Editor’s Note—August 2020

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published August 2020

Proverbs 15:22 [in the Bible] states, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” The August issue is chock-full of advisers who are eager to share their industry wisdom so your company can take it, apply it, and succeed. Listen to these counselors and benefit from their wisdom.

On page 6, Diane Calabrese has written the article “What a Contractor Needs to Do to Become Successful.” She remarks, “Work hard. Take care of the small stuff and the big stuff. Have a bit of luck.” Later she notes, “Successful contractors become so by making adjustments as needed. Flexibility counts not just in the early days of a company but throughout its lifespan.”

As a model of this example of making adjustments and being flexible, turn to page 12 and read Kathy Danforth’s article on C.L. Scott of Houston Washpros Power Washing. After moving from Detroit to Houston in 2010, Scott was installing a sprinkler system when it started raining. He says, “…so I rented a pressure washer to clean the customer’s sidewalk. Two days later the customer asked for his driveway to be cleaned. Then a neighbor called us, and when I went to rent the equipment, the lady came back with a surface cleaner.” He went from cleaning driveways and residential work to breaking into commercial work. Currently, he spends the majority of his time cleaning shopping centers. He gives several great tips on breaking into commercial work—have enough money to purchase the right equipment, have the proper amount of knowledge and ability to effectively clean, and obtain the proper amount of insurance coverage.

On page 24, Beth Borrego continues her marketing series and highlights how a pressure washing company can make the most of its online presence. She guides the reader through a deep dive of “getting the company website indexed into the search engines so that potential customers can easily find it.” She covers page titles, page descriptions, page filenames, headline tags, body text, and more. Borrego remarks, “Having a website is a bit like tending a garden. It grows and changes, and if you don’t maintain it, it can get away from you and end up a mess of weeds.” Maintain your website!

Enjoy your summer. If you have an interesting pressure washing story to share, email mhamline@fcapgroup.com.

Michael Hamline
michael@adpub.com
(800) 525-7038