Hey guys, just want to introduce myself. My name is Clay and I will be operating in the Jacksonville, FL area. I've been thinking about scratching this itch for a while and now I'm ready. I've been spending my spare time researching and planning and so on. I'm actually walking away from my motorcycle shop to pursue this venture and I hope it will be everything I think it to be. I owned a lawn service and pressure washing business a few years back so I have some insight to this type of service business. I did quite well and I hope to have even better success with cleaning roofs. I plan to begin at the first of October and have already found some nice untapped areas so hopefully I can start things off with a bang. I still have a lot to learn so I will be very busy for the next month. Thanks a lot for all of the valuable information and thanks in advance for anyone who takes time to answer my questions. -Clay
I don't know about FL but October gets to be the end of the season to start. You will be able to get a few in though. Maybe a better plan would to be get all set up to hit it hard in the spring. Get your ads and other things in place before you make the jump.
Somebody from FL could chime in on this one. Don't want to discourage you but I also don't want to see you go belly up before you are out of the water.
It actually stays pretty warm here even through the winter so I hope it won't be too seasonal. But, you are right, it will give me enough setup time and allow my advertising to "sink in" before spring comes around. I will be offering additional services as well that should take up the slack in the slower months. Thanks for the welcome.
Welcome to the board. I started my business in September of 1991 with the intentions of only working it part time as I had a full time job. Within 2 months I was left with a decision. I have not looked back. I have found November and the beginning of December to be very good times for me as people rush to spruce up for the holidays. Hopefully that will be the case for you.
Good Luck in your new business adventure and know all here at RCIA are here to help!
Thanks for the kind words. By the way, what do you guys put in the drinking water over here? I'm officially addicted to cleaning roofs and I have yet to actually clean one. I can't stop thinking about it.
Thanks for the kind words. By the way, what do you guys put in the drinking water over here? I'm officially addicted to cleaning roofs and I have yet to actually clean one. I can't stop thinking about it.
LOL you are going to get kind of a sixth sense..... I see dirty roofs everywhere. Be careful driving or you will find yourself looking at a roof and calculating how much to charge for it and WHAM you run into someone. I did the same thing,(not the running into someone) reading until 1 or 2 in the morning. Wife was getting mad but now she sees the light.
-- Edited by GreatWhiteTechnologies on Wednesday 26th of August 2009 10:58:25 AM
That's funny Pat. Welcome Clay. I agree with Pat... I don't know anything about Florida's seasons but generally speaking, it will be just starting to slow down a bit. If I could start over, I would have started my biz in early spring and been better marketed and technically prepared too.
I'm hoping RoofBright is right about the busy holiday months. That should give me the boost I need to get started. He's not too far from me so our seasons will be the same. I'm getting anxious to buy some equipment and get practicing on friends and relatives before I get near any paying customers. There are a lot of trees around me and you know what that means...dirty roofs, moldy houses, and clogged gutters. What more can you ask for?
I'm also new to RCIA and live in the Jacksonville area. I recently started my company and I am still learning what it takes to become a professional roof cleaner.
Be careful concerning the untapped areas. I also look at neighborhoods and see money sitting on the roofs and houses. I also clean houses. But, not all neighborhoods are equal when it comes to potential. I put door hangers in one neighborhood because I estimated that 80% of the homes needed to be cleaned and roofs washed. It looked to be a middle class area with home prices in the area of $150,000 - $300,000. But as I was walking the neighborhood I noticed that a majority of the yards were not well maintained and there was plenty of trash littering the yards. I started thinking that maybe the people living here didn't take much pride in their homes. Long story short I got one call for an estimate and didn't make the sell. Now when I scout a neighborhood to market I take the whole neighborhood in to account, not just the houses and roofs.
If you would like to get together for lunch one day, pm me.