Starting Out
In August of 2024, entrepreneurs Blake Parkinson-Gee and Johnny Vieira created their own window cleaning business: S.B. Residential Window Cleaning.
Parkinson-Gee first formulated the idea. “I saw Vincent Caruso’s post on Instagram about how he’s doing really successful work with his car detailing company,” Parkinson-Gee said. After watching Caruso’s success, Parkinson-Gee was inspired to become an entrepreneur and create a business. “Window washing wasn’t a very big initial investment,” Parkinson-Gee recalls. He adds that he chose window washing specifically because his research showed the large market with not many competitors.
Being varsity athletes, running a business in the midst of football season along with regular academics was difficult. Both Vieira and Parkinson-Gee play football for Central yet continuously keep the business running throughout their fall season. “As soon as football season ended, we started booking into the week,” Parkinson-Gee said. He explains that balancing academics and athletics along with a business has been extremely difficult yet mastering time management makes it easier for him and Vieira.
Advertising
S.B. mainly uses Facebook to advertise along with lawn signs and business cards which are distributed at various places around Long Valley.
New Technology and Techniques
Although S.B. is a small business, they are up to date with new technology and techniques. “Johnny and I recently invested in a water fed pole, which will allow us to complete jobs a lot easier and faster,” Parkinson-Gee adds. He also emphasizes how this will help them avoid roofs and ladders as much as possible, alleviating any safety concerns from clients. This equipment adds to the professionalism of S.B as well as aid them to bring in more clients due to this equipment decreasing the time to complete one job.
Challenges
One of the company’s biggest challenges is the harsh weather of a New Jersey Winter. However, Parkinson Gee explains that he and Vieira are prepared for the cold weather. “Me and Johnny have been researching some ways that we can get an additional job or two in [Winter]” Parkinson-Gee said. “With the mixture of rubbing alcohol into our solution, we can lower the freezing point of our water,” Parkinson- Gee said.
S.B. has been gaining clients that enjoy their work and refer them by both word of mouth and on Facebook. However, Parkinson-Gee adds that they have previously seen and been beaten by competitors for large corporations.“The main thing that differentiates us from competitors is that for a big business, their customers are just numbers,” Parkinson-Gee said. Parkinson-Gee adds that one of his favorite parts of S.B. is meeting new people in his community through business. “To Johnny and I, clients are more than a number, and we love doing our work. We’re a community business who loves servicing our people.”
S.B. stands out from large companies because clients appreciate supporting a small business run by high schoolers. “When people realize that we are high schoolers, that doesn’t really matter to them. They see our work on something like the Next Door app or Facebook, and they realize that we know what we’re doing,” Parkinson-Gee said.
Personal Skills
Although the money is a bonus for Parkinson-Gee and Vieira, they have also learned critical skills to take with them throughout their life. “Leadership and communication skills are definitely something that I’ve had to learn,” Parkinson-Gee said. “Being able to communicate effectively with clients is something that you need to do if you want to run a business.”
For the Future
Looking ahead, Parkinson-Gee is planning on staying local for college to continue his work while studying to pursue his degree.Vieira is planning on possibly playing football away at college, where he can help Parkinson-Gee in summers and breaks. “It’s a great source of income for me, so I wanna keep being able to do it,” Parkinson-Gee concludes.
“A lot of people asked about the name,” Parkinson-Gee said. “It stands for squeaky beeps, which is a bit of an inside joke between myself and my family.
If you or a friend would like their windows cleaned while supporting a small business, the best way to reach out to S.B. is any of these options:
- Phone Number: (908) 674-2254
- Email: [email protected]
