PROmonthly.com is honoring World Portable Sanitation Day and World Toilet Day (Nov. 19) all week long. Here, we’ve rounded up sage advice and industry hot takes from your fellow portable restroom operators. Share your own thoughts in the comments below.
On starting out
“If I could go back, I’d ask 10 times more questions. There’s not a lot of how-to’s online so it’s been people who are willing to impart knowledge, which has been really awesome. I’m thankful that the industry is a community of generous folks willing to give their time and knowledge.” -Christopher Bradbury, Christopher Bradbury Longs for Self-Employment, Turns to Portable Sanitation
“I had no intention of getting into the business, but then I started working alongside my dad and enjoyed it, so things grew from there. The best part about it is the relationships you build with customers — you really get to know them well over the years. It’s also a gratifying business because every day it seems like you’re working toward something.” -Kalla Taylor, Customer Care, Clean Equipment and Marketing Savvy Sell Restrooms
Forward-thinking green
“Our whole industry is based on ensuring the proper treatment of wastewater.” -Bucky Potter, Take 5 ... With Bucky Potter
“We collect all the rainwater off the roof. It goes into the gutters then to the tanks. That is what we use to wash our equipment, the trucks, tents. It’s also used for cleaning the inside of the toilets and for charging them up.
“Every morning, when there’s a heavy dew, as the sun comes out, you can hear that water running in the tanks. If you figured up your square footage, it’s crazy how many gallons of water you can get off a roof. You’d be really surprised. A one-inch rain would fill all our tanks.” -Chad Ness, Dad, Mom, and All the Kids Play Key Roles to Grow the Wastewater Business
Unsung positives of portable sanitaiton
“We’re a family-owned business and we try to treat people the way that we like to be treated. That’s the way I’ve built my business. That’s the way I was raised by my mom and dad, and I’ve passed it on to my kids and that’s a good heritage.” -Johnny Mize, It’s Not all Fun in the Sun
“It’s something that’s not glamorous. You don’t have kids graduating from college saying, ‘I’m going to do this,’ but it’s necessary. It’s necessary and it’s not going to get replaced by the next iPhone release.” -Philip Elliott, Peachy Portable Potties Stakes Its Claim in Fast-Growing North Georgia
Can-do spirit
“We truly listen to what customers need. 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.” -Lori Dooley, Wes and Lori Dooley Take a One-Stop Shop Approach to Serving Construction Clientele
“If you’re resourceful, you will find a way to make things happen. Every week, I run into problems I did not anticipate, and I don’t know how to solve. I have no one to ask how to fix them, yet they all get fixed. It’s just being able to locate sources for finding answers and asking for help, because there are answers out there for everything.” -Hannah Baker, Hannah Baker Shares Her Tips for PROs Just Starting Out
