pressure washing and sealing?

Cleaning only!!

[mike roberts]

When I used to supply equipment we did a lot of patio cleaning start ups but not as many of them made a success of it compared to window cleaners and carpet cleaners. In fact, I've had two staff that left to start up their own cleaning businesses. The one who went into patio cleaning really struggled to pick up regular business after going through friends and family, and friends and family of theirs. He did it for about 18 months but gave up during the second winter as he simply couldn't get enough work in. The second person, who's husband wanted to start their own business, bought a van mounted window cleaning system and has done extremely well with it - in fact they wish they'd done it years ago. I think they key difference is that with something like window cleaning, if you pick up 10 customers at £10 each, that's £100 of work every month (hopefully) Although carpet cleaning is a higher cost and less frequent, it's still a service you can sell regularly. My advice would be look at a cleaning service you can get customers contracted into and then maybe offer patio cleaning as an extra.

Regards

Mike

mmm... I know a lot of cc that are struggling as well at mo!

[Matt Gibson]

Commercials where it's at. They still need to bricks cleaned or the exterior cleaned and most building companies trade right through winter.

I've only been up and running for 12 months and although I'm not minted (yet) I'm happy with the way it's going and am looking into a few other areas.

It's like any new startup at the moment, it's hard going with anything

[mike roberts]

Matt assume that is on new build sites ??

[Matt Gibson]

Yeah mike, mostly new builds but I'm getting a fair few more enquiries on the paving/paths outside. Centers and shops recently. I just think if you get in with a few of the bigger firms you can get more frequent work all year round.

[BDCS]

I've recently added selling "big issue" to my list of services which include:-
pressure washing
pest control
Drain blockages & cctv
gutter cleaning
window cleaning
carpet cleaning
pat testing
I'm selling the bouncy castle business