Inspired by Bodhi (@irentdumpsters). Original post: easy-entry businesses have bad margins; licensed trades hold price. This is a new Tygart article for restoration contractors. We kept the mechanism, added first-party field knowledge, and did not reprint the thread.
Pressure washing is easy to start, so everyone starts it, so price becomes the product. The better home-service bets are the ones that require a license. Mold in the walls is not a Facebook-marketplace job. The homeowner pays the licensed crew and rarely negotiates in a smaller market.
Restoration has both layers. Unlicensed “we dry houses” crews will always undercut a Category 1 extract. That is not your race. IICRC S500/S520, state mold licenses, documented meters, and a paper trail the adjuster can read are why a 2 a.m. sewage job does not get three quotes.
Put the credentials on the pin, the header, and the service page. Then do the work those credentials claim. Price holds when the alternative looks like a shop vac and a prayer.