Put More Cash in Your Pocket by Loral Langemeier

Author:Loral Langemeier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2009-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

ANNE AND DEAN LARGO

Power Washing Power Washing

Anne and Dean Largo were excited about working together on their lemonade stand. Anne felt she’d be able to add enough to Dean’s idea of power washing homes, driveways, decks, fences, and pool areas, that justified their working together in the same business. They realized all of the similar businesses were Internet-based. Since Dean was at work in the supermarket for much of the week, Anne would be the one running the online side of the operation. She volunteered to do the research. The next morning, when the kids were in school, Anne went online.

The first site Anne investigated was actually a window-washing site. Though she didn’t think this made sense as a direct business to model, she clicked around the site a bit to get some ideas. She liked the photographs, the bullet points, and the easy links. She noted, too, that commercial windows were a big part of the business. She thought Dean might consider targeting businesses as well as residences. She wrote that down. She also wrote down the name of the site, in case they could eventually provide references for each other or work together in a mutually beneficial way.

The second site she went to was specifically about power washing. The company touted customer service and technique. Anne duly noted that the improper use of a power washer could create streaks in the surface or actual destruction of the material being washed. She’d never seen signs of this on their house, fence, or driveway, but she thought she’d remind her husband that his technique would be an important selling point.

The third site Anne visited seemed the closest to their idea. The company offered power washing of vinyl siding, gutter cleaning, and low-pressure roof washing. They also offered service on brick, concrete, and wood decks. Testimonials were highlighted on the site and the company seemed to distinguish itself as a relationship business, offering the services over and over to the same customers.

None of the sites she investigated had pricing. She called a few companies for estimates, but most of them required a visit to her home. And Anne was reluctant to take the time for herself and them. She and Dean had already decided that they were going to take a low-key, do-this-fast, approach. So Anne typed “cost of power washing” into a search engine. To her great satisfaction, an actual survey of power washing pricing surfaced on the page. She realized that there was information everywhere if you knew how to search for it.

The pricing was varied, depending on the specific service. But for now, she saw that Dean was right, two-story houses averaged $300 for the service. Single-story homes were about half that, $160.

Not only did the survey provide pricing, but it gave Anne several other services Dean and she could offer. These included cleaning grease spots off of parking spaces at malls; cleaning bank and restaurant drive-through lanes, playgrounds, grocery carts, even trash Dumpsters. This was getting exciting.

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