[darren Jones]

Hello

I am considering starting my own carpet cleaning company. My idea is to only do this part time as i am already in full time employment. I am the owner of a prochem polaris 500 and my target market would be both commercial and residential customers. I am booked to attend a course on the 19th of march 2009 in nottingham. My buisness plan is to initially leaflet drop and build up a customer base in my local area. i also propose to advertise locally in my local ads and parish council magazines. I have not yet purchased a wand or hose for my machine. i have designed a leaflet and templates for letters which appeal to estate agents , pubs and commercial properties etc. I am offering commission payments for jobs provided by estate agents no more than 20 per cent. My only concern is the suitability of the polaris for residential customers.

Several questions i hope you can help me with please are.

Should i consider purchasing a smaller extraction machine like a galaxy or steempro?

Are the wand and hose universal for prochem machines ?

Is the polaris a suitable option for residential cleaning with a wand and hose?

Any tips for me as a newbie to the industry?

I am serious about becoming a professional carpet cleaner and would appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

I do come from a sales orientated background and understand the necessity to project a professional service with an identity. Any information or help would be very much appreciated.

[markpowell]

Hi And welcome,
If you fill in your location on your profile you will get more replies, for obvious reasons
Mark

[Dave_Lee]

I hope you get good advice from the many other part time CCs on here. However, and by saying what I am about to, may stir up a Hornets nest, but I know most full time CCs, agree with me. For all full time CCs, carpet cleaning is not an extra income or a supplement to our income, it is our only income. In the particular current climate, it is a bit hard to take, that part timers are in a position to nick the jam off our bread and butter, whilst they have the security of a full time employed position. It really does smack of wanting the cream as well. Nothing at all personal, I know quite a few part timers, all good lads and I think they already know my stand on this, as its always been the same.
Dave.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Hi Darren and welcome.

I used to have 2 Polaris machines. I think they were the 700 and the 1200. Whatever.

My main machine was the smaller of the two of these and for my first 20 months I used it on all my work, which was predominantly domestic.

I think your 500 is a slightly smaller machine so you shouldn't have any problems with it although you will find wanding is a more efficient way of cleaning.

With the Polaris you need to make long straight runs in a room by moving all the furniture to one side, clean the exposed side then transferring all furniture to the clean side, clean the other half and then replace all the furniture. I seem to remember you always have to go backwards as well. so beware of wall lights and lights over tables as you'll crack your head on these.

The Polaris can't get upto the skirting boards, so having done the room you need to attach hoses and a suitable tool for doing the carpet edges. You could of course do the whole room with the hose and wand attachment but that sort of defeats the purpose of the Polaris design, whose main advantage is the beater bar for agitation being built into the machine.

The machines do not run well on large solid floors unless they are perfectly smooth for you will learn that what you thought was a smooth floor has lots of hollows and undulations which cause the Polaris to miss bits if you are not careful.

The hoses/wands are interchangeable although you may need to get a few different connectors/adaptors.

[darren Jones]

Dave,

Thanks for your response . I will make it clear that i do propose to go into the industry full time. Given the current financial climate i do not propose to put all my eggs in one basket at this time. I would always test drive a car before purchase and this is also my business strategy. Thanks for your advice 

[Dave_Lee]

Darren,
In that case I wish you well, thats how I started, mind you I didnt have any choice as I was in the army and couldt just pack that in. I went full time on discharge in a totally different area to the one I had been working part in for the last year in the army. Its the ones who have no intention to make a full time business out of it that rattle me, as they can always undercut the full timer, just make a few quid on top of their wages.
Anyway, back to your question. I think if you shop around you could get a good deal at the moment. I too did my first courses with Prochem, some 29 years ago, and although they are excellent, I wouldnt limit yourself to just considering their machines. Look at Ashby's and Alltec, they too make good portables, also find what people think about their after sales service (very important) and spend a day with another CC, you may be surprised how much good info you can gather off him.
I've just noticed you are from Stockport, not too far from Chorley where I am from, 'E' mail me if you want to spend a half day or day doing some serious carpet cleaning.
Dave.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Darren

Thats a generous offer from Dave - he has years of experience and some seriously impressive cleaning equipment - you could learn a lot in a day with him.


Steve

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

DAve

I think you missed the fact that Darren said he already had the Polaris.

Darren

Glad to see you have now filled in your profile. Dave's offer is a generous one and I would take him up on it.
Clinton and myself are also in Stockport. Reddish and Heaton Moor respectively. You'll find us both friendly and professional and if you ever want to meet up to pick our brains then you only have to make contact.

Roger

[clinton]

Il second that roger

[derek west]

ive been in the business 9 months and still wouldn't say no to a day carpet cleaning with dave, he's never offered though.
9months and i still learn something new every day.
derek

[darren Jones]

Gentlemen you are a true credit to the professional carpet industry and i will respectfully work along side you and not against you.

Dave your offer is only to kind, i would be very grateful to take you up on your offer and spend a day with an established professional carpet cleaner like yourself which im sure i will find both rewarding and challenging.

Roger and clinton given many thanks for you support

dave i will be touch soon

many thanks
darren

[clinton]

Dave

Did you ever come down to nu life in stockport