Cleaning Business Owners - Are You Happy?

This week I had the privilege of seeing Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos talk about his company's culture and how Zappos became famous world-wide for providing a memorable customer experience through customer service.

But it was the end of his presentation that really caught my attention. Here he talked about what makes us happy, and it occurred to me that most of us are chasing carrots. You know what I mean -- dangling the carrot in front of the horse's nose so he's always focused on chasing immediate gratification. 

Tony calls this type of happiness Rock Star (always chasing the next high). If you're a cleaning business owner it might be something like, "if only I could make a half a million in sales I'd be happy, (or a million, or whatever that  number is for you). Or "when I achieve _____, I will be happy". But are you really happy when you've reached that goal? Or are you now on to the next carrot?

The next stage of happiness is called Flow (engagement - time flies). During this stage of happiness you are more engaged in what you are doing and time just seems to fly by. Isn't it fun when business is booming and cash is flowing into the company? Yes, you're happier, but not quite there yet. Suddenly you need to hire more people to handle the extra business and the quality of work starts to slip... Is happiness only fleeting?

The third stage of happiness is called Meaning/Higher Purpose (being part of something bigger than yourself). Ahh, now it's starting to make sense! When have you truly felt happy in your life? Was it when you did something that had meaning or a higher purpose than your own self-gratification? Is it any wonder that people who do charitable work seem so happy? It's no coincidence.

Tony Tsieh discovered that when he defined his company values and culture, it translated into happy employees and customer satisfaction. Suddenly he was a part of something bigger than himself. If you could create your own company culture and transform it into something bigger than yourself, would it make you happy?

Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Comments

[Shawn W]

I am so glad that this issue was addressed :) I witness too many times, especially in the franchised companies where cleaning is JUST A JOB! If you do something you truly love, your business will do well. The care + extras that are included with your daily regiment are a true sign that you care about your client's needs! That referral will spread like wild fire. I get so much enjoyment from making a difference in people's lives!

[Jean Hanson]

Thanks for sharing Shawn. A lot of people go into business to create a job for themselves as you pointed out. But if that's the way you see your business, it's almost doomed to failure. I'm happy to see you are so passionate about your business and get so much enjoyment from making a difference. That is what it's all about!

[B. Ashley]

My business brings me an incredible sense of satisfaction. It’s great knowing that my company provides to my community a high quality service with a strong sense of commitment and support. More importantly, it’s an honor knowing that the company provides my employees not only a paycheck but the opportunity to serve others. In return they receive appreciation for their work as well as personal satisfaction knowing that each day they had the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. I see this happening everyday – how cool is that?!

[ejendomsservice]

Hi

Im glad I found this post. Im having a janitorcompany in Denmark. Yes this job can be the most satisfying, because its a good honest job and people really appriciate what you do.

Looking forward to follow the rest of your post !