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contents 

FEATURES 

6 

Aerial 

Advantage: 

Companies like Lucid Drone Tech 

in North Carolina supply drones to 

take lifts and other machinery out of 

the pressure wash equation, saving 

companies workers compensation 

costs and making them more efficient 

and less reliant on human labor 

23 

Winter is Coming: 

Failure to properly winterize and store your pressure 

washing equipment during freezing conditions can 

prove ruinous to pressure wash operators 

DEPARTMENTS 

9 

How to be a 

good boss 

A good boss makes employees feel 

satisfied, productive, and valued in 

their work environment. They don’t 

behave like a dictator. 

4 Editor’s Letter: 

Hugging Your Haters 

12 Guest Column: 

Everybody Needs a Coach: As 

evidenced by the annual pro football 

draft, even the best talent still needs 

guidance to go from good to great 

16 Contents 

under Pressure: 

A look around the World Wide Web for wacky 

examples of pressure washing in our culture’s 

everyday life: Spidey-Sense 

Vol. 1, No. 4, Fall 2019 

Publisher: Jackson Vahaly 

Editor: Drew Ruble 

Design: Katy Barrett-Alley 

Pressure Wash News is published 4 times per year and is independently owned by Jackson Vahaly. 

All inquiries should be directed to: 

Pressure Wash News, 110 Childs Ln. Franklin, TN 37067 

jacksonv@pressurewashnews.com 

Copyright © 2019 2 Dollar Enterprises/Pressure Wash News. All Rights Reserved. 

VOL. 1, NO. 4 | FALL 2019 | PRESSURE WASH NEWS | 3

EDITOR’S 

NOTE 

Hugging 

Your Haters 

Jay Baer is the author of six bestselling 

books, has founded five multimillion-dollar 

companies, and regularly 

consults iconic brands like Hilton. 

In the last edition of PW News, 

I featured Jay’s advice about getting 

customers to advertise your business by 

effectively creating word of mouth. 

Here I want to talk about another 

of Jay’s business gems -- hugging your 

haters. 

According to Baer, 80% of businesses 

believe they provide “superior service.” 

Not adequate, or pretty good, but 

superior. 

Meanwhile, a mere 8% of customers 

agree. 

Clearly, Baer says, we have a fundamental 

disconnect or misunderstanding 

about what constitutes superior service. 

How can you bridge the gap and 

actually provide superior service? 

Baer says it starts and ends with the 

concept of “hugging your haters.” 

It’s a business model wherein operators 

embrace complaints -- not just 

tolerate complaints. 

Why? 

“I would rather have a useful 

complaint than a pat on the back 

for something I already know,” Baer 

explains. “Because one makes you better 

and one doesn’t.” 

Baer says every business should be 

trying to triple the number of complaints 

about their business that they are 

receiving. 

“The only way to get better is to know 

the things you’re not perfect at, and the 

only way that’s going to happen is if your 

customers actually tell us,” he says. 

“To get fewer complaints, first you 

have to get more complaints. You ask 

people for feedback, they tell you things 

that you didn’t know, you fix them, and 

then you have less complaints. You have 

to know what to fix before you can fix it.” 

Here’s the problem. You either aren’t 

getting the complaints you need, or, 

worse, you are not embracing the negative 

feedback when it arrives. 

It’s no wonder we don’t embrace the 

criticism. It’s human nature. Baer says 

usually when someone complains and 

you are the owner, it feels like somebody 

telling you that your baby is ugly. And 

nobody wants to hear that even if they 

know for sure that their baby is ugly. 

How can you overcome that initial 

reaction? Baer says “do the math.” 

According to Baer, for every 100 

dissatisfied customers only five will 

complain. 

“What that means mathematically 

is on average every time somebody 

complains, 19 other people are having 

the exact same tissue and didn’t say 

anything,” he says. “So, what kills a business 

are not the people who complain. 

What kills a business are the people who 

had a problem and just disappear.” 

Think about it. People who complain 

are actually going out of their way to use 

their time and effort to tell you how to run 

a better business. That’s a gift! 

As such, Baer says unhappy customers 

are actually your most important 

customers, describing them as your “early 

warning detection system” for things that 

you can do better. 

Here’s the kicker. Research proves 

that if you have a customer who has 

an issue and you successfully solve that 

problem, then that customer will buy 

more and be more loyal to your business 

than a customer who never had a 

problem at all. 

Said another way, if a customer has 

a problem and you fix it they will spend 

more money on your business than 

someone who never had a problem in the 

first place. It’s like a magic trick! 

Here’s the bottom line: the people 

who complain about your business are 

not your problem; ignoring them is your 

problem. 

Here are some other key points Baer 

makes in arguing that you must “hug 

your haters”: 

• no response is in fact still a response 

-- it says we care so little about your 

dissatisfaction that we refuse to even 

acknowledge it 

• even if you can’t fix a customer’s 

problem but you just respond to them, 

it increases their advocacy of your 

business by 25% 

• the customer is not always right; but 

the customer should always be heard 

• when you are responding to a 

complaint via social media, there are 

a whole lot of other people on-looking 

from the sidelines and gauging how 

you handle it; which means the 

economic impact of any customer 

interaction online is way higher than 

a face-to-face conversation with an 

unhappy customer 

• you can’t fix what has already 

happened but you have total and 

complete control over what happens 

next, meaning whether you respond, 

how fast you respond, what you say, 

and where you say it; and this can 

have a massive impact on how your 

business is viewed 

• In today’s digital world, good service 

is good marketing, they are essentially 

indistinguishable 

• your least-happy customers are your 

most important customers so take the 

time to listen to them and understand 

it is what they are really looking for 

Now go hug your haters!!! 

Drew Ruble 

drewruble@gmail.com 

4 | PRESSURE WASH NEWS | VOL. 1, NO. 4 | FALL 2019

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Aerial 

Advantage 

Softwashing drones built by 

North Carolina-based Lucid Drone 

Technologies promise to make 

businesses more efficient 

BY DREW RUBLE 

In a recent Forbes magazine article 

titled “The Future of Work: Humans 

+ Gigs + Robots are the New Blended 

Workforce,” author Jeanne Meister explored 

how it’s “humans AND machines 

who comprise the new blended workforce, 

not humans VS. machines.” 

Meister highlights the new category 

of jobs emerging that blend blue collar 

work with digital know-how, which she 

defined as “New Collar jobs.” 

“What is needed” she says, “is the 

ability to re-imagine how [businesses]… 

invest in learning and development… 

and nurture a new blended workforce.” 

Twenty-somethings Andrew Ashur, 

David Danielson, and Adrian Mayans 

clearly see that same future for the pressure 

washing industry. Together, the millennial 

entrepreneurs co-founded Lucid 

Drone Technologies near Charlotte, 

North Carolina shortly after graduating 

from Davidson College. Their mission? 

To swell technology use in the pressure 

washing industry in an effort to lower 

costs, increase efficiency, and transform 

blue collar into new collar. 

Andrew Ashur David Danielson Adrian Mayans 

A BETTER 

WAY 

It all started one day while the three 

budding entrepreneurs were driving into 

Charlotte. That’s when they happened 

to witness a pressure wash operator 

hanging off of the side of a tall building 

in order to clean it. 

“We basically said, ‘wow, that literally 

looks like the worst job in the world. 

With modern technology there has to 

be a better way to do this,’” Mayans recalled. 

“We started doing some research 

into the space and quickly realized a 

glaring market inefficiency.” 

Enter drones. 

Ashur, Danielson, and Mayans – all 

certified remote drone pilots through the 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

– quickly set out to service the industry 

with custom building cleaning drones. 

The trio spent countless hours on the 

Davidson campus in open areas testing 

the mathematics inherent to using 

drones as a cleaning device. 

Each drone is tethered and is constantly 

being fed the fluids necessary to 

clean from a soft wash pump on the back 

of a truck. The drone’s cleaning method 

is soft washing, which uses a low pressure 

solution (60 to 100 PSI) instead of blasting 

a surface with 3000 to 4000 PSI. It’s 

all about relying on responsible chemistry 

to treat stains, whether it’s brick, 

limestone, roofs, or any other surface. 

“The product development cycle was 

long. You think about a tethered system 

where the softwashing hose is attached to 

the drone… it’s variable payload – every 

successive foot you go higher, you’re car- 


ying more hose and fluids, resulting in 

more weight,” Mayans said. “For a yearand-a-half, 

we were out on Davidson College 

fields flying drones every single day, 

constantly iterating on both our hardware 

and software to perfect the system. It was 

a constant feedback loop for us, as product 

development was extremely informed 

by what happened on day-to-day cleaning 

jobs that we did personally.” 

As Mayans related, the three co-founders 

started out by incorporating drones 

into their own operations as a cleaning 

company, proving that their technological 

solution worked in real-world settings. 

“While drone cleaning represents the 

future of the industry, we understood that 

widespread adoption of our technology 

would be dictated by how much our 

technology actually solved the pain points 

that cleaning companies face on jobs,” 

Mayans said. “So, our goal was to create 

a system that allows cleaning companies 

to be safer, more efficient on jobs, and less 

reliant on human labor. We aim to give 

companies the best tool in the tool kit.” 

As the company went about its business 

of incorporating drones into their 

own operations, other cleaning companies 

increasingly started reaching out to 

Lucid asking where they got their drone 

cleaners and how they could also get 

their hands on one. 

“We realized that we had a solution to 

the deepest problems that cleaning companies 

face when they operate aboveground. 

So, why not exit the service 

sector and fuel the success of so many 

others in the space by giving them the 

productivity-improving tool that they so 

desperately need?” Mayans said. “That’s 

when we pivoted away from service and 

into being a technology provider.” 

“The pressure washing industry is 

super fragmented,” Mayans continued. 

“Every cleaning company is hindered 

by the problems that come with aboveground 

cleaning. Their revenue potential 

and profit margins suffer from the inefficiency 

of current above-ground methods, 

the egregious worker’s compensation 

costs that result from the danger of those 

methods, and the expensive costs associated 

with obtaining lifting machinery.” 

PASSING 

THE BATON 

So how exactly does the Lucid model work? 

First, Lucid walks prospective drone 

operators step-by-step through the FAA 

process required to become a certified 

drone pilot. The company then thoroughly 

trains their clients on the technology 

and how to use it. As a result of that 

in-person onboarding process, Lucid ensures 

each client has everything that they 

need knowledge and equipment-wise to 

show up to a job site and be totally proficient 

in using the drone themselves. 

continued ... 

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AERIAL 

ADVANTAGE 

“We made sure that everything that 

we did was extremely intuitive,” Mayans 

said. “When considering drone 

technology, I think some people immediately 

peg it as too futuristic or difficult 

to use. We were very aware that we 

might encounter this type of skepticism, 

so we put user-friendliness at the top of 

our priority list during product development. 

We made our drones extremely 

easy to fly – so easy that we taught an 

82-year-old with no prior drone experience 

to effectively clean with our drone 

within 15 minutes.” 

Lucid is among the very few companies 

nationwide through which pressure 

wash operators can operate a drone. The 

company’s month-to-month subscription 

leasing model aims to address the fact 

that there will be a service component to 

properly satisfy the needs of customers. 

“Right now, the way many companies 

operate when doing above-ground 

work is that they rent lifting machinery 

on an as-needed basis,” Mayans said. 

“If a company wins a bid to clean an 

eight-story property, it typically has to go 

out and rent an 80-foot lift. These lifts 

significantly eat into the margins that 

companies make on these multi-storied 

jobs. It’s expensive, and modern technology 

now offers a better solution.” 

“For $3,000 a month, we supply the 

drone, the training, and the necessary 

certification to commercially operate a 

drone. The monthly subscription also includes 

full-service, meaning if it breaks 

we give you a new one within 24-hours,” 

Mayans said. “If you look at the tradeoffs 

where you implement a drone instead 

of a lift, on top of the efficiency 

you’re getting time-wise, and the increase 

in revenue potential, you’re also 

saving money by shifting your worker 

classification from above-ground work to 

on the ground. 

“Do the job in less time so you can 

move onto your next revenue-generating 

opportunity faster, keep your 

workers safer and pay less on worker’s 

compensation as a result, and 

don’t spend money on an overpriced, 

outdated piece of equipment.” 

Since Lucid builds their our own 

drones in-house, Mayans avers that the 

company’s quality assurance processes 

“can be a lot more intimate and informed 

than a company relying on the 

technology of a third party.” 

“Doing the entirety of our product 

development in-house, we have very few 

constraints on our processes and can 

even engineer custom solutions for particular 

use cases.” 

SEALING 

THE DEAL 

Still on the fence about acquiring and 

using drones in your operations? 

Mayans reiterates three key competitive 

advantages pressure wash operators 

can possess by entering in the drone business 

- it’s faster, safer, and cheaper. 

“Again, companies will be able to 

complete jobs in less time, increase the 

safety of their operations, and save money 

both on worker’s compensation and 

labor costs,” Mayans said. “We did jobs 

in 30 minutes that took other companies 

hours to complete, and we never had to 

get on a ladder or walk on a roof.” 

Eliminating the danger inherent to putting 

people on a roof serves not just a humanitarian 

goal but a financial one as well. 

“We relocate all of your workers to 

the ground,” he said. “So the workers’ 

compensation costs that our users pay 

are instead reflective of an on-ground 

worker, which is substantially lower. 

Worker’s compensation rates vary state 

by state, but bottom-line, your workers 

would be reclassified to ground workers, 

which results in significant savings. 

As soon as you’re using ladders or lifts 

to suspend your worker’s above-ground, 

the costs soar. So the drone just exponentially 

makes more sense.” 

That’s significant given that insurance 

rates in the pressure wash industry are 

often already crippling to businesses and 

seemingly getting worse by the minute. 

Drone use additionally impacts a 

company’s profile in their marketplace. 

“Implementing our drone into their 

operations will not only increase their 

revenue potential, but also offers a distinct 

marketing advantage. In an industry 

where differentiation is hard to come 

by, it’s important to note that drones 

don’t only make jobs easier, but easier 

to come by,” Mayans said. 

According to Mayans, when Lucid 

would be cleaning a house with a 

drone up in the air, they would have 

four or five neighbors emerge from the 

nearby area to witness the cleaning and 

to ask questions about the service. 

“They would say ‘this is awesome, 

can you do it on my house?’” Mayans 

related. “So, we would clean houses that 

weren’t even dirty – they were just intrigued 

by our technology.” 

Last, Mayans also allays fear that as 

a result of user error operators might do 

damage to a property and create an insurance 

problem. 

“We implemented a lot of fail-safes 

throughout our product development,” 

Mayans said. “We have multi-motor redundancy, 

so the drone can safely operate 

even if multiple motors were to fail. 

We also have 360-degree obstacle avoidance. 

So, even if a pilot tries to run into 

the side of a building, the drone literally 

wouldn’t allow it.” 

In the end, Lucid’s drone technology 

makes companies less reliant not on humans, 

but on human labor. Armed with a 

forward-thinking business model, a full-service 

approach, and experience in the field, 

it’s no wonder Lucid Drone Technologies 

is one company in the cleaning equipment 

sphere that is truly taking flight. 


How to be a 

Good Boss 

A GOOD BOSS MAKES EMPLOYEES 

FEEL SATISFIED, PRODUCTIVE, AND 

VALUED IN THEIR WORK ENVIRONMENT. 

THEY DON’T BEHAVE LIKE A DICTATOR. 

BY DEBRA GORGOS 

When you’re the boss, you’re not 

only in charge of the employees, you’re 

also the person who sets the tone of the 

business’s lifeblood. You’re a conductor 

who determines the pace, the energy, the 

synergy, and of the pulse of the business’s 

ultimate opus. Do you want employees 

to fear you? To trust you? To never leave 

you? Are they important to you? 

It is important for bosses to not underestimate 

their significance to the business. 

And, it is also important for bosses 

to realize the importance of their employees. 

There’s a special balancing act 

that is required for harmony, and it has 

to do with proper hiring, training, motivation, 

and discipline. 

WHAT IS A 

GOOD BOSS? 

Let’s start with defining what it takes 

to be a good boss. Jeffrey J. Fox of Fox & 

Company, Inc., a management consulting 

firm, is also a best-selling author of 11 business 

books. His book, How to Become CEO, 

was on The New York Times, Business Week, 

Wall Street Journal, Knight-Ridder, and Amazon.com 

best-seller lists. His family members 

also owned businesses that 

included a car wash, detail shop oil 

lube, and emissions control shop. 

Fox says to be a good boss you must: 

✔✔ 

Be fair, firm and friendly, but not a friend 

✔✔ 

Set quantitative performance metrics 

✔✔ 

Train employees so that they can get 

a job with another company, but treat 

them so well 

✔✔ 

they don’t leave. 

✔✔ 

Constantly train, particularly on how 

to provide good customer service. 

✔✔ 

Expect on-the-job cleanliness in floor 

space, uniforms, window glass, etc. 

✔✔ 

Give surprise bonuses. 

✔✔ 

Pay for ESL classes. 

✔✔ 

Treat every employee with dignity. 

✔✔ 

Hold mini contests with cool little prizes 

such as free hours in a batting cage; gift 

✔✔ 

certificate at grocery store, etc. 

✔✔ 

Constantly asks employees their opinions; 

Seeks out improvement ideas. 

✔✔ 

Reward good employee suggestions 

✔✔ 

Give recognition pins 

✔✔ 

Pay above market 

✔✔ 

Pay anniversary bonuses ($100 for 

every year, etc. This is less expensive 

than turnover). 

Yvan Lacroix, founder and president 

of Répare-brise and regional manager 

for Optimum Polymer Technologies, believes 

that being a good boss has to do 

with really getting to know your employees 

and using each individual’s strength 

to your benefit. 

There are a lot of moving parts to 

a well-run organization, but taking the 

time to see if one employee is good at 

customer service while another one enjoys 

working on a filthy job will pay off. 

Some people shouldn’t be talking to 

customers, shares Lacroix, so they are 

given other tasks, while some employees 

are very good at it. So, make sure the 

strengths are being used properly. 

THE MAKING OF A 

GOOD EMPLOYEE 

The key to having a good employee 

starts with the hiring process. To weed 

out potential problem employees (see 

“Red Flag” sidebar), make sure you start 

with a crystal clear written job description, 

says Fox. 

“The job description must define exactly 

what is expected from the potential 

candidate. Even if the candidate is not 

proficient in English, or is a poor reader, 

there must be a job description. The job 

description is a good guide to use during 

the interviewing process. Only the candidate 

really knows if he can do the job. 

Thus, it must be made clear that candidates 

hire and fire themselves.” 

Lacroix also suggests using recommendations 

for his employees, and also 

uses temp agencies. 

“What is nice is that if a temp employee 

isn’t working out, I can have the agency 

let them know that their term is over.” 

They should be interviewed by the 

continued ... 


GOOD 

BOSS 

owners and by trusted employees, especially 

those who are proven to be good 

detailers, says Fox. 

“If the candidate has poor English, 

there must be a translator in the interviewing 

process.” 

Fox also suggests giving each candidate 

a paid one day or one week trial to 

see if they are a good fit. Then, candidates 

should be hired on a 30-60-90 day 

evaluation schedule, says Fox. 

“Poor employees are easily discovered 

in this time period.” 

It is also important to check the references 

and do a background check. 

Also, adds Fox, “existing employees 

should be given a bonus for bringing in 

good workers. That bonus is paid after 

the evaluation period.” 

HOW TO TRAIN 

YOUR EMPLOYEE 

One of the most important things a 

boss needs to do is to properly train each 

employee, and continually evaluate their 

skills, making sure they are not making 

any shortcuts. 

“You need to show them everything 

you know,” says Lacroix. “I think some 

people are afraid to teach them all of 

the skills because they are afraid they will 

leave and use their skills somewhere else.” 

But, even with that fear in mind, each 

employee needs to be given ample and 

proper training time. 

Lacroix suggests giving a new employee 

two weeks to a month to learn the 

skills and execute them properly. To do 

this, he says to have a manual of operating 

practices, a checklist of what is 

expected in each detail, and each employee, 

even if they have detailed before, 

has to be trained as if they are new to the 

industry because each business, and the 

tools included, are different. 

Some employees have an attitude of, 

‘I know what I’m doing and I am better 

than my boss,’ and those are the toughest 

to work with, says Lacroix. “You have to 

make them understand that you’re the 

boss and things are run at your place a 

certain way.” 

REWARDING GOOD 

EMPLOYEES 

When you have a good employee, it is 

important to let them know you appreciate 

their hard work. And, while you can’t 

force them to stay and worry they will 

someday leave, giving them 

proper acknowledgement may help 

in prolonging their tenure. 

Matt Cowart, of Liberty Detailing 

in Petoskey, Michigan, says good old 

SOME OF THE WORST BOSSES OF ALL TIME 

1 

LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling 

is known for crude racial com- 

giving the option to sell. At the time, the 

company was collapsing. Skilling and his 

5 

In the early 1900s Max Blanck and 

Isaac Harris, owners of Triangle 

7 

In 2012, 47-year-old Debbie Stevens 

of Long Island, New York, 

ments (according to one lawsuit) and was 

inner circle were, however, allowed to sell 

Shirtwaist Garment Company, locked 

was fired from the billion-dollar company, 

sued multiple times for sexual harass- 

their shares and Skilling was able to cash 

their employees in the New York City 

Atlantic Automotive Group, after donat- 

ment and has been accused of heckling 

his shares for $15 million after quitting 

garment factory to keep them from steal- 

ing a kidney to help her boss who needed 

and yelling at his teammates. In 2014 he 

and just after the company completely 

ing. Regarding as a true “sweatshop,” in 

a transplant. The boss, Jackie Brucia, ap- 

was banned for life from the NBA for in- 

flat lined. 

1911, the factory caught fire and 146 

parently wasn’t very grateful for Stevens’ 

decent comments he made which were 

recorded and released to the public. 

THE LESSON? Don’t be racist. Don’t sexually 

harass your employees. 

2 Al Dunlap a.k.a. “Chainsaw Al,” 

fired 11,200 employees with his 

first two years a CEO of Scott Paper and 

Sunbeam. The former boss also pocketed 

$100 million in stocks and salary 

after getting rid of one-third of the em- 

THE LESSON? Treat your employees as 

equals. 

4 Film producer Scott Rudin is rumored 

to have fired over 200 personal 

assistants and he even has admitted 

to having a temper. In 2005, Kate Kelly 

and Melissa Marr wrote a profile piece 

on Rudin in the Wall Street Journal. 

“Former assistants say he sometimes 

vents his anger by throwing phones and 

workers were killed. 

THE LESSON? Treat your employees humanely. 

6 Marge Schott, the former owner 

of the Cincinnati Reds, in infamous 

for using offensive language in regards 

to African Americans, Asians and 

those of Jewish faith. What’s even worse 

was her outspoken support of Nazi party 

autocrat Adolf Hitler. One of her for- 

sacrifice. After returning to work four 

weeks post-op, Stevens told ABC News 

that she was horribly mistreated. “I don’t 

have words strong enough or large enough 

to describe her treatment of me,” Stevens 

said. “Screaming at me about things I 

never did, carrying on to the point where 

she wouldn’t even let me leave my desk. It 

was constant, constant screaming.” 

THE LESSON? Be grateful for every gift 

you receive from your employees. 

ployee base. 

office supplies, prompting assistants to 

mer employees, Tim Sabo, sued her after 

THE LESSON? Don’t fire and get rich at 

the same time. 

take precautions,” wrote Kelly and Marr. 

One former assistant also claims he was 

fired for bringing the wrong types of 

he was fired, claiming it was because he 

opposed her policy on not hiring African 

Americans. 

3 Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of 

Enron, apparently required that 

employees had to invest their retirement 

pensions in the company’s stock, without 

muffins to a meeting. 

THE LESSON? Don’t throw things at your 

employees. Don’t get upset about the 

wrong pastries. 

THE LESSON? Don’t be racist. Don’t support 

Hitler in any way, shape, or form. 


fashioned praise works for him and his 

detailers when it comes to rewarding his 

employees. 

For Lacroix, he says thanking his employees 

is vital, but some of his employees 

are motivated differently. 

“What motivates one employee might 

not motivate another,” he says. 

Lacroix says he has one employee 

who is motivated by praise and another 

who is motivated by a gift card for a job 

well done. Everyone is different, but it is 

important to take the time to see what it 

is that they need to feel appreciated. 

THE RIGHT WAY 

TO FIRE SOMEONE 

Hands down, firing is one of the 

hardest things about being a boss. According 

to Lacroix, a problem with an 

employee’s work is the responsibility of 

the boss and may require some re-training. 

But, if all else fails, it is necessary to 

terminate their employment. 

Cowart says some of the reasons for 

termination include inconsistencies and 

no pride in their work. He gives several 

warnings to the employee, but, he says, “If 

they don’t get it, they get pink slipped.” 

If problems with an employee persist, 

and a bad attitude or bad conduct is 

unremitting (again, see the “Red Flags” 

sidebar), and if a warning or warning 

have already been given, then it is probably 

time to part ways. 

Here is how to do it, according to the 

Harvard Business Review: 

✔✔ 

Rehearse what you are going to say. 

✔✔ 

Have an outline of why you are terminating 

the employee. 

✔✔ 

Do it as privately as possible. 

✔✔ 

Be firm and direct. 

✔✔ 

Don’t do it on a Friday, but on a 

Tuesday instead (this is more fair to 

the employee and allows them to start 

looking for a new job more easily). 

✔ Answer any questions he or she may have. 

✔✔ 

Use phrases such as: “I have some 

bad news for you. Today is your last 

day here,” and “You’ve not been a 

good cultural fit here.” 

BOSSES TO ADMIRE 

1. Gus Rodriguez, owner of the Jeep- 

Chrysler-Dodge City dealership of 

McKinney, Texas, didn’t like the way 

his employee, Mike Bell, looked, according 

to WFAA News. 

2. Rodriguez encouraged Bell to take a 

sick day and figure out what was going 

on. That gesture ended up saving 

Bell’s life. On his sick day, Bell collapsed 

while at the hospital to get an 

x-ray. He was then rushed into emergency 

open-heart surgery. Rodriguez 

took it one step further and helped 

Bell out with his medical bills. 

3. To celebrate making their goal, Jeff 

Hildebrand of Houston-based Hilcorp 

Energy, gave each of his 1,381 

employees a $100,000 Christmas bonus 

in 2015. Hildebrand did something 

similar in 2010 and gave each 

employee the option of a $50,000 car 

or $35,000 in cash after reaching that 

5-year goal at the time. 

4. In 2015, Dan Price, CEO of credit 

card processing company Gravity 

Payments, gave up his own $930,000 

salary to make sure each employee 

was given at least $70,000 per year. 

Upset with income inequality, and the 

fact that his employees were struggling 

with increased living expenses, Price 

believed a salary hike would boost 

his employees’ emotional well-being. 

Price told Time magazine, “[We] only 

get to live this life once. I want everybody 

that I’m partnered with at Gravity 

to really live the fullest, best life that 

they can.” 

5. Chuck Sibley, manager of the diesel 

engine plant Navistar in Huntsville, 

Alabama, was devastated when he 

found out he had to lay off many of his 

employees. Although it was only temporary, 

Sibley still worried about the 

welfare of those employees and determined 

to make sure they were okay, 

he created a way for them to earn a 

paycheck through a community outreach 

program sponsored by Navistar. 

About 50 employees were able to do 

work for Habitat for Humanity and 

RED FLAGS TO LOOK 

FOR WHEN IT COMES 

TO HIRING AN EMPLOYEE 

1. Offensive tattoos featuring 

anything from a swastika to a 

swear word. Need we say more? 

2. Bad body odor 

3. Someone who swears 

4. Bad police record. 

5. Doesn’t show up on time for job 

interview. 

6. Rudeness 

7. Always on their cell phone 

8. Isn’t willing to be “re-trained” 

9. Talks down to other employees 

ARE YOU ON THIS LIST? 

Unhappy employees can now strike 

back at their bosses and leave 

reviews on the website ebosswatch. 

com. It is unclear if each review 

is qualified, but according to the 

Facebook page description, it 

promotes both good and bad reviews. 

eBossWatch.com is a free career 

resource that enables people to rate 

their bosses so that job-seekers can 

evaluate prospective employers and 

avoid workplace jerks. 


GUEST 

COLUMN 

Everybody 

Needs a Coach 

As evidenced by the annual pro football draft, 

even the best talent still needs guidance to go 

from good to great 

Colby B. Jubenville, PhD, 

is a recognized author, international 

BY DR. COLBY JUBENVILLE 

No, I didn’t get drafted by Joe. The 

truth is, I begged him to meet with me 

basis. We want to be better tomorrow 

than we are today. That’s growth. 

speaker, business consultant 

and professor. He is the founder 

and the director of the Center for 

Student Coaching and Success 

(www.mtsu.edu/cbhssuccess) 

on the campus of Middle 

Tennessee State University, the 

largest undergraduate college in 

Tennessee. A Senior Consultant 

with Brentwood, TN based 

Brent Consulting Group, he is 

the recipient of the Nashville 

Emerging Leaders Impact Award 

presented by the Nashville Area 

Chamber of Commerce and YP 

Nashville. The award honors one 

of Nashville’s top leaders who 

has made a significant impact 

on Nashville’s young professional 

demographic. Most recently, he 

was a blogger for the Washington 

Times focused on self-reliance 

and developing an entrepreneurial 

mindset. His website can be found 

at www.drjubenville.com, and his 

latest book can be found at 

www.mepersonalbranding.com. 

Kyler Murray. Nick Bosa. Daniel 

Jones. They all share something in common. 

By virtue of being drafted (read: 

hired) in the top 10 picks overall in the 

2019 NFL draft, they were considered to 

be some of the best young football players 

in America. Each is expected to one 

day lead corporations named the Cardinals 

and Giants to success. But they aren’t 

exactly expected to produce hall of 

fame dividends overnight. Organizations 

know they will need coaching to season 

them into great professionals. 

You are no different. Nor are your 

employees. Heck, I was no different either. 

Coming out of college and starting 

out down my own professional path, I 

certainly fit the description of a raw talent 

who needed coaching and seasoning 

to produce dividends. 

Joe Calloway was one of my coaches. 

The author of “Category of One” impacted 

my life in numerous ways. But he 

didn’t draft me. In fact, he didn’t even 

know me until I called him up and told 

him that I used his wisdom every day in 

everything I did. 

and to become my coach. Looking back, 

it was borderline stalking. But Joe’s response 

to my begging changed my life. 

I’ll never forget what he said when I finally 

gave him a chance to speak on the 

phone. He said ‘Colby, if you think I can 

help you, then come on up and we’ll 

meet.’ I was probably in the car and on 

my way before he even finished that sentence. 

And in our first meeting, I recall 

spending no less than five hours asking 

him questions about everything he knew. 

Why did I do it? Why did I push Joe 

so hard to be my coach? Because I firmly 

believe that everybody in life needs a 

coach. Great coaches push us to where 

we need to be and where we want to go. 

At some point in life, and certainly 

on a professional path, all of us reach a 

ceiling of complexity. It’s where we can’t 

seem to get any farther, or, perhaps better 

said, higher, and we need to turn to 

somebody else and say ‘I need your help.’ 

Believe me, when you reach – or hit 

-- the ceiling of complexity, you will need 

a coach. It’s the same reason we all seek 

out conferences to attend on an annual 

Here, then, is the $64,000 question? 

How do you get a coach? Mind you, I do 

not recommend pestering geniuses like 

Joe Calloway at their personal addresses. 

Perhaps instead you could develop such 

a relationship through a conference visit 

where your idol is speaking? Or through 

a very professional email? 

Regardless of your chosen approach, 

the key to striking up a coaching relationship 

is that you must add value first. 

Don’t just ask for help (which is exactly 

what I did to Joe, poor soul!). As “the 

minimalists” Joshua Fields Millburn and 

Ryan Nicodemus have said, contributing 

to other people—or adding value to their 

lives “is the only way to gain another 

person’s buy-in, and it’s one of the few 

ways to get others to believe in you.” 

How do you do that? You’ll have to 

figure that one out for yourself. As examples, 

though, “the minimalists” have 

suggested options including: creating 

something someone can use, inspiring 

someone to take action, lending a helping 

hand, showing someone how to do 

continued ... 


something, showing someone a better 

things a day, five days a week, and 60 

that if the container is bad then it really 

is a dividend of hard work, discipline, 

way, providing a new perspective, or 

times a month that point directly to the 

doesn’t matter how good the athlete is. 

persistence, and commitment. Honestly, 

even just listening or giving someone 

your full attention. 

I think that in the complicated world 

we live in today, we are in the midst of 

a great coaching revolution. To me, in 

modern life and business, you either are 

a coach, have a coach, or don’t want to 

be coached. And if you are in the latter 

group, you will be left behind. 

Find people to coach you – people 

who can grow the skills you brought to 

the table and get you past that inevitable 

ceiling of complexity. Then maybe 

someday like Murray, Bosa, and Jones, 

you too can develop in to a hall of famer! 

Here’s an example of some good 

coaching I got. If I asked you to do three 

dominant focus in your life or your business, 

could you do it? Could your employees 

do it? The answer is a resounding 

‘yes!’ Try it! And start today! 

In my life, coaches like Joe Calloway 

have taught me many more lessons like 

the one above that have been essential 

to my personal success. I list a few of 

those below. 

Stop looking for shortcuts. 

In other words, know and teach the 

rules. You have to commit to yourself, 

to the task, and to the coach. There’s no 

wiggle room. What is your substance? 

Are you tough enough to see this 

through? Because any athletic coach will 

tell you that all talent has a container and 

Get Real. 

In other words, follow the action, 

stop fooling yourself, and keep score. It’s 

like in golf. You’re not really getting any 

better by taking mulligans, altering the lie 

of the ball, or reporting less strokes than 

you actually took. Face the truth and let’s 

actually start making some progress. 

Own it. 

In other words, provide a stake in 

the outcome. The consequences of not 

following through have to be greater 

than simply throwing yourself a pity 

party. And the coach you pick had 

better not be easy on you when you 

feel like quitting. Everything you want 

skill and talent are secondary to human 

achievement. Does all that really sound 

so bad to you? Isn’t that what you want? 

And isn’t it worth the perspiration? 

Aren’t you tired of failing to achieve 

your stated goals because you continue 

to be your own worst obstacle? 

Experience culture shock. 

Culture is about repetition. 

Acknowledge that your present culture 

doesn’t work. Try something different 

and stick to it. Trust the process. Why 

else would you be reading here? Why 

else would you be recruiting a coach? 

You have to change the batter if you 

want to be better. 

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(COMING SOON!)

CONTENTS 

UNDER 

PRESSURE 

A POP CULTURE- 

INSPIRED LOOK 

AT THE PRESSURE 

WASH INDUSTRY 

A look around 

the World 

Wide Web 

for wacky 

examples 

of pressure 

washing 

in our culture’s 

everyday life 

BY DREW RUBLE 

SPIDEY- 

SENSE 

“Spidey Sense” is the 

superpower possessed by the 

fictional character Spider-Man. 

Defined as instinct or 

intuition, it describes the 

superhero’s uncanny ability to 

sense that something is going 

to happen before it can be 

perceived by other senses. 

continued ... 


CONTENTS 

UNDER 

PRESSURE 

According to Marvel Comics, the 

creators of Spiderman back in 1962, 

Spidey-Sense “presents a psychological 

awareness of Spider-Man’s 

surroundings…Spidey-Sense is precognitive 

in nature and Spider-Man 

always acts before realizing it.” 

One could argue that Miami-area 

pressure wash operator Demetrio 

Garcia has Spidey-Sense. That’s 

because earlier this year, Garcia encountered 

inspiration, had the instinct 

to act on it, and, by doing so, 

quickly and completely overhauled 

his entire business and brand to 

adopt to a social and cultural phenomenon. 

What did he do? He wore a Spiderman 

suit to the job site. 

At the dawn of 2019, Garcia was 

merely the owner of a cookie-cutter 

South Florida pressure wash company 

called Sunset Pressure Wash. But 

the Miramar businessman said one 

day he had the idea to buy a Spiderman 

suit and wear it on to a job site. 

He says can’t really explain why he 

had the thought, other than the fact 

that Marvel was beginning to come 

out with what appeared to be a string 

of blockbuster films featuring infamous 

characters like Aquaman and 

Spiderman. Erring on the side of instinct 

instead of over-thinking his inspiration, 

Garcia bought and donned 

the suit on the job. 

What happened next was nothing 

short of a tidal of national attention 

for Garcia. A resident of 

a neighborhood he was pressure 

washing in shot a video of Garcia 

cleaning a roof in a Florida subdivision 

and posted the video on social 

media. 

The video went viral within a matter 

of hours, literally spanning the 

globe. 

“Once I got the suit, I got on top 

of a roof, and somebody filmed me 

there, and that video went viral,” he 

said. “From there, I’ve been invited 

to be on local television and all 

kinds of other experiences. It went 

all around. 

“It was amazing. Across the nation 

people picked up on that video 

clip and story. And the outfit was just 

my crazy idea. 

“Business was pretty good as 

Sunset; but then I got the suit and 

the video went viral and things went 

crazy. It is just crazy from there. 

“Everything’s been changed. Everywhere 

I go everybody knows me. 

They say ‘I saw you on TV!’” 

Garcia, though, didn’t rest of 

his laurels. Seizing what he saw as 

a business opportunity, he fearlessly 

rebranded his entire operation. 

“I put Superhero as my new 

business name and rewrapped my 

truck with Superhero,” he said. 

“I’ve had a lot of fun with it. Kids 

always come out to take pictures and 

get autographs. When I’m working, 

people come out and take pictures 

and video. It’s been nice and good 

for business. It’s good marketing, oh 

continued ... 


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The CETA Technical Committee reviews, clarifies and interprets 

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www.ceta.org | 800-441-0111 | info@ceta.org

CONTENTS 

UNDER 

PRESSURE 

yeah. Every day I go to work people 

take pictures of me now.” 

Rebranding overnight to Superhero 

Wash was a pretty courageous 

move on Garcia’s part. To go “all 

in” and differentiate his business 

based on his momentary period of 

media spotlight was bold to say the 

least. But looking back on Garcia’s 

life, one might say he’s always been 

a risk taker. 

Garcia grew up in Santo Domingo 

in the Dominican Republic. In 

1977, he moved to New York and ran 

a landscape company. Then in 1988, 

he went back to Santo Domingo. 

There, from 1988 to 2000, Garcia 

was a celebrated champion in Motocross 

in the elite 250 class. 

“In 1989, I became a champion 

in Motocross in Santo Domingo,” 

he said. “Until 1998, from there, I 

went all around Costa Rica, Venezuela, 

Colombia, and even Texas 

representing the Dominican Republic, 

racing on the 250. And from that 

I got 16 broken bones!” 

When his motocross career ended 

in 2000, Garcia moved to the Miami 

area with his wife and four kids. 

He reentered the landscape business 

but eventually sold that company. 

Then, semi-retired, he decided to 

get into pressure cleaning business, 

launching Sunset. 

“It’s been very good. It’s been a 

good business for me,” Garcia said. 

“But nothing like what has happened 

since Superhero. People want 

Spider-Man to come clean their 

house!” 

So, what’s next for Garcia? He 

says he purposefully renamed his 

company “Superhero” pressure 

wash instead of a specific Marvel 

character like Superman so that 

he can change out characters when 

deemed appropriate. So, for instance, 

based on the success of the 

recent Aqua man movie, he could 

arguably switch to that suit in the 

year ahead. 

“I’m Spider-Man so far but I 

could be Superman when he’s out 

of the market,” Garcia said. “I don’t 

lock myself in. I could be Aquaman 

or one of those other heroes. I can 

go after that and keep it fresh.” 

Interestingly, the costume that 

launched Garcia’s story is actually 

good for pressure washing 

“It’s a good water suit,” he said. 

“People say ‘isn’t the suit a problem?’ 

But no, it’s like cool-dry. It’s 

always cool. It’s amazing. It’s an 

amazing suit. I didn’t expect it to be 

that good. It worked out perfect. It’s 

the best possible uniform for pressure 

washing.” 

WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

In his book Maverick Startup, entrepreneur and 

author Yanik Silver outlined seven things to consider when 

determining a name or new name for your business. 

1. The name needs to sound good when it’s said aloud 

2. Use a name that has meaning to it and conveys a benefit 

3. Avoid Web 2.0-ish syndrome like spelling Flickr without 

an “er” 

4. Beware initials because they are boring 

5. Use specifics -- don’t use a generic name that doesn’t 

mean anything 

6. Make sure you can trademark the name 

7. Test it out online -- there might be a slightly different 

name out there that might get more attention on the Internet 

Silver adds that if you really want to get advanced, try to 

come up with a name that could be eventually used as a 

verb, or lends itself to the creation of your own “language.” 


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Failure to properly winterize and store your pressure 

washing equipment during freezing conditions can 

prove ruinous to pressure wash operators 

BY JOE ANISH 

winterizing pressure washing equipment 

tended period of time. 

When it comes to being successful in 

the pressure washing business, your equipment 

functionality is the key to success. I 

have seen more equipment ruined during 

the winter than any other season. This is 

due in part to improper storage and not 

during freezing conditions. 

Following a few simple steps and taking 

the necessary time can increase your 

success when Spring arrives. Even if you 

are not in an area where freezing conditions 

occur, these guidelines work well 

when storing a pressure washer for an ex- 

At Vilco Supply when a customer 

brings a pressure washer in for winterizing, 

regardless if it is a commercial pressure 

washing company, small business, or 

a residential client, we follow these simple 

steps and they can help you as well. 

Even though some pressure washers 

have more bells and whistles the overall 

winterizing of a unit is basically the 

same. The first step always involves the 

continued ... 


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engine and fuel system when winterizing 

a unit. We always drain the engine oil, 

replace the oil filter, and add the proper 

amount of new oil before anything else. 

Next, inspect or replace the fuel filter. 

Preparing the fuel from freezing, condensation, 

varnish, or corrosion is critical. 

By preparing the fuel first we can 

eliminate a few steps while incorporating 

a fuel stabilizer into the system. This 

gives adequate time for proper circulation 

of the fuel stabilizer through the engine 

and fuel system. 

Use a quality full stabilizer or storage 

fuel additive to the full fuel tank according 

to the label instructions. After the 

stabilizer is added, connect a water supply 

hose or open the storage tank valve 

as you normally would when pressure 

washing. Start the engine and use the 

pressure washer for 10-15 minutes. This 

allows the stabilizer to properly circulate 

through the fuel tank into the carburetor 

and fuel lines. Shut the engine off and 

finish the engine later. 

Now let’s prepare the pump for winter! 

And when I say, “prepare the pump 

for winter,” I am actually preparing the 

entire pressure pump, hose, fittings, and 

regulator -- basically everything from the 

inlet of the pump all the way to the tip of 

the wand. I have seen where some maintenance 

companies or customers fail to 

properly prepare these components from 

freezing. This method allows us to winterize 

the entire pump system. 

By using environmentally safe antifreeze 

such as RV antifreeze, we can eliminate 

the system from freezing. Purchase a 

few gallons of RV antifreeze from a local 

continued ... 

A MAN FOR 

ALL SEASONS 

It’s winter, and business simply isn’t quite as robust. 

Sure, you’ve got some jobs, and maybe even a niche, 

weather-proof business, perhaps in the agricultural 

space, that keeps the money flowing. 

But for many operators, winter is a time not just to 

winterize the equipment but to focus on other aspects of 

their business as well. 

Here are just a few ideas about things to think about 

or do for your business this winter when your schedule 

slows down a bit. 

WINTER IS 

COMING 

• Work on targeting new areas, generating new 

commercial customers, rebuilding or upgrading 

equipment 

• Capitalize on the downtime to get a game plan 

together 

• Relationship building: target sectors where you 

wish to generate work, conducting research on 

managers in the area. Contact them and submit 

bids 

• Knock on some doors and leave behind business 

cards with prices 

• Spend time with your family! Use your neglected 

gym membership! Focus on being a dad (or 

mom)! Then get busy scheduling and preparing 

for the busy times of the year! 

[Editor’s Note: Over nearly five decades in business, Vilco Supply has seen its share of customers 

who succeed by maintaining their equipment for every season. This summer season has been 

Vilco’s busiest since establishing our company in 1974. Not only has the number of pressure 

washing companies increased but business has also picked up as a result of the availability of 

inexpensive home owner pressure washing equipment to the general public. As a pump maintenance 

company, specifically Cat Pump, Vilco takes its responsibility to keep those units running 

seriously, not just by making repairs but also educating customers about proper care and protection 

of their equipment now and for the future. If you have any pump maintenance questions, visit the 

company at Vilcosupply.com, or call 888-255-4181.] 


WINTER IS 

COMING 

parts store or big box retailer. We like to 

use -50 degree product when winterizing 

our units. 

Carefully pour several gallons of antifreeze 

into a clean bucket (do not add 

water). If your system uses a water storage 

tank, remove your pick-up or supply 

line and place the line in the bucket of 

antifreeze. Start the pressure washer engine 

as if you are pressure washing. Allow 

the existing water in your system to pump 

through the entire system. 

Once the antifreeze is spraying out the 

tip, place the wand tip into the antifreeze 

bucket and allow it to circulate through 

the system for a minute or so. Shut the 

unit off and remove the supply line. Drain 

the system storage water storage tank and 

leave the drain valve open all winter. Be 

sure the line going to the pump is either 

plugged off or full of antifreeze, then 

re-connect it to the storage tank with the 

supply valve shut off. 

Now the antifreeze is in your pump, 

fittings, regulator, bypass hose, pressure 

hose, spray wand handle, and tip. This 

method also helps seals and O-rings from 

dying out during storage. If your unit requires 

water pressure to operate, you will 

need to use a different method to supply 

the antifreeze into your pump. 

For this method, you will need a supply 

pump to pressurize the antifreeze equal 

to typical water pressure from your utility 

supplier (40 to 60 psi). We use the smallest 

sump pump or utility pump with a hose 

adaptor that can supply around 3-8 gallons 

per minute, depending on the demand 

your pressure washer (check your owner’s 

manual for water supply requirements). 

With this method, the only difference 

is that we hook up the supply hose from 

the pressure washer to the sump pump and 

immerse the sump pump into the bucket 

of RV antifreeze. Start the sump pump 

and pressure washer approximately at the 

same time. Follow the same steps as we described 

with the storage tank method. 

After you have circulated the RV antifreeze, 

remove the supply line and dispose 

of or store the remaining antifreeze referencing 

the product label. 

Now, back to the engine. Since the 

engine has now operated for the last 

time before storing the unit for winter, fill 

the fuel tank to full capacity leaving just 

enough room to add additional fuel stabilizer 

according to the amount of fuel 

you topped off with. This step in very important 

to prevent any unnecessary voids 

in the fuel tank. When voids are present 

in a fuel tank, it gives an area for water 

to condensate. 

Finish winterizing the engine by removing 

the spark plug. Once the spark 

plug is removed, you can either put approximately 

¼ ounce of SAE 30 oil directly 

into the open cylinder or purchase 

some fogging oil from a local parts store. 

Either method will keep the cylinder from 

corroding, rusting, or sticking when restarting 

next Spring. We like to use fogging 

oil to completely cover the cylinder 

walls and cylinder head. 

Once the oil is added into the cylinder, 

make sure the kill switch is in the 

“off” position and pull the starting cord 

a few times to properly disperse the oil in 

the cylinder. Before replacing the spark 

plug, inspect for carbon buildup. [Pictures 

7a and 7b] Replace the spark plug 

if necessary. Place the spark plug back in 

cylinder head, tighten, and be sure to reconnect 

the plug wire. 

By following these few simple steps to 

winterize a pressure washer system, you 

can eliminate the possibility of freezing, 

engine or fuel line corrosion, and keeping 

the seals from drying out during the 

winter months. While these steps are an 

excellent guideline for preparing a pressure 

washer for the winter months, you 

should always do preventive maintenance 

as needed according to the amount of use 

your equipment experiences. 


SUPPORT OUR 

ADVERTISERS 

to advertise, EMAIL 

jacksonv@pressurewashnews.com

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