Tom King's new location..

[hogjowl]

LOL!

 

[Greg Cole]

I do not have time for the O/O is a higher moral calling crap today. Please. And I really like you Ofer.

Somebody jump in here and bring Greg Coles name. Very nice guy. I bought him dinner in Vegas to find out.
Cause yes all us guys with more than 2 trucks are slick willies who plan at night how we can defraud people, run in and out of house as fast as we can. Teaching our techs to cut corners, all while developing the perfect marketing flyers to burn through thousands of customers. So we can spend our weekends at our expensive lake homes driving our ridiculously expensive cars.

3 areas you should be focusing on Connection, Production, Retention.

The conversation continues to go to only production. Pisses me off!!

Tom, Sorry for being late to the party. Thanks again for a hell of a steak dinner!
Sadly, with success comes that green eyed target. My business closed for the same reason the yellow pages and the newspaper businesses have all but died out. Fortunately, I saw the writing on the wall and made my exit.
YES! for me it has always been about business. Don't get me wrong- the water damage business has given my a HUGE feeling of satisfaction as we are helping people during a very trying time in their life.... Howver, the carpet cleaning business was always about building something that would allow me to support my family. Most multi-layer businesses don't survive the first 10 years. Kudos to you for doing so well.

Trying to explain white collar work to blue collar is a huge waste of time. Few will ever "GET IT"..... All they understand is production- essentially factory work mentality. I always got the 'Look at me!! I'm a better widget maker" ( any bets on how many people are googling the word "widget" right now?) The bankruptcy courts are riddled with name of companies that had incredible production. Best widget makers in the world.... But missed the other two components you mentioned by leaps an bounds. I will submit to you that you forgot a key element for success - MANAGEMENT.....
Once you go past 3 employees - You better be one hell of a manager......... once you go to 20 employees- you better be an even better manager of managers......

Since Pro Carpet, i have been running a company I co-own called www.donerestorationinc.com. Happiest I've ever been. 29 employees and growing.....

 

[PrimaDonna]

Can there be great individual cleaners that are not suited to be O/O's?

Yes. Find the RIGHT people. Train them right.

Check out this feedback card we received from a client. Let me give you some background about her. Customer of ours for over 13 years. I only have Service Monster data from 2008. She has spent $7,501.78 with us since July of 2008, so about $1000.00 per year. John was always on every job for her. Came to our wedding (client that became friend, not a client because she was a friend) She wanted in last week when we were away on vacation. We sent our tech instead....READ HER COMMENT....

"Now you can retire John".

That given enough time and the right manual, they can turn any limping foul mouthed Chihuahua into a sweet talking, blaze selling Julia Roberts.

Hell no! Certain people are trainable...and the right interview process will quickly weed them out and if your lucky, you have ONE still standing that will make a good hire/employee. (Yes, process...it's multi step and often takes us weeks to fill a position). Tom and the other successful multi-truck operations are smart enough to know this. We've been around enough to know that you can lead a horse to water....but not make them drink. We (and I'm sure Tom and the other multi truck companies that are doing it right) find the thirsty horses.

 

[ruff]

Chihuahuas of America totally resent that!
Tom and Meg can and will.

 

[Hoody]

I don't think I can add a whole lot to this, already some great comments and advice. I've been involved in some pretty impressive organizations. The company I started working for at 16 I became the lead tech and owner's right hand man. We grew from a 1 truck operation to 4 carpet cleaning vans, 2 restoration box trucks, 2 duct cleaning units, a full service contracting division and a lot of employees.

You can create a consistent high end product with multiple employees/trucks. In order to do it you have to find the right people. We hired and fired at least 60 people until we found the crew we needed and wanted in 7-8 years. Creating a consistent product was the easy part, getting the work and keeping them was more challenging. Without connection you will never have retention. Most business owners, especially O/O's take for granted the amount of clients that do call every 6-12 months, but I bet if you looked at the numbers(if you tracked them and you should) you'd find how many aren't and it would shock you. If you do a great job at connecting with current clients and prospects through reminder cards, EDDM, web presence, networking, and building relationships - the growth part will come naturally.

I've been blessed being involved in high ranking positions with companies in this industry that gross 200k a year to companies that gross 13 million, all of the family owned businesses. Fear of failure is the #1 reason most people don't succeed.

 

[hogjowl]

Would you mind answering my phone during my afternoon naps?

 

[Art Kelley]

My son said a few years ago "Seniority is not authority" I think it applies here.

That is one thing about our industry that's interesting. The less you know, the more you think you know. You can make up for your ignorance with arrogance. I trained a next door neighbor kid to help me many years ago and after a couple of days he felt he knew all there was to know about carpet cleaning. I mean, how hard can it be; you spray down your cleaner, maybe scrub it in and steam clean it out? The interesting thing is, I am still learning things about this work even decades later. A lot of people trivialize what we do, even people in our industry, but there are many, many, details and caveats one should be aware of in order to not cause damage and in order to truly do the best job possible.

 

[Desk Jockey]

You can make up for your ignorance with arrogance.

That's what I do.

 

[Art Kelley]

You can fake it till you make it Richard.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I'm trying!

Its a tough life being a poser.

 

[Russ T.]

That is one thing about our industry that's interesting. The less you know, the more you think you know. You can make up for your ignorance with arrogance. I trained a next door neighbor kid to help me many years ago and after a couple of days he felt he knew all there was to know about carpet cleaning. I mean, how hard can it be; you spray down your cleaner, maybe scrub it in and steam clean it out? The interesting thing is, I am still learning things about this work even decades later. A lot of people trivialize what we do, even people in our industry, but there are many, many, details and caveats one should be aware of in order to not cause damage and in order to truly do the best job possible.

This!

 

[Russ T.]

There should be an Art Kelly room.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Two Rubber rooms?

 

[ruff]

Any statement made here by multiple van company owners, is done with the knowledge that their employees read this board.
Therefore, should be viewed as such.

Interesting that there's no chain restaurant, I am aware of, that won the top restaurant award in any large metropolitan area. The winner is always (or close to it) a special restaurant with a special individual chef.

Any operation from a certain size and up, develops a system that is designed to standardize their operation. They can be good, rarely very good, hardly ever great.

However, that is not really what they trying to achieve. They are trying to find the middle way: Predictable quality, consistency, name recognition and a neat packaging- all designed to reach a wide appeal. Good enough, will be a fair description. That's what the good ones strive to accomplish. It is not an easy task. Also, once your company reached a certain size, that's where the money is and what can be practically accomplished.

Ignore public statements that claim otherwise.

 

[steve_64]

Gennys card says cleaning at its best!
Thats a hard motto to live by but it has separated her from the others. Not the motto but living up to it. To many times ive heard her tell her employees and myself that her card says cleaning at its best not good enough.
I do plenty of good enough at all the apartments I do lol. I make decent money and thats what thats about. Many people are happy with good enough and only want to pay for that. Its a big market.

 

[Desk Jockey]

a special restaurant with a special individual chef.

So are you saying if you're a reeetard, you can excel at carpet cleaning or cooking?

 

[ruff]

So are you saying if you're a reeetard, you can excel at carpet cleaning or cooking?

My specialty and where I truly excel is eating.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Any statement made here by multiple van company owners, is done with the knowledge that their employees read this board.
Therefore, should be viewed as such.

Interesting that there's no chain restaurant, I am aware of, that won the top restaurant award in any large metropolitan area. The winner is always (or close to it) a special restaurant with a special individual chef.

Any operation from a certain size and up, develops a system that is designed to standardize their operation. They can be good, rarely very good, hardly ever great.

However, that is not really what they trying to achieve. They are trying to find the middle way: Predictable quality, consistency, name recognition and a neat packaging- all designed to reach a wide appeal. Good enough, will be a fair description. That's what the good ones strive to accomplish. It is not an easy task. Also, once your company reached a certain size, that's where the money is and what can be practically accomplished.

Ignore public statements that claim otherwise.

Gordon Ramsey owns dozens of high end restaurants.

Volume has NOTHING to do with quality.
They have decided on a price/service point.

 

[ruff]

Good example and the exception to prove the rule.
For everyone like that, I'll show you thousands to the opposite.

 

[Greg Cole]

Would you mind answering my phone during my afternoon naps?

Can I?

So are you saying if you're a reeetard, you can excel at carpet cleaning or cooking?

Any statement made here by multiple van company owners, is done with the knowledge that their employees read this board.
Therefore, should be viewed as such.
Interesting that there's no chain restaurant, I am aware of, that won the top restaurant award in any large metropolitan area. The winner is always (or close to it) a special restaurant with a special individual chef.
Any operation from a certain size and up, develops a system that is designed to standardize their operation. They can be good, rarely very good, hardly ever great.

However, that is not really what they trying to achieve. They are trying to find the middle way: Predictable quality, consistency, name recognition and a neat packaging- all designed to reach a wide appeal. Good enough, will be a fair description. That's what the good ones strive to accomplish. It is not an easy task. Also, once your company reached a certain size, that's where the money is and what can be practically accomplished.

Ignore public statements that claim otherwise.

Years ago- I had a professor years ago teach me a lesson that I never forgot. I will do my best to explain it:

You sell a A+ quality widget for $99 ( that your personally make) and turns a profit of $50 per unit. You sell 2,000 of them. You have a gross profit of $100,000.00 per year.
--- You get sick year two and can only produce 1400 units. You now have a gross profit of $70,000.00

Tom sells a B+ widget for $79 ( that he has other people make) and turns a profit of $40 per unit. He sells 10,000 of them. He has a gross profit of $400,000.00
--- Tom gets sick year two. Goes into the hospital and spends two weeks there. His systems are in place to produce these widgets and business goes on as usual. His company still produces 10,000 units. His gross profit is still $400,000.00

Which person would you rather be?

- A perfect example would be ken Snow's operation: Hagopian. Ken, ( R.I.P.) had a well oiled machine. It's been at least two years since he passed. Are all his people still employed? I havent researched it, but I'm betting yes!
If you passed away tomorrow- would your "company" survive? How would your family pay their bills? How would the families of your employees pay their bills?
All too often i consult with small business owners who are trying to "get off the truck". Sadly they are 10-20 vets who NEVER comtemplated that they would one day grow old and want to retire....

 

[ruff]

Greg. Nobody argues the logic of building a company that can support you, your family and your employees and their family. Nobody argues that if done well it will provide a better financial security.
Anybody who does is a fool.

Your contempt towards your good employees that, lets face it, do a whole lot less then a good O/O, is worrisome though. And they are the ones on whose toil your icome and financial security relies on.

An O/O can work for himself, make a nice income (maybe not your weekly Ferrari buying one), save, invest wisely and will do quite well. Therefore any O/O should plan accordingly.

The argument is how truly great a large company with a many employees can be compared to a talented owner operator who's company is his baby.
You think you can train anybody, implement and duplicated on a larger scale. Wishful thinking (posturing?) at best.

Good enough is what it is: Good enough.

By the way the road here is strewn with large companies where the original owner built a large well oiled machine that was gone soon after they passed away or retired.
O'Conol bought by Coit with pennies for the dollar. Baileys that dominated the peninsula iss a mere shadow of itself. And many more.

 

[Greg Cole]

Greg. Nobody argues the logic of building a company that can support you, your family and your employees and their family.
Anybody who does is a fool.

Your contempt towards your good employees that, lets face it, do a whole lot less then a good O/O, is worrisome though. And they are the ones on whose toil your icome and financial security relies on.

An O/O can work for himself, make a nice income (maybe not your weekly Ferrari buying one), save, invest wisely and will do quite well. Therefore any O/O should plan accordingly.

The argument is how truly great a large company with a many employees can be compared to a talented owner operator who's company is his baby.
You think you can train anybody, implement and duplicated on a larger scale. Wishful thinking (posturing?) at best.

Good enough is what it is: Good enough.

No contempt whatsoever. Quite the contrary. Making sure they have jobs when I'm dead and buried is important to extremely important to me.

Your argument is in fact nothing more than mental masturbation. I will concede that a talented O&O can in fact produce a A+ cleaning. A multi-level cleaning company can at best produce a A- cleaning. It's relative because i will be exceptionally rare that a client would be able to tell the difference.

So what's the argument? That you got 99.8% of the dirt out and Tom's company got 98.4% ? Who the hell cares?

and- NO I don't think i can train ANYBODY- You can't fix lazy, crazy, or stupid..... But I ( as well as many of the people on this board) can train the "RIGHT" individual....

 

[PrimaDonna]

exceptionally rare that a client would be able to tell the difference.

And that is really what matters!

If the customer is happy, keeps using the company, refers others, isn't that what any O/O or "bigger" company is after in the end??

There isn't any one "better" business structure or plan - just different ones. There is room for, and merits/drawbacks for both. Do what works for you and your business. Success comes in many forms to many people.

SMH that this is even being debated.

 

[hogjowl]

Oh hell, you're a woman. You're always shaking your head about something!

 

[Desk Jockey]

A perfect example would be ken Snow's operation: Hagopian. Ken, ( R.I.P.) had a well oiled machine. It's been at least two years since he passed. Are all his people still employed? I havent researched it, but I'm betting yes!

Ken had Brian Hanna there already keeping things moving in the right direction.

 

[Desk Jockey]

My specialty and where I truly excel is eating.

I'm not good at much butt I try not to let that be an obstacle.

 

[Russ T.]

Entrepreneur

1. a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
2. an employer of productive labor; contractor.

—verb (used with object)

1. to deal with or initiate as an entrepreneur.

—verb (used without object)

1. to act as an entrepreneur.

Origin: 1875–80; < French: literally, one who undertakes (some task), equivalent to entrepren(dre) to undertake (< Latin inter- inter- + prendere to take, variant of prehendere) + -eur -eur. See enterprise

—Related forms
en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjective
en·tre·pre·neur·i·al·ly, adverb
en·tre·pre·neur·i·al·ism, en·tre·pre·neur·ism, noun
en·tre·pre·neur·ship, noun
non·en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjective
sem·i·en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjective

Can be confused: entrepreneur, intrapreneur.


Merchant

1. a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
2. a storekeeper; retailer: a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.
3. Chiefly British. a wholesaler.

There are both in this thread, entrepreneurs and merchants. Neither is wrong or a bad guy for what he's doing and BOTH can build wealth and security for their family.

 

[hogjowl]

Fascinating

 

[Russ T.]

But one tends to deliver a better product, the merchant.

Even Marty

 

[Brian H]

Ken had Brian Hanna there already keeping things moving in the right direction.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Rich !!!

I just got our July P & L in... Ken would be proud!!!!!