We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jake Pavelle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jake, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I will never regret trying something and failing. I will regret never trying and taking the risk. Remember when versus what if is a phrase I’ll hold with me forever. My best friend, Cooper, said to me. It helped me gather enough courage to take the risk starting Colorado Power Wash. Being in corporate sales for a decade after college, earning a high income, and living a comfortable life is what I thought I wanted. I still felt professional emptiness. I’m sure a lot of people can relate.

What I came to realize is that my life is worth more than helping someone else fulfill their dream. There was no harmony between my personal and professional lives. I always had the dream of starting my own business, building something from the ground up, and creating a unique experience for clients, employees, my family, and for myself.

Risk taking isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s challenging emotionally, mentally, and physically. The greatest of things in my life have always come on the other side of doing the hard thing. Starting my own business is definitely the biggest risk I’ve taken in my young life. However, and my wife can attest to this, it’s brought me the most joy and pride I never could have imagined. How? Because I chose to take control of my life, take control of my destiny. My creative mind is rejuvenated. My spirit and energy are at their peak.

I reached my tipping point at my corporate job and knew that no matter what job I went to next, it would be more or less the same. Through support of my wife, my family, and my friends, it was “now or never” to bet on myself and go after what I believe to be true. At the same age, my dad reached his tipping point when he quit his corporate job to start his landscaping business. Following in his footsteps, it’s my time to bring my dreams to reality. It’s hard work, like I said, but it’s worth every ounce of energy.

Jake, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Colorado Power Wash (CPW) was created by my friend Austin. He owns a successful fire mitigation and land services business in Colorado. Austin started CPW in early 2024. The work he accomplished was creating the logo, building the website, and investing in SEO marketing. No equipment, no sales, no clients, though one lead came through towards the end of May. Being a successful entrepreneur, I called him seeking guidance. He mentioned he just started CPW but it was about as green as it could be. He offered me to buy the work he had done and become the sole owner operator of the business. Without second guessing it, I said, “yeah man, I’m in. Let’s roll!” After our call, I called the lead, booked a meeting for the next day, and ended up closing a recurring fleet washing contract the next month.

Power washing was a calculated decision. I researched the industry, knew it was a solid business, and it checked my three main prerequisites – working outside, working with my hands, and delivering a good service to others with the opportunity for recurring work. Most of the work we do is B2B. This includes working with commercial property managers, construction companies, masonry companies, painters, etc. While B2B is our main niche, we’re always available to serve homeowners, too.

We solve our clients’ three main problems – bad communication, bad reliability, and poor quality of work. We deliver solutions that fit our clients’ specific needs so they can, in turn, be as successful as possible in their business. We succeed when they succeed. Through our personalized experience and our investment into relationships, we’re positively influencing the power washing industry for the future.

The goal of CPW is to be the premier power washing service provider in the state of Colorado and in the Mountain West region of the United States. No project is too big or too small for us to handle as long as we’re there serving others. In our short history, we’ve handled a wide variety of projects from cleaning a 250,000 sf parking garage, to mining equipment, to 11,000 linear feet of new limestone retaining wall, to fleet washing for an international company, and everything in between. We’re a customer service company that power washes. We’re visionaries with a strong purpose and we are energized by the transformative work we conduct for others.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Capital is required to start any business. Over the course of 3-5 years, my wife and I were diligent about putting money away for emergency funds and for the down payment on our house. After we bought our house, we still had a good portion left. Because of the effort we put forth, we were in an ideal position to make the life-altering change. At the time, we had about a years’ worth of savings to cover our mortgage and base expenses if I wasn’t generating any revenue for the business. It was hard work, and we had to make sacrifices to build it up to that point, but it allowed us to take the chance. I worked my corporate job for three months after taking Colorado Power Wash over, too, but it got to the point where I wasn’t giving either 100%.

In the power washing space, anyone can go to a hardware store to buy the basics to get started. That’s what I did. Initially, I invested about $3,500 in my starter pack. But, as I got going and as I was getting more advanced jobs early on, my mentor advised me to invest in a 15-passenger van, a high-quality hot water machine, and a water tank. I never spent so much money at one point in my life. The investment into a higher quality set up allowed me to take on bigger jobs, be more efficient, and keep my equipment safe from the cold weather elements of our Colorado climate.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Reputation means everything. I believe if you care, treat people with honor, respect and kindness, and deliver on your promises, you will succeed in anything you do. Up to this point in my life, these simple traits have blessed me with the small bits of success in my life. I care about others, I care about the work I do, I care about the husband I am, I care about the son and brother I am, I care about the friend I am, and I care about being a Man for Others. Some people may see that as a sign of weakness, but it has been and always will be one of my strengths.

I’ve always believed the greatest gifts you can give another are caring about them, being kind to them, and taking a genuine interest in them. In the professional arena, it drives us to deliver the best experience to the clients we serve. My hope is that people remember how we made them feel whether it’s through the work we deliver, the conversations we have, or the in-person interactions.

That, I believe, is what’s helped build our reputation in our market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coloradopowerwash.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-power-wash-llc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColoradoPowerWash-qs3bh/featured