How To Start a Pressure Washing Business

With relatively minimal investment needed to get going, starting a pressure washing business seems pretty simple to set up, but the reality is that the process involves more steps than most might think. 

If you want to get started without any nasty surprises and fast-track your road to launch, there are some fundamentals to think about first. It all starts with a solid business plan, the rest, we’ll cover in this article.

Short on time? Skip ahead!

• 1. Research and planning
• 2. Investments and financials
• 3. Develop your marketing strategy
• 4. Get organised and get to work

1. Research and planning

Assessing the competition

Before starting your pressure washing business, you need to do some research and planning to ensure that you're setting yourself up for success. Start by looking into the local competition to see if you can identify the following:

• Is there a gap in the market? What could you offer that others don’t, and could this help you win more work?
• Which pressure washing businesses are the most successful and why? Which of these successful elements could you replicate in your own business?
• What prices is everyone charging? How will you price yourself to be competitive without losing out on profit?

Registering your pressure washing business

Now that you’ve got a handle on your competition, the next step is to make it official by registering your business. When deciding on your business structure, think about your goals for the future. Are you looking to grow a team, or fly solo forever?

• 🇺🇸 USA - you can apply for a sole proprietorship or form an LLC.
• 🇬🇧 UK - most people register as sole traders or limited companies.
• 🇦🇺 AU - you’ll need to apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN).
• 🇳🇿 NZ - you’ll register as either a sole trader (Ministry of Business) or a company (NZ Companies Register).

How much does it cost to register my business?

• 🇺🇸 USA - costs differ by state and your individual obligations. Find out how to register a business in the USA.
• 🇬🇧 UK  - be prepared to pay at least £12 (depending on company structure).
• 🇦🇺 AU - costs range from $417 - $506 (depending on company type).
• 🇳🇿 NZ - it costs $10 (+GST) to reserve a company name and $114.39 (+GST) to apply to incorporate a company.

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Water usage rights

Before you get started, it’s worth checking to see if there are any water usage restrictions or regulations in your area. While some councils won’t charge you anything to use water if you’re a business, others will. So make sure you know what the deal is and budget accordingly if it’s going to cost you money.

2. Investments and financials

Start-up costs

Painful as it might be, you have to spend money to make money when starting a pressure washing business. While you don’t need to break the bank on fancy bells and whistles, there are a few basics that you’ll need to invest in to get off the ground. Consider the following:

• Vehicle hire or purchase
• Staff (optional)
• License fees
• Office rental (optional)
• Advertising & marketing costs
• Job management & accounting software

Tools & equipment

One of your biggest upfront costs when starting a pressure washing business is the tools. Again, the goal here is to start off with the essentials and then work your way up to purchasing the nice-to-haves.  Here are some tools & equipment that you need to have:

• Pressure washer
• Pumps
• Hoses
• Spare nozzles
• Cleaning chemicals
• Ladder
• Hazard signage
• Extension chord
• Water tank

Make it affordable

The good news is, anything you buy that’s vital to the running of your business can be claimed as a business expense. 

• 🇺🇸 USA business tax write-offs
• 🇬🇧 UK business expense claims
• 🇦🇺 AU business expense claims
• 🇳🇿 NZ business expense claims

In addition to claiming some tax back on your expenses, there is also a range of business loans available that can help you get across the line if affordability is an issue.

• 🇺🇸 US - The Small Business Association works to connect small business owners with funding.
• 🇬🇧 UK - Start Up Loans of £500 to £25,000 are available to start or grow your business.
• 🇦🇺 AU - Check if you’re eligible for a variety of grants that vary between states.

• 🇳🇿 NZ - Government grants, advice, and mentoring are available, depending on your business.

Insurance

When you have your pressure washing business up and running, it’s essential to prepare for the unexpected. That’s where business insurance comes in.

Read our article on business insurance for contractors & tradespeople.

Learn more about keeping your tools safe.

Accounting software

As a trade business owner, you’re not expected to know the ins and outs of bookkeeping. Thankfully, if accounting isn’t your forté, there are plenty of great software options available to do almost all of it for you.

Here’s what we recommend:

• Xero
• Sage
• MYOB
• QuickBooks

Find out if you need to hire an accountant.

3. Develop Your Marketing Strategy

While a lot of work can come through word of mouth, it can’t be relied upon exclusively. Marketing is an essential part of running a successful contracting business and that means more than just coming up with a business name… even if it's just setting up a website.

Tradify's Business Name Generator will check domain, Facebook, and Instagram availability.

For more ideas for marketing your pressure washing business, download the Tradify Marketing Plan for Tradespeople.

4. Get organised and get to work

If you’ve followed the steps above, then you’re ready to get your business off the ground. The important thing is that you start as you mean to go on, so get your admin organised with Tradify job management software. 

Tradify is the app that helps you manage all aspects of your pressure washing business, like sending quotes and invoices, scheduling jobs, or taking payments — it can even help you to create your own website in minutes. 

Start your 14-day free trial.