carpet cleaning business growth

What can a carpet cleaner learn from the “Three Stooges?”

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The “Three Stooges”? (We’re not talking about Chuck Violand, Big Billy Yeadon and Steve Toburen of SFS fame!) Nope, Chuck says that we learn how to avoid “Paralysis by Analysis” from Larry, Moe and Curly!

Carpet cleaning technician pay- commission vs. hourly? What to do?

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It is just one of the cleaning industry’s “eternal questions”. Where is the “sweet spot” in compensating my employees? What is the simplest and most cost effective way to motivate technicians while still letting the company make a profit? Steve shares a few thoughts with a Richmond, VA carpet cleaner …

A few thoughts on successfully skippering your carpet cleaning venture …

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Chuck Violand sums up his recent posts comparing your carpet cleaning and/or restoration business to different types of sailing vessels with a few reminders for you, the captain of the boat. Chuck’s thoughts could mean the difference between a successful voyage or the disastrous “shipwreck” of your business …

3 hints on how to safely “captain” a larger cleaning/restoration business …

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It has been well said, “The fish rots from the head down”. And so it is both with the captain of a ship and YOU heading up your cleaning business. As the owner or manager you should look deep within you BEFORE you transition into a larger business model. If you don’t, just like a ship captain that is “over his head” you may be putting innocent lives at risk! Listen to Chuck …

How to develop and manage your carpet cleaning/restoration business “crew”.

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As carpet cleaning or restoration operation owners we love to bellyache about how “you can’t find good people anymore”! But as Chuck Violand explains, could it be that the fickle finger of guilt points more at us as small business owners and our abdication of our responsibilities as the skipper to develop our crew? Read on …

Should carpet cleaners accept credit cards?

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One veteran professional carpet cleaner in California has been debating the pros and cons of offering the credit card payment option to his clients. Steve helps him realize he has already sub-consciously decided …

So what type of crew members do you want to employ on your carpet cleaning “sail boat”?

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What type of employees do you want? Easy, you say, “The very best!” Not so fast here. Chuck Violand shares how the size of your company will determine the profile of the employee you want to go “sailing” with you on some very choppy cleaning business seas!

Words to live by and not just for carpet cleaners either!!!

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How do you sum up life in one paragraph? Does it even remotely involve your truck mount, pre-spray, cleaning solution or other cleaning equipment? We sure hope not! Brian Dyson of Coca Cola has done a very nice job of helping everyone (carpet cleaning and restoration professionals included) keep focused on the really important things in life …

The need to keep your carpet cleaning business “sailing forward” with sales!

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Chuck loves sailboats and he loves business too! So it is only natural that he would draw parallels between the two in when teaching the opening day of Jon-Don’s Strategies for Success. For example, Chuck says that money and sales are the “wind” that not only move your business forward but even help keep it afloat …

Are you “sailing against the cash-flow wind” as a professional carpet cleaner?

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As Chuck reflects on how the typical carpet cleaning or restoration business is much like a boat he focuses on your business wind- MONEY! No money? Then as a business you are “dead in the water”. A simple concept? Yes. But at times agonizingly difficult to implement. Read on for Chuck’s meditations …