Don’t Get Stuck in Technical Perfection
What is technical perfection? What do I mean by that? Well, it’s a pretty common problem in the pressure washing industry. What happens is when the owner of a pressure washing business is obsessed about quality and control, their business will only grow to a certain point. The secret in growing your business is to maintain great quality while being able to train staff to replace you.
The only way your business can grow is by systematization and delegation. You cannot just throw anybody the keys to your power washing truck and expect success. You first need systemization. You need to document exactly how you do each cleaning procedure. What are the steps in order once you arrive at a client’s property? How do you go about offering 5/5 service to your customer? Once you have these documented (ideally in video) then you can hire and train someone to replace you (delegation).
The pressure washing businesses that grow will have an owner who approaches the business with a CEO mindset rather than a technician mind-set. Michael Gerber talks about this in his book, The E-myth, where he says that most small businesses are just technicians suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure. Ouch. The truth hurts.
Just because you are great at pressure washing does not mean you should go into business for yourself. Running a business requires knowledge in taxes, finances, marketing, leadership, operations, administration, sales, and yes how to pressure wash homes. As you can see the pressure washing is just one component of running a successful business.
I believe that is why most small businesses do not survive the first 10 years. Business is hard, stressful, full of ups and downs, and can take a toll on your family. I believe too many people enter into business too lightly where they think it will be easier and they can pressure wash all day. Gerber’s book brings a lot of light on what business you are actually in. We are not in the washing business. We are in the customer service business and we happen to wash homes.
None of this success in business happens over night. There is not overnight success. It does not exist. Building a business is a marathon and it is definitely hard work. Anything in life worth having requires hard work. Whether that is a great relationship with a spouse, a muscular body, or a profitable, turn-key business. It all takes hard work.
If you want to get more information on how to systematize your business so you can delegate tasks to your team, you can book a free call with Dave at www.homeservicebusinesscoach.com
I wish you success in this next chapter of your business
-David Moerman
Home Service Business Coach