Self-Employment: Is It A Business or a J-O-B?

The latest employment figures showed that about three-quarters of the jobs created were part-time (30 hours per week or less). Now, more than ever, your financial success may depend on whether or not YOU control your earning potential.

‘Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.’ -        John Maxwell

I often ask people: ‘Why do you want to be in business? Why on earth would you leave the security of a job (no matter how unpleasant) with regular pay and benefits to start your own business, with all the uncertainty this holds?’

I usually get similar answers. Mostly, people say they:

• don’t want to work for someone else,
• don’t want to be told how a job should be done,
• are tired of having their income potential limited.

They do want:

• flexible schedules to spend time with their families,
• to do something they really love or gives life ‘meaning’,
• unlimited income potential or to build a valuable asset for their families.

These are all valid reasons for starting a business. But, ironically, many business owner-operators end up with the complete opposite. They find themselves with little control. They discover their clients will often demand they work longer hours than they ever did when working for someone else. Most small business owners pay themselves less than they would be paid working for another company.

If you pay yourself too little, work long hours, and don’t take a vacation, you can wear yourself out. A high percentage of businesses fail within five years of start-up. Disillusionment gets the better of them. They go into business to set themselves free and find themselves with a virtual chain around their ankle. Not surprisingly, they decide they don’t want to do it anymore.

 Here’s the problem: most people who fail to achieve financial freedom through their business do not have the right mindset.

Let me tell you about two friends of mine. One, we’ll call Jeff; the other, Richard.

Jeff and Richard opened businesses at the same time. Jeff opened up a small carpet cleaning service in the town where he lived. Fourteen years later he still had that small business and was still cleaning residential carpets 5 days a week and office carpets on weekends. Jeff was no better off financially and he still had to do all the work himself.  But what worries me most is that Jeff, like so many other owner-operators, will wake up one day and won’t want to do it anymore. As much as he loves his work and his customers, something will happen that changes his ability to live off its income, for health reasons or, more likely, because he’s lost the passion for it.

Richard started an office cleaning business, got a few accounts, then hired a neighbor to help him a couple night a week. Over the years he’s gotten more accounts, hired a couple managers and several employees. He mostly spends his time ‘selling’ his company’s services, then turns the new accounts over to his managers. When he’s ready to retire, he’ll have a valuable asset to sell.

Let’s look at the situations of these two friends. Why did Jeff go one route and Richard go another? The key difference was the mindset. Jeff chose to employ himself in a job he enjoyed. He did not choose to build a business. Richard knew he wanted a business and created a lifestyle where he never had to worry about money again.

They both made their choice; probably without even realizing they had done so.

We make choices every day. The most important choice is one you may not have given much thought to – until now. Are you choosing to build a business that will pay you back or are you choosing to work for a living?

If you want to build a business with unlimited potential, subscribe to my FREE newsletter here. Take charge of your life!

Getting Your 1st Client

How Do You Get Your 1^st Client When You Have A New Cleaning Business?

Often I get this question asked of me. One subscriber had a prospective ‘account’ manager that said, "I like what you seem to offer, but I don't know if I dare take a chance on a new company. If you could get a few clients first, then come back and I’ll take your proposal to the building owner.”

That was pretty discouraging to my reader and he didn't know how to handle the situation. Without having any customers, he had no testimonials or letters of recommendation. What should a new business owner do?

Here is an approach I used when starting my business.

"No, I don't have any clients yet, so if you’ll give me the account I have to work harder than anyone else! I can’t afford to lose you as a client because I need your recommendation to get my next account. Here’s the best part; if you ever have a problem with the work being done, you call me, not some office manager or route supervisor.”

By-the-way – the statement that “If you ever have a problem with the account, you can call me.” still holds true today.  Yes, I have account managers and route supervisors, and most of the day-to-day communication occurs between them and the building owners/managers; but every building owner/manager has my phone# and email address.

Does this approach work? After nearly 2 decades in business, I still have my 1^st cleaning account, and our client retention rate is nearly 100% in an industry where client turnover is reported to be 40% annually. Yes, it works! 

For more ideas on starting your own business, go here.

Client Security Concerns for the Cleaning Service contractor

 I get lots of questions from my readers (many of these are addressed in the book Make Money Cleaning Offices - availalble below) but let me address some of them here-

One of my readers asks: I have a question. Each office has an alarm and key.

1. How do you organize everything so that you have all the codes at hand for the offices? 

2. Do you just write them down in a binder and carry it with you all the time? 

3. When you have employees that do the work for you, do you only ever have one copy of the entrance key or do you have a backup key?

My Answer: I always have duplicate keys; you never know when an emergency will rise. By the way, employees who are going to have a key must sign an acknowledgment that they have been given possession of the key and, should they quit or be let go, their final check will not be given to them until the key is returned. 

Alarm codes can be kept in a binder or on a mobile device, but they are ‘mislabeled’ so that if the binder or device is found access to the building will be denied. For example, I have an account where our contact person is named Eric. The code is filed under 'Eric's building' and has no relationship whatsoever to the corporate name of the building.

Sometimes, you have a situation where employees 'block open' a side door to take out trash, etc. In order to insure that your crew has not left a door unsecured, you may use an approach similar to this: We provide a security 'log' at the account. The log is on a clipboard in the Janitor's closet. Each night the crew leader will:

1. Physically verify that the door was secured and note that this was done,

2. Set the alarm when leaving and note that they intend to do so,

3. IF a company employee is still in the building, get a name and note it on the clipboard.

That should eliminate any possibility of your people leaving the door open.

These are all simple steps but:

a. never having a key labeled with an account's actual name can prevent major problems if it is lost or stolen, 

b. requiring an employee return a key before getting a final check, and

c. having a written security 'log' makes your client feel more secure.

Thanks for the questions!

For more information or to get your copy of Make Money Cleaning Offices, go here.

How I Overcome Discouragement in Selling

Reader 'C'  sent me this statement:

"I am so grateful for all the information; it encourages me to eradicate fear. Sometime when I give a bid, and it didn't go through I take it too hard. How do you get through situations like this?"

My answer: First of all, in order to succeed in your cleaning business, you need to believe in the value of your service. Can you possibly convince your prospective client of this if you don't believe in it yourself?

Keep these thoughts in mind-

Realize that people pick up on your anxiety and tentativeness. When you're doing calls to prospects and you're thinking to yourself that they probably don't want to be bothered, then they'll hear it in your voice and will end the conversation right away. However, if you change your belief to the idea that they really need what you're calling for, then they'll be more likely to listen and have a favorable response.

Think about the various services you offer. Do they have a benefit to your potential clients? Make sure you are able to deliver the benefits your prospects expect. After you can do this, you will believe in yourself and the value of the services you provide. If you're unsure of your ability to deliver, then you need to spend more time educating yourself on the niche you've chosen for your business. The more knowledgeable you are about your cleaning services, the more confident you'll become. When you have confidence, you'll believe in the services you can provide your clients.

Do you feel as if you need your clients more than they need you? Then you are 'selling' from an attitude of desperation. Realize that there are more than enough clients for you and the other ‘quality’ cleaning companies in your area. Then you'll be able to relax in the knowledge that your ‘share’ of clients will come. 

 Second: I devoted an entire chapter of Make Money Cleaning Offices to writing a proposal that sells and the proper way to present that proposal. Are you professional in your approach?

 People do tend to judge a book by its cover, and your potential client will judge the quality of your cleaning service by their first impression of you. People like to deal with other successful people, so look as successful as possible. Dressing neatly in clean, professional looking clothes is essential.

 Check your grooming. If possible, stop into a restroom before the meeting to make sure you look presentable.

 Keep things neat and orderly. Whatever sales material you use should be neat and organized.

 Be professional. Be on time. In fact, give yourself a 10 minute head start. Be a little early. It is far better for you to be waiting for them than for them to be waiting for you.  Don't smoke and don't chew gum; you need an empty mouth to carry on a conversation.

 Stay positive. Be enthusiastic about life and your business. Do not allow negatives to enter the conversation. Don't boast about your company, but present its strengths in a positive manner. Set the stage for success. Be personable, smile, use a firm handshake, and give a pleasant greeting. Remember, the potential client is not your enemy—someone to be beaten into accepting your services—rather, both of you will be winners in this relationship.

 Learn to Close the Sale

 There are many good books that will help you develop skills in selling your company's services. The Art of Closing the Sale by Brian Tracy and Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar are highly recommended. Read them, use what you can, and for good measure pick up a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Build Relationships

 Developing a successful list of clients has as much to do with relationships as it does with cleaning. Some relationships will be built immediately; you will get to bid and your bid will be accepted. Other relationships will be developed more slowly; you will be building a bridge to a future successful business relationship. Don't be disappointed when a presentation does not lead to a successful sale.

Your goal is to establish a bond with the prospect and offer yourself as an expert in the contract cleaning field. At some point in time they may grow dissatisfied with their present cleaning contractor and turn to you.

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