Getting To Know joeynbgky & danielc!

[Mikey P]

I'm gonna lump you two together into this one miniview due to the fact that you come across as the same person.

-When and how did you get into the Carpet Cleaning trade?

-Please describe the size and scope of your current businesses.

-Where do you hope to see yourselves in five years from now?

-What are the best and worse biz decisions you've made so far?

-How did you come to be MB crack heads?

-When a hot chick down at the pinball arcade asks you what do you do for a living, you tell her....?

-What click did you fit in with during high school?

-If you could hold any position in any company in the world it would be...

-Laura Bush or Michelle Obama?

-Do you believe a 60 year old hand tied, vegetable died rug can be cleaned in the home to YOUR satisfaction?

 

[joeynbgky]

Whats so intersting about me? why do we sound like the same person? LOL And why do you really want to know?

 

[joeynbgky]

When and how did you get into the Carpet Cleaning trade?

I was a restaurant manager for a few years...... Then became a district manager for KFC, taco bell and A&W stores. Alot of them had all 3 in the same store. Did this from age 16-25. I worked at Jack in the box for 7 months as a manager in between.

Please describe the size and scope of your current businesses

I have one Tm 1 run all day long. ( 2 guys that run the van, different shifts, it runs all day 7 days a week) I have 3 vans with 2 girls in them each doing house cleaning and apartment cleaning. I have a night staff that cleans office buildings. And that staff also does strip and waxes and such.. So its not to big. ps I make more from the one TM running than al other combined.


Where do you hope to see yourselves in five years from now?

I see myself in the same spot, working my ass off. Hopefully I'll have my nashville location going great then, and My columbus location going as well.
What are the best and worse biz decisions you've made so far

I started out doing airduct cleaning, thought I would add carpet cleaning. I bought a rugdoctor, I knew nothing about it. I actually cleaned an applebees with it.. I then bought after 3 days a namco portable. It was ok for about 2 years. Those are my biggest mistakes. Oh, and letting family members work for me.

How did you come to be MB crack heads

A google search of course

When a hot chick down at the pinball arcade asks you what do you do for a living, you tell her

I own a carpet cleaning business, and rental property. duh

What click did you fit in with during high school?

umm,, let's see................ The ones who always go into trouble.. to many parties

If you could hold any position in any company in the world it would be?

CEO of Chem who. really i have no idea


Laura Bush or Michelle Obama?
Michelle obama, she gets f'ed up

Do you believe a 60 year old hand tied, vegetable died rug can be cleaned in the home to YOUR satisfaction?

I know it cant be cleaned in a home, would i try for the right price? yup

 

[Danny Strickland]

so if the one TM is head and shoulders above all the other biz, do you keep the others going just to keep people working??? not that thats wrong, yore a good man if you employ people, just saying!

Have you talked with Greg Crowley, he came from food service if i remember corectly???

 

[daniel@procarpet]

When and how did I get into the carpet business? I never gave any thought to cleaning carpets until I met my older brother’s friend who was 40 but acted 20 told me he cleaned carpets. I asked him how he cleaned carpet. He showed me an old buffer in a closet and a vacuum cleaner. Then he said he was making 2k a week working three days a week. Ok that is what got me interested. I don’t want to ramble but it was a series of events that actually led me to pursue this full time. Against my friends advice I purchased a brand new 160lb portable, the little brush attachment from power flit, and thought I was good to go. I soon realized I would never be able to make this work. So I gave up. A few weeks later I went on a job and saw how fast a 175, bucket of shampoo, and a vacuum could bring in more money than I was making in a week in an hour. The following is kind of strange. I was hooked on playing black jack with a double down system. Long story short I got my head busted. I went to the bank the following day after a huge loss and took every dollar I had out of the bank (1200 dollars) and drove straight to the casino. I walked in a slapped 600 on two separate shoes and got a 14 and a 13. I got so lucky the dealer busted. I bought a 175 a few days later and haven’t looked back. As usual the road has been fun and rewarding with lots of changes over time. I started as a bait and switch and learned from one of the best on how to sell chemicals for big money. The money was good but I learned after a few years mainly after I learned to clean ,charge a little more, and do a great job that I could make more and work less.


The size and scope of my business is well small but growing steady. I guess I am your typical owner op. I mix a little residential, a few commercial jobs in, and a few rugs in every week. I don’t clean any apartments as I have been there and done that. I clean a few restaurants or at least the ones that want a good job and will pay for it. My focus lately has been hard surface and color sealing. That and perfecting my 5-10 rug a week rug operation. I feel I do ok on rugs. I am averaging 250 to clean, deodorize, and protect an 8x10. Rug cleaning has been my number one source of new customers plus it is the most profitable service by far. I would love to get a small shop and do 30-50 a week.


In five years I see myself with a team of awesome, smart, professional employees. That is my number one objective. I have everything I need right now, but I can only make so much working solo. I am turning a job down from an old yellow page price shopper. Greg Cole would crap his pants if he knew I was getting over 200 calls per month from a 350 dollar ad and closed most of the jobs. I don’t know why I switched focus. Yes I do. I respect decent hard working people and treat them like I would want to be treated. I want to teach what I have learned and allow my employees to make great money. So I would like to have a business similar to Mikey P’, but maybe a tad bit bigger. Referrals and targeted marketing with a killer message will do that for me.

The best biz decision I have made by far is learning on this board. I have learned so much practical advice that has helped me in many ways. Buying a tm was a good decision as well. The worse biz decision I have made would have to be not being more motivated. I also had several expensive yp ads but they got the bulk of my customers so it was really an investment and not that bad. I guess I am lucky I haven’t done anything too dumb.

Mikey’s Board is kind of addictive. I plan on spending less time here though in the near future or not. I have said that before as I am sure many have. I feel the board is relevant to what I do as a cleaner so I am glad I found the board. I have never really went to any of the other boards. All the drama I need is right here.

I have learned from experience when I am out with friends that are all business owners of restaurants, bars, law firms, etc. I needed to have something more compelling to say than I suck rugs for a living. What do I do for a living? You know how it goes. I tell them I make 700 dollars a day and that is all they need to know, smile, and buy them a drink. Then when they really want to know what I do, I level with them. Erik the zipper guy sent me a shirt that reads “Ask me what is under my zipper.” I wore that to my friends bar one night and had beautiful women mesmerized and intrigued by it. No one gets it until I explain it, but that is the point. Sorry Erik but I am guilty of telling a few girls that I manufactured carpet cleaning equipment. :mrgreen:


I played all the sports in high school but football and baseball were my strongest sports. My school was small so everyone interacted. I got into weight training really intensely for a few years. Eventually I got sick and tired of being broke and working out all the time so I started sucking rugs and worked at Fed- Ex at night.

I was and am still intrigued by the stock market. Ok the secret is out. I made more money day trading in a few days than I could make in months sucking rugs. It became an addiction. I am not too hard headed. I lost my ass and decided to step back and really focus on learning how to invest. I also realized the stock market is rigged for the uber rich. Real estate has been great. If I could hold any position I would like to be Gordon Gekko with a heart. That lifestyle fascinates me.

Neither. I am so sick of politics. I wish we could have honest decent people that ran our government. That will never happen. I have never voted. If I did I would have voted for McCain because of his experience and past record.
If you mean an on location cleaning, probably not going to get decent results. If you mean in my driveway, then yes I think I can get good results with patience and being extra careful. I have never ruined a rug. In that case I might F one up for sure. If the rug was contaminated with urine I wouldn’t touch it. I have turned down a few rugs, but I have also cleaned quite a few instant bleeders with good success. I saw the bottom of a rug badger the other day and it reminded me of a pea shelling machine. I used to shell peas and butter beans at my father’s produce store as a kid. I actually loved doing that.

 

[joeynbgky]

the others bring in money to, just not as much as carpet cleaning. The janitorial always gets me carpet cleaning as well. when customers see my cleaning girls out driving around they call, its gts our name out there.

 

[-JB-]

holy cow guys take a breath!

 

[Mikey P]

Separated at birth no doubt.


Nice job guys!


You young go getters are a shining example of what we should refer to as true industry leaders.

 

[joeynbgky]

young? I'll be 30 in 9 days! I feel old

 

[amazingcleansc]

joey i didnt realize you had so many minions... i guess you got the training at kfc.. good for you.. i HATE HATE HATE managing people.

 

[Greg Cole]

In five years I see myself with a team of awesome, smart, professional employees. That is my number one objective. I have everything I need right now, but I can only make so much working solo. I am turning a job down from an old yellow page price shopper. Greg Cole would crap his pants if he knew I was getting over 200 calls per month from a 350 dollar ad and closed most of the jobs. I don’t know why I switched focus. Yes I do. I respect decent hard working people and treat them like I would want to be treated. I want to teach what I have learned and allow my employees to make great money. So I would like to have a business similar to Mikey P’, but maybe a tad bit bigger. Referrals and targeted marketing with a killer message will do that for me.

Ok- this is too good for me NOT to respond. You just finished saying you are an O&O. you claim you get over 200 jobs per month and you close most of them. Let's say you close 80% of 200- that would be 160 jobs. That would mean that you are allegedly cleaning $160 jobs a month or 37 jobs a week. And you call my guys HACKS? How are you maintaining the quality of an O&O and still doing those alleged numbers? $32k a month as a solo O&O with a $350- ad pulling the jobs? - PLEASE stop shoveling it!
Would I crap my pants if i were to get over 200 calls a month on $350 investment? OF COURSE! You would too if it were really happening!

Sorry with Harper being "retired" yet occasionally posting - I couldn't help myself!

 

[ruff]

This time I am with Greg.
The numbers do not add up. Do they?
When it comes to Math, Greg is the man!!

 

[daniel@procarpet]

In five years I see myself with a team of awesome, smart, professional employees. That is my number one objective. I have everything I need right now, but I can only make so much working solo. I am turning a job down from an old yellow page price shopper. Greg Cole would crap his pants if he knew I was getting over 200 calls per month from a 350 dollar ad and closed most of the jobs. I don’t know why I switched focus. Yes I do. I respect decent hard working people and treat them like I would want to be treated. I want to teach what I have learned and allow my employees to make great money. So I would like to have a business similar to Mikey P’, but maybe a tad bit bigger. Referrals and targeted marketing with a killer message will do that for me.

Ok- this is too good for me NOT to respond. You just finished saying you are an O&O. you claim you get over 200 jobs per month and you close most of them. Let's say you close 80% of 200- that would be 160 jobs. That would mean that you are allegedly cleaning $160 jobs a month or 37 jobs a week. And you call my guys HACKS? How are you maintaining the quality of an O&O and still doing those alleged numbers? $32k a month as a solo O&O with a $350- ad pulling the jobs? - PLEASE stop shoveling it!
Would I crap my pants if i were to get over 200 calls a month on $350 investment? OF COURSE! You would too if it were really happening!

Sorry with Harper being "retired" yet occasionally posting - I couldn't help myself!

No Greg a simple 350 dollar in column ad with dirt cheap price points averaged 30-50 calls per week. I closed about half. I thought I would get fancy and did several large display ads and tried to focus on better quality customers. One ad was full color for 1500 per month and the other was 1300 per month. I still got plenty of calls but half the volume of the cheaper in-column. I didn’t close many because my price was too high. If you want to be a bait and switch then the yp can work great. My deal was to offer a basic cleaning and up sell steam cleaning. We all know how it goes. Now I just work off referrals and have loads of repeat customers. I never claimed to do 200 jobs per month. That is impossible. I have had numerous part time helpers over the years.
I learned to up sell from one of the best. That is all in the past and my focus now is doing a few quality jobs a week and not killing myself working seven days a week plus nights like I did in the past.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Greg you may be asking if I was doing so well with a bait and switch why would I change or not go back.

The answer is I have spent years building a referral based cleaning business. You can't mix the two. I simply can't and won't mess up what I have worked hard to acheive. I guess I got sick and tired of cleaning nasty carpet in the hood. I learned to love customers that appreciated honest professional service. Now I can always open a new carpet business under a new name and repeat what I did in the past. Right now my focus is on having a solid small upscale carpet cleaing business.

 

[joeynbgky]

I love managing people! When you have 103 employees in a restaurant, you get use to it! They all love me, i'm a counselor, money loaner, lol and bend over backwards for my workers. But, if they cross me, they will not be able to get a job anywhere in this town. I got it like that. LOL

 

[XTREME1]

Have you talked with Greg Crowley, he came from food service if i remember corectly???

different type

 

[joeynbgky]

Greg, what type of retaurant management did you do? I tried a full service, but it wasn't for me.

 

[XTREME1]

I am a classicly trained Chef. I was the Executive Sous Chef at the 5 star Bay Tower room. I was the Vice President Of Sodexho Marriot and brought them to be Sodexho Alliance, President of the Farragut Restaurant Group and Executive Director of Food service for Welch Healthcare. I have a culinary degree, MBA in international business and a bachelors in resort, hotel and restaurant management. One of my first foodservice jobs was as GM of the first Taco Bell in the northeast. Now my wife is VP of neurorestorative? I don't know I thought it was ABI Mentor but here is the website http://www.neurorestorative.com/
so I had to become a small businessman a very large small businessman

 

[joeynbgky]

Nice, there is alot of money in the food industry. I left at $175,000 a year plus bonuses. I'll never go back! But I was thinner then.

 

[XTREME1]

I never made $175,000 a year in the food industry. You made that from working for YUM Brands? My buddy is the guy who took them public. he lives in Scituate, Mass Rafferty is his name

I don't make that now and neither does my wife. That is impressive

 

[joeynbgky]

I believe it wasn't yum yet damn i forgot what it was. coke? then. Yes i did. But I also had 8-9 stores. some were kfc, some kfc n taco bells.. and some 3 in1 pizzahut and all. i worked for a franchise to at the end that had 3 n 1 stores a&w and such. I made about $175 a year with my bonuses, not plus lol.

 

[XTREME1]

I thought it was pepsico

 

[joeynbgky]

yup pepsi, i knew we had pepsi products, and it sure wasnt coke lol.

 

[XTREME1]

atleast that is what my stock said

 

[XTREME1]

Oh shit I forgot when I got back from playing football in California I did open the first Taco Bell in the Northeast before I sold out to some guys who owned movie theatres. It was at the independence mall in Kingston, Ma. Sad day it just closed last year after 22 or so years

 

[joeynbgky]

It was pepsico. I'm getting old Demencia runs int he family

 

[Ken Snow]

Why don't you believe it Fred~ I thought every carpet cleaner made a lot more than that?????

 

[joeynbgky]

Alot of people do not know that there is alot of money in the restaurant business... It is the most stressfull job in the world. most of the time.. I would never go back to it, unless I owned my own business. I tried the Quiznos thing, I didnt like it and sold out.

 

[juniorc82]

i call bullshit on both of em

 

[joeynbgky]

Call it then! I can back my stuff up though!