Ladder safety – why this is part of our niche.

Every good business needs a niche. Something they do particularly well or specific to their business/industry that sets them apart from the crowd.

Now, it would seem pretty obvious that a part of our niche is that vacuum clean gutters, not do them by hand.  Cleaning gutters with a vacuum is not only more efficient, it is also more effective.  We don’t make a mess and we take away all the debris (although some customers like to keep it for mulch!).

But we also have some less obvious niches within our business.

Safety is a big one.  Working at heights is a huge niche that many of our customers want but also need, in particular our commercial customers.  Working with full safety gear and being full trained and insured to work at heights is sometimes an absolutely must for our customers.

There is a smaller part to this that many people overlook but is a real part of our niche and that is ladder safety.

Did you know that most falls from a roof are actually a fall from the ladder, not the roof?  It is true.

I often tell the franchisees that our competition is anyone with two hands, a bucket and a ladder, but that being said, this is not only an ineffective way to clean gutters, it is a highly UNSAFE way to clean gutters.  Worse still, our competition may be the home owner themselves thinking that they can simply do the job themselves with a bucket and a ladder.

A fall from a ladder can be life changing… and not in a good way.  Ladders that are not secured correctly can easily slip – with someone on them.  Ladders not positioned on a stable base can easily move or fall – with someone on them.  Incorrect ladder technique (yes, this is a thing) for how to climb, stand and get on and off the ladder can also cause an issue.

One of our favourite lines in our marketing is ‘Don’t risk a fall, give Gutter-Vac a call’ because it highlights a part of our niche – safety!

Gutter-Vac appears from the outside to be a very simple business and it is, but there are so many little things – such as a ladder safety niche – that once highlighted do nothing but strengthen our business and help our customers.