At last Wednesday’s ceremony at the offices of the Small Business Bureau (SBB) to mark the handing over of grants of $200,000 each to thirty-five small business owners, 24 year-old Carl Ajeday appeared suitably pleased. Receipt of the grant had meant that he had satisfied the requirements set by the Bureau and that his power washing enterprise was ‘going places,’ perhaps not yet at breakneck speed but at a pleasing pace.
His Willis Street, Republic Park home address doubles as his place of business and it was there that the former Mae’s primary and secondary school student first conceptualised the idea of pressing a power washer into service as a business tool. “It all came from using the power washer at home,” he says.
There are, Carl says, other things to his life too. Passes at nine subjects at the CXC examination and a passion for accounting led him to a job at the Ministry of Public Security. Beyond that, his Christian faith has kept him close to the church, the Vreed-en-Hoop Wesleyan Church. He has since parted company with the Ministry of Public Security but remains a member of the Wesleyan Church. Unsurprisingly, he is presently pursuing studies in accounting and theology.
Power washing emerged as an entrepreneurial pursuit in 2018 and these days, Carl’s company, Spotless Power Washing Service has become a considerable focus.
Not yet big enough to afford full-time employees, Carl recruits helpers on a job-by-job basis, washing houses, fences, bridges, patios and more than that, he enjoys his job… making things clean.
The execution of every job is preceded by a site inspection visit. This, Carl says, is undertaken to assess the scale of the operation and the resources required to execute it. He is required to rent transportation to move ladders and scaffolding along with his 3200 psi gas-powered Karcher power washer and his electric washer.
His primary clients up until now have been school houses, government offices, residences and churches. “At the end of a job you get a particular satisfaction from the response of a pleased customer,” Carl says.
Growth and enhanced service standards are high on the priority list of Spotless Power Washing Service, Carl says. He regards his modest grant from the SBB as a landmark development, not because of its size, but on account of the Bureau’s recognition of his bona fides as a legitimate business. “In its own way it provides a tremendous incentive,” Carl says.