I am proud to say that New Image Building Services has been in business for 36 years, and during that time we’ve grown into a successful enterprise with a great reputation. Over the years, people have often asked me how I got started and why I chose the cleaning business. Let’s start with the “why.” The short answer is, “Because my Dad said so.” Lol. Of course, the real reason is a bit more complicated. You might say a winding road eventually led me here. Like many things in life, my original career plans took a detour. Growing up I wanted to be an architect, and I worked towards that goal by taking a job with a small architectural firm over several summers. At that time, we were creating plans on paper on drafting tables. Imagine!
After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan in 1986, I chose to attend Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan, which was one of only two universities at the time where a freshman could start with classes in architecture. After living on campus for the first two years (and having way too much fun), my dad “suggested” I move back home, get a job, and commute to the university. He then introduced me to the owner of a small cleaning company who needed some help. So, I went to work for Bill Burg, of Burg’s Custom Cleaning, where my job was to clean medical offices in outpatient buildings of Mt. Clemens General Hospital (now McClaren).
In our family, Sundays were spent going to church followed by lunch together. One Sunday after lunch in our living room, my Dad asked me how my job was going. I told him:
“Well Dad, this job is not bad at all. I work alone. I can listen to music (a portable CD player at that time). I can do my Friday work on Sunday night if I choose. I like that I can go to Michigan State University or University of Michigan on the weekends to party. And, when I arrive at work the place is dirty and when I leave it’s clean. I can see my accomplishment on a daily basis.”
What happened next was one of those life changing conversations, which included two words that are the title of my future book, my life’s theme, and are tattooed on my arms in three languages. My Dad said, “Why Not?” As in, why not start a cleaning company of your own? I must admit that this question took me by surprise since my parents were both making sacrifices to pay for my education to be an architect.
“Dad, why would I start a cleaning company when I am going to LTU to be an architect?”
My Dad explained that it was not a matter of choosing one over the other. It was more a matter of investing in myself and building a small business that I could sell or partner with someone to operate in the future. The immediate obvious benefit was to make more money in my working hours than I would as an employee.
That answers the question of “why” I chose the cleaning business, so now we get to the “how.” At the time, my Dad owned four children’s clothing stores (maybe I inherited the entrepreneurial gene from him). The main store and his office was located on Macomb St. in Mt. Clemens, our home town. Mt. Clemens is the county seat, so there are numerous businesses there, including many law offices. I began my new venture by going door to door asking the staff if they were happy with the appearance of their offices or was there room for improvement? I was ready to meet an unhappy customer or one who did not know if they should or should not be happy. After all, I did learn a thing or two about what is and is not clean. Bill Burg trained me well – not that I needed a lot of training. Growing up with my parents included lessons in cleaning and organization.
After several conversations that did not lead to any immediate interest, I walked into 94 Macomb Place in Mt. Clemens, the local office for Secrest, Wardle, and Lynch, a law firm specializing in insurance defense. I met Pam at the front desk….
Join us next week to learn how this worked out with no prior sales training.
