Thinking of lawn & pressure washing side gig - potential?

Most guys I know who tried to do this found out real quick that equipment doesn't cost less just cause you only use it on weekends. To do it right you're probably looking at a pretty significant investment, especially if you don't plan on hiring help (you will struggle to find guys who will commit to that schedule and be reliable). Customers are also going to want you on their schedule, not yours.

That said it just depends on how good you are at marketing it, helps to already know people that would be interested. Bust your arse and you could probably make a profit, but long term you'll probably be tempted to do it full time or not at all.

Then it really becomes a question of how good you are at running a small business. I know a few guys in MS who are full time and one in BR but it was a grind to get to the level they're at, and now they spend more time crunching numbers and fixing stuff. In other words you'll eventually want to learn to speak spanish.

As a full time business, what about the winter season? Is there enough demand at that time to make money? I know that by about late October, my grass doesn't need cutting until about maybe mid to late March.

I dont know where you're at, but here on the northshore it seems impossible to get someone to pressure wash.

My dad has some apartments, 3 different companies were supposed to give quotes. They all came out, I think he got 1 quote and that person would never return his call to come out and do it. My BIL and I split the money and did it in 3 hours on a saturday morning.

Also, this summer, my employer couldn't get anyone to come pressure wash the shop and parking lot. Somebody finally came, but it was like the fifth call. They were here for 2 days.

So my suggestion would be to hire some high school kids to run the equipment and you do customer service/quotes/etc.

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Do these companies typically use the customer’s water or do they have a tank they use?

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You can buy a trailer setup and most of them have their own tanks. The people that did the shop used our water, but Im sure they worked that out with the owner.

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Would I have to be a complete idiot to be forced into hanging it up and selling all the equipment a year later?

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I think the winter months would be real slow, unless you got in good with a big retail outfit and big buildings.

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They all came out, I think he got 1 quote and that person would never return his call to come out and do it.

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employer couldn't get anyone to come pressure wash the shop and parking lot. Somebody finally came, but it was like the fifth call.

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See, this is where I think I could stand out and be able to get referrals. I’m a very customer service oriented person and am very aware of how I come across to customers. As long as the competition does dumbass things like not returning calls, not showing for appointments, etc., I could (hopefully) be successful.

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As a full time business, what about the winter season?

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My homeboy that cuts yards does Christmas light hang up and take downs along with leaf bagging in the winter.

Even though there is a large market for the business, it is extremely difficult to compete with the ones already doing it now. The ones I know that do it have to venture out and diversify: landscaping, flower bed cleanup, tree planting/removal, irrigation, low voltage lighting, etc.

I know of a two man crew (father ans son) that only does commercial only which requires insurance and contracts. They gross $300k a year but it's a very difficult life for them with paying own health insurance, dealing with weather, and the physical demands.

I looked into starting it on the side as well. IMO the business has a large draw for a certain mold of people. Usually has issues with authority, is not concerned with own health, questionable background history, willing to work 5am-9pm rain/hot/humid 7 days a week. There also seems to be people willing to do it for minimum wage type pay and you will always have someone willing to undercut you. Put all that together and I am just unwilling to compete in that market.

I mention this in every thread about this. I chose my yard guy because I knew him and trusted him at my house.

Be the guy that people trust w their gate codes and you can create a hell of a niche.

People will pay more

To be clear I’m not talking about applying herbicides and fertilizer and such. I’m literally talking just grass cutting and pressure washing. I’m not interested in going get licensed and paying annual fees to keep licenses just to spray round up and apply fertilizer.

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Thinking of starting a lawn care and pressure washing business on the side to do on weekends and my other days off with a goal of turning it into a full time job.

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thought you just quit your other (regular) job to go to work for yourself. That's already not working out for you?