Win A $5000 Pressure Washer

We will hold a drawing between September 18th and 20th for a free hot water skid pressure washer. Rated at 5.5 GPM and 3500 PSI, this machine is ready to move your business to the next level. The winner will be drawn from attendees of the Myrtle Beach roundtable meeting at the Holiday Inn (Hard Rock). You have to be present to win. You will be given extra chances to win if you are a Sun Brite Supply customer.

The inportant thing to remember is that there will only be around 100 people in attendance, and one of them will win! That's better odds than you will get from any other contest we've ever heard of. To sign up to attend the FREE roundtable meeting, sign up here.

Green Cleaning

Green is the color of money these days, and contractors are waking up to new potential markets by advertising "green". The general public has been made aware of green products in the supermarket, and they expect no less from the people they hire. TV news features stories about water conservation and "green" issues every day. Even trade publications put a heavy emphasis on "green cleaning".

So, let me repeat: Green is the color of money these days.

You will be bombarded with exaggerated claims about products over the next couple of years. Everyone will be touting their new environmentally-friendly cleaners. Some sellers will make legitimate claims, but many will just be re-labeling the same old stuff in a new wrapper.

Trust that the SBS Team has been working a lot of late nights and even weekends to testing new products. We have spent months on a soy-based graffiti remover, for example. We just won't release it until the product is right.

In the meantime, be skeptical of too-good-to-be-true claims.

FREE hot water pressure washer

You can win a new hot water pressure washing skid worth $5000 if you sign up for the Myrtle Beach Pressure Wash Roundtable meeting in September 2009. Sign up today by going to the Sun Brite Supply store here.

Conventional Wisdom

Both PWNA and UAMCC will be hosting national conventions in October (2009). PWNA is meeting in Gurnee, IL and UAMCC will be in Orlando, FL. You can read all about these events b7y subscribing to The Sun Brite Times here. Scroll down the center of the page until you see the sign-up box.

You can win a new hot water pressure washing skid worth $5000 if you sign up for the Myrtle Beach Pressure Wash Roundtable meeting in September 2009. Sign up today by going to the Sun Brite Supply store here.

Another blog about pressure wash products and equipment

I found another blog that has some good information about pressure washing supplies. You can find it here. Funny thing is, its another Sun Brite Supply fan. If you use a pressure washer, you can't help but find the web site.

Joining PWNA and UAMCC

Why join an industry organization? What do you get for your dues check?

People decide to join (or not join) their trade organization(s) for several different reasons. Motives for joining are reasonably easy to identify. Some business owners are motivated by the desire to be a part of a group, some need the benefits of belonging to a group, some do it for networking opportunities, some for education, and some do it for marketing. Reasons for not joining include not wanting to be a part of ‘the establishment’ of the industry (reverse psychology- taking pride in not belonging), or an unwillingness to invest money in membership if they can’t see an immediate return on the investment (the “what do I get for my dues dollar” approach). Vendors like Sun Brite Supply belong to many trade groups to be as visible as possible and to support the contractors who are their customers.

Another reason some don’t join is that they view internet networking as a viable alternative to actual association membership. The idea that being a frequent poster or troll on a BBS is an alternative to joining a professional organization is like saying folding your hands before you eat is just as good as going to church every Sunday. Nevertheless, the internet is truly a networking venue and a place to seek information and some folks consider this an alternative to belonging to a professional organization.

By nature, the people drawn to doing pressure washing for a living are an independent bunch. Entrepreneurs are always independent people. That independent nature does not make someone prone to join any association or group.

So, since joining is somewhat against our natures, why do many join anyway?

The answer varies from individual to individual, along the lines of the motives listed above. The different reasons for joining lead to different kinds of members, too. The folks who sign up for education tend to be just beginning their business careers and have a tendency to only belong to an association for a year or two until they get enough of the educational advantage they joined for. They seldom re-up after they have learned what they wanted to learn. Those who join for marketing purposes want to add association logos to their advertisements and proposals, and they often tend to belong to their associations forever.

We are lucky because we have two associations that represent our industry – UAMCC and PWNA. Between the two organizations, hundreds of contractors have logos to use that set them apart from competitors. Why not thousands instead of hundreds? If thousands joined, these organizations could do so much more for their members and their industry.

Best deck stripper by a mile

I have tested a lot of strippers for wood decks and fences over the years, and my preferred product is Rip It! from Sun Brite Supply. When I estimate a deck for a customer, I always keep some of this stripper mixed in a spritzer bottle and spray a little in an obvious spot. I let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrape the surface. If I get a goo with some color in it, I have proved to myself that the old sealer is an oil and can be stripped easily with the Rip It! product. If all I get is a clear liquid when I scrape, then the old sealer is a water-based product and a caustic stripper won't work. A lot of times I decide not to do a job with a water-based sealer already on the wood. There are some cool strippers out there for latex and acrylic sealers, but they can be pricey and a lot of customers don't understand why there is an extra charge. I hate those Do-It-Yourself sealers from HD.