Three years ago I started Sunshine Cleaning after being turned down for a promotion at my place of employment. I started with one medical office three times per week. A very good friend of mine made me some flyers, and I walked all the neighborhoods I could, placing them on doors. It took about a year and a half to really take off. Suddenly, I had over 30 residential houses and ten businesses. Life was great!!!!
Unfortunately, I had overdone everything and suffered a slight stroke. I no longer had the desire to listen to comments from customers, nor did I want to deal with employees who could not or would not perform their jobs. I lost all of my residential customers and half of my commercial business due to lack of communication and general “get up and go,” all on my part.
I’m happy to say that I’m now back in the swing of things. I currently have ten residential and ten commercial accounts, four of which are new.
In my experience, the five things that follow are of the utmost importance.
Advertising: The best things I’ve done were small ads in our local classifieds and eye-catching flyers.
Bookkeeping: I actually believe that the most important thing is to have a good bookkeeper!!!
Good employees: Trustworthy, hard-working employees who can be counted on to give the clients the TLC they need and deserve are critical and worth their weight in gold.
Self-motivation: Good self-motivation can keep you going even during rough times.
A solid, positive relationship with clients: Making personal contact with all your clients monthly is very important. It builds a relationship that keeps them from retaining your competition.
I feel that God has blessed me with a second chance, and I intend to do it right this time. I love the boards and the mentors on them, but I also like them because it gives me a chance to help others just starting out or those who just need a helping hand. I couldn’t have done it without my friends and family standing behind me and helping me in any way they could.
I hope in writing this it will help others.
Alicia Ray
Sunshine Cleaning
http://www.sunshinecleaningky.com/