Happy New Year!

Once again I know I haven't posted in 3 mos but I can't begin to tell you how much business I have taken on in that time. It's just been nuts...In a recession I feel very fortunate to be increasing business- not losing it...
I know this has been a rough year on all fronts - from the housing bust, wall st, etc. i could go on and on. I just hope President elect Obama can live up to his campaign promises he's made to try to straighten things out. He certainly has a full plate to deal with. Let's pray he does what's right and not what's "good for Washington"...
Anyway, whatever kind of year you've had - I hope 2009 is better for everyone. I know a lot of people are glad to see 2008 go and are hopeful for 2009.
(I myself have made a resolution to pay more attention to my blog).
God Bless these United States and here's wishing you a Happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

DisneyWorld is losing Millions of Dollars!

Relax...DisneyWorld isn't going anywhere...What I mean by that is DisneyWorld does nothing to get the input from it's patrons of what they want or want more of...Maybe they are happy with the amount of money they are racking in. Or they just don't care...
My family and I just returned from our maiden voyage to Disney World. Here are just a few ideas from me... I'll try not to get in a rant...

1) Don't have the same menu in all of the parks!! - This is my number one! Unless you're booked in one of their pricy restaurants. you're toast! By the end of the trip I wasn't even eating because I was sick to death of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken nugggets and fries! Thus my mood was not the greatest...
Change it up a little bit!

2) Have some sort of shuttle service from depot areas to the front of the park or have curb service. There were some older folks there and it was hot...Some people were really struggling. Plus you had to walk everywhere anyway and that just added to it...They had strollers for kids but no help for the adults...

My point being is that if they would provide an exit survey they may utilize some suggestions, improve the parks and build a better overall resort. They had a lot of good amenities and unique designs. Now they just need to listen to their patrons.

Some rain must fall....

I know 2008 hasn't exactly been a banner year for a lot of people. I've had my trials and tribulations just like everyone. With the continuing war, economic recession, housing bust, world unrest,hurricane after hurricane it can make you just say "Stop the world I wanna get off!".
But you have to try to see the positive side of it all. Alex Green wrote a very good article "A Thorn with every Rose" in Early to Rise about it. It's a daily e-zine I get published by Agora Publishing that focuses on the health, wealth and wisdom aspects of life.
If you're feeling beat up today, give it a read. It might make you feel a little better about the world we live in...
Have a good weekend.

Say A Little Prayer

I don't have to go into what today is....Just say a little prayer for the families of the tragedy, the troops who are fighting for us seven years after that tragic day, and put your flag out to show your patriotism and to show you support our troops. Thanks.
God Bless America.

Dont let this happen at your place!

From a recent article on Cleanlink.com, statistics indicate that slips, trips and falls are the second most common cause of accidental deaths in the U.S. - accounting for roughly 15 percent. These types of accidents are costing businesses millions of dollars in compensation.
We offer a FREE report titled "10 Best Ways to Prevent Slip & Fall Accidents" on our website cnscleaning.com. This is FREE to anyone who wants it. Especially good material for Facility Managers, Business Owners, etc. Gives good tips on preventing slip & fall accidents in the workplace.
We also provide a FREE safety analysis of any business in and around the Wichita, Ks. area.
Keep yourself protected! Go to cnscleaning.com and download your FREE report now!

Going Green

I just received an article from Contracting Profits about stripping floors with no chemicals. Very interesting article and definitely alot better for the environment. In a nutshell it involves using electrolyzed water to strip the finish instead of chemicals. Dry ice blasting and using steam for cleaning are also mentioned. You can find the article here.
This is a hard sell to the seasoned dyed in the wool floorman. It's that old "we've always done it this way" type of thinking that's hard to get past. Also change is scary. People are creatures of habit and don't particularly like having that routine changed.
This type of floor cleaning definitely creates a safer, cleaner, and healthier environment all the way around. A good read and hopefully will start to catch on as BSCs begin to make the switch to green cleaning.
If you are currently utilizing this system and have comments about it feel free to post. Thanks!

Catching up!

Man,
It's been a crazy few months!We are in our peak period right now with floors,carpets,etc. and so there hasn't been much time to sit in front of the computer. This business is kind of like deep sea fishing(which I LOVE!) in that when the fishing is good - you try to rack in as much as you can hold because there will always be slow times from time to time.
Another thing on my plate is my 20th HS reunion is coming up and I caught up with a lot of old classmates online with some incriminating photos of me back in high school. It's been a real trip remembering "back when". But it's good to see everyone again and reminiscing.
Anyway, i've got a ton of stuff to share so stay tuned and Good luck and good fortune.
grins,

101 Uses for Windex

A high school classmate of mine that I've stayed in touch with over the years emailed me the other day to ask what should she use to get fingernail polish out of carpet. Being a parent I could picture her chasing her child with a bottle of fingernail polish in their hand sccreaming "Gimme that!" After a little snicker I emailed her a few options and wished her good luck.
She emailed me a couple of days later and said that Windex works to get fingernail polish out of carpet. I about fell out of my chair!
Now I'm sure the people at P & G would be thrilled to know that Windex has yet another use and I haven't tried it to see how well it works.
But being a cleaning professional I would advise against using Windex to remove fingernail polish from carpet. I have to think that there may by some unfavorable chemical reactions that could happen with the dyes in carpet, etc.
I know over the years there have been several "Old Wives" remedies for cleaning different things. However to avoid any unfavorable chemical reactions, make sure what you're using is intended for what you're cleaning. Just a good rule of thumb.
I am going to contact P & G and see if they're aware of this discovery and to discuss reactions, etc.

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...