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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.

Is the REAL Money in Commercial or Residential Cleaning?

This question has come up occasionally from both residential and commercial cleaners. People in residential cleaning hear there is more money to be made in commercial cleaning and to a certain degree this is true; primarily because commercial cleaning companies can grow to a tremendous size - in the tens and hundreds of millions in sales a year. Many of the most successful residential cleaning companies have grown to $2 to $5 million a year in sales. To do more than this in residential cleaning is rare. So from a sales perspective, yes, it is feasible to make more money in commercial cleaning.

But what is your definition of "REAL" money? Is it making $100,000 a year? $150,000 a year? $300,000 a year? ...more?

Here is something to consider that is besides the idea of how much money you can make in a cleaning business, no matter what kind of cleaning business you own. When we had our first really successful year in terms of income, it hit us that the old statement "money can't make you happy" is very true. We were finally making the kind of money we had always dreamed of, yet we were so stressed out that we couldn't take the time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Yes, our company was growing, but we didn't take the time to automate our business so it could run smoothly without us being there every single day. Because our company depended on us so much, we had a hard time taking time off and enjoying life. Sound familiar?

So what do I mean by automating your business? I'm talking about putting systems into place for everything you do in your business -- from hiring to training to home/building inspections to scheduling work. Yes, we had a policy manual that covered many of these things, and yes, we had certain systems in place. But what we did NOT do was document, step-by-step, each of these systems so that our key employees could duplicate what we did without us being there. This is where the REAL money is, because as you put systems into place you'll find you're spending less time spent fixing mistakes, handling complaints, and writing up poor performing employees. Instead you'll have more time to enjoy the lifestyle you really want to live because your company is learning to run without your constant presence.

You can certainly make REAL money in whatever type of business you choose - residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, carpet cleaning or selling widgets! The key is to choose a business you are passionate about and then systematize everything you do to maintain consistency throughout your company so your business can grow successfully. Before you know it, you'll not only make "real" money, but you'll be enjoying the lifestyle you've been dreaming about.

Please share your thoughts about this post by clicking on the Comments link below.

How to Deal With Burnout

A cleaning business owner asked:
How is every one dealing with burn out? I had a business owner tell me that in about five years you might get burned out. How do you deal with that, especially as a small cleaning business owner where I do so much myself?

The following advice was offered by another cleaning business owner:
The best way to avoid tomorrow's burn out is to manage today's stress. If you find yourself in a stressful situation, take a walk, listen to some music, take a snack break, just remove yourself from the situation for awhile and clear your mind. Sometimes stress is as much about the environment you find yourself in as it is about the actual problem you are facing. Deal with whatever is stressing you directly, analyze it, create a solution(s) and take action. Avoid running away from the problem, this is only a temporary fix. If something comes up, resolve it quickly. We are our own worst enemies and indecision is often the worst of all habits. Get your problems out of the way, you will feel a lot better for it. We beat ourselves up for mistakes, why not reward ourselves a little for our success? A lot of times the difference between stress and satisfaction is how we look at things.

I added my thoughts on burnout:
You really do have to be careful about burnout when you own a business. It gets in your blood and if you're not careful it will take over your life. But if you don't take it seriously and devote the necessary time to it, chances are it will fail. So there's a careful balance that you need to maintain in order to keep from burning out.

I believe the real key is to find the right people to help you. In the beginning you probably need to wear all the hats. But as time goes on and you get busier, you simply can't do it all yourself. And how will you every be able to take time off when YOU are the business? You need to find a way to have some personal time and time with your family.

You should always be on the lookout for a person (or people) that you feel is trustworthy, dependable, and could fill your shoes for a few days. If you hire them, give them a lot of detailed training. Once you feel they're working well on their own, start giving them small tests to see how well they do with making decisions. Take a night off and let them handle things. Gradually start extricating yourself from the day-to-day so that eventually you're able to take several days or even a week off without totally stressing out.

Dealing with burnout is something we all have to deal with eventually. How you choose to deal with it will decide if you can work your way out of it to continue running your business successfully or whether you decide to bail...

How do YOU deal with burnout? Click on the Comments link below to share your thoughts.

How to Keep a Positive Mental Attitude

When you own a cleaning business, it can be challenging at times to keep a positive mental attitude. We've all been there; you come into the office in the morning and feel like you're being bombarded with problems -- someone's office didn't get cleaned last night, customers calling with complaints, an employee quit without notice, etc, etc. It's at times like these that we wonder how some people always seem to keep a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity.

Yes, some people are just naturally positive, but most of us have to work at it. And yes, you CAN keep a positive mental attitude when you learn to shift your thinking. Here are some tips:

• Surround yourself with positive people. That includes family, friends, colleagues and the people you hire.
• Stay away from negative people and negative situations. If the news bothers you, turn it off.
• Read positive books and listen to positive or inspirational CD's when traveling between jobs or when relaxing at home.
• When you talk to people, consciously talk in a positive way. Say, "yes, I can" instead of "no, I can't".
• Believe that you can achieve your goals. If you don't believe it or if you let the negative people around you convince you that you can't, it will never happen.
• Consciously work at keeping a positive mental attitude every day. Yes, you will have negative things still happen, but don't dwell on it. Take care of the problem and move on to more positive things.
• Keep in mind that when you show others your positive attitude, you can change their attitude - it's catchy just like a negative attitude is catchy.
• Start each day by reading for 10 or 20 minutes from a positive, inspirational book and let it carry you through the day. It will become habit forming.

What do YOU do to keep a positive mental attitude? Post your reply by clicking on the Comments link below.

More on Cleaning "Bid" vs Cleaning "Proposal"

We recently posted an article called Do You Offer Cleaning Bids or Cleaning Proposals?

This is a sore spot for a member of The Janitorial Store. He had this to say about Bid vs Proposal:

At one of my accounts there is a 24 yr old studying computer "stuff" as I call it because it is a world I'm not familiar with. Anyway he approached me and said hey, I'll get this certificate soon and that certification, etc etc. But what he said next really irked me. "So if you know anybody who needs their computer fixed, I'll do it for 1/2 of what Best Buy or Circuit City or the others do it for - spread the word."

I asked simply, "Why?"

"Why do you feel that you should get 50% of the same job that somebody else will do at twice your price? Are you only half as qualified? Is your work half as good? Are you desperate? Are you just looking to make some quick money?"

He looked at me like "what an a-hole." I said "Hey, I'm trying to help you. Better you hear this from me now than be miserable doing all kinds of work at half the pay.

I explained that it's great when you start out and you're not sure about things to get a job at any price, do good work and have something to show for it but as you grow you will get trapped into being "the guy who's cheap"

In my business, I make proposals. I hand them a 10-12 page proposal, yet I see a lot of my competition giving one-sentence bids. I call it "bidding in my inner circle" as the word bid is dominating, but I act as if I'm the only one for the job, I work the numbers as such and I don't care if I'm way over or way under as long as I get my price.

In one of my accounts, I clean the president's office. I like this motto he has pinned up in his office - "build relationships, not low bids"

What are your thoughts? Are you willing to slash your price in half and turn in "bids" just to get the work? Click on the Comments link below.

Do You Really Want a Successful Cleaning Business?

We've owned two cleaning businesses that we felt were quite successful. However our definition of successful may not be the same as someone else's definition of successful. It really doesn't matter, does it? What matters is that we knew what we wanted, we went after it and succeeded.

How many people say, I want this and I want that, but never seem to get what they want? They may blame it on bad luck or bad breaks, but I have a hunch they just didn't want it bad enough. I have learned to dream big and go after what I want. If I don't do it, no one else is going to hand it to me on a silver platter.

Here is a quote from an unkown author that I read every so often when I really want something, or have a dream that I want to see fulfilled:

If you really want it, you will have it. If it means enough to you, it will happen.

For if you really want it, you will find a way. You'll stop making excuses and start making it real.

The obstacles you encounter are not there to prevent you from reaching your goal. The obstacles are there to make sure you really want it.

When you really want it, you'll find away around, under, above or through each one of those obstacles. And as you do, you'll be literally creating the value of what you intend to achieve.

When you really want it enough, it is in many ways already yours. Full and complete attainment then becomes a matter of going through the motions and following a path that leads surely there.

Decide what you really want, and be careful what you decide upon. For when you truly want it, you will make it so.

Do you really want a successful cleaning business? Are you willing to do the hard work to make it happen? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Do You Have Too Much Credit Card Debt to Start a Cleaning Business?

I was watching Suze Orman on Oprah the other day and she was giving advice on how to pay down credit card debt. She said there's no point in trying to save money if you're in debt right now. You need to change your priority and focus on paying down the credit cards first, and THEN start saving.

This got me thinking about all the people out there trying to start a new cleaning business. Whether you are thinking about starting or are in the beginning stages of your business, you need to have cash available to grow the business. But if you've got credit card debt and little or no savings, how do you expect to pay your bills and grow the business at the same time?

If you haven't started yet, I suggest you listen to Suze and get your personal finances in order first, and THEN get started with your business. Here's how she suggests you pay off credit card debt. First, you line up all your credit cards by the interest rate charged. Once you know this, you know which cards you need to pay off first.

Next you start making the minimum payment on all the cards EXCEPT for the card with the highest interest rate. On that card you'll pay extra - as much as you can possibly afford. Once you have that card paid off, you take the entire amount you've been paying on that card (including the exrtra amount), and start paying off the next highest interest rate card. Once you've paid that off you move to the next card and take the entire amount you paid on the first AND second card and apply it all towards the third card. And you continue paying the debt this way untill all cards have been paid off.

Once your cards are paid off, you then take all that money you were paying on debt and start putting it into a savings account. If you were paying $400 a month towards you credit cards, you can now put that money into a savings account and you'll have $4800 in savings after a year, which sould be enough to buy the equipment and supplies you need to start your cleaning business, plus have some left for cash flow.

Are YOU struggling with your financial situation while trying to start a cleaning business? Please share your thoughts and any suggestions you might have for others in the same situation by clicking on the Comments link below.

What's Holding You Back At The Start Of 2009?

Today is New Year's Day and I woke up and realized that the dream I just had, was a message from my subconscious. Sometimes I have some strange dreams and can't make sense out of them. But this time the message seemed very clear.

I was dreaming about being a little bit lost while trying to get home. I was wandering around, trying to get my bearings, feeling a bit scared and overwhelmed. That's because I knew that home was a long ways away (several miles), and it would take me a while to get there since I was on foot. Now if you know me, you know that when I walk I like to walk FAST (I think it's due to all those years working in retail, rushing all over the store all day long). So in my dream, I kept trying to walk faster but I just couldn't seem to do it!  It felt like I was trying to walk in a swimming pool - you know, that feeling of the water holding you back.

When I woke up I suddenly realized that the dream was a metaphor for something holding me back from where I wanted to go! In 2008 I had SO many things I wanted to accomplish but it always seemed that just when I was on the brink of finishing something I started, something else suddenly came up to keep from getting things done. More and more things kept piling up until I felt completely overwhelmed and had a hard time moving forward.

Have you ever had that feeling that something is holding you back from accomplishing your dream? What is it for you? Fear? Maybe you're afraid to quit your full time job to work on your cleaning business full time. Or maybe your business is taking off and you're still doing all the cleaning yourself when you KNOW that you need to hire employees if you don't want your business to stagnate.

For me, it was getting more help, putting better systems into place, and releasing some of the tasks that I felt I had to do myself. Yes, you really CAN let someone else do some of the things that (in your mind) only you can do. I still have a ways to go, but I feel that I finally have some breathing room that will allow me to reach my goals for 2009. No more letting outside influences hold me back!

What is it that's holding your back and what can you do to move closer to your dreams for 2009? Click on the Comments link below to share your thoughts.

Do You Make a Good Leader For Your Cleaning Company?

When you own a cleaning company, its success will partially depend on your ability to lead your employees. In order to be a good leader you must possess certain qualities. Some of these qualities may come naturally to you and some you may have to work on. So what makes a good leader?

1. Communication skills. If you don't communicate well with your employees you'll struggle with everything from training to giving feedback to complimenting a job well done.   
2. Integrity. Good leaders are honest, they hold themselves and others to a higher standard, and they're trustworthy. People like to follow leaders with integrity.  
3. Enthusiasm. You as the leader of your team needs to be enthusiastic about your business and the services you provide. After all, if YOU are not enthusiastic about the business, why should your employees be? When you lead with enthusiasm you inspire your employees to become better at what they do. 
4. Responsibility. A good leader takes responsibility for his/her own actions and those of the team. Being responsible means you don't point fingers. Instead you take time to solve the problem with your employee(s) and then work on additional training. 
5. Confidence. A good leader is confident in his or her ability to lead, which is important because you must believe in yourself in order to get through the difficult times. Being confident does not mean being boastful or egotistical though. Rather, it means confidently leading with humility.
6. Accepts change. Change is inevitable and the best leaders accept this and embrace change. Then they find the best ways to introduce change to their employees in order to make a smooth transition.

There are other qualities that make a good leader. Please add your thoughts to the list. Click on the Comments link below to post your ideas.

VIDEO: Doing Your Best, by Jeffrey Gitomer

I love how Jeffrey Gitomer tells it like it is. Check out this video if you really want to be successful: