Power Washing / Exterior Cleaning vs Reseller / Thrift Flip, startup cost comparison, StartupLenz

Power Washing / Exterior Cleaning

Higher net

Mobile exterior cleaning. Homes, driveways, decks, fleets. Capital-intensive at the start, real margins once routes get dense.

Gross$6,859

Net profit$2,748

Margin40.1%

Orders/mo25

Crew wages$1,893 28%

Chemicals$449 7%

Card fees$199 3%

Vehicle (truck/trailer)$750 11%

Equipment payment$200 3%

Insurance$220 3%

Software + tools$50 1%

Marketing$350 5%

launch · 1–3$1,021

traction · 4–8$3,081

scale · 9–12$5,407

Strong service margins. Add a second rig and a part-timer before adding more marketing.

Source low, list high. eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop — your time becomes margin.

Gross$1,600

Net profit$1,001

Margin62.5%

Orders/mo40

Sourcing (COGS)$240 15%

Platform fees$208 13%

Payment fees$46 3%

Supplies + mileage$95 6%

Tools$10 1%

launch · 1–3$558

traction · 4–8$1,001

scale · 9–12$1,553

Strong cash margin AND $38/hr — replicable and worth scaling listings.