Terry Auguiste: The passion for Clean Masters is to help people

His passion for one job introduced him to entrepreneurship by opening his eyes to a specific problem and creating the tools needed to address such situations.

Terry Auguiste, the owner of Clean Masters Professional Power Washing Services, is also a professional fireman. He told The Sun he created this enterprise directly from his primary line of work.

"When we would go on calls, I noticed people's houses, especially the pavement, stairs, and walkways were very slippery," Auguiste said. "So, I started doing pressure washing as a side gig - to earn some money - and for people to have clean surfaces in their surroundings."

The business has been around for a year and a few months, though Auguiste began power washing before that. As the days, weeks, and months moved on, his clientele expanded to homeowners and business places.

Terry said the journey of entrepreneurship is one of continuous evolution and education.

"It has been a learning process for sure because there is a lot to do with business while my formal job is firefighting and saving lives," Auguiste shared. "In terms of business, I did not do any training in school, so it was a hard learning curve, especially with record keeping and other administrative matters."

And that has proven to be the most challenging element of owning Clean Masters Power Washing Services.

"For me, it is record keeping," he said. "Doing the job and getting assignments is easier than record keeping, monitoring the funds coming in and going out, etc. It is not something I am accustomed to doing because I have no formal business background."

This proprietor has also come to terms with the ebb and flow of the industry in that there may be a surplus of jobs in a week followed by a drought activity. However, Auguiste says, "That just requires more business promotion. But my team and I are always trying to improve our services as much as possible from the lessons we have learnt."

On that note, Terry says the job's most satisfactory aspect is his customers' reaction.

"Seeing the smile on my clients' faces shows they are satisfied with the job; it was well done and delivered on time. Meeting clients halfway through the price is a good plan when things are financially tight for them. The smile is the most rewarding. The monetary part is secondary," Auguiste said.

As far as local support goes, Terry sees room for improvement on that front but commended what already exists in terms of grants, loans, and the purchasing power of the public.

Auguiste firmly believes more should be done to expose the multitude of goods and services which locally-grown companies produce. That way, entrepreneurs will be encouraged to be on the right path.

"Recently, I attended a fair in the Stadium forecourt; more of those public events should be held where people can come and see what we have to offer," he said. "Give the public a chance to experience what entrepreneurs have, and they [the public], in turn, can assist us by supporting our products and services."

Terry has his strategy to garner greater support for his business as he looks to grow in the future.

"The idea is to do more promotion so we can expand and not only work in Roseau and environs," he said. "We plan to expand and get more equipment and services because it is more than just pavement and concrete surfaces that need cleaning. Some places require brush cutting and things like that, so we are thinking of adding that to our catalogue of services."

Regardless of the difficulties, Auguiste encourages all who want to become entrepreneurs not to be deterred.

"Go ahead and do it," he said. "If you have a dream, a goal, there is no perfect timing; just go ahead. Put your goals on paper and take the first step."