Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Beureuse.
Hi Isaiah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always been a hands on guy, but never really found my true purpose. In 2018 my wife and I had twin girls. I was a used car salesman working 50 plus hrs. a week. I came to realize that I wasn’t spending as much time with my family as I wanted to and decided I needed to make some adjustments in my life.
Searching for a new job was tough! I always looked for work being outdoors but never really had the proper experience. I came upon pressure washing watching some YouTube vids and decided to go that route. Digging more into that industry I learned about softwashing and the difference between softwashing and pressure wash. I met some great people who schooled me on the two and decided to invest in myself by taking a course on softwash in Sanford Fl. in 2019.
From the education I have gotten on exterior cleaning I decided to take on a few jobs to see how I’d do. My first couple of jobs I cleaned the exterior of my friends home with using just a 1 gallon pump sprayer. That pump sprayer made me a good enough money to purchase real equipment so that I could handle bigger jobs to make more money and allowed me to make a name for myself.
I had a few different names for the business but nothing really stood out like I wanted it to. During this era there was a lot of things going on in the news and life about BLM and police brutality and I wanted a name that would represent my culture in some type of way. I named my business Blackout Softwash! Blackout because I wanted a black owned business to be out there. Also when it comes to exterior cleaning a lot of the mold and mildew that’s being cleaned is black so Blackout made a lot of sense to me plus my last name begin with a B.
As of today I clean many residential homes and commercial properties. I am happy to be in the exterior cleaning business and to be an example to all the young potential entrepreneurs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. Working a full time job, being a new Dad and a husband while trying to work on my craft was tough. At times I wish there were more than one of me just so I can get things done at a good time.
I was always worried if my work was good enough to please the clients I had. Times I doubted myself because I didn’t believe that I can get certain jobs done.
I have had some cleaning jobs where I didn’t do so well for whatever reason, so I would callout my regular job just to go back to that person’s home and correct my mistake. I’ve had my equipment stolen from me which discouraged me. Luckily I have an amazing wife that stood by my side to encourage me to bounce back.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in exterior cleaning. I do pressure wash and softwash. Many people are familiar with pressure washing but when it comes to softwashing some people have no idea what it is. Softwashing is the alternative to pressure wash.
When you’re pressure washing you use a lot of pressure to blow or remove a stain out the way. When it comes to softwash there’s not much pressure. Instead of blowing away or removing a stain you’re treating that area where the stain is causing no damage like a pressure washer would.
For example, if you get on your roof and noticed a lot of black or green stains it needs to be treated. Roof manufacturers recommend softwashing your roof so that it’s not hit with high pressure damaging your shingles with a pressure washer.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I have taken many risk, I take a risk every time I get on someone’s roof lol. I think the biggest risk I taken was leaving my job to focus more on myself and my business. I left the automotive industry towards the end of 2019.
One week later I’m a full time Amazon delivery driver. I liked this job I had a good schedule but the hours I came home to wasn’t healthy. Four days a week when I get off I had to pick up my kids and I would get home before 10pm.
That was not a healthy life style I wanted my children to have. So I decided to leave Amazon after a little over a year, Blackout Softwash was picking up on a lot more clients and I wanted to focus on that more.
Pricing:
- House wash is $.50 a sqft single level home
- 2 story home is $.75 a sqft
- Roof wash is $1.00 a sqft
- Driveway/sidewalk/walkway is $150 depending on size.
- Sealing is $.90 a sqft
Contact Info:
- Email: blackoutsoftwash2020@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/blackoutsoftwash
- Facebook: Facebook.com/blackoutsoftwash
