Who Are You?

One of the projects I am trying to work on is a booklet that teaches my existing and new employees about our company and what makes it stand out. I think it's important that I am not the only one who knows this, because if the people who work for me understand it, they can be more productive and have better ideas that reflect what it is we are trying to do.

I started my company with a very unique look at how this business worked. High end customer service, with high quality people working for me. It has positioned us as "The Premium Service" in our field but when I ask my employees how we are different, they can't really tell me... and that's a problem.

Brand Identity is important no matter what your industry is. It is important that managers AND employees know so that thy can act accordingly which in turn is communicated to your clients. 

Here is a perfect example.

A theme park that has rides, popular characters, shows and live shows. Which one is it?

Exactly, that's any park anywhere. Canada's Wonderland features all of these things. It has no specific identity and, while it manages to stay open, it's parent company (Cedar Fair Parks) has spent more than a few years, trying to break even. It's currently posting some modest profits but let's look at another park that has it's Brand Identity down to a science.

Walt Disney World is the number one tourist destination in the world. It's rides often are not as thrilling, but it's identity is spot on. Disney knows exactly who it is and how to communicate that to it's clients. Each new employee, from churro sales person to CEO attends a class on the history of the company and it's brand identity. Because of this, Disney is one of the biggest media juggernauts in the industry.

When you look at that comparison, it isn't hard to see why being in touch with your brand puts you in touch with clients.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

The 80% Rule

My friends often come to me asking advice on how to start a company. Many of them have great ideas but they are having difficulty pulling the trigger on their venture. There are many details to finally having your business at 100% readiness which is why I invented the 80% rule.

You need to figure out what you absolutely need to start your company. For example, I have an office with a desk, fax machine, a couple of computers, etc. I don't NEED any of that. I have a couch and a laptop. That's all I NEED as far as office needs go.

I routinely tell my friends to learn from my mistakes and once they get 80% there... Hang up the Open sign. Nothing makes you take care of those last few details faster than knowing you are open for business and you better get moving. Also you may find that many of those things you don't even want. I JUST bought a Fax machine, a piece of equipment I was sure I needed. I only bought the machine because it was a dollar at an auction. I've used it a little, but I was just fine sending my one fax every few months from the corner store.

The trick to starting your own venture is to just start it. You'll figure out the details as you go, and sometimes you'll find a niche that isn't being served, that would have been impossible to occupy if you were at 100% from the start.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

A Tale Of Two Employees

Today we present a tale of two employees. Both are fictional but loosely based on employees I have encountered and both were terminated from their places of business.

The first employee, let’s call him Alphred, was always fearful of his job. He always worried about his job security and whenever someone was hired, he talked about how he was sure that he was about to be replaced. This naturally started his thinking in a downward spiral, where he constantly compared himself and his work to the others around him. Alphred always seemed to be the best in his mind, so how could they be replacing him? He routinely mentioned this fact to coworkers and clients.

What Alphred didn’t know was that there had been no plan to replace him. The company liked it when people felt secure in their jobs so they would work hard to grow in a company where they felt their future was. However, after several months, Alphred’s worry and paranoia created an acidic environment and his worst worry was fulfilled.

Our second employee we shall call Betrice. Betrice worked hard and was always trying to be the best at whatever task she was assigned. She had a thirst for knowledge that made her functional in many roles. She was confident in herself and did what she could to teach those around her. The company leaned heavily on Betrice until she uttered the words most hated by the boss “I think I am pretty safe in my job” then she was dismissed within a week. The boss hated people feeling safe and liked everyone to be fearful so they would work hard to keep their positions.

These are two actual people I know. Those are the two actual outcomes. When you motivate your employees, how do you do it? Through comfort or through fear? Which company do you feel had the better outcome, and which employee do you feel was more of a loss?

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Being the Right Face

So we’ve discussed how I and many companies use facebook to weed out employees from our resume piles (if you missed it, here's the link), but if you were reading carefully, you got some tips on what to do if you are applying for a job. Have a public facebook profile.

I give extra attention to applicants with facebook profiles that make the person look stable, fun and likable. Now that you know my trick, you can use it against me and other employers to make yourself more desirable. Why not have your facebook profile website right on your resume? I want to know as much as I can about you, so give me some place to go after the resume.

If you decide to do this, you have to be careful about what you decide to post to your profile. Stay positive, watch the things you “like” and ask yourself “What impression does this post leave to a prospective employer.”

Social media is an excellent way to advertise your business, so why not advertise yourself? 

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

3 Books You Need To Read (Part 1)

I was about half way through my Dale Carnegie course in 2004 when I really began to see the value in his books. I started to see how the course and the books were helping shape my personality. It was easier to deal with people and a lot of personal conflicts were avoided. My work and personal relationships were easier to handle , people seemed to get along with me. The book I would suggest you read is How To Win Friends and Influence People, and here’s why.

It was about this time that I started to think about my Grandfather. He had passed away a few years before and a lot of what I was learning in the course reminded me of him. In the books and the course you will be told that complaining does not really do anything positive. That really hit home to me because i was always amazed at how, although my Grand Father lay almost completely parallelized , fighting a slow death from ALS, he never complained. 

I remembered waking up at 7:30 am to go to work, at the time I lived in my Grandfathers basement , I would come up the stairs and he would be sitting in his chair by the window. He would tell me what the weather would be like today , he would tell me about a bird he saw for the first time , but he would never complain and he would always be positive. 

An even earlier memory was working for my Grandfathers company when I was a teenager. Before he got sick he ran a large electrical company. During his busiest times he had up to 300 employees. I remember he had a sore wrist from signing so many pay checks. He didn't complain. He told me it was a good problem to have and that it came with success, not failure. He was the first into the office everyday. He took the time to meet with his guys every morning before they went off to see clients. A few years after that, he retired and a few years after that, he was diagnosed with ALS. It was a long and painful ordeal, and he handled it with grace. 

Soon the course I was taking was coming to an end and I was preparing my final speech. I had decided to talk about my Grandfather, what he had taught me, and how it meshed with what I was learning from Dale Carnegie. I had decided to go through my Grandpas office closet and maybe bring a picture of him or maybe a news paper article about him. What I found instead was a Diploma from the 1960's , it was my Grandfathers and it read " Robert Ferns has successfully completed the Dale Carnegie Course."

I hope you get a chance to read any of Dale Carnegie books , they have made a lasting impression in my life.

Aaron Weir
Leadwave Technologies Inc.
www.leadwave.ca 
(519)704-1463

Hiring The Right Face

        Hiring people is really difficult. I’ve been sifting through resumes for a couple of weeks now trying to find that perfect applicant. Someone with skill, know-how and ambition. Unfortunately, all that resumes can tell me is weather or not somebody knows how to use a word processor. I can make assumptions about their work history and education but what I really need to do is meet them.

Queue the interview, except you don’t get to meet the person. You get to meet the person when they want to get hired. Fresh haircut, big smile, lots of “Yes sir, No sir” language. Sometimes you get someone who can really talk… then you have to wonder how many times they have done this, and how many times they can sweet talk their way out of work.

When I get resumes, the first thing I do is head over to Facebook to see who they REALLY are. Some people have blocked profiles and some people don’t have profiles at all, but for those that do, you either make or break the job by what you’ve chosen to post.

I’ll be honest, I’m looking for family pictures, friends and just evidence that people like this person. I am also trying to make sure there are not too many pictures that would make Cheech and Chong blush, or evidence that they are going to be a handful.

Many of the BIG companies use this tactic as well, and while it’s not always perfect, it does give you an edge when you are looking to hire a person who can work harmoniously in your environment.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Gingerbread Fingers?

Vision is important in any company. You can tell because it’s written on motivational posters in many offices here in Sarnia-Lambton. While I think it makes sense that you need to understand your company, where it’s going and what you hope to achieve, it is important to understand that the right business vision can shape lives and change the world.

I was watching Mary Poppins last week, one of my favourite Disney movies of all time, and the idea of Vision really presented itself. Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins was based on a book by P.L. Travers about a mysterious, cold nanny in the 1930s. Walt tried as early as 1938 to acquire movie rights for the book but was turned down over and over again for over 20 years until 1961. Travers was sure that Disney would ruin her characters, so she insisted on script approval rights when she finally agreed.

Walt and Travers fought for several more years over the movie. Finally, Disney was frustrated and made the movie the way he wanted to. Walt hired the timeless Sherman Brothers to write songs for the movie and to everyones delight, they suggested the same places in the book for songs. Songs that are still ready available to whistle in most peoples minds.

The film was made and Travers never stopped complaining about what a horrible movie Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins turned out to be. Her lack of vision would have tied the movie up until the end of time, but Walt knew exactly what he wanted and, to his credit, the film received 13 Academy Award nominations and 5 wins.

Mary Poppins is an enduring classic that is probably in most of your homes. I think we can all agree that Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins was enchanting, where as a the Travers Mary Poppins, who breaks off her fingers and turns them to gingerbread to feed the children, would probably have been a little too… what’s the word…supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

The point is, that it is important to know what you want to accomplish and how you want to go about doing it. There is no use in buying a road map, if you don’t know where you want to end up.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Never Dismiss The Dismissed

Sarnia is an amazing community. We all know many people who have left the city, only to return with a new found love of the area. It’s an interesting place, full of great people, cool businesses and unique dynamics. It’s a town just big enough to have great opportunities, but small enough so that everyone knows everyone. This can make dealing with former employees a little tricky.

Because former employees don’t leave the area, that means you are turning people out that you are bound to run into again. It also means that they may quickly become competition, or even potential customers. This is clearly a problem and dealing with it can be tricky.

One way of course is to look inward, and see if this person needs to go. If they are going to be out there achieving, how can they achieve for your company? Maybe you aren’t motivating them or supporting them. Get to know what the problem is before dismissing it completely.

Sometimes people just aren’t good fits and they have to go. The best way is, in my opinion, is to be as supportive and apologetic as possible. If you have a good reputation of being honest with your staff, there is no reason they shouldn’t take this at face value.

Maintain contact. Ducking people in grocery stores and “forgetting” to respond to correspondence is the cowards way out. Part of being a success is owning your decisions and responsibilities. We are all just people, and we all deserve validation.

Shake their hand. Give them a hug if it’s necessary. You have made a decision that has the potential to radically alter their life and family. You should empathize with them, but still hold your ground. Let them deal with their emotions but do everything you can to part ways on good terms. There are enough forces in the world working against us. There is no need to add another.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Pay Your Bills, Increase Your Profits

I often get leads from different people inside companies or from suppliers and the first thing they tend to lead with is “They Pay Their Bills” which always struck me as odd. Maybe it’s because it would never dawn on me to do otherwise. You pay the bills for the good and services you receive. That’s the agreement. I have always been blessed with fantastic clients, but several months ago we took on a new client who had some definite issues.

I will say the place was in DESPERATE need of our service. I sent a double sized team at no extra charge to make sure we had a good foundation to start from. This is a common practise of mine. I usually assume a loss in the first month of service to get things up to our standards. The contract had called for a weekly visit but when we showed up next week the doors were locked. I made contact the next day and they said they only wanted us every other week. I was sure this was just a small mistake. I paid my staff (assuming another loss) and said no more of it.

As time went on, I sent my team in on the days they requested, and they only allowed us in 50% of the time. Each time my team was turned away, I assumed losses that I did not pass on to the client as a sign of good faith. Finally, after leaving several invoices that went unpaid, we terminated services and sent a final invoice that has so far gone unpaid.

I have taken special care not to mention the client in question, because they are a fairly well known member of the Sarnia-Lambton community. Even after being so thoroughly wronged, I have continued to protect the name of the client, because it’s simply good business, but during the problem, I reached out to friends as to how to handle the issue. Unfortunately, they know exactly who I am talking about and that person is unlikely to receive any consideration from my associates, assuring that they will get a lower quality of service at a higher cost in the future.

On the other hand, the bulk of my clients pay their bills regularly and promptly. I can’t say enough nice things about them, and as such, each and every person I meet that enquires about them gets a glowing review about their services and their character. This “Word of Mouth” advertising is free and is invaluable.

The great thing about the Sarnia-Lambton business community is that the better one does, the better we all do. We really are all in this together. If you decide to not pay a bill to a local company, yes you may wiggle out of a small amount of money, but the cost to your reputation and future business dealings will far exceed the price tag of the invoice you are choosing to ignore.

Paying your bills is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners/ Sharp Cleaning Services
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Sick of Sick

Happy Monday, everyone!

It's bee a crazy week and weekend of playing catch up from the holidays. Running errands, meetings, sifting through resumes, etc. Since I have been so busy I have been in and out of dozens of businesses here in Sarnia, and NONE of them got me out the door fast enough than the one I am about to tell you about.

I don't want to name names in this blog, rather I want to share experiences. All you need to know is I was in a business last week that makes a portion of it's profit while you wait to pay the main bill. Sort of like "Impulse Buying" but a little more sedate.

As I sat waiting for my opportunity with the associate, I couldn't help but listen to the employees as they restocked the shelves. "Oh I just can't get over this cold!" one of the ladies said. "I know," said the other "everyone here is sick today." It was at that exact moment that I became very aware of a minty smell. The smell of chewing gum on someones breath as they speak, and I never wanted to leave a place so badly. I was sure that after I was done with my transaction, I would hit the door so fast, I would leave behind a chubby cartoon outline as I smashed through the wall.

I understand that sometimes, you can't get your staff to stay home when they are ill. I am ashamed to say that sometimes I also work while I am sick. You can't always avoid it, especially when you own the business. What you CAN avoid is drawing attention to the fact that you are under the weather. You can encourage your staff to save these conversations for the lunch room, or at least out of customer earshot.

It's cold and flu season, but maybe it should be memo season as well. Tell your employees what is expected of them if they are under the weather. Make it clear that when people are sick, they are to stay home. It is considerate to both themselves, other staff members and customers. If working while ill can't be avoided, make it clear that the topic should only be discussed out of range of customers and clients.

If you need a tissue, we have an issue.

Be well.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners/ Sharp Cleaning Services
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

What We Can Learn From Storage Wars

Well as the week draws to a close, I will now admit to you that I have spent a lot of time obsessing over the A&E “Storage Wars” marathon. I love the show. Watching people notice opportunities that others miss. It is the essence of business with a hint of gambling and a dash of nostalgia and intrigue.

A friend of mine was teasing me for watching “Trash TV” but as I defended myself, I realized that the real interest in this show comes from the characters who all are involved with the same business, but employ different tactics to achieve their goals.

Dave Hester owns a large auction house and the Rags to Riches second hand store. He is famous for his bidding style which is intended to intimidate but often annoys. Yuuuuuuuuup. You can probably understand why he is considered the villain when you see his that his twitter handle is @DaveTheMogul. Dave treats everyone like they are below him. They are like every boss you ever had that you hated. He is stern, angry, competitive and effective. His lack of personality is made up for by his hard work and experience.

What Can He Teach You? You don’t have to be liked to be successful. There is something to be said for being focused and not intimidated to those around you. If you don’t have people willing to root for you though, you’ll have to work a lot of extra hours to make ends meet.

Jarrod Schulz & Brandi Passante are the relationship team that are new to the game. They also own a thrift store. Despite their bickering, they work very well together toward their common goal. Jarrod overcompensates constantly, being concerned with how he is perceived by his peers. Brandi offsets that by holding the cash and keeping Jarrod in line when he gets too far out of line.

What Can They Teach You? It is important to have good team work skills. Knowing your weaknesses allows you to surround yourself with people who can help support those weaknesses. It’s also important to not be intimidated when you are new into a venture. Experience is great, but it comes with baggage. Sometimes a fresh perspective can be just as big an asset.

Darrel Sheets is the tank top wearing redneck. He seems more far more concerned with beating everyone else at the perceived “game” than anything else. This makes him dangerous to go up against because he is more interested in ruining you, than getting ahead. He is experienced in the game, so he knows when to drop a locker on you, just to make you haul away some overpriced trash.

What Can He Teach You? Some people are just as  happy making you lose, as making themselves win. You need to have a strategy for these people, and more importantly, you need to not be one of these people. Focus on YOUR successes, and don’t begrudge others the same satisfaction. There is a time to fight, but it’s not every time.

Barry Weiss is clearly my favourite. The 60 year old retiree uses his likability and sense of humour to charm those around him. He is different than the others because he is only concerned with rare antiques and in the process of his treasure hunt,  tends to destroy a lot of the contents of the storage unit to this dismay of the other bidders. I spend the entire show rooting for Barry, and getting angry when the other bidders pick on him.

What Can He Teach You? Barry hits and misses, but when he makes a score, it’s usually pretty sizable. In the grand scheme he comes out ahead. He has lots of friends and has lots of fun with what he does. He is the richest of all the characters and a lot of it has to do with his charm. Be nice to those around you, and good things happen.

So that’s what Storage Wars can teach you. There is opportunity everywhere and many different paths to get there. The most successful people in the world have drawbacks and failures on their resumes. The important thing is being a person you can be proud of, and not to let setbacks stop you cold. There is always another project, another opportunity and another day.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners/ Sharp Cleaning Services
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401

Are You Ready For The Cloud?

One of the major buzz words of 2011 has been "The Cloud". The trend is sure to grow even more in 2012. People talk about having there documents on the cloud or there backup on the cloud or there email on the cloud. Well what are they really talking about?

You prolly guess the cloud refers to something internet based, to put it simply cloud services is any service that you access over the Internet where your data is stored on a server somewhere connected to the Internet. If you use Hotmail or Gmail you are basically using a cloud service for your email. If your home computer crashes you wont loose any of your emails because they are on the cloud not on your local PC.

Lets look at some of the other benefits to using Cloud or Internet based applications or services with this example. Quickbooks is a popular accounting program and they released a cloud version many years ago , you upload your data to there servers and then you use your accounting application from a web browser instead of a program window on your computer. Since your using a simple web browser to access your accounting service you can log on at your office and then work from home and log on using your home PC. The software does not need to be loaded on every PC you want to use. Your data would also be backed up by the company offering you the service. Another benefit is that you wouldn't have to download any updates or tax tables , companies that offer cloud based accounting applications are constantly upgrading and tweeking things in the back ground. The need for yearly software upgrades or quarterly tax updates are gone. Scalability is also much easier with cloud based apps , you need one user setup , they can do that in a day , you need twenty more users, ready tomorrow.The beauty of the cloud is you pay for what you need , it could be one user or one hundred users.

So what are the drawbacks of using cloud services? There are not a lot of drawbacks to using the cloud. Cloud services are designed to make things better not worse. One drawback to using the cloud to store large amounts of data (like for your companies backup) is that it can take a long time to download all the data. That is why I would suggest having a local and also cloud backup.  One other drawback of the cloud is that you or your company is really at the mercy of the company providing the cloud service. If there servers go down you have to wait for them to make the necessary repairs or changes to get backup and running. Researching cloud services thoroughly before switching a business critical service to is a must!

The cloud is here to stay , so you might as well get your feet wet. I would suggest using some free cloud services to get started , Google docs is a great place to start (www.google.com\docs). I also personally use Evernote (www.evernote.com) everyday, it is a free service to store notes , pictures , documents , web pages and sound clips. I even used it to write this article !


Aaron Weir
Leadwave Technologies Inc.
www.leadwave.ca 
(519)704-1463

What Is Success?

Happy New Year!!!

Well it looks like the world didn't end and it's back to work for most of us. I thought we would kick off the year and the blog, by talking about success. I hate to sound hacky by quoting a dictionary, but let's just say if you look up success in some sort of book with definitions, there is no dollar figure assigned to the term. Success isn't defined by the car you drive, or how well your kids do in school. Success is a personal goal that you have to define if you are going to attain it.

Think of all the times you have had "record sales" or won "Employee of the Month." Sure it made you happy for a short while, but it probably didn't give you a lasting sense of fulfillment. You really need to decide what being a success is to you. To some people, success is getting enough money so they can play video games all day, but to others, it might be having a business successful enough that you can devote two days a week to charity work.

Defining success can be the hardest part of becoming one. It requires a lot of soul searching and asking "What will make me feel complete?" This question can make you feel uncomfortable and therefore, people tend to avoid it, taking the position of "I'll know it when I see it."

You might be thinking that "Being Rich" or "Getting in Shape" would make you feel like a success, but those are broad concepts. How much money will it take? Is a million dollars enough? Two million? When will you have enough money that you can step back and say "I am a success." The same for weight. How much do you have to lose to feel good? What do you want to look like?
I guarantee you that Richard Branson and Lebron James have vastly different ideas in their heads about what success is, but I think we can agree, that they both meet the qualifications.

So as we ring in 2012 and John Cusack readies his limo to rescue us, take a moment this week and decide what success is to you.
After all, if you don't know what the destination is, how can you hope to get there?

Be well.

Shane Goodfellow
Squeak E Cleaners/ Sharp Cleaning Services
www.SqueakECleaners.com
(519) 402-3401