EP #23 Everett Washes Away Myths of High-Pressure Cleaning
Apr 29, 2024
Didier Nicholas
From telecom engineer to pressure washing entrepreneur, Everett’s career pivot is nothing short of inspiring. On the latest episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, Everett from AOK Pressure Cleaning Service LLC shares the unexpected twist in his professional life that led him to establish a thriving business amidst a layoff. As your host, Didier Nicholas, I'm thrilled to bring you Everett's compelling tale of adaptability, which emphasizes the significance of seizing opportunities and the impact of having a military mindset in the entrepreneurial world.
Everett doesn't just stop at his personal journey; he also dispels myths about the pressure cleaning industry, explaining why blasting water at high pressure isn't always the best approach. His expertise shines as he details the finesse involved in soft washing and educates our listeners on maintaining the integrity of various surfaces. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for homeowners and aspiring entrepreneurs alike. Join us as we explore the nuances of pressure cleaning and celebrate Everett's pursuit of the American dream, one spotless driveway at a time.
From telecom engineer to pressure washing entrepreneur, Everett’s career pivot is nothing short of inspiring. On the latest episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, Everett from AOK Pressure Cleaning Service LLC shares the unexpected twist in his professional life that led him to establish a thriving business amidst a layoff. As your host, Didier Nicholas, I'm thrilled to bring you Everett's compelling tale of adaptability, which emphasizes the significance of seizing opportunities and the impact of having a military mindset in the entrepreneurial world.
Everett doesn't just stop at his personal journey; he also dispels myths about the pressure cleaning industry, explaining why blasting water at high pressure isn't always the best approach. His expertise shines as he details the finesse involved in soft washing and educates our listeners on maintaining the integrity of various surfaces. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for homeowners and aspiring entrepreneurs alike. Join us as we explore the nuances of pressure cleaning and celebrate Everett's pursuit of the American dream, one spotless driveway at a time.
www.aokpressurecleaning.com 321.866.8440
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, DDA Nicholas.
Speaker 2:
Welcome everyone to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, dda Nicholas, and I am excited to introduce Everett with AOK Pressure Cleaning Service LLC, and we are actually well welcome. First of all, everett, welcome to the show. Well, thank you for having me. Yeah, you're very, very welcome. So what we're going to do is we want to learn a little bit about your business. If you can kind of share with our audience about your business, let's start there.
Speaker 3:
Okay, well, my business started, um, in 2020 and I kind of fell into it. Uh, I was a telecom engineer for many years. I was working on a contract for a large cruise line and uh happened to get caught in a layoff and and just so happened. The following day, a friend of mine called me and said he needed some help doing some work. He didn't tell me what it was, he just gave me an address to show up. I showed up and it turned out to be pressure washing, and four hours later we were finished and he handed me more money than I expected and it shocked me that people could make such a good living doing pressure washing and the rest is kind of history.
Speaker 2:
Wow, it's amazing how everybody gets started in their business, right? Everyone has a story to tell and it's actually pretty interesting. So, with telling, tell us, tell our listeners, a little bit about your journey. Why did you decide to get into this business overall?
Speaker 3:
Well, overall, I spent a bunch of time in the military and the US Army, moving all over the country and over to other countries, defending our soil, so to speak.
Speaker 2:
Thank you Afterwards.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, afterwards, thank you.
Speaker 3:
Afterwards I went into telecommunications and I spent quite a bit of time making other people wealthy, became very good at my craft, eventually decided to become a contractor and that led me to traveling the country again.
Speaker 3:
You know contracts don't last forever and you know when you're good at what you do, at some point you know you're approached and say well, we're paying you all this money and all of our problems have been fixed. So there you are, looking for the next contract and I was pretty tired of that. I wanted to be stable, be in one place and decide. You know that's where I'm going to. You know, make home. So when I got the opportunity to look at pressure washing as a as a business of my own, it would allow me the opportunity to set my own hours to pretty much select my customer base what, what demographic I wanted to service and be able to focus on. You know, growing a business and living that American dream of having your own business and growing it and sharing it with family or close friends. You know, helping to employ some other people.
Speaker 2:
Wow, that's very well stated and it's definitely history. You've come a long way in terms of your experience dealing with customers and it brings you to you know where you're at right now with your business, correct? Yes, absolutely so, with your business of doing doing pressure cleaning. Are there any myths or misconceptions about your industry?
Speaker 3:
Well, there are a lot of misconceptions, I'll say the average consumer thinks we're just spraying water with high pressure and that's going to clean everything. What many of them don't know, or don't find out until after the fact, is high pressure on a lot of surfaces actually destroys those surfaces.
Speaker 2:
A good point.
Speaker 3:
So it's kind of funny. I've seen guys up on a roof cleaning the roof and they're using high pressure and they're just blasting the granules off of shingles and destroying those people's roof. You know, I've also seen people use high pressure against the siding of a house, which is not necessary. You know, there there are ways to clean a surface chemically which does little to no damage whatsoever, something called soft washing, and that is the way. That is the proper way to clean a roof. That is the proper way to clean sliding roof, and the only thing you should be putting high pressure on is concrete and brick. So you know, I've gotten certifications and training. You know, coming and going as to how to safely and properly clean every surface around your home.
Speaker 2:
Wow, and, like you said, there's so many different surfaces. There's, like the tile, the asphalt, you know, the roofs themselves. Then you've got the concrete, then you have the epoxy floors that you have to be careful with as well, I'm assuming. Oh, absolutely, and so the different, there's so many different how do you say that surfaces that you have to, you know, be very careful with? So, when you're not busy doing what you're doing, what are some of the fun things that you like to do?
Speaker 3:
Well, I would say I spent a good bit of time volunteering at a local church that has a food bank and we're gathering food and supplies for people and every other week we distribute food to people in need and no one gets turned away. On a typical Wednesday, when we're distributing food, we service between five and 700 vehicles. Wow, you know I enjoy helping the community. I enjoy helping the community. There are people out there that are in need and I get a lot of pleasure helping other people.
Speaker 2:
Wow, that's awesome, man. We're pretty much getting ready to wrap this up. So one thing I would like to see if you can answer. What is one thing that really you would like to share with our listeners about your business, One thing that really kind of stands hands out. Is there one thing?
Speaker 3:
I would say attention to detail and protection of a customer's property. It's very easy using chemicals to clean, which is the proper way to do it and what's suggested by manufacturers of siding and roofing and concrete materials. But while using those chemicals, it's also very easy to destroy foliage, flowers and plants and things of that nature, and a lot of homeowners spend lots of money to keep their home and the area around it beautiful. So knowing how to protect that property is also a very key thing for me. How to protect that property is also, you know, a very key thing for me.
Speaker 2:
Wow, that was well said, because you're absolutely right. Homeowners do spend a lot of money on curb appeal, absolutely, and to have someone come in and be be very meticulous and very careful about the homeowner's property means that you have a customer for life, and that's how I look at things, you know, from that point of view. So, as we wrap up, can you give our listeners an opportunity to reach out to you with your phone number and how do they get in touch with you via phone number or website, and how do they get?
Speaker 3:
in touch with you via phone number or website. The website is aokpressurecleaningcom. That will take you directly to my Google my Business page where you can read interviews, reviews that people have left. You can see before and after photos samples of quite a bit of the work I've done. I can also be reached directly at 866,'m sorry 321-866-8440, and I happen to be one of those guys that always answers my phone so that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing.
Speaker 2:
Well, thank you so much, everett, for joining us, and we look hopefully look forward to hearing from you again in the near future all right, I appreciate you for having me.
Speaker 3:
You're welcome.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpwindermerecom. That's gnpwindermerecom, or call 407-783-8320.