Pressure Washing Business Ideas to Drive your Business Forward

Pressure Washing Business Ideas to Drive your Business Forward

Next Insurance Staff
By Next Insurance Staff
Sep 24, 2019
6 min read

Are you thinking of starting or growing your pressure washing business?

Before you get started, there's a few basic business requirements to take care of. For instance, you should decide what type of business structure you'll use, whether it's a sole proprietor, LLC or C-Corp. You also must take care of local and state business licenses, register your business, get federal and state tax ID numbers (or use your social security number as a sole proprietor/self-employed) and open a business bank account. When you have taken care of these small business challenges, then you can get business insurance to protect yourself, your investment, and customers.

What Basic Business Requirements Do I Need to Grow My Pressure Washing Business?

Even if you plan to be self-employed and won't hire any additional workers, you still need to decide how you want to structure your pressure washing business.

If you operate as a sole proprietor, you can file a DBA ("Doing Business As") or fictitious business name with your county assessor or clerk. The fictitious business name will allow you to put your pressure washing business name on your checks, invoices, and receive and deposit payments into your business bank account. You can also get business credit cards for the fictitious business name.

Keep in mind, your business name helps sell your services to others, so research some good names for pressure washing businesses and choose one that you can envision on pressure washing business cards and pressure washing business flyers.

Should I Incorporate My Pressure Washing Business?

You can incorporate your business as a limited liability corporation (LLC) or C-Corp. You can establish a C-corporation in most states with only one person.

An LLC also only requires one person, but frequently these businesses are partnerships. While you can use online services to set up an LLC or a C-Corp, it's wise to research the annual taxes and registration fees that will apply to your incorporated pressure washing business before you incorporate.

Incorporation can separate your personal assets from your business assets, but nearly every state assesses corporate business tax. If you're a sole proprietor you'll pay self-employment, not business income tax.

After you've decided your business structure, you can apply for a business tax ID, also called an EIN. You have the option of using your social security number as an EIN if you're a sole proprietor. If not, you'll receive a corporate tax ID number from the federal government and your state. After you've gotten your incorporation and business licenses and registration, then you can get pressure washing insurance.

Can My Pressure Washing Business Be Profitable?

The pressure washing services your business offers will help to determine your profit as part of your budget and business plan.

Successful pressure washing businesses can charge between $55 and $160 an hour for gutters and $250 to $600 an hour to pressure wash a roof, according to HomeGuide. If you can get customers and stay busy, you can earn a profit of $30,000 to $60,000 a year according to Power Wash Guide.

How Can I Create a Business Plan for My Pressure Washing Business?

First, you should research competitors in your area. Learn their pricing and the type of work they do. You may discover there are some niche jobs they can't perform and you can price your services competitively. Looking at competitors will help you come up with your own pressure washing business ideas.

Establish a budget for your business. Don't neglect fixed costs like equipment rental or purchase. Pressure washing experts say you can get started with rented equipment but if you're serious about your pressure washing business, you'll need to buy your gear. Decide if you'll be hiring assistants and if so, how much you'll pay them. When you create your budget projections, try to project at least three years and build in low, average, and optimistic or high levels of customers and businesses.

What Kinds of Advertising will Help Me Build My Power Washing Business?

Some pressure washing businesses rely on websites and advertising to build their business. You can register for home and business service and review websites.

In-person advertising is effective for pressure washing and similar businesses. Whether your focus is on commercial pressure washing like sidewalks and concrete areas or on home and neighborhood pressure washing, make up simple pressure washing business flyers or pressure washing business cards and distribute them.

Customer loyalty programs also work well to build up repeat pressure washing business. You can offer a free wash or a free portion of a job after several completed pressure washing sessions. Don't neglect traditional and effective advertising like refrigerator magnets.

How Can I Grow My Pressure Washing Business?

After you have found a niche and built up a customer base, don't neglect the value of word-of-mouth advertising. These days, online reviews and friend, neighbor, and business associate recommendations can all contribute to your growing customer base.

Among other good pressure washing business tips, you should consider the benefits of seasonality. Know which services your area needs and when. Gutters need cleaning twice a year, usually in the early spring and late summer or early fall. Most people want to clean outdoor decks and patios at the start of summer.

Needless to say, commercial cleaning projects can come up at any time, but it's unlikely they'll happen in the middle of winter in areas with heavy snowfall. People usually clean their siding every two years, but they may not notice a pressure wash is needed until leaves drop and bare branches reveal dirty siding.

Protect Your Business With Pressure Washing Business Insurance

Finally, as you establish or grow your successful pressure washing business, don't neglect pressure washing business insurance. Pressure washing hoses put out 30 to 80 times the pressure of a regular hose. Even though you've taken every precaution, injuries or damage may still occur. In the event of property damage or injuries, pressure washing liability insurance will provide you with the protection and security you need.

Pressure Washing Business Ideas to Drive your Business Forward

END

Next Insurance Staff Bio
About the author

NEXT’s mission is to help entrepreneurs thrive.

We’re doing that by building the only technology-led, full-stack provider of small business insurance in the industry, taking on the entire value chain and transforming the customer experience.

We want to make sure you have all of the information you need to make an informed decisions about purchasing business insurance. We hope you’ll find this information helpful.

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