OK, how did you end up cleaning carpets?

[Guest]

I'm sure most of us did not aspire to be carpet cleaners as kids,lol. So what got you into carpet cleaning?
KS.

(Yes, I did borrow this topic from www.mytmf.com)

PS:Several of my brothers, cousins and inlaws are carpet cleaners. So I have to credit family with getting me into cc!

 

[Mikey P]

The $120 a week I was bringing in juicing carrots at the health food store was not going to cut it with a baby on the way so I responded to an Ad my wife found in the classifieds..


"make $1000 a week cleaning carpets, bring clean DMV and proof of insurance to Millers Carpet Care 12564 Saticoy Ave, Reseda Ca."

 

[TimP]

I was selling carpet at my in-laws carpet biz. And we had a lot of calls asking for someone who cleaned carpet. I found out that all the local guys got out of the business. I had some good credit and ability to get into it. I went to a class or two to get a better understanding of what was involved. I figured it wasn't gonna be too bad and bought a truck and got into it. So far I think it was a good decision, especially since the economy tanked and we had to close one of our stores since the town it was in had it's economy die off completely. It all worked out and it's much better than what I probably would be doing and that would be most likely installing carpet tile etc to pay the bills.

 

[diamond brian]

Degree in Finance. I worked as a managerial account, a working capital manager, and later running a finance company. All good jobs, but paid much less than I make now.

Chose carpet cleaning because of low barriers to entry, high profit potential, and relatively weak competition in my area.

The business and marketing came easy, it's the technical side that was a challenge.

 

[steve r]

i ws a custodian when i was 16 and cleaned my first carpets at the school i worked at.i stared taking the machine home on weekends.i knew at that point i liked doing this but didnt start my own company until i was 42 and after heart surgery the doctors told me i needed more exercise sooo.

 

[Out of Character - 0]

I (deservedly) lost my job as a waiter. I took a job working as a janitorial supervisor for my Grandfather and his partners. Within 6 months I had fired 3 of our janitors and took their jobs. I would fly through the buildings at night and then check and correct my own work during the day while I was performing maintenance and checking the remaining Janitors.

I was able to extract 90k out of my 30k job and make the company more money. I tried to convince Gramps to give me the reins and allow me to service buildings we didn't own but he had no confidence. Not to be deterred I took on a partner and began searching for accounts. When we reached 100k in contracts I gave my 10 day notice to my Grandfather. By making myself extremely valuable to the company I gave them little option but to give us their contracts, it worked.

As a janitorial service we began to expand into "like" services such as CC.
I was inspired to get a TM by a tenant at one of our buildings. They had 25 trucks at the time and service mostly apartments. I seen $$$$ in carpets and we began servicing residential and commercial.

The biggest mistake I've made in business was expanding to fast. We shouldn't have touched residential work, but I did and it began to consume all my time, still does

 

[RandyHilburn]

I never aspired to be a carpet cleaner, but to own my own business.

After spending too many years in mid level restaurant management positions - and having my career continuously interrupted in corporate restructuring and downsizing moves, it finally dawned on me that having only one employer was a risky way to earn a living.

Having been fortunate enough to have saved-up a few dollars, I took the customer service skills, knowledge of cleaning and struck out on my own. It took only a couple of years before sales were in excess of 300K and stability was achieved.

Today, I'm having the time of my life! More professional satisfaction than I ever experienced while working long hours in the franchise pizza business. No regrets.

 

[Charlie Lyman]

I was painting the DA's house, and a guy I know showed up to clean the carpets. He is a O/O and I couldn't believe how he made the carpets look. So I got to talking about it to him and he told me how great this industry is and now I clean them too.

 

[Scott S.]

i worked for another cleaning company who didn't have a carpet machine, they just rented a piece of crap to run and i hated it so i bought a used one and started cleaning all of the carpet that came in for that company. i just recently bought a better machine and things have been going up an up for me. i also now do everything that the company that i work for can do. and now don't work for him at all because i am to busy doing my own stuff.

i love it. sense of accomplishment at every job, payday everyday, and i work my own hrs. am currently matching what i make at my full time job. in 1/4 of the time, and i make good money doing what i do there.

 

[RichardnTn]

Rug Doctor Rentals for E. Tn, Western and Central N.C.
Carpet Cleaning 1983 with above business (worked with R&D on Rug
Doctor Truckmount) 23 hp Kohler, Cat pump, #4 blower, kero burner)
1986 went on my own

RR

 

[KevinL]

I was selling office supplies when I walked into Stanley Steemer and he offered me a job. Worked there for 1.5 years before quiting and moving on. Did some construction for a few years before I decided to start my own cc in 2003.

 

[Mike Draper]

A friend called me up one day and asked me if I could clean a couple of apartment carpet s for him. Bought a portable 3 days later, threw the porty down a flight of stairs 3 weeks later then bought a TM. Don't know what the hell I was thinking at the time, but I'll never go back to having another job. BTW.............JOB stands for Just Over Broke!! WE make a good living now.

 

[Rob Rocha]

I was bartending for about five years, lots of fun but was getting tired of the nights and weekends. A friend of a friend cleaned my carpets, I liked the way it was dry when done and looked great. I knew he was going to move, bought his equiptment and Van, I worked 2 more yrs part time as a bartender while building the business. The name had to go though Fresh and Dry sounded to much like a feminine hygiene product.

 

[handdi]

i bought checkmate videos and i was hooked.