Who else is small potatoes?

[Old Coastie]

Not talking to you established, multi-truck giants. I'm wondering who else lurking here runs a small outfit, is trying to learn and deliver great quality and having to buy used, but has dreams?
My company is bootstrapping itself on guts, callous and self-education. We're feeding four households and think this is a craft, not a job. I'd LOVE to hear from some of you other guys in the same boat! What are you doing? What issues are you overcoming? What do you like best about being a cleaner? What motivates you to gear up and do it again? Share a story!

 

[Mikey P]

I'm certainly a small fry in Nevada.

Here is my advice to you and anyone else who is looking to grow their quality owner op business.

-Social Media will help with branding, BEING social will be your best advertising. Be THE carpet cleaner in your community.
-Go to every social event you can, chamber meetings, holiday parties, dances, charity events,home shows, wine walks etc.
-Find a biz networking group like BNI or LeTip or a local private version.
-Join the largest community blogs on Facebook and chat it up about everything but carpet cleaning. Use your logo as your avatar and make damn sure your personal page is void of anything not rated PG. Do not talk about politics, sex or religion.
-Join any group of small business owners you can find, city rebuilding, holiday lights or food drives, do all that stuff.
-Go to farmer markets, dances or roller skating night with your company t shirt on.
-Make your logo memorable and easily read.
-Beg, plead and bribe people for reviews, especially Yelp and Facebook.

You'll find in most every community that no other carpet cleaner is doing the in your face social stuff listed above. Why?

Because their either lazy, stupid, shy, ugly, a stutterer, afraid or incapable of public speaking or just a plain goober.

Or all of the above. This industry attracts them like soil to Preload5.





All of the above is way cheaper than EDDM, Groupon or any print marketing, all of which is worthless when it comes to finding loyal clients.

 

[cobra]

We are coming up on 4 years. we have 3 vans, and 4 cleaning crews. we had a bad winter 2016 and struggled until may. Thought several times about downsizing. we stuck it out and had a great rest of the year. I will never forget how it felt to scrape the last of my savings just to make it. I look less at gross and more at net now. sounds like common sense I guess but you get excited when a big job comes in only to find you need more equipment, chems, etc and end up breaking even. Still small but looking at going critical mass. have 2 more cities to open up in the next 5 years.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

Mikey are you saying that preload5 is a great cleaning product? Best prespray on the market?
I am an owner operator as well. My biggest problem is marketing. As much as I listen to podcasts on how to do marketing I still don't understand how to do it. The before and after and the customer's wow is what I enjoy.

 

[JS41035]

Man X1000 on the facebook stuff. It amazes me what some people post. If you never want to work for people that have a different political,religious or social view,then I guess post away. Ironically even some people who like and agree with you won't want to use you professionally. Total Lose-Lose in my opinion.

 

[Mikey P]

Mind boggling..

 

[Old Coastie]

Mikey are you saying that preload5 is a great cleaning product? Best prespray on the market?
I am an owner operator as well. My biggest problem is marketing. As much as I listen to podcasts on how to do marketing I still don't understand how to do it. The before and after and the customer's wow is what I enjoy.

The wow. Yup!

 

[WillS]

Even though your small, you can look big to your customers. We run only 2 trucks full time with 1 part. Customers are always asking if we are a franchise. I guess this is because we make sure all our techs are on the same page with how to discuss products, cleaning. Everyone has logo'd shirts, same jean or short colors on, trucks logo'd, etc.

 

[GCCLee]

Hi

Im Chris.....



A True 1%er

 

[Chris Howell]

We started out small and struggled for many years. But we hung in there and it was worth it! 17 years later we are going stronger than ever!

Interestingly, we used to be bigger than we are. At one point we had six vans on the road. Now we are down to three and are more profitable than we were when we were bigger.

The advice that I would offer to anyone would be to specialize specialize specialize. If you are offering the same service as everyone else out there, you will always be competing for the business and slashing prices. Offer something different. Find a niche that will separate you from all of your competition.

Here's an article that expounds on what I just said above:

http://www.cleanfax.com/magazine-archives/2016-carpet-cleaning-leaders-review/

 

[Cleanworks]

Stephen, I've been small potatoes for almost 30 years. Just never wanted to run a large outfit. I have done that for other people in the past but like providing a personal service for my customers. I do cast a large shadow however, as this has been my chosen industry for over 30 years. I have been big on education and spreading my knowledge. I have worked with other cleaning companies and flooring retailers and suppliers with an aim to challenge them to upgrade their customer service. I help them, needle them even insult them as I give work to them and it is rewarding to see installers using power stretchers for the first time and suppliers bringing in new products and fellow cleaners upgrading their skills and equipment. However, I am now at a point where I realize I can't do the physical labor forever and am looking to the future where I can broaden my services and hire some employees to take the load off me and start making some real money. I have never owned a brand new truck mount but have learned to wrench on things myself. I am definitely not the worlds greatest mechanic but I can usually fumble through most things. I am lucky enough to have an affordable shop where I can store my stuff and clean rugs. In the near future, I am looking to increase my area rug cleaning and tap into more commercial carpet cleaning using encapsulation cleaning techniques. This coming year, I hope to add at least one part time helper who I am hoping will become full time before long. It is a big step from becoming an owner/operator, to running a business with staff. Sounds like you have already done that. Your elves seem to be well trained and customer friendly. You just have to expand on that. Take a really good look at the type of work around you and figure out what is going to be the most profitable. There are many ways to skin a cat. You don't need a truck mount to be successful. It's just a tool. When you buy a tool, you have to know how it is going to make money for you. Find out the best ways to market your services and use them. I could easily double or treble my volume if I just followed my own advice but I am lazy. I just don't want to work that hard but the time is coming when I need to make changes and I probably have to change my outlook on how to accomplish them. You have the start of a very successful business. Just keep doing what you have been doing and look for opportunities to increase that.

 

[hogjowl]

 

[Mikey P]

@Nomad74 you've been at this for 4 years now and appear to stay busy


What all have you done to get your name out there?

What would you do again?

and what was a dud?

 

[Mikey P]

nothing like a run on paragraph to go with your butterbean high...

 

[Nomad74]

I love reading your stories. It keeps me motivated. I have a bit of a story myself. I can say carpet cleaning has saved my life and my family. We were in a really bad way when I fired up my company. I had no choice but to make it work. I had a carpet cleaning company in about 2002 with a little Bridgepoint Lancer. I was running around Chico and Paradise Ca. cleaning. I had no clue what I was doing. There wasn't really to many resources around back then. So I did the best I could with what I had. I ended up selling the company after about a year. So that was my first taste of the cleaning biz.

What I primarily did before that was buying rentals and flipping houses. That is where I made my fortune, then lost it. I started out with a Condo in the East SF Bay Area. Rented that place out and then put myself through the police academy. I was hired by an East Bay Dept and while working there I kept buying rentals in the Paradise area. Eventually I had acquired enough rentals, I didn't need to work for anyone else anymore. I sold my Concord condo's, and moved to Paradise. There I eventually acquired 15 rentals and a mini-storage business, flipped a bunch of homes, and built 9 new homes. I then sold everything and reinvested the funds in a reverse 1031 Exchange into investment properties in Tulsa Oklahoma. At that point I owned 136 rental units, comprised of single family homes, duplexes, and large apartment complexes. I had 5 full time employees and provided them with free rent, cars, cell phones, and utilities. I needed to make $55k monthly just to break even.

Things were going steady until about 2010. The economy tanked and I held out as long as I could. Once the house of cards started coming down, I could slowly see everything was coming to an end. It got to the point where I could not keep up with the deferred maintenance or the vacancies. My wife and I basically circled the wagons and sold everything for loan value, or just gave it back to the note holders. Our only priority was to save our home, which we did by the skin of our teeth.

With the little funds I had left, which wasn't much, I started my cleaning company. I bought a run out AT&T 1-ton van (Still using) and an EDIC Porty, hoses, Roto-vac power wand, some chems, and marketing materials. I remember feeling so scared about starting this up and going into peoples homes to do work. I had no choice. I had to make this work. I pushed through my fear and got busy. Currently I'm going into my 4th year. I have about 600 customers and growing that I have worked hard to acquire. The resources at our fingertips now are amazing. Places like Mikey's board and YouTube have really helped me to connect with the right people.

Anyway, that is the short version. I'll eventually get back into some real estate investments, but for now my only focus is my Family and growing my business. I market my ass off. Talk to everyone I can about carpets. Hand out cards like a drunk sailor. My name isn't Damon. It's "Damon A Plus Carpet Cleaning". I do the things that the other guys don't do. I compete in areas where they can't or refuse. I listen to the guys that have come before me and learn from them what works, and what didn't. Nothing was easy or simple for me doing this. I am a retard on facebook ways and website stuff. I forced myself to learn. I had no choice. I am very thankful I have been able to grow my business in such a small market. This next year is only going to get better. Maybe I can ditch my AT&T Run-out.

 

[Nomad74]

@Nomad74 you've been at this for 4 years now and appear to stay busy


What all have you done to get your name out there?

What would you do again?

and what was a dud?

funny, while you posted this, I was typing away.

 

[steve_64]

The Dr told me to get some exercise so here I am.

 

[Mikey P]

@billyeadon

We need to get Damon some stage time too....holy moly

 

[Nomad74]

@billyeadon

We need to get Damon some stage time too....holy moly

No, I want to be a sponge.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Damon please! Guys like you make Mikeyfests so valuable....

I could care less about the typical "big show" blowhard paid speaker/motivational shill, or the typical velvet roped dead displays. You are the real deal I want to rub elbows with, have fun, and learn new things with.

You will love it.

 

[Nomad74]

Damon please! Guys like you make Mikeyfests so valuable....

I could care less about the typical "big show" blowhard paid speaker/motivational shill, or the typical velvet roped dead displays. You are the real deal I want to rub elbows with, have fun, and learn new things with.

You will love it.

Wow thanks. Honestly. Everyday I learn that I don't know anything and I need to keep learning. I feel so small still. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I think I have done some things spot on as well. Hell, my first EDDM was a whole house special of 1,600 sqft for $99. I wasn't sure how to get the phone to ring, so I started with that. It worked too well and almost killed me. I would show up with my little EDIC and bust out the jobs. I have no clue how I did it. I must have just been totally in the zone trying to get some money in the bank. My mindset now is I would rather go out of business than work with that porty again, lol.

I am also very humbled to be on this board. I know there are a lot of salty experienced guys floating around these parts, so I sort of keep to myself.

I will say this, and it has been heavy on my my mind for sometime. I see so many guys always grasping at the newest Facebook, Periscope, Instagram, snapchat, or whatever new social media thing is going to be a home-run. I have found with so many younger and newer cleaners focused on social media, I have been able to go under them using the old methods no one is doing anymore. I'll walk into a property management company with a box of chocolates for all the employees. All the women come running to me squealing like mice to get it. It's almost embarrassing for me. I send out birthday cards, reminder cards, referral request cards with $20 gift card bribes, send gourmet brownies to my high end clients, on and on. I never stop and it pays off. You can bet if you fill up you car with gas after me, you'll find my $50-off card stuck to the pump.

 

[Mikey P]

In the begging and in the end, Owner Op cleaning businesses rely on just one thing to succeed.

A great personality behind the suckmop.


It alone can get you all the work you want.


MB/F will teach you all the rest.

 

[hogjowl]

A great personality behind the suckmop.

Bull.

I've been doing fine for close to 30 years.

 

[Mikey P]

hogwash..

 

[Nomad74]

We are coming up on 4 years. we have 3 vans, and 4 cleaning crews. we had a bad winter 2016 and struggled until may. Thought several times about downsizing. we stuck it out and had a great rest of the year. I will never forget how it felt to scrape the last of my savings just to make it. I look less at gross and more at net now. sounds like common sense I guess but you get excited when a big job comes in only to find you need more equipment, chems, etc and end up breaking even. Still small but looking at going critical mass. have 2 more cities to open up in the next 5 years.

How did you make the jump from a single van to a multi van operation? Was it worth it? What is the biggest learning curve to navigate when bringing on that second van? I'm sort of stuck at a point where I can stay where I am or push the boundaries of growth. I'm at a wall. I would love your input.

 

[Old Coastie]

Yeah, I'd like to know, too. I'd also like to hear from you lurkers that rarely post. Tell me about your business and how you are getting along.

 

[Willy P]

hogwash..

Marty is selling chems now?

 

[steve_64]

Marty is selling chems now?

The name is already taken. A pig farmer I grew up with has a line if cleaners called hogwash.

 

[Mikey P]

Being a small potatoe means not having to worry about being cut into french fries..

 

[steve_64]

Being a small potatoe means not having to worry about being cut into french fries..

Mashed?