Supplemental income in addition to detailing?

[Showtime]

Do any of you use your equipment for supplemental income? On rainy days, I try to schedule some pressure cleaning jobs. I have access to a couple rigs I built for my dad's company (500 gallon trailers with 8GPM/4000 psi machines). It's nice extra money when I can't detail.

But I was thinking, I'm about to purchase a Mytee Lite II and offering furniture/carpet cleaning is something I'm considering. More so furniture cleaning as the carpet part may be a bit much for such a small unit.

My question is, does anyone do this and how do you price it out?

 

[thebamboo23]

This makes sense, but would you mind having more detailing customers?

I would advice to become a Facebook ads master

 

[Showtime]

I am plenty busy on the detailing end. I am just thinking of a way to supplement income. I am what you call a "work-a-holic". I have 2 other employees and I am considering hiring two more

 

[thebamboo23]

Then consider hiring 4 more workers, raise your prices, stop doing the detail work, and bring in mass amount of customers

Then hire 2 more workers, raise your prices, put someone in place to operate the shop, and bring in more massive amount of customers

That should supplement your income just fine

 

[Showtime]

That all sounds great in theory, but it still makes me nervous when I have a week of scheduling ahead and only 3 days filled so far on a Sunday night. I worry more about my employee's well-being than whether or not I'll make profit. I would like to have that "cushion" of something extra I can have just in case. I'm not looking to do this full time...just a way to maybe keep them busy if there is down time.

 

[Pureshine]

I've seen to many people try to grow to fast and fail. I would focus on your detailing business first and how long have you had your detailing business?

 

[thatrabidhobo]

But I was thinking, I'm about to purchase a Mytee Lite II and offering furniture/carpet cleaning is something I'm considering. More so furniture cleaning as the carpet part may be a bit much for such a small unit.

I used to do carpet cleaning professionally and that little machine will flat out not handle home carpet cleaning unless you are doing one or two light spot cleans. You may be able to handle furniture with it but you will be competing against carpet cleaners (that also clean furniture) who are using much more powerful rigs. For example I used a extraction machine powered and heated with a van mounted 24 horsepower gas engine. Granted this was made to handle much larger jobs but all the major cleaners have something similar and use it on everything.

Point being you will be working a lot harder and a lot longer than a mediocre pro cleaner with a van rig.

 

[Showtime]

I used to do carpet cleaning professionally and that little machine will flat out not handle home carpet cleaning unless you are doing one or two light spot cleans. You may be able to handle furniture with it but you will be competing against carpet cleaners (that also clean furniture) who are using much more powerful rigs. For example I used a extraction machine powered and heated with a van mounted 24 horsepower gas engine. Granted this was made to handle much larger jobs but all the major cleaners have something similar and use it on everything.

Point being you will be working a lot harder and a lot longer than a mediocre pro cleaner with a van rig.

Good thinking! I was just thinking about offering it to existing customers, since I am mobile and often times do work at their houses.

I have had my detailing business back up and running for 2 years now, and had it for 4 years before that (I was in the Marines for a while, hence the gap in the business)