truckmount girl
1800greenglides
Welcome everyone and most especially, Jeff. Before we start the live questions I'll post the pre-asked questions:
1. Why did you become a carpet cleaner?
Out of necessity. When I wanted to get married and start a family, I was working for a small daily newspaper (circ. 20,000) and earning about $200 a week - before taxes. I do realize that this is back when $200 a week was a LOT of money, but a little shy of what we really needed to buy some non-essentials my wife was always asking for, like food and diapers for the little poop machines (we purchased two of these machines from the local hospital, a little expensive if I say so myself). A friend of mine was a carpet cleaner and asked me to help him from time to time. I saw how successful he was and the potential in this industry, so I started my own company. Of course, I screwed up quite a bit and the first screw up was me trying to build my own electric truckmount. Another carpet cleaning friend finally talked me into throwing money at a decent product so I bought my first truckmount and put my electric machine to rest. It was a good thing, too, because I was about to mount a 50 gallon hot water heater in the back of a Nissan pickup in an attempt to be a “steam cleaner”.
2. Why did you become active on BBs?
Mainly because it was really cool and new. You could sit in your living room in your underwear and communicate with OTHER CARPET CLEANERS! How cool was that? The first bulletin board I frequented was the old Cleanfax board. It was pretty cool. You opened it up when you stopped at home for lunch and when you finished the afternoon’s jobs, the board was loaded and you could actually post a comment. As your comment loaded, you went out to dinner and when you came back, you could post again. Slow Internet was frustrating but it was all we knew. Seriously, the bulletin boards were a way to network, never before heard of in our or many other industries. You had access to many others with similar concerns. Plus, we could complain about stuff and sometimes others listened. Mainly, if you posted just about anything, you were a target for ridicule and that only builds character. I have lots of character now just because of the bulletin boards. The twitching is not so bad now, though.
3. Who were the most "colorful personalities" when you were a BB junkie?
There are too many to mention, but some of the old diehards are still here. Jimmy Ladwig, Marty Sutley, Lee Stockwell, Scott Warrington (the guru of passive advertising and skirting the rules)… it isn’t really fair even to name a few because there are so many. But what I think is interesting is what you see online is not the same person when you finally meet him – speaking of just about everyone. The smartest, sharpest and sarcastic bulletin board personality isn’t necessarily that person in real life.
4. Why did you leave the carpet cleaning business?
I didn’t. I just changed directions. I had been on the truck for many years and wanted some kind of change, but didn’t want to leave the industry. Since I had some journalism experience, I wanted to expand on that – and the opportunity presented itself when Jackson Lloyd and I started up Berberina and Olefina. John Downey was somehow fooled into thinking it was cool and asked us to write a monthly column for Cleanfax. The weirdest part of writing B&O was the fan club, specifically carpet cleaners (male) that thought these were real girls (pretty ones) and would hit on us. I think that’s what drove Jackson away, eventually. I’m weird, so I messed with people’s minds. After John gave up the editorship of Cleanfax, I wrote a few columns that were serious – I know, hard to believe – and when I sold my company I asked Paul Amos if he needed a regular columnist. He said “How about you take over the magazine” and that’s how I am where I am today. I think Paul couldn’t handle the character building bulletin boards. My new career allows me to spend time as a “researcher” instead of a cleaner – I have learned more since I stopped pushing the wand than all the years I was actually on the truck. The actual work experience definitely paid off.
5. Why do red removers work best when the spot is dry?
Most spot and stain removers work best when the spot is dry – and especially if you get to the spot or stain before the customer uses the Lyson, Windex, Pledge and oven cleaner in a desperate attempt to not pay you to save the carpet. Try it on mustard, red wine or Kool Aid sometime… apply the chemical of choice and give it dwell time, before trying to extract. And if it doesn’t work, try something else…
6. Do you feel a magazine have their first obligations to the readers or the advertisers?
Tricky question, because there are obligations to both. We need readers and advertisers. That’s how the medium is delivered… someone has to be willing to read it and someone has to be willing to pay for it. But we never compromise our principles.
7. Have you ever felt pressured to change editorial content by advertisers?
Yes… but I have a good working relationship with just about everyone, including Terry (despite his signature in his posts about being banned from Cleanfax), and we can work out any conflict - somehow. When advertisers are informed of our reasons for running specific content, they understand and get on board.
8. Have you ever lost an advertiser over editorial content?
A few times, it almost happened. My first cover feature was specifically about a type of product in the marketplace, and one advertiser was upset that we didn’t contact him so he could place an ad in the magazine. It all worked out. My excuse was I was brand new and was just learning how to spell words correctly, but at least I could type 100 words a minute.
9. Which BB posters would you most like to meet?
I’ve met most of them… which is how I know that there are dual personalities (not talking about you guys, of course).
10. If you could do just one thing (Editor, Instructor, Carpet Cleaner), what would you do?
I enjoy doing all three right now… I still do some carpet cleaning. I own an encapsulation machine, a decent portable and some spotting machines, plus all the extra “stuff” that you all know can collect in your van. I do a lot of consulting and specialized cleaning when there are problems… specifically for the religious organization I am part of. I do a lot of private training in addition to public classes. If I had to choose… I’m not sure I could. It’s like a complete package. I imagine one of these days the decision will be forced on me, like when we run out of trees and there is no more paper to print the magazine.
11. Are you content with the amount of traffic the Clean Fax BB gets? Most likely your answer is no so do you have any plans to change it to attract more attention?
We are never content, no matter what. We are always improving our products. The bulletin board is one of them. We are still working on it but have so many projects that it is hard to get accomplished what you want. Being a corporation, I put in requests for improvement and then wait for them to occur. One thing I do like about the Cleanfax board is that it does have good content and most troublemakers (not you guys, of course) give us a wide berth. We do have some plans for some features not often found on other bulletin boards. I’m not going to say when this will happen… I’ve already disappointed Lee Stockwell too many times.
12. How many classes a year do you currently teach and on what topics?
It varies from year to year, but about 20 or so. Topics are carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, spot and stain removal, color repair and various private topics that are specifically developed to solve problems (such as a facility – like a university – that may have a specific need). Not all classes are IICRC approved for certification. It’s very rare to earn a living only teaching classes, as the travel can be a killer. Most instructors want to stay married, but if they decide divorce is something they desire, just add a dozen classes and it’s a done deal.
13. If you lost your job at CF and had the ability to take over any BB poster’s business, who's would it be and why?
That’s easy. I’d want Mikey’s job running this bulletin board. Obviously, the guy is raking in a ton of cash and probably does most of his work sitting at home drinking Bud Light and constantly telling Paula to give him 10 more minutes on the computer and to buy Coors Light instead.
14. Describe your typical day at work.
On snowy, rainy days… it’s great. I wake up pretty early and start the coffee. Our cat Asti likes fresh food for breakfast, so… well, this stuff doesn’t matter. My typical WORK day is spent at my computer. I try to get one project or article completed per day, plus keep up on emails and work on future article ideas and concepts. A lot of marketing work, coming up with ideas on how to position ourselves better. Plus, I scan the bulletin boards and see who’s causing trouble. I probably receive about 20 emails a day asking me how to solve a specific question – this is part of our “free consulting” service that Cleanfax offers. If I don’t have the answer, I send the person to someone that does. Since I work from home, there are a few distractions but not as many as the office environment. Since I teach a few times a month, depending on the month, I have to play “catch up” from time to time. I spend a few hours on my CleanPros site, tweaking it and updating articles. I spend some time tracking website traffic, which is pretty cool and a topic that I’m hoping to share in detail with you folks in February in Sunny California.
15.what are his thoughts on the SOA program (chemical & equipment).
I think the program has a lot of merit, and the "kinks" are being worked
out. As a carpet cleaner myself, I understand the frustration. But it is
a work in progress, so patience is important.
16.Has he had any one-on-one discussions with Werner or Carey about the testing procedure?
Yes... positive conversations.
17.Has he been at Professional Testing Labs to actually witness any
testing?
No.
18.I read a lot of the trade magazines and in every magazine there are
articles written by people that are considered the best in their
respective fields. What does Clean Fax look for when choosing articles,
or people to write the articles for the magazine. I guess what i am
asking is, how to you filter the 100 tons of BS so called " experts" in
this field, and get to the guys who really know their stuff
I use surveys and conversations with a lot of cleaners when determining
content, and then I choose the best writer for that topic. If a
potential writer comes to me with an idea, I let him or her run with it
as it was his or her idea.
1. Why did you become a carpet cleaner?
Out of necessity. When I wanted to get married and start a family, I was working for a small daily newspaper (circ. 20,000) and earning about $200 a week - before taxes. I do realize that this is back when $200 a week was a LOT of money, but a little shy of what we really needed to buy some non-essentials my wife was always asking for, like food and diapers for the little poop machines (we purchased two of these machines from the local hospital, a little expensive if I say so myself). A friend of mine was a carpet cleaner and asked me to help him from time to time. I saw how successful he was and the potential in this industry, so I started my own company. Of course, I screwed up quite a bit and the first screw up was me trying to build my own electric truckmount. Another carpet cleaning friend finally talked me into throwing money at a decent product so I bought my first truckmount and put my electric machine to rest. It was a good thing, too, because I was about to mount a 50 gallon hot water heater in the back of a Nissan pickup in an attempt to be a “steam cleaner”.
2. Why did you become active on BBs?
Mainly because it was really cool and new. You could sit in your living room in your underwear and communicate with OTHER CARPET CLEANERS! How cool was that? The first bulletin board I frequented was the old Cleanfax board. It was pretty cool. You opened it up when you stopped at home for lunch and when you finished the afternoon’s jobs, the board was loaded and you could actually post a comment. As your comment loaded, you went out to dinner and when you came back, you could post again. Slow Internet was frustrating but it was all we knew. Seriously, the bulletin boards were a way to network, never before heard of in our or many other industries. You had access to many others with similar concerns. Plus, we could complain about stuff and sometimes others listened. Mainly, if you posted just about anything, you were a target for ridicule and that only builds character. I have lots of character now just because of the bulletin boards. The twitching is not so bad now, though.
3. Who were the most "colorful personalities" when you were a BB junkie?
There are too many to mention, but some of the old diehards are still here. Jimmy Ladwig, Marty Sutley, Lee Stockwell, Scott Warrington (the guru of passive advertising and skirting the rules)… it isn’t really fair even to name a few because there are so many. But what I think is interesting is what you see online is not the same person when you finally meet him – speaking of just about everyone. The smartest, sharpest and sarcastic bulletin board personality isn’t necessarily that person in real life.
4. Why did you leave the carpet cleaning business?
I didn’t. I just changed directions. I had been on the truck for many years and wanted some kind of change, but didn’t want to leave the industry. Since I had some journalism experience, I wanted to expand on that – and the opportunity presented itself when Jackson Lloyd and I started up Berberina and Olefina. John Downey was somehow fooled into thinking it was cool and asked us to write a monthly column for Cleanfax. The weirdest part of writing B&O was the fan club, specifically carpet cleaners (male) that thought these were real girls (pretty ones) and would hit on us. I think that’s what drove Jackson away, eventually. I’m weird, so I messed with people’s minds. After John gave up the editorship of Cleanfax, I wrote a few columns that were serious – I know, hard to believe – and when I sold my company I asked Paul Amos if he needed a regular columnist. He said “How about you take over the magazine” and that’s how I am where I am today. I think Paul couldn’t handle the character building bulletin boards. My new career allows me to spend time as a “researcher” instead of a cleaner – I have learned more since I stopped pushing the wand than all the years I was actually on the truck. The actual work experience definitely paid off.
5. Why do red removers work best when the spot is dry?
Most spot and stain removers work best when the spot is dry – and especially if you get to the spot or stain before the customer uses the Lyson, Windex, Pledge and oven cleaner in a desperate attempt to not pay you to save the carpet. Try it on mustard, red wine or Kool Aid sometime… apply the chemical of choice and give it dwell time, before trying to extract. And if it doesn’t work, try something else…
6. Do you feel a magazine have their first obligations to the readers or the advertisers?
Tricky question, because there are obligations to both. We need readers and advertisers. That’s how the medium is delivered… someone has to be willing to read it and someone has to be willing to pay for it. But we never compromise our principles.
7. Have you ever felt pressured to change editorial content by advertisers?
Yes… but I have a good working relationship with just about everyone, including Terry (despite his signature in his posts about being banned from Cleanfax), and we can work out any conflict - somehow. When advertisers are informed of our reasons for running specific content, they understand and get on board.
8. Have you ever lost an advertiser over editorial content?
A few times, it almost happened. My first cover feature was specifically about a type of product in the marketplace, and one advertiser was upset that we didn’t contact him so he could place an ad in the magazine. It all worked out. My excuse was I was brand new and was just learning how to spell words correctly, but at least I could type 100 words a minute.
9. Which BB posters would you most like to meet?
I’ve met most of them… which is how I know that there are dual personalities (not talking about you guys, of course).
10. If you could do just one thing (Editor, Instructor, Carpet Cleaner), what would you do?
I enjoy doing all three right now… I still do some carpet cleaning. I own an encapsulation machine, a decent portable and some spotting machines, plus all the extra “stuff” that you all know can collect in your van. I do a lot of consulting and specialized cleaning when there are problems… specifically for the religious organization I am part of. I do a lot of private training in addition to public classes. If I had to choose… I’m not sure I could. It’s like a complete package. I imagine one of these days the decision will be forced on me, like when we run out of trees and there is no more paper to print the magazine.
11. Are you content with the amount of traffic the Clean Fax BB gets? Most likely your answer is no so do you have any plans to change it to attract more attention?
We are never content, no matter what. We are always improving our products. The bulletin board is one of them. We are still working on it but have so many projects that it is hard to get accomplished what you want. Being a corporation, I put in requests for improvement and then wait for them to occur. One thing I do like about the Cleanfax board is that it does have good content and most troublemakers (not you guys, of course) give us a wide berth. We do have some plans for some features not often found on other bulletin boards. I’m not going to say when this will happen… I’ve already disappointed Lee Stockwell too many times.
12. How many classes a year do you currently teach and on what topics?
It varies from year to year, but about 20 or so. Topics are carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, spot and stain removal, color repair and various private topics that are specifically developed to solve problems (such as a facility – like a university – that may have a specific need). Not all classes are IICRC approved for certification. It’s very rare to earn a living only teaching classes, as the travel can be a killer. Most instructors want to stay married, but if they decide divorce is something they desire, just add a dozen classes and it’s a done deal.
13. If you lost your job at CF and had the ability to take over any BB poster’s business, who's would it be and why?
That’s easy. I’d want Mikey’s job running this bulletin board. Obviously, the guy is raking in a ton of cash and probably does most of his work sitting at home drinking Bud Light and constantly telling Paula to give him 10 more minutes on the computer and to buy Coors Light instead.
14. Describe your typical day at work.
On snowy, rainy days… it’s great. I wake up pretty early and start the coffee. Our cat Asti likes fresh food for breakfast, so… well, this stuff doesn’t matter. My typical WORK day is spent at my computer. I try to get one project or article completed per day, plus keep up on emails and work on future article ideas and concepts. A lot of marketing work, coming up with ideas on how to position ourselves better. Plus, I scan the bulletin boards and see who’s causing trouble. I probably receive about 20 emails a day asking me how to solve a specific question – this is part of our “free consulting” service that Cleanfax offers. If I don’t have the answer, I send the person to someone that does. Since I work from home, there are a few distractions but not as many as the office environment. Since I teach a few times a month, depending on the month, I have to play “catch up” from time to time. I spend a few hours on my CleanPros site, tweaking it and updating articles. I spend some time tracking website traffic, which is pretty cool and a topic that I’m hoping to share in detail with you folks in February in Sunny California.
15.what are his thoughts on the SOA program (chemical & equipment).
I think the program has a lot of merit, and the "kinks" are being worked
out. As a carpet cleaner myself, I understand the frustration. But it is
a work in progress, so patience is important.
16.Has he had any one-on-one discussions with Werner or Carey about the testing procedure?
Yes... positive conversations.
17.Has he been at Professional Testing Labs to actually witness any
testing?
No.
18.I read a lot of the trade magazines and in every magazine there are
articles written by people that are considered the best in their
respective fields. What does Clean Fax look for when choosing articles,
or people to write the articles for the magazine. I guess what i am
asking is, how to you filter the 100 tons of BS so called " experts" in
this field, and get to the guys who really know their stuff
I use surveys and conversations with a lot of cleaners when determining
content, and then I choose the best writer for that topic. If a
potential writer comes to me with an idea, I let him or her run with it
as it was his or her idea.
