Learning to Let go

I apologize for not posting for so long but there have been some major changes going on with me and my company.
For one I have been diagnosed as the proud father of a bouncing baby ulcer. I won't go into details on everything but let's just say I have been forced to slow down in my day to day operations and have been making changes to move me to a more "hands off" role in the cleaning. Also i have had to make changes in my diet and lifestyle as well. I don't drink or smoke or anything but the days of eating pretty much what I want are gone. Plus I'm a worrier. Just ask my wife. I drive her crazy with my obsessing about problems...so with the rotten diet,crazy hours and my constant worrying - it's no surprise it's come to this.

The good news is my employees and ops assistant have really stepped up and are handling things so that I may stay home at least 3 nights a week. Which has really helped my health in that I am getting more sleep and not just working myself in the ground. Plus I am eating at home more and not eating junk while I'm out working.

This has all been a major transition for me and I ask for your prayers and good thoughts as we make this life change. It is hard after eight years to start letting go when I have been involved intimately in the day to day cleaning and operations and trust someone else to handle it for me. That has been the biggest hurdle. I just pray God continues to bless me with good people and plenty of work to keep things rolling. Now that I will have more time, I am going to be focusing on building business and doing other things - including spending more time with my wife and kids.

If you have been put in a similar situation as mine I would love to hear any tips, comments, or observations that you had in making your transition in your life. Thanks for reading!

Through the eyes of a child...

I took my family to dinner tonight at a local restaurant and my six year old daughter was looking at the light fixtures and she asked me how much they cost. I told her I didn't know. The fixture in question was a ship made from some kind of glass. It was an attractive piece and looked very nice when lit up with some built in lighting.
My daughter said " I bet it cost $10,000!" I told her I thought that may be a bit high - but I'm not in the lighting business so who knows...
My daughter then pointed to the light at our table, which was also made of glass and said - "I bet that costs $100 and I bet that boat costs $10,000."

I thought it was interesting her perception of value. If you ask a child how much something costs - I will bet you good money they will ALWAYS give a price well above what the item is worth. Children just see more value in something than adults. I think really due to what they see on TV or in a catalog. They are led to believe they just cannot live another day without this game or toy, etc. from the commercials and ads. (Chalk one up for marketers -eh?)Then as they get older, children see that things are not worth what they thought as a child. I guess you could call that getting "worldly-wise".

Anyway, I thought that was interesting and wanted to share. More later...

Auld Lang Syne

Well, it's the last day of 2007 and I apologize for not posting until now but with the holidays and just trying to keep things moving along - my blog has suffered. I hope your 2007 was good both business and personal wise and I wish all of you a safe,happy and prosperous New Year for 2008.
Now is the time to make yourself start that business, make more money, or whatever your New Year's resolution is - NOW is the time to put it into motion.Mine is going to be to reduce debt and increase income.
Anyway, I want to wish my best on all of you who read and post and may God bless you in the coming year. Happy New Year!

The Six Reasons People Clean

I read an article in ICS Cleaning Specialist mag about the six reasons people clean.
I did know them but never took the time to think about them. Howard Partridge, a seminar presenter for the cleaning industry, did a good job of listing them out.
1. Events - (dinners, graduations, etc.)
2. Visible Soil
3. Maintenance
4. Health issues
5. To Solve a Problem
6. Odor removal
A brief synop is given here but for the article pick up a copy of ICS magazine or go here to read it.

Something to think about...

I recently read an article in a trade magazine about how 80% of all soap dispensers are never cleaned and pretty much defeat the reason for washing your hands. I have to admit this is something I never thought much about.I mean, We wipe them down from time to time but never really "clean" them.
Is there an area of cleaning that you think never gets enough attention? Post your thoughts on this and let me know. Thanks!

Try something new...

I apologize for not posting for so long. We have just been getting slammed with business and I haven't had a lot of time to sit down in front of the ole' computer.A customer of mine wanted some ceiling tile replaced, painting done and redo a floor. We don't normally offer that, but it was something that we are capable of doing and I hate to tell a customer "no" if I can take care of it.
This opens up a new area of business for our company and my guys are digging it. Gives them something different to do and extra cash for them. Although we are running into snags as far as suppliers go, the guys are doing a good job and I think it's going to turn out pretty good.
Think about areas you can move your business into and you may discover a whole new stream of income you overlooked.
Hope this helps.

No news isn't necessarily good news

You haven't heard anything out of your customers for awhile so you assume that everything is fine. Then one day you get that phone call "Sorry but we're changing services." You find out that there were things that never got cleaned (Whether they were part of the deal or not) and that everyone was just ready to make a change.
Don't let your customers "suffer in silence." Actively engage them in communication. That way you don't lose a customer and they feel like there is a line of communication open should they have problems or questions about the cleaning. I'm not saying call or email everyday but stay in front of them whether it's cleaning related or to say "Happy Holidays".
Plus engaging them in communication will more often than not lead to more work for you and more profits.
And if you were wondering...yes I'm speaking from experience...Hope this helps.