With the arrival of the new year, take a moment and review the best business and industry insights of portable restroom operators of the past year. Each nugget of industry wisdom has been panned out of a 2023 cover profile for your examination. Associated profiles have also been linked for additional reading pleasure. Happy reading!
Capitalize on your niche
“Brian asked me what would be a good segue and I said there’s a niche for luxury portable restrooms,” says Marisa Manna Ferrell, owner of The Posh Privy in Healdsburg, California. “We noodled on it, Brian wrote up a business plan and then we contracted a company to build a trailer — and now we have 22.”
The Crew at The Posh Privy Proves the White Glove Treatment for Upscale Customers in PRO January 2023
Ask for help to find balance
“The consulting firm helped us realize we can take a step back and entrust people to run things,” says Aricca Wallace, the owner of Cat Cans Portable Services in Manhattan, Kansas. “It’s better to work to live, not live to work — take time to enjoy the perks that come with running your own business.”
Cat Cans Shows Its Kansas State Wildcats Colors to Build Goodwill in the Community in PRO February 2023
Set and maintain standards
“Adam and I always want to be out doing the servicing, meeting the customers, creating those relationships,” says Megan Wilson, owner of Ray’s Sanitation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “That’s why we don’t do many large events. Plus, the larger the event the more people there are and the harder it is to keep the units clean. We are very picky and have a standard for how we want them to be.”
Megan and Adam Wilson Worked Their Way Up to Ownership and Continue to Build a Successful Portable Sanitation Business in PRO March 2023
Know when to set limits
“We’re trying to get closer to home. We’re very rural here in West Virginia, and sometimes we were finding ourselves traveling quite a bit just to service a handful of units,” says Chip Herrald, general manager of Crosier’s Inc. in Lansing, West Virginia.
“Companies that operate in big urban centers, they can get hundreds of units in a 2-mile radius of their shop. Given our service area, 40 to 50 on a route is a good number. But we had been traveling 80 miles and servicing only 20 units. It wasn’t cost-effective.”
Placing 1,000 Restrooms at a Boy Scout Jamboree Is a Major Challenge for This Small PRO in PRO April 2023
Diversify to fill seasonal slumps
“Now we’re expanding into the southeast states to add some diversity and be less dependent on one region of the country,” says Tim Butler, chairman of A Royal Flush in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “When business in the northeast slows down during winter, we have the ability to move assets down south and take advantage of the better climate down there.
“Then we move the assets back up when things slow down in the South during the hot summer months.”
The Best Days are Ahead for Connecticut's A Royal Flush in PRO May 2023
Build relationships
“To begin with, every day that I wasn’t servicing those units, I was out trying to sell more service contracts,” recalls Bucky Potter, owner of Potter’s Potties in Warrenton, Virginia. “I made a point of remembering the name of each new client, who they were and the conversation we had.”
Potter believes the early traction the company enjoyed was the result of personal connection, with the same person who priced each contract servicing the unit and taking full responsibility for it. “As we’ve grown, I’m not necessarily the person who completes the work, but it taught me an important lesson about building personal relationships in the industry,” he says.
Take 5 ... With Bucky Potter in PRO June 2023
Practice brand loyalty
“People ask me why I don’t shop around,” says Michael Viramontes owner of The Lavatory in Fresno, California. “I ask them if they would rather have a lot of acquaintances or one good friend who returns your loyalty. I can call Lang on a Saturday night and someone will help me.”
The Young Owner of The Lavatory Ditched Vents for Trailers. He Has No Regrets. in PRO July 2023
Bank on reputation
“There’s something to be said for being your own boss,” says Chad Ness, owner of Ness Pumping Service & Porta-Potty Rentals in Waukon, Iowa. “And we offer a very good service. We’re well known in a lot of areas because of that and the cleanliness of our toilets.”
Dad, Mom, and All the Kids Play Key Roles to Grow the Wastewater Business in PRO August 2023
Efficiency matters
“We’re always looking for the most efficient way to get jobs done,” says Joey Stoddard, co-owner of Orange County Pottys in Orlando, Florida. “If we can do the same amount of work in less time, we do it. If we can clean toilets more efficiently and at a lower cost, and keep our equipment costs lower, we can pay our guys better.
“From what we hear, we pay more than our competitors, and higher pay reduces turnover,” he continues. “Turnover costs you money, so if you can prevent turnover by treating guys right and paying them well, you’ll make more money in the long term.”
Slinging Portable Restrooms Offer Many Advantages Over Traditional Plumbing for This Florida Father-and-Son Team in PRO September 2023
Listen to customers
"We truly listen to what customers need,” Lori Dooley, co-owner of TLC Services in Belgrade, Montana. “We also educate customers about how many units they’re actually going to need, which benefits both them and the users. Their employees are happy because they have clean restrooms and our employees are happy because units aren’t destroyed from overuse.”
As for marketing, Dooley says the company never had to do much advertising because clean restrooms do the talking. “Most of our business comes from word-of-mouth referrals,” she says. “Contractors talk.”
Wes and Lori Dooley Take a One-Stop Shop Approach to Serving Construction Clientele in PRO October 2023
Think tactically
“Then [the territory manager] syncs up with the operations manager and the dispatch manager,” says Jason Christie, vice president of PortaPros in Nampa, Idaho. “He lets them know, ‘This is what I need for these days,’ and then they put together the logistics for people, trucks and products.”
Solid Planning and a Clean, Green Approach Will Make Your Next Festival a Success in PRO November 2023
Market to win
“You have to have a website. It needs to have your keywords, pictures and contact information. It needs to build trust with your customers, especially as a new company,” says Hannah Baker, owner of Philadelphia Event Rentals of North Wales, Pennsylvania. “They’re giving you significant money for a restroom, so it needs to be very professional.”
Hannah Baker Shares Her Tips for PROs Just Starting Out in PRO December 2023
