So you want to build your business? Congratulations!
Inevitably “growing your company” means you will be adding workers- WONDERFUL! It can feel great to build “something of value” that helps your employees (and their families) while also creating wealth for your family! What a fulfilling, fantastic feeling!
OR growing your business and adding employees can also bring (choose one or more!) increased headaches/ liability/ stress/ overhead and yes, even agony to your business and your life. Employees (to paraphrase Charles Dickens) brought us “the best of time AND the worst of times”! But never fear…
Your SFS team is here with practical, tested “growing solutions” for you. We have hired (and fired!) hundreds of employees between us. We’ve made some boneheaded mistakes and learned from them too. So click on any (or all) of the topics below and let’s get you some “down in the trenches” answers:
How NOT to hire a cleaning technician! SFS instructor Chuck Violand helps you avoid some far-too-common hiring mistakes.
“Where can I find the ‘right’ cleaning technician?” Simply put, most (not all) good employees already HAVE A JOB! So Steve Toburen tells you where to find great prospects…
“Should I partner up with my best friend in a cleaning business?” Why you should think twice about this at-first-glance tempting route!
“What medical questions can I legally ask my employees?” Expert’s from Violand & Associates weigh in with the right and wrong for the cleaning and restoration industry.
“What is wrong with this new generation of new employees?” Do you get frustrated with the “Millenials” entering the labor market? Bill Yeadon’s research will bring you some answers. (And lower your blood pressure!)
“I hate doing payroll. Why can’t I just make him a sub-contractor?” One of our more common questions at SFS. You will save yourself a lot of agony by reading the answer.
“Can I get by with one tech on a truck or should I run two-person crews?” Here is a good analysis plus an “in-between approach” that works well for many growing companies.
“Why do I feel like I am trapped between being ‘too small’ and yet with six employees I’m ‘too big’?” Probably because you ARE! Far too many cleaners and restorers are sort of stuck in between on what Steve calls the difficult “Road In-Between”!
“How can I motivate my techs to do more than just ‘show up’?” Bill Yeadon describes the different “reward mechanisms” and which ones work better for cleaning and/or restoration companies.
Why “Sincere Recognition” is better than a raise! Steve explains what is even more powerful than money in developing “sticky employees” that LOVE coming to work!
“Why do my sharp young techs burn out and quit?” Very likely because you are not motivating them on the Emotional Dynamics of working inside your customer’s Inner Sanctum- their home or business.
“My techs last less than a year and then leave. Why?” Learn several possible reasons for your “employee revolving door” in this thought provoking business analysis.
“Where and how can I find good on-call employees?” These employees that can quickly come in on a short term basis can be a huge help.
“Now that I have employees making payroll is always an issue. Help!” Yep, now it is time to get the cash flow going! Nothing works better than Bill Yeadon’s “Hub Marketing” concepts.
Now hear from someone who is down in the trenches! Read Meg Burdick’s dispatches from the front lines as she and her husband John grow their owner-operator company into a multi-truck business.
Want more “Growing your business” resources?
HERE is a special SFS website section on managing employees
HERE are dozens of Special Reports on how to build a smoothly running business and…
HERE is the “Business Infrastructure” to make it happen without you and …
HERE is Steve Toburen’s orientation video on WHY you need to attend Jon-Don’s Strategies for Success seminar!