Exploring Life & Business with Jake Pavelle of Colorado Power Wash, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Pavelle

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Entrepreneurship and business ownership called my name for a long time. I grew up around a father who owned his landscape business for 35 years. He, similar to me, worked in a corporate structure for the estimated 10 years after college. Again, similar to me, he saw greater opportunity charting the path into the unknown as opposed to staying in his comfort zone. His current job, at the time, did not satisfy the dream he had for his family. Looking back on my childhood as an adult, his decision positively influenced mine because he’s THE role model in my life, along with my mom of course. If he can do it, why can’t I?

Moreover, my next major influence was one of the many deep conversations my best friend and I had earlier in the year. We were talking about life, dreams, and aspirations. He told me a story about the time a friend of his father’s discussed looking back on your life saying, “remember when” versus “what if”. How do you interpret that? We analyzed that, in short, to mean simply taking your shot and living without regrets. What story would you rather say when you’re 75-years-old: “remember when I was scared to start my own business but did it anyways and look where it got us?” OR “what if I started my own business and how would our life be different?”.

Shortly after that, I was spoke with another good friend who lives in the Colorado mountains, through a suggestion of a few other friends. He’s been an entrepreneur for the last 7-8 years. Currently, he owns a fire mitigation and land services business. I reached my tipping point at my corporate job and sought his guidance and expertise. To my surprise, he stated he started a power washing business in Denver earlier in the year. He had no equipment and no clients, but he did have the business name, logo, website, some marketing, and an online lead waiting for a call-back. In discussing my aspirations, he offered me to buy him out and become the sole owner. Without second guessing it, I agreed and got straight to work. So, being the action taker I am, I called the online lead right after we hung up, scheduled the in-person meeting the following day, closed the deal, and gained a high-profile fleet washing client right off the bat. I was on cloud-9! It’s actually happening.

Power washing wasn’t a shot in the dark. I researched the industry previously and knew it was a solid business to be in. Additionally, I knew I like working with my hands, delivering a great service, and providing quality solutions. Power washing checked all these boxes of possibilities for me.

Every corporate job I’ve had since college, my father’s example, my wife and her family, and the friends in my life prepared me for this moment. I seized the opportunity and am in full swing. Currently, I’ve grown my business to average roughly $10K revenue per month in just over 4 months since my first job. The business I’ve generate has come from cold calls, cold outreach, cold drop-ins, and referrals. Through the marketing work I’m investing in, we are starting to get more online leads who are my ideal avatar.

I have to keep reminding myself this is only the beginning. Patience in the macro, 10X action in the micro. Staying true to who I am and having a service-first mindset will eventually get Colorado Power Wash to where I see it.

Onward and upward.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No road worth taking is ever smooth. The best roads are those that are bumpy, rocky, and difficult to navigate because they lead to the greatest adventure and destination. There certainly has been and will be a healthy portion of “figuring it out”. I’ve lost sleep over investing in upgraded equipment, how I’m going to deliver a quality result on a job I haven’t done before, how to manage the P&L, how to set up systems and operations, what I’m going to do during the winter months, what I’m going to do if I land a job outside of my current experience level.

Thus far, and through relationships I’ve developed, I’ve overcome every speed bump thrown at me. It takes a strong support group to help you along and I’m grateful to have people there to help me through any challenges I face.

Stress and struggle come at every stage of business and, in general, life. My parents taught me the power of grit, will-power, determination, perseverance, and sticktoitiveness. I firmly believe I can get through any challenge life throws my way. When you tell consciously commit to something, you will figure out a way to make it happen.

As you know, we’re big fans of Colorado Power Wash, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Colorado Power Wash, LLC (CPW) was born for the sole purpose of delivering 5-Star service to commercial and residential clients. We are known for crafting relationships, creating world class experiences, and guiding our clients to succeed in a capacity that suits them best. The clients we serve are at the forefront of our minds in every aspect of what we do. Our vision drives us, our goals orient us, and our service focuses us.

As a result of our professionalism, excellent communication, quality work, fair business practices, and eco-friendly approach, CPW has become a reliable company capable of handling any project. Commercial, B2B clients are our focus. They include, but are not limited to, commercial retail/strip centers, business office space, churches, hospitals, school systems, new construction, multi-family, industrial, and fleet cleaning.

At this stage of the business, I’m most proud of the relationships we’ve developed. In a world that is heavily digitally driven, connecting with people on a personal level gratifies me/us a great deal. We are inspired by the people we meet. We seek to understand our clients’ vision, what type of experience they desire to give their clients, and how we can tailor our solutions to help them achieve their goals. The power washing services our clients have done prior to working with us got them to where they are today. In working with us, we’ll get them to where they want to go.

How do you think about luck?
I believe everything happens for a reason and that my past experiences molded me into the person I are today with the life I have. A lot of it is perspective, too. Whenever things have gone against me, I remind myself that it’s all part of my life’s plan and that it’s an opportunity for growth. In the moment, it’s challenging to find the silver lining during the down times. I have learned, over time, to manage my emotions in a more productive way. My wife really helped me with this.

Let me give a life example. As a freshman in high school, I got cut from the club soccer team I was on since 5th grade. I was distraught. I remember saying to myself, “Why me?” and “What am I going to do?”. But, as time passed, that negative experience led me to a new team with a new coach who did WONDERS for my self-esteem and self-confidence. I developed a true friendship with Coach and still talk to him some 15+ years later. I would not be the man I am without his influence. Looking back, I’m immensely grateful for getting cut from that team and parting ways with my friends because it led me to a better situation.

Overall, my lens of perspective is very wide. During tough times in my life, I remind myself there are countless people in the world who are struggle with addiction, don’t have clean water to drink, don’t have food to eat, and don’t have a roof over their head. This helps me not get too high when things are humming and not get too low when things don’t seem to in my favor.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coloradopowerwash.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColoradoPowerWash-qs3bh