What services you offer as a pressure washing contractor will depend on several factors.
You must identify a market in need of exploitation, determine what equipment is necessary to perform the task profitably, and then you must gain the experience required to operate the equipment well enough to perform the task well.
In the pressure washing industry, there are numeroussorts of work you may choose to perform.
They include wood restoration, flat-surface cleaning, building washes, industrial equipment washing, fleet washing, and kitchen hood cleaning, just to name a few of the better known disciplines.
While each is part of the pressure washing business field, and requires a commercial-quality pressure washer, they are vastly different endeavors, each requiring a specific set of skills and equipment.
For instance, flat-surface cleaning, especially in the commercial setting, really requires a high-flow power washer equipped with hot water.
That machine would be well-suited to house and building washing as well, but the hot water is not a necessary tool for building washes.
Here, a cold-water machine will probably suffice, as long as flow is sufficient.
However, a high-flow machine is entirely inappropriate for most kitchen hood cleaning applications, as the effluent must be captured in the kitchen and disposed of, usually by hand.
When people first begin in the pressure washing business, they often just buy whatever machine they think they can afford, and then go looking for some kind of work to do with it.
This is the exact opposite of the best method of beginning your cleaning business.
First, find a market that you can exploit.
It has been said many times before, if you find a need you can satisfy, customers that need you will seek you out.
If you have noticed a lot of gum on commercial sidewalks in your area, or that there is a great deal of graffiti on local buildings, and you also see people toiling away trying to remove that gum and graffiti, you may have stumbled upon a market to exploit.
You may also notice an increasing number of ads looking for cleaners in your area, perhaps on Craig's list, or some other local advertising venue.
That is another good sign that a market exists for a service you could supply.
Avoid the common mistake of opening a pressure washing business because you have observed a large number of dirty houses and properties in your area.
You are not looking for people with dirty homes, because those people most often do not hire cleaning services for any reason.
You should seek out people that have money available to keep their already clean property spotless.
It is always better to find somebody who is amenable to buying services, rather than trying to convince someone with a dirty property that they require your services.
Now is the time to look into all the costs you will incur to satisfy the needs of your potential customers: Look into business licensing, insurance, and fees first.
It seems almost as if some areas are actively trying to discourage people from opening new businesses and it is best to find this out before you drop a bunch of cash into a business you cannot afford to enter.
When you have established the basic cost of your business as an entity, now begin to look into equipment.
You might try a local supplier first, he may have a good idea what the local market conditions are, and he will be a valuable acquaintance if you do go into business, and you have an equipment emergency.
You should tell any equipment seller you speak with, what kind of work you intend to do, and ask his opinion on what you should be looking for, he has a vested interest in seeing you succeed, so he should be honest with you, but remember, you are always safer by getting as much information as possible, so check more than one dealer.
You will soon have an idea what equipment is worth if you take the time to do some basic research.
You should also check the online bulletin-board communities.
There are several good ones out there, and they nearly all have a search button.
Use the search button to check out the industry you are planning to enter, then call some members if it is possible to do so.
Remember, though, these are business people with busy lives, so try to be concise in your questioning, and be sensitive to the value of their time.
Trade organizations are an excellent resource for information as well.
I recommend using the resources of your trade association whenever possible; joining is usually inexpensive compared to remaining ignorant of important issues and information.
You can look into the UAMCC, an organization for power washing contractors.
There is also a useful power washing forum on that site.
Once you have found a market to take advantage of, and you have found the proper equipment, at the right price, you are ready to actually learn how to do the job.
Training is available in various forms and venues all across the country.
There are online sources like discussion boards and training websites, there are numerous e-books, videos, and actual books and pamphlets for sale, and there are real-world training experiences available in two main types.
First is paid training.
Many venders, and even some contractors offer paid training programs tailored to the various fields of pressure washing.
These are generally well-thought-of, but are often secondary to the purpose of equipment sales.
The best point in their favor is that when a customer pays for training, he or she can be as thorough as he or she likes.
This means that questions should be answered to the customer's satisfaction before discussion moves along.
The other training experience, one that is gaining in popularity, is labor-for-learning.
In this scheme, the new pressure washing business owner works for another contractor without pay, in exchange for experience on the job, at actual customer sites.
Often this program leads to a sort of mentoring, and has been the basis of many friendships in the industry.
This sort of training can be used as part of the research process as well, to help you decide if the pressure washing business is appropriate for you, before you buy any equipment at all.
In power washing, it is important to have a clear idea of what kind of work you intend to do, before buying equipment.
You should locate and evaluate a potential market, research the expenses and methodology required to perform the tasks, and then learn how to operate that equipment.
Doing your homework before you buy, will save you money and frustration, and will establish habits that will make you a more successful pressure washing contractor.