Business Owners Speak Out
Heather Marquez
? Propelling Results For Business Owners and Growth-Minded Professionals ? Business Coaching?? & Leadership Development??
Cleaning/Restoration Edition – June 2020
A collection of short interviews and education from local business owners and amazing insights into the challenges today, focusing on the Cleaning/Restoration Industry.
ActionCOACH, Heather Marquez (HM) virtually sits down with business owners to learn how they are working through COVID-19. Check out their inspiring stories for tips on how to cope with and successfully recover from this pandemic, as well as ideas and special offers from these businesses.
Most importantly, visit the company websites. Reach out to those who offer services you can use. Let’s support each other and get through this together!
ServiceMaster by Harris, owner,
Joel Harris
We have been part of this community for over 30 years and after having many adventures, we have an organization that can handle any size of cleaning project. We specialize in: Fire and Water restoration, Custodial Services as well as Carpet and Upholstery cleaning. I and my staff try to be very responsive to your needs and can tailor make our service to meet your specifications.
HM: Who is your best customer, your target audience?
JH: We offer custodial services which is our biggest and our largest. Our residential services, which are mostly carpet and upholstery cleaning, and/or duct cleaning. Those services have largely evaporated because of the pandemic.
HM: What would you say was the greatest impact that COVID-19 has had on your business?
JH: I would say that the most impact during COVID-19 is we do a fair amount of medical facilities. This led us to be more involved in sanitizing that we would normally not do as much. The impact on residential services, people are pretty much locked down and do not want people in their homes.
HM: What one or two actions have you taken to make a difference in your business?
JH: We’ve done some independent marketing to our clients, we’ve also dropped some flyers. Businesses want to know that we have the capabilities and abilities to help them if they need help with sanitizing buildings so they can open back up – and we are a certified firm. We have an awful lot of expertise that we bring to the table, not only because of longevity, but because we have an awful lot of education, so that’s helpful.
HM: So, as a business owner, what mistakes have you made along the way and how can other entrepreneurs and small business owners learn from you?
JH: I have made the mistake in my business where you have several years of very good business. You then start spending money on items that obviously make your business better. Then you have a downturn, but you still have bills and obligations to continue to pay for. So I think that’s the biggest mistake that I’ve made.
HM: What is most inspiring to you today and what is keeping you positive going through this?
JH: I am a positive person in the respect that I think we will come out of this. As time progresses, people will start to feel more comfortable and things will start to get back to normal.
Contact: 319-291-3991
Stanley Steemer, Manager, Bob Gyuro
Stanley Steemer is proud to provide professional residential and commercial cleaning services in and around Cedar Falls; cleaning carpet, hardwood, tile and grout, area rugs, oriental rugs, furniture, natural stone, cars, boats and RVs. We started with one man, a van and a vision. 70 years later, Stanley Steemer is the leading residential and commercial cleaning company we manufacture our own equipment, train our own technicians, deliver exceptional service and provide 24-hour scheduling. We are even proven to remove an average of 94% of allergens from carpet, 96.5% of allergens from tile and grout, and 96% of allergens from hardwood. Its no wonder when it comes to a professional clean, people know to call 1-800-STEEMER.
HM: Who is your best customer, your target audience?
BG: I would say it is probably pretty close to 75% residential and the rest commercial.
HM: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
BG: The reduction of jobs both residential and commercial. Another issue is the general public not really super aware, or maybe just a bit confused whether or not we are even open, which we are. We are open to work with potential businesses.
HM: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference during COVID-19?
BG: The biggest thing is to keep our customers and employees safe, it is our number one thing. We have new protocols in place with a new cleaning product and pre-spray, EPA registered to kill viruses and bacteria, and sanitizing our equipment at the end of each job. Educating our employees is very important, providing shoe covers, masks and gloves.
HM: What mistakes have you made along the way and how can other entrepreneurs and small business owners learn from you?
BG: The biggest thing is not being an expert in everything that we do. My advice is you better be an expert in every facet of your business and know everything there is to know. As things begin to open up, mistakes will present themselves, you can look back on things you should have done. While in the middle of this, focus on our employees, keeping them healthy and employed and keeping our customers healthy.
HM: What is most inspiring to you today and what is keeping you positive going through this?
BG: I think what’s inspiring me now is my responsibility I have to my family and my employees to make sure that we run a successful business and that everybody still has a job.
Contact:
#515-223-5868/#319-234-6774
Evergreen Specialty Cleaning of
Waterloo, Owner, Eric Schmitz
Welcome to Evergreen Specialty Cleaning! We are a different kind of cleaning company that focuses on the needs of our customers and uses eco-freindly cleaning products and methods. Our goal is to offer you superior service every time with a 5-star experience. OUR CORE VALUES:
Serving: Our number one focus is to serve our communities
Integrity: Our honesty and ethical business approach will always put our customers first
Commitment: Our commitment is to provide the best quality service in the industry--what we call a 5-star experience
Quality: Our team is held to the highest of standards
Accountability: Our mission statement and service commitment holds us accountable for our actions
HM: Who is your best customer, your target audience?
ES: The commercial client – the one that cares about their business and knows what that first appearance/impression means. The business that cares about he facility and knows how important that is in the big picture to their clients that come into their building. I bet our commercial clients are people that we have had longer than five year.
HM: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
ES: The biggest impact has been the residential portion. Some clients have said we are just going to stop until at least the lockdown is over for Black Hawk County. We we are still doing a portion of the residential thing, but not actually going into homes that are occupied, only unoccupied. It was a decision that we made, we are just not going to do residential, it is just too hard with clients working from home, kids home, there’s no way we can have anybody else added to the mix of things.
HM: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
ES: Example, a dealership, their showroom floor is their selling point, but now with customers not visiting the showroom, we switched to the common areas where employees are allowed. Phones being wiped off, keyboards, bathrooms, door handles, putting extra attention there. So when employees go home at night, making sure their work areas are clean when the come back.
HM: What mistakes have you made along the way and how can other entrepreneurs and small business owners learn from you?
ES: I would say the biggest thing I have learning is I can not do everything myself. I have to be able to put trust in my employees to do what I’ve asked them to do. Mistakes happen, and then I point them out. We all have bumps in the road. This pandemic is definitely a new one, there’s a lot of learning going on right now on how to deal with things. Over the years, it has always been to put the customer first and trying to give them what they want.
HM: What is most inspiring to you today and what is keeping you positive going through this?
ES: I would just wanting to get back to work, to get people excited. It’s the employees coming back and seeing their clients. Right now I am not able to see my clients, I want to get that back. I think that’s the thing keeping us going right now…this too shall pass. We are going to be back up, making clients happy again, and that’s the kind of thing pushing us right now.
Contact:
#319-404-0262
SERVPRO of Black Hawk County,
Owner, Scott Demuth
SERVPRO of Black Hawk County understands the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the trouble it causes your life and home or business. Owners, Scott and Libby Demuth’s goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it "Like it never even happened." Their passion for helping people put their lives back together again and making the community strong, has developed a reliable and trusted bond with others. Growing up and attending Don Bosco and Columbus high schools, they recognize it’s their family and friends they are caring for. SERVPRO of Black Hawk County specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage. Scott's background managing the SERVPRO restoration division at a local construction company coupled with his experience overseeing the water division for a restoration
business, has built a solid work reputation that echoes the SERVPRO brand since it’s 1967 beginning.
HM: Who is your best customer, your target audience?
SD: Homeowner or business owner, commercial building owner, insurance agents and adjusters, property managers and realtor facility managers.
HM: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
SD: I was more concerned about people having water damage and not wanting us coming in, they don’t want anyone in their home. But we haven’t really noticed that as a problem. Our carpet cleaning business has slowed down, it’s the kind of thing that needs to be done, but it is not necessary and it is not an emergency. Our non-emergency work has slowed, but other work we’ve actually had some crews that are putting in more hours now than they were before all of this.
HM: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to to make a difference?
SD: One main thing is, I’m actually donating disinfecting product to the Waterloo Fire Department, Police Departments and Sheriff’s Department. They use this to clean their vehicles between every shift. Another thing, my marketing team is assisting with running food from Hy-Vee to the food bank. And just keeping our guys protected in the field, cleaning their vehicles and disinfecting them at the end of each day, wearing masks and PPE to protect themselves and the customer
HM: What mistakes have you made along the way and how can other entrepreneurs and small business owners learn from you?
SD: I would say the biggest instant is that I should have put more effort into the marketing when I first started my business in 2012. I feel I would have been in a different position today because it would have pushed my business up that much quicker. Also putting management in place earlier, that has helped our growth tremendously.
HM: What is most inspiring to you today and what is keeping you positive going through this?
SD: My biggest goal and push, as always, my family tree. My kids are my motivation, I want to be able to give them opportunities younger, so as they grow I can push them into their futures. The other is putting motivation in teaching my employees and giving them the tools they need and watch them excel in their role within the business, and taking ownership of the business itself.
Contact:
#319-268-1521
www.servproblackhawkcounty.com
AJ's Cleaning and Restoration,
Owner, AJ Dedic
Here at AJ’S Cleaning & Restoration we are focused on providing high-quality cleaning services at affordable prices to the Des Moines and Surrounding Areas. We understand that when looking for a new residential or commercial cleaning company there are tons of options to choose from, so let us tell you why we’re The Best Choice!
HM: Who is your best customer, your target audience?
AJ: Our target market is pretty wide open. Any commercial space, home, apartment, office building – all spaces that needs to be cleaned.
HM: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
AJ: The residential side had slowed down quite a bit for about three weeks, no one wanted us in their home. However, the past couple of weeks, people have gotten tired of sitting around, and we’ve actually exceeded our numbers from last year on the residential side.
Commercial side of things, getting a lot more calls for janitorial services and well as disinfecting services. Instead of having us come out once a week, now having us come out two, three times a week, or even daily doing high touch areas.
HM: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
AJ: On the residential side, we now wear personal protective equipment. We are now sanitizing our equipment after every job instead of at the end of the day. So everything gets sanitized before being brought in. If going into a house, wearing gloves, masks, goggles and suits if required.
HM: What mistakes have you made along the way and how can other entrepreneurs and small business owners learn from you?
AJ: I believe the mistake I made when I started this business was wanting to handle everything on my own. Basically making the business my baby, my little projects, and not hiring. I felt like I did it best. Once I started hiring people to handle the day to day tasks that I wasn’t comfortable with, like advertising, marketing and so on, we definitely started growing at a rapid rate.
HM: What is most inspiring to you today and what is keeping you positive going through this?
AJ: The light at the end of the tunnel. I feel Iowa has not had it as bad as some other states, so I feel we’ve been lucky with that. It’s just for things to get back to normal and not have people worried about us going into their home or their business. I feel like business is personal, you want to be able to build a personal relationship with them, and being 10 feet away from someone, it is tough to do that.
Contact:
#515-868-9985
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During the Covid-19 Crisis, I am putting aside 5 pro-bono hours a week
to coach 5 business owners who need help to survive, open and thrive.
?Call me: #563-260-1530 or
Email me: [email protected]
Please be safe, cautious and follow all guidelines. Remember to support your local business and be kind to one another!