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I like just running 1 or 2 roof cleaning trucks, and specalizing in high end residential.

Big Commercial Roof Cleaning jobs, or doing whole subdivisions, may look "impressive" on the internet, but usually the profit is much lower.

Most commercial jobs will get at least 3 bids, maybe more, and will beat you down to death on the price.

No way I am gonna tie up my help on some low paying commercial roof cleaning job, when I have wealthy residential customers who pay me THAT DAY!

Employees will often rob you to death as well!

Here in Florida, we  deal daily with people in deed restricted subdivisions who HAVE to get their roofs cleaned. It is not unusual for these people to wave cash in your face, when your employees are their, cleaning their neighbors roofs.

The employees will do the roofs for CASH, and keep the freaking money!

Or, here is what else they will do. You send them in to a deed restricted subdivision that is getting roof cleaning letters, but unknown to you, they have built a roof cleaning rig, operated by a friend! 

Or, they will simply schedule these roofs they stole from you, on their day off!

My advice guys, stay small, and target high end customers with the big homes.

Nothing wrong with being a Mom and Pop roof cleaning company 

gutterdog wrote:

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Deffinately something to think about!

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You can make a little more profit with a 2nd truck and 2 more men, but not a lot.

You can get double the headaches and worries though!

It's better to just build a good, strong business, with lots of customer base and then charge what you want.

The alternative is to have a 2nd truck and workers and think "If I don't get work for tomorrow, I will either have to pay these guys for nothing - if they are salary. Or, I may lose these guys, if I have no work for them.

A real worker is gonna want work 5 days a week! A non-real worker, will suck!

So, what you end up doing is, you think "I'd rather have them do a $450.00 roof for $200.00 than suffer the {above}

So, now you start building a worthless customer base. Try to tell that $200.00 roof job, when in in 5 years they call back, the price is now $450.00

It won't work.

They will search until they find another new guy, who was trained by a pro and then screwed him!

It's a suckers game! Training competition is a losing game!

I could ramble on forever about this! I learned it the long, hard way. If I was young and healthy enough and my son quit, I'd do fewer jobs, at higher prices, all alone - Even if you think, I'll just get a $7.00 an hour kid with the garden hose in his hand-but even with that, if you don't take unemployment insurance, taxes etc and Workers Comp out for him-VERY EXPENSIVE! You may get sued or jailed!

Good Post!
Ya, the next blubber lips lawyer commercial, who says he's all about "THE PEOPLE" will be "Have you worked for a business, that did not supply you with workers comp? If so, you may have $$$$ coming to you and we will work to { Ruin the guy who gave you work, when you had nothing } be reimbursed all the money you deserve! {Sue your fellow man, it's the right thing to do! I have this family and a dog, so I'm a good guy lawyer, I AM FOR THE PEOPLE.
}Personally, if a lawyer came on tv and said I couldn't give a crap about you or any other people. The honest truth is I am very, very good at suing people and getting money. Don't hire me because I have a dog and family, hire me because I can get you what you are after MONEY"
He might be a piece of crap, but at least he'd be upfront!

dabber wrote:

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Hey everyone, Boy am I experinced with this subject. I have been in the cleanning and painting bis for 35 years. In that time I have had up to 4 full time employees, at one time haveing 2,3,or ,4 jobs going at one time. You haveto, to pay everyone and everything to keep it all going. In my experince whenever I step off the job the quality drops,coustomers arent happy, many more problems to deal with. All bigtime headaches for you. Not to mention to have these employees legit costs so much its puts you out of the market on price. Truck insurance,workers comp, liaiblity,taxes, just to be lejit. One time I left a young guy cleanning a roof for a few min,when I came back from down the street he had fallen off the roof. It was a short fall, he did not get hurt and finished the day, on fri. Mon came arround and I get a call from a sue me lawyer, I did not have workers comp on him. This lawyer was ready to sue me for everythng he can.(mostly for himself) but the kid just wanted money (coached by his family) and he did not go to the doctors,depositions, lawyers office and other things people have to do to sue you. If he would have I would have lost everything I have to him, from that day on I have had no employees except for family, and every ounce in a while a ground man. which is a safe job hard to get hurt with a garden hose. But with employees Im sure it can be done. Plus in this sue me age, you have some people looking for a payday. Till I retire if I ever do, I will be small do the highest quality work, have tons less head pressure, make more money, have piece of mind Thanks Steve

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 Yes, non family employees will sue the Fuk out of you!