Introduce yourself - Looking for start up help

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Looking for start up help

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Category: Carpet Cleaners Discussion
Forum Name: Introduce yourself
Forum Description: New around here? Come on in and say HI!
URL: https://www.kleenkuip.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6260
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Topic: Looking for start up help

Posted By: Mr. Mike
Subject: Looking for start up help
Date Posted: 08/November/2009 at 4:14pm

Hello everyone,

My name is Mike and I'm looking into starting up a CC business in upstate NY. I live in a suburban area with urban areas close by. I'm not sure if a TM or portable unit would be best for me. I work full time on the afternoon shift and I'm looking to do this during the day before I head to work. By reading this forum I've seen that picking which machine is like picking what oil you use in your car....a million choices. I am a bit nervous about spending all this money and then not being able to make anything back...there is a ton of knowledge on this forum as well as sarcasm (which I enjoy) if at all any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also if I do go with a portable extractor will it do a good job...I'm just afraid I'm going to show up to a job ith a portable extractor and customers will say..."um no thanks its not what I thought" or something along those lines. Again any help would be greatly appreciated and any tips for starting up would be great too.....Thanks in advance....

Mike

Replies:

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 08/November/2009 at 4:39pm

Yes you can do a very good job with a quality portable but sadly you can't change some peoples opinions so easily regarding HAVING to use a truckmount to get a great result.

If you're starting out part time then the quality portable ( even a well cared for second hand example ) will not place a huge amount of financial burden on you until you can decide on expanding when the $ allow. Whatever you do, use good quality chemicals, pre vaccum and take your time. GET TRAINING. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 15/November/2009 at 2:29pm

Good advice from Rip It. I have a porty and I've built a good reputation. A truckmount would help me do the same job faster. Other times, it seems like a tm would turn a really irritating job into a breeze. At least I have a lower overhead. ;) On the customer end, maybe customer opinions re: tm vs. porty vary by region? In the last few years, it's only come up a handful of times. I have a tm guy I refer to customers who feel they must have one--he refers porty jobs to me (e.g., high rises) since he doesn't have one.

Fact is, no matter what you offer, there will always be a customer out there who's looking for something else. Shrug it off. Be good at what YOU offer--you can't be all things to all people.

Posted By: duckcountry
Date Posted: 15/November/2009 at 8:08pm

My suggestion is that if you are a one man operation (Owner/Operator), stay with the porty. When you get ready for putting a crew minus you on the truck then it is time for a truckmount.

I am a solo act these days, porty and bonnets are my way to go and with a 58 year old back and body, rotovac is my pain killer.

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Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity?

Posted By: CarpetCleaningNJ
Date Posted: 11/January/2010 at 12:39am

or you can try a all natural organic dry cleaning that dies in 2-4 hours...

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PowerPRO Organic Carpet Cleaning
1-800-CLEAN-MY CARPETS
1-800-253-2669
HTTP://WWW.ABOVEANDBEYONDCARPETCLEANING.COM

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 11/January/2010 at 1:30am

Using a properly set up portable with gas heater, glided wand and booster box vacuums as well as vacuums in the machine you can easily get drying times below 2 hours ( dependant upon climatic conditions ). It doesn't snow in Brisbane.

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: prouddadx3
Date Posted: 11/January/2010 at 2:03pm

One of the biggest advantages to a TM is the heat. When I was first certified 100 years ago they had the rule of 18. once you reach 118 degrees every 18 degrees hotter doubles the ability of the shampoo to clean. A lot of portable systems have introduced heat. You may think about the possibility of targeting apartment buildings with several floors. They have to use portables. I also agree with the post on training. Good luck

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Posted By: CarpetproKC
Date Posted: 12/January/2010 at 12:28am

Truckmount all the way.

Posted By: Ed Valentine
Date Posted: 12/January/2010 at 8:51am

Mr. Mike;

Although everyone has provided their opinions and experiences, I would suggest looking a little further into --the right---powerful "Portable/TM" systems that would certainly more than do any job period. And on a tight budget to start.

They're out there; just look.

Very best;

Ed Valentine

cross-american corp.

Posted By: CarpetproKC
Date Posted: 12/January/2010 at 12:45pm

Mike,

My experience with using a portable inside customers homes was this:

1. Having to unload bulky machine from back of van into customer house.- My machine weighs about 80 pounds. I threw my back out three times loading and unloading this beast from the van. I have never had back problems prior to this.

2. Carrying portable up customers stairs- This was just awkward, there is no way around it.

3. Filling up buckets of water from their tub and dumping the water down their toilet. I had to carry a ton of hand towels with me to wipe up sloshed water plus I think its a nuisance. I never felt good about using customer's water source because I dont want someone coming into my house and using my water.

4. I popped fuses daily- even if they were plugged into bathroom outlets. Embarrassing and a hassle.

5. Set up and tear down times were just ridiculous.

I got my truckmount and it has improved by business exponentially. I make more money, I do it faster and I have better results.

Mostly I got the truckmount for ME because if I dont feel good about my tools than I cant do a good job. If you feel good about using a portable then go for it but I know people selling quality (older) used truckmounts from 3-5000.

Posted By: prouddadx3
Date Posted: 13/January/2010 at 5:11pm

I wouldn't use a Portable unless I had too but some of the portables have auto pump outs and auto fills. I'm not sure how much hose can run off them but I think you have to go up stairs in most cases which would be a drag. Apartments and portables go well together.

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Posted By: imagecarpets
Date Posted: 18/January/2010 at 7:13am

Best of luck then.

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Carpet Expert

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 18/January/2010 at 4:19pm

for 7 years I ran my portable always mounted in the van using a vac booster box and little giant gas heater ( two booster boxes gave me 45 metres of hose run ). it did a great job and now I use a Prochem Legend GT which does make set up/pack up times a bit faster and obviously makes cleaning a bit quicker too. and so it should as it cost 4 times what the portable did.

if you are starting out spend your money carefully. A used truckmount could cost you a lot of $ in repairs compared to a brand new high powered portable.

it's possible to make a good living using portables as long as you market yourself well and always take the time to do a great job.

when your business grows you can always upgrade if you need, but I dont see the point adding to the pressures of trying to start a new business with unnecessary debt levels.

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: prouddadx3
Date Posted: 18/January/2010 at 4:24pm

I've never heard of booster boxes. How do they work and how much do they cost?

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Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 18/January/2010 at 5:20pm

well most portables have two vacuum motors in them. a booster box is simply a small box with two more vacuum motors in it. provided your portable has an external port you can run a hose from the booster to the portable effectively increasing your vacuum suction. the portable I used had 2 inch hose and gave great results for water damage jobs and cleaned very well with quick drying times ( get a Green Glide for your wand ). sometimes I would use two booster boxes ( 6 vac motors ). bit of a pain with the power leads but still great results for not a huge $ outlay. in Oz a booster box retails for $1000 but I would guess they are a LOT cheaper in US/Canada ( everything else is ).

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 18/January/2010 at 7:16pm

I made my own for under $ 150.00 , bought some used vacs , and parts for nest to nothing and the rest was simple.

Nightrider

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 19/January/2010 at 6:46am

If you make one yourself make sure it is checked by electrician unless you like having an Afro.

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: Ed Valentine
Date Posted: 19/January/2010 at 9:45am

In regards to the question above, We invented the booster box way back in the 70's........labeled: POWER BOOSTER System. So, I think we know alittle something about it. Cost around $895.00. And, believe it or not, it does involve more than just its components. Its called an efficient design which will overcome foaming bypass, keep performance at optimum, mobile, etc...

Ofcourse, There are other knock-off's out there.

very best;

Ed Valentine

cross-american.com

Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 19/January/2010 at 6:26pm

You sure you invented it Ed.....or did you just copy the power boosting vacuum system used on the braking system of cars and trucks.....do you hold a patent for it.

Nightrider

Posted By: Ed Valentine
Date Posted: 20/January/2010 at 9:28am

Nightrider;

Many thanks for asking.

I don't say things that aren't true or what I may know, or have documented. Please Do a search in the US patent office.

And, btw, we weren't referring to automobiles, or popcycles either.

The very best to all;

Ed Valentine

cross-american corp.

Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 20/January/2010 at 4:19pm

Sorry.....Can't find it. Looked for Ed Valentine...Cross-American...vacuum booster... power booster system.....Nothing

Nightrider

Posted By: Ed Valentine
Date Posted: 20/January/2010 at 5:05pm

It IS there and that is the ABSOLUTE truth. 4800612

Nightrider, what the heck kind of OLD computer do you have anyways!!!!!-LOL

Thanks and have a great nite----------------------rider!

Your Yankee friend;

Ed Valentine

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 20/January/2010 at 5:13pm

I dont care who "invented" it but the fact is that booster boxes are brilliant at increasing the performance of a portable. being able to run the machine from the van makes life a hell of a lot easier than having to lift the thing around all day. ( apart from not having to move it through a customers home ).

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.

Posted By: zimmermancarpets
Date Posted: 26/January/2010 at 8:28pm

Looks like all the advice is along the same vein. There's nothing wrong with a good portable—even a used one. Just make sure you get good suction. Multi-stage vacs are the deal. You can mix your chemicals up in small batches, using hot water, and then add line heaters in the future to keep the heat up.

I would say go for a used portable with good suction, and when you book jobs, just give them all lots of time so you can take your time. You'll really have to pay attention to not leave behind chemical residue, and on the really bad jobs, you'll have to double clean, but it's a great way to build your client base.

Once you're sure of your business' future, take out a small loan and get a truckmount. Just make sure you have a good accountant who can give you solid advice about when to get a loan, and how much to get.

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Carpet and Oriental Rug Cleaning in Greensboro, NC

http://www.zimmermancarpetcleaners.com

Posted By: prouddadx3
Date Posted: 27/January/2010 at 11:09am

Many great ideas come from simply seeing technology in one field and applying it to another. It would be very cool to come up with a device worthy of a patent or even being put into production.
When using a box you must find an electrical outlet inside the house and one for your portable if you leave it in the truck? If you add a generator you are 3/4 of the way to being a truck mount.
Back to being efficient and to the original post. A portable that has heat is preferable to one that does not, marketing to apartment buildings that need a portable cleaning might work great, a box could tremendously increase vac. power. If you start with a portable and chase Apartments, you may quickly have the resources to buy a Truck Mount and not go in to debt plus you will always have the ability to service the apartments.

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http://maps.google.com/coupons/page?oi=lbc&did=0_14019921871367697693&cid=RF0IMWO26GG3CFHL&hl=en-US&gl=US - Boulder carpet cleaning Coupons

Posted By: killpatrickyum
Date Posted: 27/January/2010 at 8:07pm

i think u will find it was designed in australlia by a company called steamvac over 30 years ago mate!

Posted By: killpatrickyum
Date Posted: 27/January/2010 at 8:08pm

try www.steamvac.com.au

look at accesories/booster

Posted By: RIP IT
Date Posted: 27/January/2010 at 8:38pm

That's the one i've always used. They make very reliable portables too!

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Dont treat people like customers. Treat them like friends.