Starting a Cleaning Business and Successfully Growing It
Many websites will tell you that starting a cleaning business in just a few days is easy, and that you can start a house cleaning business for a very small investment. What they don’t tell you is that finding customers and running the business can be frustrating, time consuming and costly. Most people who start a house cleaning business go out of business within the first six months due to lack of knowledge and preparation. Don’t be one of the failures! Research the industry and know what you are getting into before you invest in starting your own cleaning business.Here is some professional advice that will help you start your own cleaning business with minimal investment and maximum return:A professionally designed logo will help to brand your company in the public's mind. Your logo will be printed on business cards, door knockers, letterhead, car signs, etc., so carefully consider the image you want to present, and then choose artwork which will best reflect that image. Visit LogoYes.com to create your own logo for only $99.Decide what you will charge for your services. Research the local market to determine what your competitors charge. You must remain within the local standards, and you can undercut your competition slightly; however, if you charge significantly less than the competition, you may end up with less money and more

Unique Fundraising Idea: Custom Silicone Bracelets!
So you need to raise several thousand dollars in a short period of time. You have a very worthy cause that people would love to help. However, you’ve tried every traditional way to get the money that you need to no avail. You’ve done car washes, bake sales, sold cookies, and every other fundraiser you could think of. Chances are, the people you’re asking are getting tired of the same old routine. You need some unique fundraising ideas and you need them fast. Why not try something new? Silicone bracelets are the idea that you’ve been searching for.Whether you’re supporting your local church group or trying to fund the cure for cancer, unique fundraising ideas are essential. Every business needs a unique selling proposition and fundraisers are no different. The same rules apply. If you can separate yourself from other fundraisers, people will love to help you.With silicone bracelets, you can provide something that hasn’t been overdone. The silicone bracelets can be customized to say whatever you’d like them to. You can put a catch phrase on all of them, or individualize them for each customer. The customer will get something that they can wear again and again, instead of a consumable product that they’ll use once. This holds a large advantage over traditional forms of fundraising.Silicone bracelets can come in a variety of colors and st

Managing Conflict in the Workplace
Whenever you put a group of people into a work situation, there's potential for conflict. People bring to the job differing work habits, ethics, and modes of expression, and differences of opinion are bound to arise. Add to that issues of work allocation, opportunities for promotion, and other factors where employees are in a competitive situation with each other, and the likelihood of trouble is great.It's not possible to eliminate conflict from a workplace, but establishing clear guidelines for work responsibilities, promotion practices, and scheduling issues can go a long way toward creating a harmonious environment. Periodically reviewing employee responsibilities is necessary to make sure that one or a few employees don't end up doing a disproportionate share of the work.If it turns out that some employees do less than their share on a consistent basis, you can bet the other employees recognize this and have some pretty intense feelings about the situation. Intervention is necessary; if the problem is lack of skills, make sure the poorly performing employee gets the training needed. If it's an issue of poor time management or lack of organization, there are plenty of classes available in those skills; offer to pay for them and strongly urge the employee to attend.When personal conflictsor most any customer or client to enter a retail or other business environment that operates like a well oiled machine. Instead, they are almost immediately confronted with poorly trained, incompetent and ill-mannered employees. This can be true whether the business is a small print shop, care dealership, insurance agency, professional’s office or retail store. The store where we didn’t receive the ’best’ service happened to be part of a national chain of retail appliance stores. I’ve leave it up to you to figure out which one that was.

Despite the inconvenience and frustration associated with receiving less then acceptable treatment as a customer, there’s a lot any current or prospective business owner or manager can learn from such an experience. The most important lesson is that when it comes to business, everything starts at the top. If the owner or manager of a business is not providing strong positive leadership, that company will be a nightmare for clients or customers.

The dream of every business owner or manager is to hire people who are self-starters that can function without constant supervision, while still keeping the company marching orders in mind. The nightmare of every business owner or manager is to find out that most of their employees do not fit into that category. Even if they did, leaving them alone is always a big mistake. Employees left to themselves are like children ignored by their parents. They go wild and do exactly as they please.

Whether we like it or not, every business owner or manager is like a parent. None can have the luxury of walking into their office, closing the door and hoping that everything outside of their little administrative world is going fine. On the other hand, holding sales or business meetings at the expense of customers trying to make a purchase or receive services is also a bad idea.

There is nothing more frustrating for a customer trying to make a purchase or solve a problem then to be told that their only connection to the business entity they are trying to deal with is in a meeting. I have been to car dealerships where salespeople were in a meeting when I tried to purchase a vehicle. I have been to stores where employees were in a meeting when I tried to get more information on a particular item. I have even found that my Veterinarian’s sudden need to hold a meeting with his employees in the middle of a business day was the reason that my dog wasn’t going to been seen.

One of the standard service jobs that I worked while trying to survive college was at a fast food restaurant. Despite the dreary nature of a job like that, I actually enjoyed working there. It was all about the Management. They were friendly, smart, personable and showed legitimate concern for their employees. It wasn’t unusual for the Manager of that restaurant to jump on the grill on busy nights and lend a helping hand. However, the thing I remember and admire most about her was that she would host a Sunday breakfast every week for any employee that cared to attend. Schedules would be rotated so that everyone had a chance to sit down to a nice breakfast and join the give and take discussion.

Those Sunday meetings were fun, informative and motivational. However, the manager did more then just give pep talks or listen to employee suggestions. Because her restaurant was part of a network of other fast food establishments, she outlined how anyone could move up to management and build a career. That was more then just rhetoric. Almost all of the managers working in that particular restaurant had come up from the ranks. More importantly, all of us felt like we were part of a close family that we could count on for support. It’s vitally important for sales people and employees to feel that way.

If a business owner or manager is merely some administrative hack, the entire company will be infected with the same sort of apathy. There is just no substitute for getting involved. This doesn’t mean micromanaging, it simply means taking the time to be sure things are going well when they are supposed to be. It’s been my experience that most business owners or managers are absent or preoccupied with something else when things are at their busiest. When some do show up, their presence is met with disgust or anxiety by employees. Instead of being team leaders, those kinds of bosses are considered armchair generals who are disrespected by their employees.

Unfortunately, even people who are strong team leaders have to sometimes lay down the law. No one can be a successful business owner or manager by being everybody’s friend. There are times when conflicts with employees or customers will arise. The way you handle those conflicts will help define your effectiveness. Your job is to not to rubber stamp everything a customer says or an employee does. Instead, you should do everything possible to keep them from getting frustrated, angry or feeling ignored. That’s when major conflicts erupt and tempers flare.

Most of the problems that develop between management and employees involve pay, time or job performance issues. Many of these problems can be avoided by proper attention to those areas of concern. An employee who has to worry about receiving the proper pay or being credited with the correct amount of time they worked is one that will not have their mind on their work. At the time of hire, a new employee should receive a full and comprehensive explanation regarding the procedure for making sure they are properly paid and their part in it. Likewise, they should be made to understand what is expected of them during a typical workday.

When it comes to business questions, I get more emails from people about how they are being paid then anything else. I always tell them that if you are not paid right the first time, you will not be paid right every time. It’s a truth that I have found to be sadly written in stone. Employees who work for two weeks and suddenly discover that their first meaningful paycheck is still another two weeks away are not amused. Conversely, I get questions from business owners and managers who want to know what to do with lazy employees. The easy answer would be to fire them. The right answer is, “Why were they hired in the first place?” Hiring the right people helps to define good management.

Part of dealing with employee difficulties and customer concerns is anticipating these problems beforehand and preventing them. A well trained staff will know the kinds of things that anger, frustrate or annoy their customers. For example, staring blankly at an irritated customer, smiling and telling them to calm down is a sure way to heat things up. Any business owner or manager worth their salt will train their people to provide quick, simple and real-world effective ways to help a customer when a problem develops.

You can learn a lot watching people. If you really want to see someone get hot under the collar, just go to most any large chain store and watch how long it takes for a customer who has been left standing at a counter by themselves to get really angry or extremely annoyed. It’s the dreaded, “Wait while I go find a manager,” customer shuffle. If that employee had been trained properly and empowered to handle situations within reason of their position, the customer would not be left to sizzle.

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ices is also a bad idea.

There is nothing more frustrating for a customer trying to make a purchase or solve a problem then to be told that their only connection to the business entity they are trying to deal with is in a meeting. I have been to car dealerships where salespeople were in a meeting when I tried to purchase a vehicle. I have been to stores where employees were in a meeting when I tried to get more information on a particular item. I have even found that my Veterinarian’s sudden need to hold a meeting with his employees in the middle of a business day was the reason that my dog wasn’t going to been seen.

One of the standard service jobs that I worked while trying to survive college was at a fast food restaurant. Despite the dreary nature of a job like that, I actually enjoyed working there. It was all about the Management. They were friendly, smart, personable and showed legitimate concern for their employees. It wasn’t unusual for the Manager of that restaurant to jump on the grill on busy nights and lend a helping hand. However, the thing I remember and admire most about her was that she would host a Sunday breakfast every week for any employee that cared to attend. Schedules would be rotated so that everyone had a chance to sit down to a nice breakfast and join the give and take discussion.

Those Sunday meetings were fun, informative and motivational. However, the manager did more then just give pep talks or listen to employee suggestions. Because her restaurant was part of a network of other fast food establishments, she outlined how anyone could move up to management and build a career. That was more then just rhetoric. Almost all of the managers working in that particular restaurant had come up from the ranks. More importantly, all of us felt like we were part of a close family that we could count on for support. It’s vitally important for sales people and employees to feel that way.

If a business owner or manager is merely some administrative hack, the entire company will be infected with the same sort of apathy. There is just no substitute for getting involved. This doesn’t mean micromanaging, it simply means taking the time to be sure things are going well when they are supposed to be. It’s been my experience that most business owners or managers are absent or preoccupied with something else when things are at their busiest. When some do show up, their presence is met with disgust or anxiety by employees. Instead of being team leaders, those kinds of bosses are considered armchair generals who are disrespected by their employees.

Unfortunately, even people who are strong team leaders have to sometimes lay down the law. No one can be a successful business owner or manager by being everybody’s friend. There are times when conflicts with employees or customers will arise. The way you handle those conflicts will help define your effectiveness. Your job is to not to rubber stamp everything a customer says or an employee does. Instead, you should do everything possible to keep them from getting frustrated, angry or feeling ignored. That’s when major conflicts erupt and tempers flare.

Most of the problems that develop between management and employees involve pay, time or job performance issues. Many of these problems can be avoided by proper attention to those areas of concern. An employee who has to worry about receiving the proper pay or being credited with the correct amount of time they worked is one that will not have their mind on their work. At the time of hire, a new employee should receive a full and comprehensive explanation regarding the procedure for making sure they are properly paid and their part in it. Likewise, they should be made to understand what is expected of them during a typical workday.

When it comes to business questions, I get more emails from people about how they are being paid then anything else. I always tell them that if you are not paid right the first time, you will not be paid right every time. It’s a truth that I have found to be sadly written in stone. Employees who work for two weeks and suddenly discover that their first meaningful paycheck is still another two weeks away are not amused. Conversely, I get questions from business owners and managers who want to know what to do with lazy employees. The easy answer would be to fire them. The right answer is, “Why were they hired in the first place?” Hiring the right people helps to define good management.

Part of dealing with employee difficulties and customer concerns is anticipating these problems beforehand and preventing them. A well trained staff will know the kinds of things that anger, frustrate or annoy their customers. For example, staring blankly at an irritated customer, smiling and telling them to calm down is a sure way to heat things up. Any business owner or manager worth their salt will train their people to provide quick, simple and real-world effective ways to help a customer when a problem develops.

You can learn a lot watching people. If you really want to see someone get hot under the collar, just go to most any large chain store and watch how long it takes for a customer who has been left standing at a counter by themselves to get really angry or extremely annoyed. It’s the dreaded, “Wait while I go find a manager,” customer shuffle. If that employee had been trained properly and empowered to handle situations within reason of their position, the customer would not be left to sizzle.

Before the use of

unt on for support. It’s vitally important for sales people and employees to feel that way.

If a business owner or manager is merely some administrative hack, the entire company will be infected with the same sort of apathy. There is just no substitute for getting involved. This doesn’t mean micromanaging, it simply means taking the time to be sure things are going well when they are supposed to be. It’s been my experience that most business owners or managers are absent or preoccupied with something else when things are at their busiest. When some do show up, their presence is met with disgust or anxiety by employees. Instead of being team leaders, those kinds of bosses are considered armchair generals who are disrespected by their employees.

Unfortunately, even people who are strong team leaders have to sometimes lay down the law. No one can be a successful business owner or manager by being everybody’s friend. There are times when conflicts with employees or customers will arise. The way you handle those conflicts will help define your effectiveness. Your job is to not to rubber stamp everything a customer says or an employee does. Instead, you should do everything possible to keep them from getting frustrated, angry or feeling ignored. That’s when major conflicts erupt and tempers flare.

Most of the problems that develop between management and employees involve pay, time or job performance issues. Many of these problems can be avoided by proper attention to those areas of concern. An employee who has to worry about receiving the proper pay or being credited with the correct amount of time they worked is one that will not have their mind on their work. At the time of hire, a new employee should receive a full and comprehensive explanation regarding the procedure for making sure they are properly paid and their part in it. Likewise, they should be made to understand what is expected of them during a typical workday.

When it comes to business questions, I get more emails from people about how they are being paid then anything else. I always tell them that if you are not paid right the first time, you will not be paid right every time. It’s a truth that I have found to be sadly written in stone. Employees who work for two weeks and suddenly discover that their first meaningful paycheck is still another two weeks away are not amused. Conversely, I get questions from business owners and managers who want to know what to do with lazy employees. The easy answer would be to fire them. The right answer is, “Why were they hired in the first place?” Hiring the right people helps to define good management.

Part of dealing with employee difficulties and customer concerns is anticipating these problems beforehand and preventing them. A well trained staff will know the kinds of things that anger, frustrate or annoy their customers. For example, staring blankly at an irritated customer, smiling and telling them to calm down is a sure way to heat things up. Any business owner or manager worth their salt will train their people to provide quick, simple and real-world effective ways to help a customer when a problem develops.

You can learn a lot watching people. If you really want to see someone get hot under the collar, just go to most any large chain store and watch how long it takes for a customer who has been left standing at a counter by themselves to get really angry or extremely annoyed. It’s the dreaded, “Wait while I go find a manager,” customer shuffle. If that employee had been trained properly and empowered to handle situations within reason of their position, the customer would not be left to sizzle.

Before the use of

part in it. Likewise, they should be made to understand what is expected of them during a typical workday.

When it comes to business questions, I get more emails from people about how they are being paid then anything else. I always tell them that if you are not paid right the first time, you will not be paid right every time. It’s a truth that I have found to be sadly written in stone. Employees who work for two weeks and suddenly discover that their first meaningful paycheck is still another two weeks away are not amused. Conversely, I get questions from business owners and managers who want to know what to do with lazy employees. The easy answer would be to fire them. The right answer is, “Why were they hired in the first place?” Hiring the right people helps to define good management.

Part of dealing with employee difficulties and customer concerns is anticipating these problems beforehand and preventing them. A well trained staff will know the kinds of things that anger, frustrate or annoy their customers. For example, staring blankly at an irritated customer, smiling and telling them to calm down is a sure way to heat things up. Any business owner or manager worth their salt will train their people to provide quick, simple and real-world effective ways to help a customer when a problem develops.

You can learn a lot watching people. If you really want to see someone get hot under the collar, just go to most any large chain store and watch how long it takes for a customer who has been left standing at a counter by themselves to get really angry or extremely annoyed. It’s the dreaded, “Wait while I go find a manager,” customer shuffle. If that employee had been trained properly and empowered to handle situations within reason of their position, the customer would not be left to sizzle.

Before the use of digital cameras became so widespread, I used to watch people stand on line to pick up and pay for developed photos at large chain stores. It was a lesson in everything that’s wrong with retail situations. The store employees hated looking through those stacks, shelves and draws of disorganized photo packets. That’s because they were always out of order. Once the purchase had been completed, the employees would simply hand the packet over to the customer instead of placing it in a bag.

Instinctively, the customer would open up their photo packet in the store instead of waiting until they got home. Once they started looking at the photos, many discovered the third party developer had made a mistake. The employee was then left to deal with a five dollar photo purchase problem they had not been trained to solve. Meanwhile, people trying to buy four hundred dollar televisions and two thousand dollar computers were left to fend for themselves.

Today, most stores that still offer photo processing or finishing have been smart enough to create a separate department for that. These in-store photo centers are usually staffed by people familiar with the product. Many do the actual processing and are able to offer customers a wide variety of pre-development or finishing options. This helps to avoid customer dissatisfaction when the job is done. It’s all about anticipating problems and solving them quickly when a customer or client is dissatisfied.

No business can run on excuses. It’s not unreasonable to expect any business owner or manager to be a team leader, create a positive work environment, hire the right people for the job and make sure that customers and clients are treated with respect. Like a dysfunctional family, a poorly run or managed business will eventually implode.