Trying to start a power washing business, I know I'm going to need workers but how should I come about them, and how should they get paid, if I'm just starting? Please help I'm stumped. Im not sure to pay them buy the day or buy the job, or weekly. I need to know were to find people that will do work for not that much pay until I get up and running... I live in houston tx

Thxs

Look around find out what the job pays in your area, come to a median. You can post the jobs on craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums (http://www.craigslist.com)

I think for stability a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck is best.

Good luck with your business.

Are you going to be paying these workers as people who are just helping you, or as actual employees where you will be taking taxes out of their pay, maybe providing medical benefits and also providing worker's compensation insurance on them?

That's a good question... or as individual contractors?

Well to start normally it will be just you. Remember a power washer can only operate one gun ( unless you are buying one of the 14,000 dollar ones that can operate 2 to 4 wands)
So in most cases it will be just you, or maybe one other worker as you start. After you get busy and have two or three trailer rigs working, normally they are paid a percentage of the job. That way they hurry and do the work. If not it is possible they work longer than they need to and you can even lose money.

But you have to be careful, many of the chemicals you use can damage things if done wrong, also if you run the pressure washers without water it will tear them up. Also there is a thing called "bypass" this is running the pressure washer without shooting water out of the wand.
The water just moves around and around the pump getting hotter and hotter, in less than 5 minutes it can ruin a pump. On the larger trailer rigs they run a bypass line back to the large water tank.

But if you don't have the right trained people doing the work, they can either cause damage to the clients home, or car and cause you legal trouble.

For example, what do you say when the customer calls you and says your pressure washer caused chips to come out of their drive way. Did you warn them about this possiblly happening ? Did they sign any waivers ?

When you pressure washed their home, did you use the wrong nozzle and cause a grove to the wood somewhere. Did your chemical react wrong with plastic siding??

Are you up with the local zoning laws. In Atlanta right now, there is a water ban, a home owner can not pressure wash, but a person with a business license can, but not with water from the clients home, it has to come form water at your business address. ( don't ask me, this is the law here right now) You can pressure wash their home, and their drive way, but not the public sidewalk in front of their home, that will get you a fine.

So when using workers they are normally paid as independent contractors, since you don't want to have to worrry about workers comp insurance, about paying taxes for social security for them and with holding taxes.