Articles
Marketing and Advertising
Part Time or Full Time? What’s right for you?
Part Time vs. Full Time Which is Right for Your Company? So much controversy about which is best for your service company; Part Time or Full Time employees. Some say Full Time people make the best employees and others are passionate about hiring only Part Timers....
Answering The Question “HOW Do I Get To The First Million”?
Companies who achieve a million dollar revenue mark are owned and managed by people who have a mindset that is different from the average business owner. What’s so different about it? How do you get that mindset? Let’s look at how they think! Marketing is everything!...
“PLEAZZZZ Tell Me What I Should Charge”
How many times a day do we see this question posted on forums all over? It appears in every industry group on LinkedIn, Facebook and even Google +. Business owners looking for the magic bullet and the quick answer. That's the age we live in. Seeking to get...
Small Business Coaching
No La De Da! Stop Procrastinating!
Oh Oh...she's back! the wicked witch of procrastination. She comes and goes at her leisure and at times takes weary business owners with her. She can surface at any time of the day or night or any day of the week. She isn't concerned about you or your productivity,...
Ability to Respond: Do You Have It?
There will be days when nothing goes right! From employees who don't show up, to customers who demand the moon, to equipment failures and everything in between. At the top of the list is of course taking care of the customer. Whether it's a late arrival time, a...
Does Letting Go Keep You Up at Night?
What do you do? It's a business you started and in many cases you started it by personally cleaning homes or offices. You grew slowly and added people to help you. At first it was one person, then another and then several. Until now, you have a business with...
Operations and Financials
Workers Apprehensive About Returning to Germy Offices Post-Pandemic
Reprinted from cmmonline.com Workers Apprehensive About Returning to Germy Offices Post-Pandemic Survey finds employees fear high-touch surfaces such as restroom door handles As states end their shelter-at-home orders and employees return to their offices, they most...
Removing Gray Areas
Reprinted from cmmonline.com Removing Gray Areas Effective training is key to infection prevention by John M. Poole Jr. April 28, 2020 How does an environmental services (EVS) technician approach his or her responsibilities in thwarting the spread of pathogens? Is...
Effective Training for Retention
Sharon's article for “Cleaning and Maintenance Management Online”. One of the greatest challenges for building service contractors (BSCs) during the next decade will be attracting and retaining quality employees and maintaining a stable workforce. With the labor...
Commercial Cleaning Help
Removing Gray Areas
Reprinted from cmmonline.com Removing Gray Areas Effective training is key to infection prevention by John M. Poole Jr. April 28, 2020 How does an environmental services (EVS) technician approach his or her responsibilities in thwarting the spread of pathogens? Is...
Effective Training for Retention
Sharon's article for “Cleaning and Maintenance Management Online”. One of the greatest challenges for building service contractors (BSCs) during the next decade will be attracting and retaining quality employees and maintaining a stable workforce. With the labor...
Stopping Employees From Jumping Ship
Sharon is a contributor to this article in "Cleaning and Maintenance Management Online". Maintaining a well-trained, capable staff is a crucial part of providing consistent, high-quality commercial cleaning services—yet many organizations struggle to keep employees on...
Residential Cleaning Help
Part Time or Full Time? What’s right for you?
Part Time vs. Full Time Which is Right for Your Company? So much controversy about which is best for your service company; Part Time or Full Time employees. Some say Full Time people make the best employees and others are passionate about hiring only Part Timers....
Answering The Question “HOW Do I Get To The First Million”?
Companies who achieve a million dollar revenue mark are owned and managed by people who have a mindset that is different from the average business owner. What’s so different about it? How do you get that mindset? Let’s look at how they think! Marketing is everything!...
“PLEAZZZZ Tell Me What I Should Charge”
How many times a day do we see this question posted on forums all over? It appears in every industry group on LinkedIn, Facebook and even Google +. Business owners looking for the magic bullet and the quick answer. That's the age we live in. Seeking to get...
Construction Cleaning Expert
It’s All About the Tone!
Over the years I have become more in tuned to levels of service from the tone of voice when answering the phone to the response to my questions or problems. I find it absolutely amazing that there are still companies who skip the most important element of their...
No News Is Not Necessarily Good News!
“Well, we didn’t hear anything from her so she must be happy”. “We sent a customer satisfaction survey out to her but she never responded so I guess we’re doing ok.” “They’ll contact us if they’re not happy”. Have you ever spoken these words? Most probably we all have...
Lessons from the Ball Field~Leaders Mean What They Say!
Four days of watching ball games in elite tournament play left me with some revealing insight into the minds of coaches and players alike. What I saw can be directly applied to your business and employee morale building. Wow! On and off the field, professionalism...
Employee Retention
Part Time or Full Time? What’s right for you?
Part Time vs. Full Time Which is Right for Your Company? So much controversy about which is best for your service company; Part Time or Full Time employees. Some say Full Time people make the best employees and others are passionate about hiring only Part Timers....
Answering The Question “HOW Do I Get To The First Million”?
Companies who achieve a million dollar revenue mark are owned and managed by people who have a mindset that is different from the average business owner. What’s so different about it? How do you get that mindset? Let’s look at how they think! Marketing is everything!...
“PLEAZZZZ Tell Me What I Should Charge”
How many times a day do we see this question posted on forums all over? It appears in every industry group on LinkedIn, Facebook and even Google +. Business owners looking for the magic bullet and the quick answer. That's the age we live in. Seeking to get...
Customer Satisfaction
It’s All About the Tone!
Over the years I have become more in tuned to levels of service from the tone of voice when answering the phone to the response to my questions or problems. I find it absolutely amazing that there are still companies who skip the most important element of their...
No News Is Not Necessarily Good News!
“Well, we didn’t hear anything from her so she must be happy”. “We sent a customer satisfaction survey out to her but she never responded so I guess we’re doing ok.” “They’ll contact us if they’re not happy”. Have you ever spoken these words? Most probably we all have...
Lessons from the Ball Field~Leaders Mean What They Say!
Four days of watching ball games in elite tournament play left me with some revealing insight into the minds of coaches and players alike. What I saw can be directly applied to your business and employee morale building. Wow! On and off the field, professionalism...
Sharon L. Cowan CBSE, Industry Expert
Advertising Costs Eating Away At Your Bottom Line?
Finding a solution to the common problem of getting new customers without breaking the bank has many business owners scratching their heads wondering what to do. If this is a problem in your business, keep reading. I have a solution. Unfortunately, many business...
The Price Is Right….Or Is It?
The most important skill a service business owner needs to learn is the art of pricing jobs profitably. Profitably being the key word here. It’s not something you can or should find out in a FB group, or by asking friends in the industry or by guessing because to do...
Lessons from the Ball Field ~ Hustle On and Off the Field
Have you watched people as they move throughout life? I find it so very interesting to see the hustlers and the sash-sayers as they find their own pace throughout life. What does how they walk and carry themselves tell you about who they are and what kind of leaders...
Sharon L. Cowan CBSE, Turnaround Specialist
Who Are You And Where Are You Going?
“If you do business today the way you did business yesterday, you won’t be here tomorrow”. A business philosophy that has helped many business owners stay focused on vision and goals. This mantra holds true in that if you are not open to new methods and ideas, you...
Check out Sharon’s Article in ISSA Today
Click here to read Sharon's article, Diversify & Grow
Are You Speaking “at” or “with” Your Employees?
The art of listening is a dying one. Or so it would seem. Have you found yourself in the position of supposedly conversing with an employee only to find that you have done most of the talking and the employee has done most of the listening? This is a roadway to...