Is Pressure Washing a Good Business in Florida?

If you’re looking to make more money, pressure washing can be a great business venture. It’s a relatively easy skill to learn and there are low startup costs. But is pressure washing a good business in Florida?

Starting a pressure washing business in Florida can be extremely profitable, based on the level of growth potential. Below we’ll examine all of the factors to consider, before getting a pressure washing license in the sunshine state.

What’s Great About Florida?

Florida is one of the top states for starting a pressure washing business. There are plenty of densely populated neighborhoods that require ongoing home maintenance and the weather is suitable to operate year-round.

Combine this with a large group of retirees who outsource labor and a state with no income tax.

1. Prime Location

Florida is a large state in terms of square miles. And while it’s not the biggest in the country, there is a wide range of places with a high population. Avoid areas like Everglades city, because it has more swap land than dirty concrete.

You want to work in a location that has enough people so your business can grow. The most popular places will be cities on the water, but you need to be careful when choosing these places.

Cities like Miami have more high rise condos than they know what to do with. You won’t find many clients in these areas. Look for neighborhoods where dirty houses, driveways, and sidewalks are plentiful.

2. Year-Round Business

Unlike many other parts of the country, pressure washing can be a year round business in Florida. Sure, parts of Florida have been known to get snow but it’s very rare.

And the winters are nowhere near as harsh as they are in other states. You won’t find any seasonal business problems when working in Florida. Compare this to places like New England that can have snow 3-4 months out of the year.

While the spring and summer months may be profitable, you’re still forced to shut down most of the time. Northern states can’t compete with Florida and this business model can be profitable, because of year-round business.

3. Older Population

It’s no secret that people flock to Florida in order to escape cold weather in other parts of the country. And while younger people like to travel to the beaches for spring break, the older population finds a more permanent location in Florida post-retirement.

You can capitalize on this group to build a pressure washing business. In general, retirees tend to outsource physical work done around the house. You can see just how true this is based on the high number of landscaping companies in Florida.

So, if they are willing to pay to outsource lawn maintenance, it’s fair to say the same thing about pressure washing. You can get a list of clients from a single neighborhood.

4. No Income Tax

Florida is one of the few states that has no income tax. This can be very beneficial if you own a pressure washing business making a lot of money. It isn’t unheard of for these types of businesses to make $1000 each day with the right clients.

And in Florida you won’t receive a larger tax bill the more money you make. You will need to decide how you want to operate your business for tax purposes. Most people choose to file their pressure washing company under a single member LLC.

The IRS considers one-member LLCs as a sole proprietorship for tax reasons. This means your cleaning business isn’t treated as a separate entity and you avoid double taxation.

5. Low Startup Costs

This specific tip doesn’t directly relate to Florida, but it’s something that should be covered anyway. If you’re on the fence about starting a pressure washing business, consider the low startup costs.

Assuming you have a vehicle large enough for the equipment, the only other tools needed is a pressure washer and surface cleaner. A surface cleaner is essential if you’re looking to produce professional results.

This tool helps clean driveways, sidewalks, and other flat surfaces in the most efficient way possible. Due to the unique circular design, a surface cleaner can wash these areas without leaving any lines or streaks that will occur with the standard wand.

6. Opportunities to Expand

Most businesses have humble beginnings. After all, Facebook was started in a college dorm. The same theory applies to your potential pressure washing business. You can start out with a basic system and move on to have a fleet of vehicles.

It can happen if you’re willing to put in the work and maintain a positive mindset. The state of Florida is a perfect place to expand an outdoor maintenance company.

You could begin cleaning residential areas and move on to commercial locations. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, and other places if you’re in an area that relies on tourism. Just make sure to do your research, before picking one of these locations.

Keys to Success

Be friendly – If you really want to grow your customer base, it’s essential to be friendly in person and on the phone. This can be challenging at first, because talking to clients can be awkward. But a little friendliness can go a long way. These people are more likely to refer you to a friend and you could gain a repeating customer in the future.

Return calls – As a homeowner I’ve left my fair share of messages with contractors only to have them call me back weeks later. Do you think I used them? Absolutely not. They lost the potential job after a rival company returned my call in a timely manner. You might be busy, but there’s no reason to treat potential customers like this.

Offer incentives – Giving people a reason to hire you is a classic marketing strategy. Give them a discount of their first job, or offer freebies like a free sidewalk cleaning with the purchase of a driveway cleaning. You could even force a timed discount on them by saying that you’re offering a lower price until next week, or month.

Have a process – Figuring out your pressure washing process and being efficient can help expand your business. Make sure you have a list of steps laid out and approach each client the same. Have a checklist of what gear you need and how it gets loaded and unloaded on the job site. This will make your life so much easier as a result.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you understand that pressure washing is a good business to start in Florida.

There are many positives to running a business in the sunshine state, but being able to work year-round and the number of people willing to outsource home maintenance can be a profitable combination.

Just remember to do your market research, before deciding on one specific location. You don’t want to choose an area only to find there’s an influx on renters and vacationers.

Talk to landscapers in the area that can help provide valuable insight on which cities and neighborhoods are the best. With the right attitude, those pressure washing contracts will start adding up.

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