Information For Startup Contractors, Part 2

Information To Help Your Decision-Making

Take a look around the area where you live, and see how many shopping centers there are. How many of these would you estimate have been built within the past five years?

All their paved parking areas receive extremely high usage, and must be professionally cleaned and maintained on a regular schedule. Add to that the number of schools, churches, hospitals, office buildings, factories, motels and hotels, stadiums, auditoriums and parks in your area. Even the streets of nearby small towns may be candidates for independent, contracted sweeping services.

On average, new shopping centers open in the United States every single day. Each of these will have a parking area ranging in size from 200 to over 3000 stalls. Plus, professional office complexes spring up around each new shopping center. Now do you see the business opportunity we have to offer?

As you might suspect, the trend toward suburban business centers has not yet begun to peak. New ideas in traffic routing methods are making it more attractive than ever for businesses to group in concentrated areas rather than the former practice of stringing out along main traffic arteries. Another advantage to our business opportunity is that these business centers now draw their own residential buildup of attendant schools, churches, office buildings and industry.

Maintenance of parking areas is one of the biggest headaches facing today's property manager. This is especially true for large volume, high traffic operations such as shopping centers and malls. For some reason, people (who wouldn't consider crushing out a cigarette on the floor of a store) think nothing of emptying an entire ashtray or litter bag in the parking area.

Mall managers have found that the outside appearance of their mall has a profound impact on their business. Added to that are Health Department ordinances which strictly regulate outside building cleanliness. Lawsuits involving slip-and-fall injuries in mall parking lots have even been won or lost based upon the sweeping maintenance policy of the center. These are just some of the reasons why, in the decade, contract clauses ensuring the performance of parking lot maintenance have become a standard part of building lease agreements. Maintenance on the outside of professional buildings has become just as important to most business operators as cleanliness inside.

Another growing market for services involving larger air sweepers is in the area of municipal contracting. Cities both large and small are beginning to recognize a savings in subcontracting the sweeping of their streets, parks and parking areas. In most cases, however, this requires a machine larger than one intended for parking lot cleaning. If you are interested in this segment of the business, we can recommend sweepers which are specifically designed for municipal and airport applications. These machines have the increased performance and capacity needed for these heavier applications.

In addition to growth potential, today's sweeping industry offers economic security. The lot maintenance business has not only survived through several recessions, but has actually prospered during economic downturns. It is an industry which is expanding at the same fast rate as the growth in the number of malls and other business complexes. This high growth rate provides a level of security seldom found in a start-up venture.

But that still doesn't mean this is the right business for you. Do you really want to be your own boss, including the new responsibilities involved? If your answer is "yes," or even "Yes," perhaps this is not the business for you. If, however, your answer is "YES!" then read on to find out about some of the advantages that are available to those who perform pavement maintenance for a living. This could be your first step toward the independent, secure lifestyle you have always wanted.

The Advantages To The Sweeping Business

You Are Your Own Boss, Building Your Own Business

As an independent sweeping contractor, you will be working toward building a profitable company of your own. Because it is your business, however, you are the one responsible for its success.

Power sweeping is no "get-rich-quick scheme" (if there is such a thing), but it is a solid, no-nonsense, professional occupation. It is also a business in which your rewards are directly in proportion to your own efforts. If you don't keep to your work schedule and do a good job, don't expect much of a reward. If, on the other hand, you have good work habits and are conscientious about the job you do, your customers will be happy. When you build a solid reputation for yourself, word-of-mouth referrals will help you to expand your clientele. Many before you have built secure, financially rewarding lifestyles for themselves and their families in this industry, and you can do the same.

Full-time or Part-time: The Choice is Yours

This business accommodates much diversity, both in the type of people it attracts and in the goals they set for themselves. Some want only enough clients to provide them with extra income for college. Others want to supplement their social security benefits, buy a previously unaffordable vacation home or simply have a little more financial independence.

For example, just sweeping 4 hours per night, 3 days per week at a net income of $25 an hour will bring $1200 per month. Expanding to 8 hour shifts on Friday and Saturday nights plus a little more per week can easily bring in $2500 per month. That can make a big difference in your ability to afford a better car, a boat or the home of your dreams. There are also those who have gone from start-up to developing multi-million dollar sweeping companies that employ many people.

Whatever your own desires, the parking lot maintenance business offers a world of opportunity. Because the majority of sweeping operations are performed at night, after shopping centers close, it's an ideal venture for people with a daytime job who would like to go into business for themselves. You can start sweeping while keeping your present job, and then grow from there. No matter what the size of your operation is, however, there is one factor which stays the same: your customers will be counting on you to perform a valuable service for them, one which requires you to be reliable and consistent. No matter whether you are full or part-time, that one fact remains a constant.

The Whole Family Can Get Involved

An advantage that many see to the sweeping business is that the whole family can get involved. With a little training, any member of the family with the proper driver's license can become a part of your driving team. Because Schwarze equipment is so simple to operate, anyone who can drive can run a sweeper. Younger members can also run a backpack blower or use a push broom to clean off sidewalks, etc.

In some family teams, the wife does the bookkeeping and other office work and takes business calls during the day. Others enjoy teaming up with their spouse when they sweep, with one driving and the other blowing off the sidewalks and any other areas the sweeper can't reach.

Many people appreciate the fact that much of sweeping is done at night, since that allows them to keep their regular job or spend some daytime hours with their family.

No Traveling Away From Home

One of the advantages in becoming a sweeping contractor is that no extended traveling is needed. By the very nature of the business, all of your accounts will be located within easy driving distance from your base of operations.

Ongoing Professional Support and Assistance

If you have any questions about how to get started, your answer is just a toll free phone call away - and you continue to get that support once you're up and running. Keep in mind that nothing is more important to our success than the success of our machine owners; we stand ready to help you in any way we can.

Although it all may be new to you, we have been manufacturing sweepers designed for contractors for over two decades, and the Schwarze family started out as sweeping contractors themselves years before that. No matter what your question about this business, you can be assured that one of our in-house professionals will be able to help you with it. Just give us a call toll free at 1-800-879-7933, between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm, Central time, or send us an email message.

Strong, Flexible Growth Potential

We've already discussed the growth of the industry in general. Many part-time contractors who provide good service and build a solid client base soon find themselves considering quitting their day job so they can sweep full-time. News of a good reputation and performance record can generate business you don't want to refuse. Many then find that they must seriously evaluate upgrading their part-time operation.

Changing over to a full-time sweeping service may initially mean additional costs. For example, to maintain a full-time schedule, you may need to hire one or more employees. You may also want to purchase another sweeper which you can use for slightly different jobs than your first unit, and which you can also use as a back-up in the event you have a breakdown.

There may also be health and welfare benefits that you enjoy now, in your present job, that you will have to provide for yourself if you go full-time. Now is when you should consider these factors.

When the demand for your services expands enough to make it worthwhile, the advantages in going full-time typically far outweigh any new costs. When you have enough business to be able to hire employees, you will be making money every hour that they work for you. Often this also means that you can do an even better job of customer service and prospecting for new customers. Having more than one sweeper will also give you more flexibility in the types of contracts you will be able to handle, which means you can expand the scope of your business (to areas such as construction clean-up and street sweeping), as well as expand upon the volume of business you can do.

No Franchise or Other Fees

Perhaps best of all, when you enter the sweeping business via our start-up program, there are no "hidden" or "blue sky" costs. Fully 100% of your investment is secured by your equipment. Plus, in this book we spell out for you exactly what you will need to enter the field, including the machinery you will be using and how to operate it - even so far as providing samples of the forms you'll find handy. You are able to get up to speed almost immediately due to the many years of combined knowledge we make available to you. That's an incalculable advantage.

The Nature of the Business: What You'll be Doing

Like any personally owned business, there are skills and activities associated with operating a sweeping business. In planning your start-up, you will want to consider who will be responsible for which activities. Some people have no trouble assuming all the tasks themselves. As already mentioned, couples or families often divide up aspects of the business, with one partner (for example) handling sweeping and mechanical maintenance while the other manages the office activities. Still others go into the venture along with one or more business partners. If there is one area in which you are weak, line up someone else to take care of that chore.

The following are outlines of the basic job functions you will be performing as a sweeping contractor. The specific techniques necessary to perform all of the following topics, as well as much more, are detailed fully in The Fundamentals of the Power Sweeping Business, a Schwarze Industries, Inc., exclusive publication. This comprehensive manual is available to all start-up operators of Schwarze sweeping equipment.

Building a Client Base

One aspect of operating a successful sweeping business is building and keeping a set of steady clients. You will be successful at this if you are good at keeping your eyes open for new opportunities (for example, noticing new construction of shopping centers or office buildings) and then contacting the owner or manager with your sweeping proposal.

This can be done by telephone, personal visit, or dropping off a business brochure and then following it up later. You and the client will sign a contract for specific services. After the contract is signed, on-going communication is important in keeping your clients happy. Some amount of 'people skills' are helpful in dealing directly with clients.

Establishing a Sweeping Schedule

Once you have developed some clients, you will plan the actual logistics of sweeping their properties. Each will have individual needs, perhaps requiring attention only twice a month or as often as nightly (a heavily used shopping center, for example). You will need to take into account the travel time between jobs and estimate the amount of sweeping that can be accomplished in a given period of time. In addition, you will save time and money by organizing your route to handle groups of nearby properties in a single trip. In some parts of the country, seasonal weather conditions may also affect the schedule.

Operating and Maintaining Your Equipment

The heart of your business is getting behind the wheel of your sweeper. Everything else is support for the actual activity of sweeping. This typically means spending lots of solitary time on the night shift. Many drivers find this time enjoyable, especially since it leaves their days free to enjoy family, attend college or pursue other interests. To be successful in the sweeping business, you (or your driver) will need to be punctual and conscientious about doing a thorough job every time. You will also want to be alert for opportunities to provide additional services or to advise the property manager of other problems needing attention.

Successful sweeping also involves knowing how to handle different sweeping conditions. For example, snow or ice, broken pavement or fine dust may each require special consideration. You will want to understand the operation of your equipment thoroughly and have a few special sweeping tricks up your sleeve. The next section covers these subjects in detail.

A very important aspect of your business will be maintenance and repair of equipment. Schwarze Industries' responsive parts department and toll-free help line will help make this as painless as possible. If you don't feel personally knowledgeable enough to perform your own maintenance and repair, line up a reliable, qualified mechanic. If you are considering the purchase of a diesel-powered sweeper, you may want to confirm that there is a qualified diesel mechanic in your area. As with any piece of power equipment, a rigorous maintenance program is the best way to protect your investment. Schwarze sweeper owners are provided with a Recommended Maintenance Schedule for their equipment.

Billing and Record-Keeping

As in all types of business, there will be paperwork. You will need to keep track of accounts and bill clients regularly. Typically this is done on a monthly basis, although in some cases you may find bi-weekly billing preferable.

Record-keeping is necessary not only for billing, but also for improving your bidding estimates, tracking your profitability, and reporting to the IRS. You will want to become familiar with what type of information needs to be recorded and the most efficient way of maintaining records.

After you've taken a look at this business opportunity, or to have any questions answered, call one of our Schwarze sales' representatives. They are all very familiar with the sweeping business, and some of them have even run their own successful sweeping operation. The toll free number at our national headquarters is 1-800-879-7933. You may also send us an email message.

Next section: Why Consider Schwarze Industries' Sweepers.

Schwarze Industries, Inc.
1055 Jordan Road
Huntsville, AL 35811
1-800-879-7933
E-mail: support@schwarze.com