Start up questions

[StartUp]

Hi-
I am considering starting a portable toilet rental company in the great north west. I am new to the business and have a few questions. The market is mainly split agriculture and construction with very few being used for special events. Any answers or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.:)
How many toilets would be a good starting point?
I was thinking of starting small, about 25-30
Does anyone supplement their revenue with temporary fencing? If so how are you pricing out the job? Please give example of ball park pricing.
What are some general costs to expect on disposal fees @ treatment plant?
What would be a general assumption of profit per unit be?
I know these are extremely vauge questions and can vary greatly, I am just looking for some examples at this point to see if the career choice would be benificial.

[StartUp]

:confused:anyone...?

[Trent]

Well we started with 3 units and wound up with 80 the first year. However our name was known as we were adding toilet service to our septic service.

Depending on where you are located, special events might be busier than you think. We are in the North Willamette valley in Oregon and stay pretty busy doing specials and private party units.

Construction is non existent right now so don't plan on that unless you can get in on road construction.

Our disposal rates are about 10 to 12 cents per gallon.

Agriculture seems to want trailered units with the sink. You will have more expense there. If you are capable, build them yourself.

The most important thing is to set yourself apart from the competition. Make sure your units are clean, clean, clean. They will sell themselves. Make sure you have decals on all 4 walls. Again, they will sell themselves. Sometimes it's a pain, but keep yourself color matching, trucks, toilets, etc.

I would pick one brand of portable toilet and stick with that company. Keeping parts in stock is much less costly. I'd also go with a quality name brand. You will pay more up front but spend less in repairs.

If you want to send me a private message, I'll tell you my feelings on which units are better than others. I have 6 different manufacturers stuff in my yard.

Same thing with service trucks. I have one flatbed style truck that is the cat's meow for making deliveries and it does well at servicing a route. I have three trucks that are awesome route trucks but only carry two toilets.

As far as pricing goes, set your self near the top of the heap. You may be tempted to get customers by cutting the other guys price, but that customer will be one that only wants a cheap price and will bitch at the drop of a hat and as soon as someone else comes along with a cheaper price, they're gone.

The best customer knows the value of your service and is willing to pay for it. If you do a good job it won't take long to earn some of those customers, especially if the competition doesn't do a good job.

Feel free to send me a pm or e-mail me at cpt@molalla.net for more info.

[StartUp]

Great info. Thank you so much Trent. I'm in the info gathering stage now and weighing the costs. I hope to start something next year. Would you think their is a better time of year to start than another. Say spring vs. summer or winter? I will shoot you a email in the future if your open to it. As I am trying to learn, I'm sure I'll have more questions..Especially on the trucks, toilet models etc.
Thanks again!:)

[KPToilets]

Go to the Pumper convention to look at all the products before you buy anything. You really need to evaluate your market to see if there is room for you, and how strong your competitors are. When I started I didn’t know anything and had a uphill fight for 3 year to get a foot hold. I found out later that may main competitor was fierce, set unit for free to get you off the job, half price, two for one……. So Know your market and your competitors. There is money to be made doing events.

I had a guy tell me once that he wanted to start a portable toilet company in my area and wanted advice, I told him that I would help him pick out toilets, and a truck. He said that he would really appreciate the help. I then told him to buy new unit the same brand as mine, and a truck like mine, so when I ran him out of business I could buy his stuff from his bank for half price.

Be careful

[Trent]

Start in the spring as this is when everything starts moving. I don't know what kind of agriculture you have but that could be big for you.

I second the thought of going to the pumper show if you can afford it. It will give you a chance to talk to ALL of the vendors at one place. Meet up with your reps and talk business. The toilet reps will give you all kinds of business advice. They want you to succeed so they can sell you product.

Don't forget to look into deoderizer as well. I've got a favorite there as well.

Feel free to drop an e-mail. My sister and I are partners and will be happy to answer any questions you have. We got lots of help from folks in the industry when we started up and we are happy to pay it back.

KP Toilets is right, there are some pretty cut throut operators out there right now. Some who talk the high road and stab you in the back so beware.

I may know some of who you are up against so we can talk turkey if you'd like.

[Argyll 1st]

Great north west you say ! I am looking at the lower Vancouver Area of Canada, we are based in the UK and ave only been going 2 years and would say that although the spring is when things start to move again you need to be out now meeting with event peolpe and getting you name and brand around the agricultural areas so when its time to order your in with a shout, otherwisw by the time you it the ground you will only pick up the stragglers who are te peole less organised and as such not the best customers