Power Washing

FAMILY BACKGROUND

PW’s father was a Federal government employee for most of his career, working indoors, eventually promoted to a supervisory position with occasional involvement auditing whether federal funds were being properly spent according to government guidelines. This type of work qualified for a Federal pension after working for a minimum number of years, which was an employment benefit PW’s father encouraged PW to find within his own adult career.

PW’s mother was a secretary within an office dealing with business payroll. 

One of five children within a “blended” family (PW’s father divorced PW’s mother and then remarried a woman with existing children), PW had several half (sometimes called “step”) brothers from this second marriage of PW’s father. 

Career advice to PW from his father: Go to college, then get a job with a pension. (He didn’t)

Career advice to PW from his mother: Get a job where you’ll be happy and (financially) secure. (He did)

CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER

PW doesn’t recall having a specific, future career path in mind as a child. While he enjoyed playing sports, he self-assessed that he was not sufficiently talented to be a professional athlete. He liked his history courses, which combined story telling with real life events so perhaps he might like to be a history teacher with the added benefit of three months’ vacation every year! (Editor’s note: PW may not have realized it at the time, but a person who teaches for several decades – within a public school system – usually qualifies for a retirement pension so a teaching career would have fulfilled the recommendation of PW’s father.)

SIDE JOBS DURING HIGH SCHOOL YEARS – NOT A CAREER PREDICTOR

PW always liked to work and earn money. So during weekends and school vacations, PW found part-time employment in varied jobs including a pizza shop, a restaurant, a bakery and on a labor crew for a municipality (arranged by his uncle) to clean trash from the roadside, mow township grass and other miscellaneous, outdoor work. 

COLLEGE – ACCEPTED BUT NEVER ATTENDED

PW’s high school GPA was above average so he was accepted to enroll in the local campus of the state university. However, before actually attending any classes, PW’s career path turned in a totally different direction. His brother was stationed in the Coast Guard in San Diego. PW’s father suggested that PW could head to California, visit with his brother, establish residency in California and therefore qualify to enroll in a California community college at zero or minimal cost. Seeing my brother…. living in warm weather most of the year….. going to college for almost no expense……….no better plan is pending………so why not?

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

PW flew to San Diego (coincidentally on one of the first commercial flights following the terror attack on 9-11-01 against three US targets including the World Trade Center) and promptly started looking for a part-time job until he could qualify as a state resident and attend a local college. Thus he commenced his search for any type of unskilled labor employment (e.g. fast food) but found he was at a significant disadvantage: he didn’t speak Spanish and thus was not qualified to communicate with many would-be co-workers or customers. In addition, there was a vast amount of immigrant laborers vying for the same low paying jobs. 

CALIFORNIA NIGHTMARE

Eventually finding a clerk’s job at a San Diego area printing company, PW soon concluded that there was no good future for him in California. He would more likely find a better paying, interesting job with less unskilled labor competition, back in his home area.  

ADVANTAGES TO COMMENCING ANY CAREER AS AN EMPLOYEE

Editor’s note – There are many advantages to being an employee rather than self-employed, including:

(1) reliable paycheck

(2) reliable source of work, as provided by the employer from day to day

(3) according to state law and depending on the number of hours worked, an employee must receive: health insurance, over-time pay and paid vacation days 

(4) employer is financially responsible for costs of doing business, such as (a) providing the equipment necessary to do the job plus the costs of equipment maintenance and replacement; (b) bookkeeping to manage customer billing and receipts; (c) payments toward employee’s social security and worker compensation insurance; (d) advertising; (e) transportation to job sites

(5) employer is solely responsible for interviewing, hiring and supervising co-workers; also for terminating co-workers for poor job performance and other misconduct

(6) no “start-up” costs for an employee to commence his or her job duties; just show up and work hard at assigned duties

FRIENDS MAY BE A SOURCE OF UNSKILLED LABOR OPPORTUNITIES

Upon his return to home area, PW made it known among his friends that he was looking for full time employment since he had abandoned his original plan to attend college. Friends helped PW to locate jobs, though none featured any long term, job security: 

Roofing – climbing ladders, working on roofs to remove old materials and  hauling materials and tools and down up ladders. It was good to be able to earn a steady paycheck for several years but PW didn’t see his long-term future climbing ladders and working on roofs. 

Pool care – haul equipment from trucks into empty swim pools, operate the equipment and then haul it back to the trucks to head to the next job. A steady paycheck but only for the nine warm weather months. 

Power washing – also a seasonal job but after the employer observed PW show up regularly and work hard daily, the employer wisely found other types of miscellaneous work for PW during the cold weather months so that PW would continue his essentially full time employment with this newly impressed, power washer business employer. 

Editor’s note – Regardless of the type of job a new employee is hired to do, by appearing on time, with energy to work hard while learning the skills required to do the job well, will almost always attract management’s attention and lead to reliable, steady employment opportunities, with increasing responsibilities and compensation. 

DEDICATION TO EMPLOYMENT DUTIES LEADS TO JOB SATISFACTION

The power washing employer quickly became impressed with PW’s work ethic. Thus the employer began to expand PW’s duties, such as delivering job cost estimates to potential customers. As expanded trust was earned, eventually the employer assigned PW the task of preparing job cost estimates. 

As time went by and PW dedicated himself to learning the necessary skills of the trade of power washing (such as the proper use of chemicals and amount of power wash pressure to use according to the surface to be washed), PW believed he was gaining sufficient experience to make appropriate suggestions to his employer regarding how the business could be better conducted for the benefit of both of them – for example, charging market value prices for excellent work would increase profitability for both the employer and for PW, now employed on a percentage commission basis for each of the jobs he successfully completed (i.e. all of them).  

DISSATISFACTION MAY DEVELOP WITH EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENT

Editor’s note – Dissatisfaction with employment arrangements may develop quickly and unexpectedly (for example, if an employer refuses to permit a day-off when the employee explains an emergency problem at home involving the employee’s child’s medical condition or the employee is the victim of sexual harassment, etc, etc) or the employment dissatisfaction may arise slowly, over time, as it did for PW based upon his own story:

First, PW’s recommendations to improve the business – to benefit the employer as well as himself – were being unreasonably ignored.

Second, the employer’s work ethic was evolving from daily hard work to laziness and inattention to important details. It’s ok for a business owner to slow down, especially as the owner nears retirement, but a wise owner will then better compensate the employees who have to work harder to produce the same results. And it’s not ok for the business owner to get sloppy with providing cost estimates which leave the customer confused as to the scope of the work – for example, an estimate to “wash the house” for $300; when the work is done, the customer complains that “the back deck has not been power washed and it’s part of the house” – at which point, the employee likely has to invest additional time to power wash the deck, at no additional payment to the employee. 

Third, the employer’s domestic life was unraveling, leading to his excessive alcohol consumption which negatively affected his work ethic and job performance. 

PW’s employment situation became intolerable for him to continue. PW had not started as an employee with a goal to be self-employed but fortunately, he now had a self-employment option to pursue: continuing the same work as his own boss.

STARTING SELF-EMPLOYMENT MAY BE A REASONABLE RISK

As there are advantages to being an employee, so there are potential advantages to self employment / starting your own business, which include: 

* being your own boss, which is an opportunity to do as much or as little work (to meet or exceed your personal needs; “bet on yourself!”)

* retain all the business profits (assuming there are any)

* control expenses (to the extent possible; for example, continue doing most of the work yourself rather than hiring labor; but if, for example, national gasoline prices increase and you must drive to job sites and cannot afford an electric vehicle, your business transportation expense will increase)

* proceed with all your great ideas without having anyone else approve them (hopefully all your ideas will be great)

* supervise any employees to make sure they perform according to your personal standards (business will succeed if your standards are high)

* you get the corner office and the best parking spot closest to your office door (the same thing if your office is your truck to start your business)

* you decide your business name and logo (any fictitious name must be registered and advertised and cannot be a name which is the same or almost the same as an existing, registered business name; so for example, don’t choose your power washing business name as “Apple” or “Green Bay Packers Power Washing”)

REASONABLE RISK

A risk is “reasonable” when it involves: 

(A) Prior experience with the skill required. (By now, PW had been involved in power washing for three years so he had mastered the physical skills.)

(B) Maturity. (PW had experienced many different, adult work situations and demonstrated both dedicated work ethic applicable to any business plus the calm demeanor to work cooperatively with most anyone.)

(C) Willingness to learn. (PW realized that as his own boss, he would be responsible for all administrative responsibilities such as preparing job cost estimates, dealing with prospective and existing customers, advertising, bookkeeping, tax records and payments; he was willing to learn and work more than the usual 8 hour day of an employee.) 

(D) Preparing an alternative plan, sometimes called a “fall-back” plan or a “safety-valve.” (PW had experience working for someone else so he was willing to return to being an employee if that was required to earn a living.)

CAREER SATISFACTION IN SELF EMPLOYMENT POWER WASHING

In addition to (hopefully) earning enough money to cover your personal (and perhaps family) living expenses (including housing, food, medical care, clothing, utilities, taxes, insurance and transportation plus child support if applicable) and savings toward a comfortable retirement, PW appreciated his achievements within his own power washing business:

* exceeding customers’ expectations

* satisfied customers referring other customers

* establishing his reputation within the community for an honest, high quality service

* staying physically fit for ladder climbing and roof walking

* creating “good will” for the business name, which might provide the basis to eventually sell the business when PW is ready to retire.