As with any trade, a contractor entering the pressure washing industry has one main goal. That’s making money and A LOT of it.

This is probably the one common denominator that most pressure washing contractors give as their reason for joining the ranks as a professional pressure washing contractor. Obviously there is nothing wrong with making money with your business; That’s why you’re in business, right? Often a contractor’s success is measured by prescribed benchmarks that are passed down from one generation to the next. One of them is how much money do you make? The formula has always been that money equals success. The other is whether you are busy or not. If a contractor is busy, then the old cliché is that he must succeed because he is busy. And if a contractor is busy 7 days a week, from dawn to dusk, obviously he’s making a lot of money, right?

The rat race of success?

Imagine having a 5-year business plan that produces a surge of growth for your business while everything else in your life is on hold to accommodate the bountiful growth you experience year after year? The influx of sales calls should be answered within 24 hours preferably. Once answered, then you must schedule the budgets. Don’t forget to take the time to review your marketing flyers/postcards in between responses to all the sales calls and quotes you just scheduled. Phone time with your dealer is a must to keep chemicals/soaps stocked. Phone time with your dealer also gives you an opportunity to ask technical questions about the “chattering noise” you hear from your equipment when it is running. For some of you, if your equipment fails, then it won’t be operational for at least the next 24-48 hours at the earliest.

Fellow contractors also need their time on the phone with you so they can “incline their ear” for tips and advice. Spend some time in the evening keeping your company’s web presence on the cutting edge for your customer base and answering emails from customers who chose not to call you during the day. Training any new hire will take a good chunk of a work day, so plan accordingly. If you’re a one-man operation, you’ll obviously need to fine-tune your wash schedule to allow time to get the job done that was reserved from the aforementioned sales calls. In the past, you could make bank deposits every Friday, but today it seems like you can’t get to the bank until after it’s closed because you literally have thousands of other priorities going on with the success of your business.

In the midst of this fast pace of operation, you may be able to get your significant other on the phone to let them know that you won’t be able to make it to your son’s Little League game or your daughter’s dance recital again as promised. You offer a sincere and heartfelt apology not only to your partner but more importantly to your son, who is obviously upset that she won’t be there, again. You had every intention of doing it this time when you left for work that morning, but luckily, a client frantically called at the last minute saying that the stain you applied yesterday wasn’t the right color. Before hanging up on his wife, he mentions that he won’t be home for dinner either. Has this been your routine lately? Do the demands of your business and the priorities associated with it overshadow the reason you are in the pressure washing business in the first place?

What is your system?

Business growth and the effort required to manage that growth can be an enjoyable experience as a pressure washing business owner. As your business grows externally ie sales, marketing, contracts increase, you need to ensure that your internal business infrastructure ie employees, managers, sales team also grows to complement this external growth. It is highly recommended that your business plan not only talk about “systems” but more importantly understand action on your part to put the right people in your business so that “systems” in writing can become “systems” of reality. . As business owners, we often overlook the infrastructure part of our business plan, diverting our attention only to how to make our phone ring. When this happens, we find ourselves running our business in what is commonly known as ‘catch-up mode’. This means that no matter what time of day it is, you are behind or in ‘recovery mode’ because your ‘systems’ are still down. In addition to being behind every day, we are also unknowingly at very high risk of missing out on the joy of spending quality time with our family and loved ones, as described in the example above. Does this ring a bell?

Who is in charge?

There is good news and today you have the power as a business owner to stop this cycle of madness and take control of your business instead of letting your business control you. The first step in taking back control of your business is coming to understand and believe that steady business growth is not necessarily the only indicator of success. As a pressure washer contractor with a family, you owe it to your partner and children to ensure that the growth of your business doesn’t constantly overshadow the simple things in life that everyone in your household needs and wants.

Who me??

As business owners, we have the luxury and ability to ‘cut down’ our time in the field in order to use the time to give our family the attention they deserve. Why? Because you are the owner and the BOSS. That’s right; YOU make the decisions about daily operations and what the pace of your day will be. If your ‘systems’ action plan only goes as far as writing it down on a piece of paper, then you run a very high risk of running out very quickly. Coupled with this, coupled with the mental peer pressure from your partner that you haven’t been spending quality time with your family in the last 4-6 months, it’s plausible that one day you’ll wake up and realize that you’re not enjoying what it is. doing, i.e. pressure washing.

Instead of starting your pressure washing season with the sole purpose of making as much money as possible, would it be feasible to approach your pressure washing season with the set mind that your business and family will maintain a “balance” throughout all year? ? Oh, the joy of seeing a little boy’s face light up when he sees BOTH parents sitting in the stands to watch their minor league game in the middle of the afternoon; Or the smile from ear to ear when a little daughter jumps into your arms happy because you came to pick her up from school. Setting the right “systems” under the pressure of your business takes time and ultimately trial and error. It’s okay if you don’t get it right after a few tries, but be careful and trust that you will eventually get it right. Managing the growth of your business may even mean temporarily not growing until you can find the right people who possess the skill set your business needs to take it to the next plateau.

time to reflect

If you find yourself in the middle of the pressure washing challenge today, take a moment and reflect on what is truly important in your life on your terms. Ask yourself why you became a pressure washing contractor in the first place. Was it because you and your family wanted the freedom you couldn’t get working for someone else? If so, where is that freedom today? Take inventory of how your partner and children might view your time away from family today. If making money at all costs is what drives you, congratulations on your success. If you are looking for that “balance” between pressure washing and family remember that you are empowered to be in control of your days. One of the rewards of being a business owner is that you have the ability to keep any hours you want.

I personally know of a power washing contractor located in Kentucky who has built a pretty decent power washing business. One of the keys to his success is running his business versus letting his business run him. It’s not uncommon for him to ride his Harley in the afternoon or take his beautiful family to a local restaurant for an early dinner on any given day. This is a prime example of how a pressure washing contractor has taken advantage of why he is in business in the first place; that is enjoying life. I don’t know how much money he makes a year, but my guess is that he along with other pressure washing contractors who master this work/family “balance” is probably one of the richest guys in the industry and has very little if Some have to do with the size of your bank account.

let’s go out to dinner

So while your phone keeps ringing off the hook and you’re trying to be Superman to all of your clients at once, stop and ask yourself, ‘Is it really all about the money?’ If so, continue on your journey and you should be applauded for your sacrifice. If not, I’m sure you’d be a superman, at least for that night, to your family when you show up at the house unannounced to tell them you’re taking them out for dinner.