by Brandon Boushy 
Do you want to go where you’ve never gone?
You’ll have to change what you’ve always done.
Joshua Brown grew up going to soup kitchens. He eventually dropped out of high school, started selling drugs, and got in a car wreck. The wreck led him to realize this:
He went into the ministry, but after years as a preacher, decided:
So he googled “top 5 businesses to start with $5,000,” and that’s how he started Brown’s Pressure Washing. He will show you how to start a pressure washing business that grows from $5K invested to $225K, then $445K, then $780K, then nearly $1M in revenue in its first four years. Today, he’s at $2M in annual revenue for his pressuring washing business.
It wasn’t without struggle. He made a ton of mistakes.
To help you avoid those mistakes, we’ve partnered with Josh to create an exclusive pressure washing business course that will provide you with everything you need to know to start a successful pressure washing company.
- How much does it cost to start a pressure washing business?
- What equipment do I need to start a pressure washing business?
- How much to charge for pressure washing services
- Pressure washing marketing strategies that work
- How to get pressure washing jobs
- How to grow a pressure washing business
- The boring aspects of starting a pressure washing business
- Start your own pressure washing business with the exclusive UpFlip course
- Take the free pressure washing course now
How much does it cost to start a pressure washing business?
You can start a pressure washing business with as much or as little as you want. As you earn, invest in yourself. Josh explained:
Josh’s initial investment was as follows:
Want to know more? Go check out our free pressure washing business course.
What equipment do I need to start a pressure washing business?
You’ll need the right equipment to start a successful pressure washing business. Josh says when you’re just starting, you’ll need a:
- Pressure washing trailer
- Pressure washer
- Bumper tank
- Chemical tank
- Water tank
- Wand
He says that though the equipment can cost around $15K, it can earn you $200K per year.
You could spend less on pressure washing equipment, but the money you save might slow your business growth. Lower pressure systems mean you can’t take as many customers. A lower-quality pressure washer might also break down more frequently.
You might also consider a pressure washing equipment rig that can go in the back of a truck. Josh told us:
You’ll probably want equipment insurance to protect against loss due to theft, damage, or malfunction of your pressure washing equipment.
Learn more in our blog about Brown’s pressure washing trailer setup.
How much to charge for pressure washing services
Brown’s focus is on pressure washing homes and businesses. His best pressure washing contract is with Top Golf, at $60K annually.
Josh explained that his crew can clean four homes daily with a pressure washing trailer or skid and charge $300 for each job. His primary pressure washing services are:
- House wash
- Roof wash
- Concrete cleaning and sealing
- Gutter cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Commercial building cleaning
They use a unique technique called a softwash. Softwash systems differ from regular pressure washing services because they use less pressure, which makes them less likely to damage a customer’s property.
Pressure washing marketing strategies that work
Josh explained how to market a pressure washing business.
He discusses the following types of pressure washing advertising:
- A website
- Business cards
- Door hangers
- Google advertising
- Professional-looking videos
- Television ads
- Hiring a professional marketer
A website
First, Brown invested in a massive website for the pressure washing company. Check out the website here. Then go check out our cleaning business website examples for insights into what customers look for when seeking a pressure washer.
Business cards
Business cards are inexpensive marketing tools that can help you connect with partners and customers. Check out our blog about inexpensive business cards, make your own, and leave them everywhere you go.
Door hangers
Door hangers or flyers are also good business expenses. A power washing company can leave them at neighbors’ houses or send them in the mail after you pressure wash a property.
Google Advertising
Josh explained his experience with digital advertising in the pressure washing industry. It didn’t start off great.
But eventually, he found a strategy for Google advertising that leads to a good return on investment.
He still uses Google to market his pressure washing company but avoids most other digital advertisements. He advises dedicating about 75% of your advertising budget to Google and the rest to the following two options.
Professional-looking videos
Another trick to jumpstarting a pressure washing company is to create videos. Find beautiful homes that need pressure washing services to clean them, and share videos of the process.
Make sure your video is well-lit, properly framed, and edited smoothly. It will make you look more professional than other local businesses in the pressure washing industry.
This leads to another way Josh makes his pressure washing business successful.
Television ads
Develop a relationship with a news network, like Brown’s Pressure Washing did when they were a new business.
As a small business owner, this may sound like an expensive strategy compared to online advertising, but it gets your business in front of more potential customers in your target market.
Hiring a professional marketer
Don’t be afraid to hire someone who understands effective marketing strategies. Power washing services can save a lot of money by outsourcing the advertising.
You should talk to other successful pressure washing companies to find out who they hire for their marketing services.
How to get pressure washing jobs
Josh’s pressure washing business venture has a remarkable 73% closing rate. Josh had us talk to his sales manager, Brady Ridings, about booking power-washing jobs because:
Brady shared one of his secrets for securing jobs:
And Josh shared one of his secrets for getting return customers. It’s simple:
How to grow a pressure washing business
Growing your business doesn’t have to be complicated. Josh told us:
The company takes it seriously, too. It’s probably why existing customers are so willing to help them get more customers.
Here are some of their strategies:
- Be honest
- Build a great team
- Use software
- Spend time outside your business
- Offer franchising opportunities
- Hang Christmas lights during the winter
Let’s elaborate on each of these.
Be honest
Honesty is always the best policy—even when you make a mistake.
Build a great team
A great team is the key to any business becoming successful. Josh spends a lot of time finding good people to surround himself with in his business.
Brady was the first salesperson, and he leads the sales team. Meanwhile, Josiah is in charge of operations. Both of them are part owners, and Josiah told us he was offered ownership stakes in exchange for a five-year commitment to the business.
Josh explained how he pays the team:
You’ll have to check out the course to learn more.
One of his favorite ways of rewarding employees is to provide them with educational opportunities.
Use software
An upstart pressure washing company will need some software. Brown’s uses CompanyCam to document before and after photos and videos.
CompanyCam also integrates with Housecall Pro, their customer relationship management software (and my number one pick for best client management software), to save all the photos and videos with other contact details.
Spend time outside your business
This one should be easy: Be a true part of the community you’re in.
Josiah built a relationship in the community that led to a major new initiative.
I squashed it but told him just because we couldn’t do it for everyone doesn’t mean we can’t give away one per week. Now, it’s a significant part of our marketing.
Offer franchising opportunities
Success is more likely if you have a great team. Consider expanding your team by offering franchising opportunities.
Hang Christmas lights during the winter
Pressure washers face seasonal fluctuations, making paying business expenses and keeping good employees harder.
The winter doesn’t stop Josh and his team, though. They decided to add Christmas installation to their list of offerings.
Turns out that hanging Christmas lights can be profitable.
The BORING aspects of starting a pressure washing business
These are the areas of starting a business that nobody wants to talk about, but they’re essential.
You’ll need to do the following things when you start a power washing business:
- Write a business plan
- Choose a business name
- Get an employer identification number (EIN)
- Choose a business structure
- Get a business license
- Open a business bank account
- Get pressure washing insurance
Write a business plan
Like any business, pressure washing companies benefit from having a business plan.
Many people approach the business idea with low start-up costs. This causes a scenario where you must be more cautious when starting a pressure washing business. Otherwise, you’ll run out of money.
Your pressure washing business plan should include:
- Your goals
- Your services
- Competitors and how you’ll differentiate
- Your marketing materials and strategies
- Current business finances or projections
Most importantly, you’ll want to consider overcoming any funding shortfall when starting a pressure washing business.
Learn more in our post about business planning.
Choose a business name
Small business owners need to consider a business name carefully. You want something memorable that makes the service you provide clear. It will help with word-of-mouth advertising as your business grows.
You’ll need the business name to form a legal structure, create your website, open business accounts, and create a logo.
Get an employer identification number (EIN)
You’ll need an EIN as a power washer because they are necessary for accounting and tax filing when you hire employees or choose a business structure that offers personal asset protection.
Just go to the IRS website to get your EIN.
Choose a business structure
Next, you’ll need to choose from the different kinds of business structures. You can start for cheap as a sole proprietorship, but if you damage any property on a pressure washing job, you can be held personally liable and could lose your personal assets.
Other business structures, like a limited liability company or a corporation, are more conducive to the cleaning process because they separate your personal assets from those of your business.
Check out our business structure explainer to learn more.
Get your business licenses
Business license requirements vary based on your location. Make sure to research what is required of surface cleaners in your location.
Learn more about business licenses in our three-step guide.
Open a business bank account
Pressure washers need a business bank account. It helps separate your personal and business expenses. Plus, it will help you prepare for a business credit card and business loan. Check out our write-up on business banking to learn more.
Get business insurance
You’ll need a variety of pressure washing insurance policies when you become your own boss. At a minimum, you’ll need general liability insurance and commercial auto insurance.
Many business owners prefer a business owner policy. These policies combine many of the most common insurance policies and save money compared to buying each individually.
Go to Simply Business to find the cheapest rates from 16 of the largest business insurance companies.
Start your own pressure washing business with the exclusive UpFlip course
It’s a lot of work to start your own pressure washing company. That’s why we partnered with Josh and his team at Brown’s Pressure Washing to create our pressure washing business course.
Take the free course to learn even more of the secrets and strategies that built Brown’s into a $1.8M money-making machine.
Take the free pressure washing course now
We hope you’ve found Josh’s strategies helpful to start or grow your pressure washing business. The team at Brown’s are great people, and you’ll love the course!
What’s stopping you from starting your own pressure washing business? Take the next step!
