Austin Gray: All right, welcome back to another episode of the OWNR OPS podcast! I'm your host, Austin Gray. I have a special guest and friend, Jake Pavelle, on. He is the owner of Colorado Power Wash. Jake took over Colorado Power Wash a couple of months ago, earlier this summer, and he's already off to a fast start. So I'm excited to have you on, Jake. Thanks for coming on the podcast!

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, I've been looking forward to it, Austin. Thanks for having me.

Austin Gray: So can you take us back to that first phone call whenever you called me?

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, I mean, it was much needed and in due time. I've been thinking about business ownership and entrepreneurship for the better part of a year, but couldn't really figure out the how part of it. Some friends led me down a path to call you, and I ended up calling you the day after we were camping together. You mentioned what you had going on with Colorado Power Wash, and before even really thinking about it, I just remember telling you, "Yeah, let's roll. I'm in." Didn't second guess it. In my eyes, that was a sign that it was a path I was meant to go down.

Austin Gray: That was the point that I knew. I'm like, "All right, Jake's for real. He's ready to go!" We're going to get into this throughout the episode. For those of you who are listening, stick around for the whole show because Jake's going to talk about how he got his first jobs, how he's selling jobs. I mean, you are off to a fast start, and it is so fun to watch. It's interesting because a lot of people in that situation have reached out, saying, "Look, I'm stuck in the corporate job. I want to start this business." I can immediately tell whether someone's going to do it or not, and you were just unbelievably committed from the beginning.

Jake Pavelle: We set up a win-win situation. You took that first lead and went out and sold it pretty quickly after that, the day after we talked. It was awesome, man! We’ll get into that, but can you tell our listeners a little about where you were before? You mentioned you had this thought of entrepreneurship for about a year leading up to that.

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, so my dad owned a landscape business for 32 years. I mean, similar to you with your dad in construction, right? You grow up around that, and whether you realize it or not, that's innately inside you. But that drive was within me. I was in corporate sales for 10 years out of college, and nothing ever seemed right to me. I always felt like something was missing at every company I worked for. Even though I did really well everywhere I went, I just pushed through, grinded, and convinced myself that this was the place I was meant to be. But in reality, I was still not fully satisfied with where I was.

I was working for a company called BSN Sports at the time, where I was with them for a little over five years. My customers and clients were high school coaches, athletic directors, school principals, and superintendents. They would buy their team uniforms, athletic equipment, and big projects like gym floors and ceiling-hung basketball hoops. So it was a really wide scope of work, right?

When I was there for those five years, I found that I really loved doing the big projects. I thought if I could only focus on selling the big projects, then maybe that would be satisfactory to me. But because of the business structure, you had to handle all the other things along with it. So I found myself right off the bat trying to focus on the big projects because I liked the challenge of it. I liked the big wins and, of course, the payouts are nice when you get them.

Austin Gray: Absolutely! And you really develop those true and trusted partnerships with those big projects because you're more invested in it. You make everything as perfect as it can be, especially with larger projects—making sure they go smoothly leads to future opportunities and contracts with big companies and corporations.

So let’s talk about Day One. You take over Colorado Power Wash. Give everybody a little backstory here. I had a website for Colorado Power Wash, and I had been working on it with our SEO guys. We took this concept of, "Okay, we can pick this niche, create the website, and do the marketing around it." I was actually keeping this one in the quiver for a future business, you know, maybe later on down the line. After we got Bearclaw humming, I was just keeping it in the quiver, and then you called. I'm like, “Dude, you're ready to rock and roll!”

At that point, we had kicked off a lead, I believe it was somewhere within the week before. It was a pretty recent lead. I remember specifically mentioning that, and you were like, "I'll go talk to him right now." You called him after we got off the phone. It was before we even had the deal done, and you just went and got it done. I was like, “Man, this is awesome because this dude is taking action!”

I think that's the most important thing in these small service-based businesses. If you just show up, block and tackle, and handle the little things, it leads to good things.

Jake Pavelle: So let’s talk about that first lead. Can you tell us how that went?

Jake Pavelle: Oh, I mean, I was like—I don't even know. I was just kind of blacked out for a second because I was like, "Shoot, this is really happening!" I drove there, and I think I was wearing a button-down shirt from Tom James, tucked into some jeans. I was rolling up, and the guy I met was really the best person I could have met as my first prospect because he was also a small business owner with a little marketing agency.

So we had really good rapport. He was asking me questions about the job details, and I was like, "Man, I would love to answer those for you right now, but I don’t have those specific answers. So I'll get them for you and get back to you within 24 hours." I just thought that transparency was always important. It says a lot about the type of person you are.

Yeah, I was really excited before going in there. He really liked me and spoke highly of me to his superior. A week or two later, we had the contract to do the fleet washing every other month. It's been great, and I backed it up with great work the first time. They keep bringing me opportunities as well, which is another nice thing about commercial clients. They’ll find other ways for you to service their business and facilities.

What I’ve loved about working with you from a business perspective is how you take consistent action and aren't afraid to go figure it out. For the people listening here, it's not like Jake had prior power washing experience, but the important thing is that you were willing to go meet with the person. You were willing to just get in front of them, and you were honest and transparent with them. I think that goes so far in building relationships, especially in your local market.

Can you talk us through? That was Day One. What did you do next? Your head must have been racing!

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, I was trying to wrap my mind around the systems. What is next? I took over, became a business owner—what do I do next? I was thinking to myself the next day, "Shoot, I don’t really know all the equipment that's needed because it's going to be more than just a simple pressure washer that you buy at Home Depot."

What I learned is that there are a lot of intricacies and little products you need that make a difference on the job. So what I ended up doing that Friday after we talked—there’s a power equipment store up in Commerce City, which is northeast of Denver. I drove up there on a Friday afternoon at 3:30, and I went in and asked their counter guy, "Hey man, look, I've never been in here before. I am pretty much brand new to the power washing business. Can you give me a rundown 101 course on how this stuff works?" He was like, "Sure!" He spent an hour and a half with me on a Friday afternoon just running me through all the ins and outs of how things work.

The following Friday, I went back again for a 201 course, and he spoke at a higher level about how things work, the different types of machines, and the pros and cons of operating certain types of units. So that’s what I did next—I was educating myself.

Austin Gray: Incredible!

Jake Pavelle: What’s interesting is when you’re so committed to something and know you want to do it, your mind just turns on that creative switch. An idea will pop in your mind randomly, and you’re like, “Oh, I should probably do that. That's a good idea.” If you go do it, you’ll be better off than you were before.

Austin Gray: So here we are now—what day is this?

Jake Pavelle: August 16th.

Austin Gray: What day did you take over?

Jake Pavelle: May 28th, I think it was.

Austin Gray: Okay, so let’s call it June 1st. You’ve had about two full months of operation under your belt. How many days was it from the time you took over the website to when you did your first job?

Jake Pavelle: My first job was July 10th. It was a house wash with oxidation removal, which is probably one of the most difficult things you can do for your first job, I would think.

Austin Gray: How did you manage to pull that off?

Jake Pavelle: Well, I had a month in there where I was just figuring stuff out, and during that time, I still had my job. So going from zero to sixty in one month—this is impressive. I want to extract where your mind was in this first month. I’m sure there were a million things going through your head!

Jake Pavelle: Oh, it was scattered, man! You could probably pick up on that with how much I was hitting you up during that first month. I was trying to figure out all the little admin things I'm horrible at, like setting up Google Business, getting my CRM set up, getting automations in place—I want to have a strong foundation before I start cranking. I didn't want to get into a spot where things were moving so fast that I became disorganized, and that's just not how I can operate at a high level.

So yeah, it was a lot to manage at the same time, in addition to still having my day job. That was a huge mental roadblock for me because I'd spend a whole day doing power washing and figuring things out on the computer, then I'd get calls for my daily job. I’d be on my computer later that night for a few hours to keep up with emails and returning calls.

Looking back on it, I don’t know if I did a great job of staying organized, but I got through it. Now here we are, two and a half months later.

Austin Gray: How did you find your first job?

Jake Pavelle: So my wife, Syy, and I were on our way to the mountains on a Friday afternoon. I got a call from a number I didn't recognize, so I answered it. It ended up being a woman who found us on Google. She was looking to have her house washed on a Saturday. She wanted it done the day after we talked. I told her, "We would love to do it, but I'm sorry, my wife and I are in the mountains right now for the weekend with her family. Could we come by Sunday on our way back home to do a site visit and get a tour of your property?"

She was fine with that, so we drove back from Leadville and went straight to her house. It was probably Sunday at 1:00 PM. We toured the property, gave her the price, and I upsold her on the oxidation stuff, even though I had no idea what that was at the time. I just heard it from a video. But you figure it out along the way. It turned out great! They were super happy.

Austin Gray: That's incredible! So you got your first revenue in the bank account. How do you go get the second one?

Jake Pavelle: So at the same time leads were coming in, I was actively contacting my network. I had friends who knew Realtors, and so I contacted our realtor who works at a business building in DTC, which is the Denver Tech Center in the heart of Denver.

He mentioned they had just had some pressure washing done in their garage a few months ago, so he gave me the property manager's contact information. I called her, told her I got her name from Kevin Chamblis, our realtor. I mentioned that I owned a business in the area and was interested in providing a quote for some services.

She said, "Oh yeah, interestingly enough, we’ve had a bad experience with the current company we were using, so let’s set up a meeting." I went there, met with their building engineer and the assistant property manager, and we walked the building. I jotted down areas we spoke about.

So while leads were coming in from Google—most people have been finding us there—I've been actively going after property managers, business buildings, strip centers, and retail centers. While Josh and Jan are doing Facebook ads targeting residential clients, I'm actively going after the commercial properties.

Austin Gray: Did that answer your question?

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, definitely! I believe it's a significant piece because I've found the same thing in our business. Reaching out to property managers can be a gold mine since they hold the keys to the buildings they manage.

Austin Gray: Exactly! If they manage the condos, HOAs, and big apartment buildings, they control the budget for everything. Rather than going to the building owner, going straight to the property manager can be a huge unlock.

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, absolutely! As you mentioned, the bar is set low in the service industry. If you come in, do sales well, meet with people, develop relationships, and commit to delivering five-star service, they’re often open to making a switch.

When you sent me those texts with pictures of the parking garage, I thought, “Dude, you are going to blow this thing up!” You're on the right track.

Austin Gray: So you reach out to the property managers, get some interest there. I know that you completed one of those jobs because I've seen the pictures. Can you take us through that story from when you first contacted the property manager to when one of those jobs transpired?

Jake Pavelle: It took about a month to bring it all to fruition. That included getting their service agreement and having to figure out my insurance because I had no idea what type I needed. It took about a month from start to finish. We ended up with a three-year agreement to take care of their power washing services for this property.

It includes their parking garage, which is about a quarter of a million square feet, so it’s a big garage, and their loading dock, front, and North and South entrances. It came down to the fact that one person can’t do it alone; otherwise, they'll be staying out there for an entire week.

What's interesting is I called around to other power washing companies in the area to see if anyone would be open to acting as a mentor to help me learn the business. I only got callbacks from a couple of other companies, and we keep in touch today. The one company in Denver has really been a huge help for me. I hope I’ve been of service to them as well.

They came on and helped me with that job. They brought their owner along with another guy and two other machines. When they rolled up, they were shocked at how big it was. I misquoted it initially; the owner said, “Yeah, you need to get some more money for that thing because you really underquoted it.” That was a learning curve for me.

We rolled out and knocked it out over two nights. We backed up that work with quality. The manager loved it; they were blown away. I mean, when they drove into the garage, the concrete was sparkling. It was really, really good.

Austin Gray: That’s awesome!

Jake Pavelle: Looking back, the first job was a big learning curve. The guys on the job wanted to make it an educational experience for me because they knew I was relatively new. I was helping out as much as I could with the power washing while also handling logistics like, "Where are we going to supply food? Do you have enough gas? What happens if you run out of gas? Are you disconnecting your machines? Where are your machines going to be located for a big garage like that? Do you have enough hoses? Is your oil good for the machine to run 8 to 10 hours consecutively?"

All those little things made a big impact. They still do because it's helped me be more efficient and understand how these bigger jobs work. It sets me up for success because many guys get into the business and just focus on the residential side.

You see it all the time on YouTube or in comment sections: "How do you do these commercial jobs? How do you get them done?" You can’t do anything by yourself; you have to have a team behind you. With their help, it allowed me to understand how those big jobs work.

Austin Gray: I'm so excited for you! I love it!

Jake Pavelle: I’ve talked to the owner of this company daily. He’s the nicest guy ever. When I first talked to him, it was the day before the Fourth of July. I said I needed some work done by that following Friday. Even with such a quick turnaround, he was like, “Yeah man, we can handle it. We specialize in quick turnaround jobs.”

Austin Gray: That's awesome.

Jake Pavelle: We talked for 30 minutes on the first phone call. He’s been in business for 25 years. The fact that he took that time to talk, develop a relationship—it’s key in an industry with relatively low standards.

We’ve developed a fantastic relationship. I consider them a part of my team, and I can lean on them whenever I have big jobs coming up.

Austin Gray: It sounds like you are building a business model very similar to how my business coach, Les O'Hara, coaches others in different trades. Find good subcontractors. If you can handle marketing, sales, and back office billing and invoicing, manage relationships like you’re doing, I think it could work well for you.

I want to introduce you to Brandon Dixon, who just retired from the MLB. He bought a street sweeping business in California, and he's been phenomenal at this. He’s doing something similar to you. He just focused on figuring things out and has a strong mindset.

One thing he has leaned into is cold outreach. He’s pulled data from various sources to find prospects, and he’s sending several hundred emails a week to property managers. If you could link up with him on that strategy, I think it could be beneficial.

Jake Pavelle: Yeah, absolutely! Cold outreach is definitely something that’s not common in this industry. The more you contact them, the more it can pay off, for sure.

Austin Gray: Can you talk us through general numbers for something like a half a million square feet of pressure washing?

Jake Pavelle: It’s going to depend a lot on the scope of work, the space itself—it's not cookie-cutter. It'll depend on whether you have to do oil removal or restoration work. How clean do they want it? I can’t share specifics because of our contractual obligations, but it was on the lower end of competitive bids.

Austin Gray: To back it up with quality, right?

Jake Pavelle: Exactly! I don’t want my business to be a commodity. I'm not going to be the type that has a quoting system online where someone can plug in their numbers and just get a quote. They’ll take that price and call someone else and do the same thing on another website. That’s not going to happen.

We’re not going to be the cheapest in Colorado. We back it up with professionalism and the quality of work. You know, personalization of service—meeting in person, sending little texts when you see their property, like “Hey, just drove by. Hope you’re having a great day.”

Those little things make a more expensive service more valuable than someone who will do it for the cheapest price. That’s where I feel so many businesses in this space fall into the trap of trying to be the lowest price.

Austin Gray: So I wanted to go back because I remember seeing pictures of several different jobs you've done—dumpster bins, retail shopping centers, even a Starbucks. Can you talk to us about how you got those?

Jake Pavelle: They've all been from cold outreach. For that retail center, that was just across the street from our house.

I went into the liquor store one day. I know one of the guys who works there. I walked up, and the sidewalks were disgusting—there was bird poop everywhere. I approached him and mentioned that I had a power washing business. He said, “Oh dude, the sidewalks are disgusting. I hate it!” I asked him for the best contact for the property manager or anyone else he knew. He jotted down an email and a phone number for the property manager's assistant.

I called her. She passed the word along, and I followed up with an email explaining what we did. She forwarded that to the property manager, who replied back, “Yeah, we’re looking for quotes for power washing right now. Can you provide prices for X, Y, and Z?”

I ended up doing a full scope of work—cleaning sidewalks, dumpsters, degassing the sidewalks, and various monthly and annual services we could provide. I just stayed in contact with them for about three weeks while they weighed their options. They ended up giving us the work because they liked the fact that Syy and I were part of the community.

We did some good work, and I did it all by myself for the first time. Spent two nights out there until 4 a.m. just power washing.

Austin Gray: I love hearing that!

Jake Pavelle: Long nights, but it was fun!

Austin Gray: It is, isn't it? You're just cranking it out.

Jake Pavelle: It’s a rewarding feeling too, being able to produce and see the work you’ve done. You feel proud when you get those five-star reviews and read the words people write about you.

Austin Gray: How much of this do you believe is attributed to growing up with a dad who owned a landscaping business?

Jake Pavelle: I think it’s huge! I saw the level of care he had. If one small thing went wrong, he jumped on it and wanted to make it right with the customer. He worked until he felt he was at a good stopping point but still gave fatherly attention to my sister and me.

Austin Gray: That balance is essential, too.

Jake Pavelle: Definitely! It’s one thing to be raised by parents in a corporate environment, just running the corporate ladder. It’s a different game being raised by a parent who owned a business.

Austin Gray: Sounds like you’re on the right track!

Jake Pavelle: Absolutely. It’s gratifying to see the hard work pay off.

Austin Gray: Well, is there anything else you’d like to share with our listeners about starting a business?

Jake Pavelle: It all comes down to action, man. When I think about the last five to six years, I’ve realized I’ve earned my successes based on my input. I’ve never waited for things to come to me. I’ve actively gone out and tried to find opportunities without worrying about competition.

The more output you provide to your business, the more opportunities you’ll have. You’ve got to be 10X-ing your input. Therefore, the more experience you’ll have in quoting and on jobs.

Most people don’t understand how much work is involved and what you need to make it work. Take big steps toward your goals!

Austin Gray: Fantastic!

Thank you so much for being on, Jake. This has been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to bringing you back on in six to twelve months.

Jake Pavelle: Absolutely! Always good talking to you, brother.

Austin Gray: And listeners, thanks again for tuning in to another episode of the OWNR OPS podcast. If you’re listening on Spotify or Apple, we would really appreciate a five-star review. Building a podcast is very similar to building a service-based business in that five-star reviews are essential.

If you’ve been enjoying these episodes, take a quick 30 seconds to leave us a review. And if you’re listening on YouTube, we’d love it if you could like and subscribe. Leave us a comment below if you have anyone in mind who you'd like us to bring on the podcast—our ideal guests are people like Jake who have started a business from the ground up and are actively providing a service to their local community.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you in the next episode! Don’t forget: Work hard, do your best, and never settle for less.

Thanks again!

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