I belong to a women’s networking group for entrepreneurs. We get together every few months to share ideas, experiences, vent… etc. It’s not a large group, but we always have exciting gatherings because most have completely different businesses and therefore, very different experiences. Some of the stories are priceless.
We recently had a brilliant woman join our team. After being a Financial Analyst for years, she decided that she was tired of trying to climb the corporate ladder and started a residential cleaning company. She’s very candid about her experiences, which I love, and goes into great detail about some of the challenges she faces every day. Because I’m nosy, I found her stories fascinating. The reality is that her stories are quite entertaining.
To solidify that even when we’re adults, we can still act like kids, one woman asked the question “cleaning toilets can’t be much fun, can it?” Her response…
“You know what fun is? Getting paid to clean them.”
Her business has been a success in less than a year. In the first seven months of being in business, she’s had such a steady stream of new clients that she’s already hired, 9 people. Her business is growing so fast that she’s had to turn away clients until she expands her team.
How many of us have ever had to turn away business in the first year?
Her days are hectic. Not only is she cleaning along with her staff, she’s also responsible for employee management, marketing, customer service and business development. She barely sleeps, and when I asked her how she does it, she said that in another five months, she’d be able to stop cleaning and focus on the operations of her business. She plans to hire another ten people at that time.
I was impressed.
Fast forward a few days – I have a friend who’s been looking for a job for close to 2 years now. Unfortunately, she chose a field that is quickly dying. She’s thought about starting a business but can’t quite decide what to do. Thinking she would be excited and inspired, I told her about the woman with the cleaning business and how well she’s doing
“I’m not that desperate” was her response. She was visibly grossed out.
It’s not about desperation; it’s about making money.
Don’t we all want to make money? I thought my friend would jump on this. This is one business where other than insurance, bonding and cleaning supplies, you don’t have to put much capital into getting started. But the stigma was too much for her to overcome, which is pretty sad.
Sure there is a lot of elbow grease that goes into every job, but if you’re making money, isn’t it worth it? If I weren’t working on a side business already, I would honestly think about getting into this. Even doing it alone can bring in a decent side income.
My friend still doesn’t agree. She’s still trying to find business ideas.