Billy Blackmon Jr. is the owner of Florence-based business Carolina Strut Professional Exterior Cleaning. His services center on pressure washing and soft washing homes, plus driveway cleaning and more. But he doesn’t describe the business as a “pressure washing company.”
He describes it as something broader: an exterior-cleaning solution for anything outside. That mindset is also why Carolina Strut expanded into lawn care and junk removal — with the goal of becoming the No. 1 company to call for exterior work.
When winter arrives and exterior demand slows, Blackmon doesn’t want downtime. He wants options. In his view, lawn care and junk removal keep the business moving instead of forcing him to “sit at home.”
The leap that changed everything started from a foundation of planning and patience. He began the business while working his IT programming job for 10 years. He said he started Carolina Strut on the side for extra income — “golf money,” as he put it.
But after two years, the side hustle became the real thing. With entrepreneurship, control is back in his hands. He can make his own schedule and build his life around it instead of asking permission — which is one of the perks of ownership.
When asked what makes Carolina Strut unique, Blackmon pointed to the standout: the approach and results, especially with pressure washing and soft washing.
He said the company is primarily known through Google as a pressure washing and soft washing company. But his differentiation is the professionalism of the method — because he believes people don’t realize that exterior cleaning isn’t interchangeable.
His biggest challenge as a business owner is undercutting — the operators who charge too little and cut corners.
He described “dudes” starting part-time without insurance, damaging customers’ property, and charging around a hundred bucks while presenting it as if they do the same work as a professional exterior cleaning company.
In Billy’s view, that’s where trust breaks down, and where customers misunderstand why pricing varies.
He explained that Carolina Strut uses professional AR-45 soft wash machines. He also described a solution process using 12.5 percent bleach through a proportioner system with solvent, designed to eliminate algae and help results last up to five years without damage to the house. That’s why he believes the job costs more: it’s not just spraying. It’s doing it the right way, for the right results.
His advice to anyone looking to start in this business is blunt:
Go about it the right way and have insurance.
Because you’re working on someone’s home. He shares, “Customers trust you with their property, so a business owner needs to treat that home like it’s their own.”
He also stresses mindset: you can’t treat the job like it’s “just a dollar.” If you do, you’re in the wrong business.
His vision is to scale into something more than a local operation.
In five years, he sees Carolina Strut becoming at least a six-figure company, and ideally a million-dollar company. The end goal is to make it a brand that stretches across the entire state of South Carolina and not just local to the Florence area.
Carolina Strut is a business built on control, quality, and responsibility. It began as side income, became full-time after two years, and then expanded because Billy understands seasons — and expects to handle them instead of being trapped by them.
He combats undercutting with professionalism, insurance, and a method that he believes protects customers’ homes. And he markets through proof: cameras, photos, and visibility across multiple platforms.
In Billy Blackmon Jr.’s words, the work isn’t only about making the outside look better. It’s about building something legitimate — one exterior at a time.
To connect with Carolina Strut Professional Exterior Cleaning to get a free quote, reach out to him through either call or text at 843-616-6562.
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