We love engaging with customers and other Westermann enthusiasts on social media – seeing small businesses and the people on the ground doing the work themselves in their day-to-day championing Westermann machines brings us so much joy.
We recently discovered fellow Yorkshireman Tom of Clogged Gutters exactly like this. After seeing his videos on social media using the Westermann WR870 Moss Brush and WKB330 Weed Ripper for his business, we knew we wanted to find out more about what drew him to investing in these machines. So, we sat down with him recently to do just that!
Clogged Gutters was established in 2018 by Tom after he left the Army. He was looking for an opportunity to be his own boss and, after seeing similar UK businesses that specialised in gutter clearing, Tom decided that that was the path he wanted to go down. He invested in a Skyvac guttering and pressure washing package and from there, Clogged Gutters was born.
After a couple of years of grinding, work was finally starting to pick up. However, when COVID hit and everything came to a standstill, Tom was left to ponder the next steps for the business. After seeing various clips on different Facebook groups of contractors using Westermann machines, he did some research and considered if it might be time to invest in one as an alternative to his existing services.
Although the business is marketed as predominantly guttering, from early on Tom was also offering pressure washing services for cleaning hard surfaces like patios and driveways alongside the gutter work, so a Westermann made sense as something to add on to the business.
Tom saw value in the Westermann as an alternative or add-on to his pressure washing business for a few reasons. For one, he found that not every customer wants their driveway pressure washing in the first place, whether that be due to having a fragile driveway surface such as tarmac or sand-brushed patios, or having concerns about the amount of water used.
He also found that some customers, much like himself, were not satisfied with the after effects of pressure washing – namely the sludgy build-up of mucky water that still needs removing after the clean, and the potential for that muck to spray off and dirty nearby walls and even cars. When talking with one customer, he discovered that they’d gotten in touch with him after having a bad experience with a different business prior that had “sprayed absolute muck everywhere, sprayed up all the walls”. The aftermath had been so bad that the owner of that business had had to come out and rectify the situation themself. Tom then made a point – rather than just pressure washing the driveway, which the customer initially still wanted – of bringing the Westermanns over for the job. Another positive of the job was that once the neighbour saw the power of the Westermann first-hand, they immediately wanted their driveway cleaning too!
Now, kitted out with his Skyvac pressure washer system, V-TUF steam cleaner and Westermann machines, Tom usually finds that a combination of the dry cleaning power of the Westermann finished off with either a light pressure wash or steam clean is the winning formula that keeps his customers coming back. Being able to diversify his services in this way has meant multiple jobs – and therefore more income – from his existing customer base, which is never a bad thing.
One unique marketing device that Tom has had on his side through his Clogged Gutters journey is actually his own driveway. His block paving driveway wasn’t built correctly, so with no membrane underneath there’s nothing to stop pesky weeds from rearing their heads between the paving slabs, especially during the summer months. Because of this, Tom is regularly working to maintain his own property as well as his customer’s. However, initially a curse, it’s now become somewhat of a blessing, as it gives him the opportunity to inadvertently demonstrate what the Westermann is capable of, live for the locals.
“I make a point of having to do it every couple of months, especially during the summer. You find, because I live on a street in the middle of my town, people are always walking up and down it and they all go, ‘Ooh, what's this?’, because you can see all the dust and that flying off the drive. But people's inquisitive nature, they go, ‘Oh, that's nice’. And then lo and behold, about a week, two weeks, sometimes a month later, you get, ‘Oh, can you come and clean? I saw you the other week doing it’.”
So, if another contractor was looking at buying these machines, what advice would Tom give to them?
“I would say probably don't be like me and keep thinking about it over and over, 'cause you do just overthink things and all the rest of it. You know your business, you know what jobs you take on, and if you look at it and go ‘good idea’ - I would say buy it. It's a corny thing to say, but you literally won't look back.”
Based in Northallerton, Clogged Gutters covers all of North Yorkshire and specialises in gutter clearing and property maintenance, equipment hire, patio cleaning and restoration. If you’re looking for reliable outdoor maintenance services in the North Yorkshire area, then get in touch by emailing Tom at cloggedguttersuk@gmail.com or calling 07757 229897. You can also follow Clogged Gutters on Facebook and Instagram, or check out their website here.
SPA Machinery has been a UK and Ireland distributor for Westermann since 2018. To order your own Westermann products or to find out more information, check out the product pages on our website at or give us a call on 0114 269 9119.