What are some things that have a low “start-up” cost that I could do besides window cleaning. I’d like to get into landscaping (mowing lawns,bushes, etc.) but mowers are too expensive for me to get into right now. (I would want a riding lawn mower for efficiency but I could always get a push mower). Just wondering if anyone have any experience with anything like this. Anyone have any feedback? Thanks
Gutter debris removal
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Pressure washing. You can get a decent belt drive pressure washer for half the cost of a lawnmower. In most areas you can swing a dead cat and hit 46 lawn guys. It’s a cutthroat business and no one is really making money unless they’re the big dog because the little guys price each other out.
I’m biased though because I only do pressure washing and sub out window cleaning. I’m not very good at it, but there are guys who are artists. So I’d rather pay them. I said it in the PWRA forum probably 15 minutes ago:
Pressure washing guys trying to get into window cleaning is like a carpenter deciding one day he’s going to drive screws with a hammer and nails with a drill.
Window cleaning is twice as hard as pressure washing in my opinion. You can wash windows AND pressure wash. I can pressure wash, but I CANNOT wash windows. Lol
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Yeah I hear you. I’ll look into it. Thanks
I’ll research it. Doesn’t seem too hard. Hate heights so I would have to get past that, also never really worked with ladders in my life haha. Thanks though. I’ll definitely look into it
Stick to one business at a time. Get really good at that and learn how to make it efficient and profitable. If you dip into too many pots your expenses keep rising, the business gets more complicated, and you master nothing. Jmo. (Well, mine and several business books I’ve read, which i agree with.)
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Window cleaning and pressure washing. So much work out there
it really all depends on your market. if you do residential you could do screen repair. pressure washing, soft washing, gutter brightening, gutter debris removal, fan and chandelier cleaning, blind cleaning, even just changing light bulbs. the list goes on.
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I have added pressure washing(1st job this Sunday) and I actually picked up lawn cutting for a client I do windows for. An extra 240 bucks a month for a work out. I use a push mower for now.
I say go for it. It might be cut throat but even grabbing a couple accounts will increase revenue. And it’s easy as pie. When I leave my full time job, I’ll be adding shower glass, mirrors, window thermal replacement and plate glass services. Once that gets busy, I’ll hire for window cleaning and power washing as I have done showers for 12 years now. This is my goal.
If you need to fill in work, do it up. IMO, you can be good at multiple things. If it gets too crazy, drop a service, sub out or don’t take more clients. Or hire and profit off him/her.
Chandelier would be good. A customer asked me to do hers but I don’t have the money for scaffolding yet. And I am not going up and down a million times on the ladder. I told her to wait until next year (when I have the time or mindset for it). Grass cutting…fills in gaps and it’s healthy and a quick buck.
Good luck
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As a one man operation you need to ask yourself if it pays off to have additional equipment sitting around. The $ you spend on new equipment and diversifying the branding for your multiple services might get you a better Return on Investment if you spent it on WC advertising and very closely related services such as screen repair and gutter work.
Naturally it depends on your market. I am in a small town so I have to diversify and I have a lot of $ tied up in a variety of equipment and the multiple services makes my advertising/branding a bit more difficult.
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Ask your customers what other kind of services they would think you could provide for them. That’s what a guy was saying on his YouTube channel. Find out what extra stuff they need and if you hear enough of the same thing over and over again from different people and it’s something you can do? I say go for it. That way you don’t buy something that’s going to be a paper weight. Started asking one the other day and for this lady I could of pressure washed her porch, trimmed her tree’s, mowed the yard, soft washed the house, done some painting…
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Nah you don’t wanna be the handyman… or the all round get everything done average.
Specialize is 2-3 areas that relate to each other , window cleaning and house washing/pressure cleaning is a perfect fit while the addons to those would be anything dealing with heights that is easy like gutter cleaning, high dusting and holiday lights. like a few guys already said lawn mowing and that there are so many companies in every area that are charging about 35/hr how do you feel earning that. wouldn’t catch me doing that, the work I offer starts at about $60-$200 /hr
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Sorry I worded that wrong. These were the things needed done. I wasn’t going to do all of them. Just like you were saying if enough of these were coming up when asking around then specialize on those and than tack them on
The temptation to diversify is always there but really any time you’re doing something else other than window cleaning is time you’ve lost that could be invested in windows
Sure there’s money in most other fields but I’d suggest stay in your lane, which is cleaning.
If you’re willing to expand then i would say offer something to do with cleaning, like someone suggested gutter whitening or the like
Think of what your insurance covers you for and what licensing and insurance you’d have to get to do something else, plus county and City taxes, and Equipment, transportation, maintenance, etc.
Or simply sell window cleaning, print out pro flyers or cards and go door to door in shopping plazas, cheap and effective
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Stick to what you’re good at and what you like to do, or else you won’t like what you’re doing for work. you can do multiple things bad or a few things good.
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I live in an area of ~500 thousand. I’ll never forget a day 2 years ago where I passed or was passed by 5 different landscaping trucks in a stretch of 2 miles. Each of them had professionally lettered/wrapped trucks.
Blew my mind to imagine that level of competition.
Hah, I often see at least 3 professional landscaping trucks and 1 or 2 trucks with a trailer of gear in the same neighborhoods; all mowing their hearts out. I guess if I could wash the windows of a mansion as quick as lawns get mowed, edged, and trimmed I could drop my rate to $35-$50 per stop, but big homes with big windows a plenty take most of the day to complete. :-/
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We just did a condo this morning that we did last year on a day that POURED. I remember because the lawn mower was doing the whole association, and it was HOT. A storm blew in, and it rained like absolute crazy. We took a break in the homeowner’s garage to avoid the rain.
Next thing you know, the lawn mower comes flying by on the Mower, but now he is in a full rain suit. It was hilarious. I don’t know where he had it stashed, but it was like a Superman clothing change it was so fast.
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Focus group. Genius! I may start doing this.
Dog training. Most customers need this.
Public library. Dog Whisperer. Seasons 1-6. No start up money needed. Payoff - inestimable.
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