Carlon Scott shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Carlon, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Teaching a course on how to start and/or improve your own pressure washing business. Starting and leading a community of like-minded power washers.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Carlon “CL” Scott of Houston Washpros Power Washing.I started Houston Washpros officially in 2013.
I began working for AT&T Advertising and Publishing in 2007, selling ads for The Real Yellowpages, and yellowpages.com. This was my biggest introduction to the online advertising world. Although I did relatively well, there still seemed to be a ceiling to my earnings, and the corporate working environment was extremely challenging for me.
I obtained my Michigan real estate salesperson license in the summer of 2008 by taking state exam preparation classes in the evening, and passing exam on the first try upon completion of the course. However, I didn’t know the market would crash and lead to the bailout situation shortly after.
This is when I began looking for other economically stable cities to possibly move to when I found an article by CNN Money that noted 4 of the top 10 recession-proof cities were in Texas. This piqued my interest because my youngest brother had moved to San Antonio a couple of years back, gotten married, and recently had a baby. At the same time my single older brother who was in Jacksonville, FL was planning to move to Houston, TX. Both had landscaping companies. So Early 2010 I decided to move to Houston and get into landscaping! I packed up my belongings, my dog, all the tools I could gather, loaded up a Uhaul truck, put my 1989 Honda Accord coupe on a trailer and moved 1,200 miles from Detroit to Houston August 2010.
Having never visited Houston before moving, there were three HUGE things I didn’t consider before moving:
• The climate differences
• The occupational differences
• The combination of the two!
Either way it didn’t matter, it was a done deal and I had rent to pay and needed to eat. I needed a little more money with less physical effort with very little financial investment.
I tried tree trimming. That was ok for my block but in a coupe, not so much.
I helped my brother out with a few sprinkler system installations. It seemed ok. One day during an installation it rained out of nowhere, in broad daylight. And the rain pushed mud all over the customer’s sidewalk. In order the leave the client’s sidewalk in better shape than when we started, I had to rent a pressure washer to remove the mud that had built up on the sidewalk from the combination of dirt from the irrigation trenches and the sudden rainfall we had. The garden hose we brought just wasn’t getting the job done.
Other that at the do-it-yourself car wash, this was my first time ever using a pressure washer.
The sidewalk turned out great. So great the neighbor wanted me to return to do the driveway because it looked bad next to the clean sidewalk. This first driveway took about 6 hours to clean with the wand only, and I happily made $120. Then the neighbor wanted his done – that was $150, it took about 7 ½ hours. After that the guy across the street asked about his. When I returned to the rental place for the pressure washer again, the attendant asked what I was cleaning, I explained. The showed me a surface cleaner – and attachment that cleans like a “water lawnmower” if you don’t know what I’m referring to. That 6-8 hours cut down to 1 ½-2 hours tops – for $150!!! I was hooked…
By this time, it was getting “cold” by Houston, TX standards, definitely not the time to start a brand-new pressure washing business. Also, what I didn’t mention was my “friend” who drove down to Houston with me from Detroit became my girlfriend/long-distance fiancé all in the span of a road trip, was coming to get married and live with me about one year after moving to Houston from Detroit. I had to get another job. It was early 2011. I worked a few. The last time I got fired my wife encouraged me start my pressure washing business while she handled things with her entry level job.
I started Houston Washpros officially in 2013.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my father shaped how I saw the world. Growing up, most of my friends didn’t live with their fathers, so I was teased for it and an outcast. Later on I realize how much of a blessing that was. My Sister, two brothers and I are all married and only share children with our spouses. We don’t have blended families. Our parents were married for 54 years, almost 55 before my father passed in late 2022. He taught me a lot, by what he said but mostly by what. he did and how he lived.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was a time when I really felt like giving up and throwing in the towel. I lost some contracts, I was running out of money, the people closest to me had turned their backs on me for whatever reason. I felt abandoned, used and washed up. Then at a pressure washing supply store, a young guy came up to and recognized me asking me question after question. He treated me as if I was a celebrity. Then he showed me a picture of his young baby. He had recently dropped out of high school and was an athlete who actually had just gotten some NIL money and was using it to start a pressure washing company. His father had done it watching my older videos but was recently deported and his equipment needed repairs. He was so glad he ran into me. Long, long story short, this episode renew my purpose and hope in humanity. I have started my class and new journey.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. Things are too complicated to have multiple personas. Especially with digital media everywhere.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I’m still a husband and father. These are most important. A significant motivation for what and why I do what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://houstonwashpros.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstonwashpros/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houstonwashpros/
- Twitter: https://x.com/HoustonWashPros
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PressureWashingHoustonTexas
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PressureWashingTV
