Marketing is about communication, and today we face the challenge of leveraging new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), in our businesses without losing the personal touch. How can we do this?

Balancing tech and personal

Unfortunately, technology has already made doing business less personal and very frustrating. Trying to connect with an actual person when you call a company seems virtually impossible these days. And enduring an AI bot that can’t understand your voice prompts and continues to ask the same questions repeatedly can be maddening.

Of course, you want to avoid that in your business. On the other hand, you need to leverage technology to streamline all areas of your business, including marketing. All of business is about relationships, and you can’t have a real relationship with something “artificial,” no matter how personal the AI assistant may seem.

So, how do we balance the proven with the new? Most cleaning and restoration companies aren’t even using the basic, proven marketing systems very well. Some are overusing social media, Meta Ads, and Google Ads, while ignoring the proven basics. At the same time, the world is leveraging technology and that includes your tech-savvy competition.

Become tech-savvy

If you are an older professional like me (I turn 65 on Sept. 15), you may be a “digital alien” on a planet that is increasingly led by “digital natives” (those who were born during the digital age). If you are younger, you may be overusing tech and ignoring the personal methods of marketing in the cleaning and restoration industry.

Finally, because of the wide age range of readers and the difference in digital adoption rates, we may even have different views on what is new and what is not.

Fortunately for you, I know the proven marketing strategies and have taught these gems to thousands of cleaners. I started my cleaning business more than 40 years ago, and you can find 30 years’ worth of my marketing advice on Cleanfax.com. Of course, that was before cell phones and before the internet was widely used!

But I was an early adopter. As soon as they were available, I had a flip phone and an AOL account! And when I just searched to see when cell phones and the internet were widely adopted, I didn’t use Google—I used ChatGPT. I have also been using broadcast email for so long that you couldn’t even include graphics in the email! Can we say, “old school?”

Stay up to date with the latest tech

Fewer people are using Google for searching, which means they aren’t seeing your Google Ads, and your search engine optimization (SEO) may not be working as well as it used to. A Google search also often prioritizes paid ads first, which may not be what someone really wants to know.

For example, while I was searching for the history of cell phones and the internet, I happened to be boiling eggs for breakfast. I got curious as to why sometimes my eggs are easy to peel, but other times, they are not. I used ChatGPT instead of Google, and it got right to the point. Over to Google, and Google’s AI Gemini dominated the top of the page—with sponsored ads to the right and bottom of the screen. That’s not great for someone who is paying for ad space!

Let’s review proven marketing techniques, as well as how to use “new” technology to amplify these strategies:

1. Have an effective lead generator. We offer a free cleaning to new prospects who are referred, and we offer an e-book to collect contact information on our website. You will want to install Google Analytics or a similar analytical tool to track your unique visitors.
2. Market to your existing clients. Not doing so is the biggest marketing mistake of all. You want clients for life. Email them, call them, text them, and send postcards or newsletters. Also, target them on social media and Google with ads.
3. Generate referrals from clients and referral sources. Marketing to referral sources is the secret to record sales and profits; we offer a referral reward to anyone who sends us a new client, and yes, that process is automated.

Make use of the digital world

Although I ��Dz�’t consider myself an expert in digital, I have a strong network of young, smart professionals around me and am able to utilize a lot of it.

In fact, my friend Joseph, a renowned author and consultant specializing in customer experience, is an international branding expert for some of the world’s top brands—including Starbucks, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., and Mercedes-Benz.

Joseph recently spoke at one of my conferences and spent three hours with my mastermind group on creating a “human-centered, technology-powered approach to customer engagement.” This is the subtitle of his newest book, All Business is Personal, which digs deep into AI marketing strategies.

Before doing a thorough technological overhaul, consider following these steps to make sure your marketing strategies are up to date:

1. Manage your AI search. Visit your favorite AI platform and inquire about your services. List the key aspects you want your company to be known for, such as reputation, expertise, guarantee, etc. Also, ask your platform to tell you about your company. Make sure to prompt it with your ideal client profile. When we were doing this exercise, I asked “chat” who would be a great client for my company. I liked what it said.
2. Automate your communication. Your competition may be using chatbots or an autoresponder to reply to inquiries. They are communicating in seconds, yet many cleaners and restorers ��Dz�’t even have an opt-in on their site. Do you? Having a modern CRM system (customer relationship management) is critical today. I recommend implementing an opt-in feature where you can give away a free report (we offer an e-book). Alternatively, if you have a restoration company, you may want to encourage them to call you immediately, so consider installing chat or having a live operator answer the phone.
3. Avoid the silent kiss of death. Translation: ANSWER THE PHONE LIVE. First off, if you are trying to answer the phone from the jobsite, you are already falling far behind.

Here are some tangible ways you can amplify your customer experience and business operations with technology:

Leverage AI for lead generation and customer service.

• AI chatbots: Use AI-driven chatbots on your website and social media to provide immediate responses to inquiries. This can increase conversion rates by offering fast customer support, even outside of business hours.
• Automated email campaigns: With the right program, you can create custom, automated campaigns to communicate through text and email. Automate and personalize email sequences for your leads. Send timely offers, reminders, and content tailored to your audience’s needs.

Utilize augmented reality (AR) and virtual tours.

• Virtual home inspections: For restoration services, offer virtual walkthroughs for damage assessments via video calls, or use AR apps to show potential clients the damage and proposed solutions in real time.
• AR for home cleaning demonstrations: Showcase your services by giving customers an interactive experience where they can visualize the difference your cleaning services make on surfaces like carpets, furniture, or walls.

Harness mobile technology for customer convenience.

• Mobile booking and payment systems: Integrating mobile booking platforms such as Acuity Scheduling or Square allows customers to schedule, confirm, and even pay for services through their smartphones.
• Service tracking: Use apps that allow your customers to track your team’s arrival times, service progress, and send updates via push notifications. This improves customer experience and satisfaction.

Content marketing and SEO optimization.

• AI-powered content creation: Use AI tools like Jasper or Copy.ai to generate blog posts, email templates, or social media content. This ensures you’re consistently putting out engaging content while saving time on copywriting.
• SEO tools: SEO tools can help you optimize your website and content, so you show up on the first page when people search for cleaning or restoration services in your area. They also help you track competitors’ strategies.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software.

• CRM platforms: Use CRM software to maintain a database of your clients and their service history. You can send reminders for regular cleaning or restoration follow-ups, which helps you maintain customer loyalty.
• Loyalty programs: Incorporate a loyalty program in your CRM system. Rewarding clients for repeat business can encourage them to choose your services again, especially after major events like a fire or water damage.

Online reviews and reputation management.

• Review request automation: Platforms like Birdeye or Trustpilot help automate the process of requesting and collecting reviews from satisfied clients. Positive reviews can significantly impact your local SEO and build trust with potential clients.
• Social proof: Leverage video testimonials or before-and-after shots of your work posted on social media platforms. Tools like Canva can help you design professional posts with minimal effort.

Drones for roof and damage inspections.

• Drone technology: Utilize drones to inspect hard-to-reach areas, such as roofs, and assess large-scale damage for restoration purposes. This can be a selling point for homeowners who are looking for efficient, non-invasive assessments.
• Drone videos: Show off your restoration work or create educational videos for your social channels by filming with drones for impressive, high-quality footage.

Internet of Things (IoT) for property monitoring.

• Smart sensors for water damage prevention: Offering IoT-enabled sensors that detect water leaks, moisture, or humidity in real-time can be an upsell for your clients, especially in properties at risk of water damage.
• 24/7 monitoring: Partnering with IoT service providers to offer clients continuous monitoring for issues like mold or water leaks can position your business as forward-thinking.

Social media marketing and analytics tools.

• Instagram/Facebook ads: Leverage AI in advertising platforms like Facebook and Instagram to create hyper-targeted ads that reach people with specific interests or problems, such as recent home damage due to a storm.
• Analytics and insights: Use tools like Google Analytics and other social media analytics (for Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to track engagement, website traffic, and campaign performance. Based on the insights, optimize your marketing efforts.

Automate and streamline scheduling and dispatching.

• GPS dispatching: GPS-enabled tools can optimize your service routes, saving time, cutting costs, and ensuring your technicians arrive on time.

Video marketing.

• YouTube or TikTok: Create short, educational videos that explain common restoration issues, cleaning tips, or spotlight past successful jobs. Posting these make your services feel accessible and trustworthy.

Some key steps to integrate new tech (also as per ChatGPT) are:

1. Identify areas for improvement: Review your existing marketing processes to determine which tech solutions will help you maximize your strengths. Start small and scale gradually.
2. Invest in the right tools: Ensure the technology you choose integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, including a CRM, scheduling, and email marketing.
3. Train your team: New tech is only effective if your team is trained to use it efficiently. Invest in onboarding and ongoing training.
4. Track and optimize: Use analytics tools to track how well new technology is working. Continuously refine your strategies based on data.

Use tech to enhance your business

AI will never be able to offer true wisdom that comes from the human experience, but it can make you more efficient and possibly more effective.

Technology should always aim to enhance the customer experience and help you scale your business without sacrificing the personal touch that makes your company stand out. Whether it’s through automation or providing new  services, the right tech will help you deliver better results for your clients.

Oh, and by the way, my hard-boiled eggs were easy to peel. Thanks for the tip, AI.

The post Tips to Become a Master Marketer appeared first on Cleanfax.

I want to help you do just that.

Once you know what you want, why you want it, what you need to know, and who can help you, you need a roadmap! Otherwise known as a business plan. In turn, I created a Phenomenal Business Growth Plan that our coaching clients use.

This planner will help you stay focused, organized, consistent, and uplifted daily as you learn and implement proven business systems. It will help you set your business goals and plan your business for success so that you can have the freedom you’ve always wanted in your life.

Let’s review the eight basic components of that plan.

STEP 1: Your business vision for the next 12 months

Describe how you see your business being different this year. A vision is a “picture” of your preferred future. Your vision should include sales figures, staff changes, equipment purchases, new products, services, or initiatives.

Just let your imagination run on this exercise. List everything you would
like to do. You can always edit it later.

STEP 2: Assess your business systems

One of our most popular and valuable tools is our Business Systems Assessment Tool, which lists the 50 systems of a phenomenally successful business under five specific categories: leadership, marketing, sales, operations, and administration.

How are you doing in these areas? If you get your business balanced, it will run smoother, and you’ll have a phenomenally successful business! You can’t get where you want to go if you ��Dz�’t know where you are now!

STEP 3: The S.W.O.T. analysis

According to the Business Assessment, you must then identify the S.W.O.T. of your business:

• Strengths of your business.
• Weaknesses of your business.
• Opportunities you need to take advantage of.
• Threats that could damage your business.

It is beneficial to stay aware of these things as we tend to forget them until they become an issue.

STEP 4: Set your sales goal for the next 12 months

If you are going to build a phenomenal dream team, you need to fund that growth. So, this works backward and forward. You have a dream that requires a team, so you must fund that dream. Therefore, you must determine your future profit and loss statement (P&L) as you add those team members.

As your overhead goes up, you must calculate your projected net income and your overhead (fixed expense), which equals your gross profit. Then, you must determine your cost of goods sold (COGS) percentage to do this simple (but tricky for some) calculation.

Here is my thumbnail budget to help you create your 12-month financial forecast.:

1. Determine what net income you want. You need this amount before taxes to reinvest in your business and to compensate yourself.
2. Determine your fixed expenses. Add your net profit and your fixed expenses to get your gross profit amount.
3. Determine the percentage of sales of your COGS, which gives you the percentage of your gross profit. For example, if your COGS is 45%, your gross profit is 55%.

If you get tripped up here, get a coach to help you understand your numbers.

STEP 5: Create your M.V.P.

Jim Collins, the famous author of Good to Great, said that your vision should include your core values, your purpose, and your mission. I changed those words to M.V.P., as it is easier to remember and apply.

• Mission: What do you and your team need to do daily to accomplish the goal?
• Values: What characteristics are required for your team members? In other words, who will you be as you reach your goals?
• Purpose: What is your purpose? Why do you do what you do? As we discussed earlier, your purpose or your why will inspire you, your clients, your community, and, most importantly, your team.

Mission, values, and purpose. That is what you and your team need to figure out—your unique M.V.P.

STEP 6: Your future organizational chart

Describe the positions in your company and place them in the appropriate boxes. Fill in the initials of each person who is involved in the boxes in the “As Is” part of the Organization Chart, including yours.

Then, look out 12 months and determine what boxes you need to be out of. Remember, it takes time to get completely turnkey, so be realistic with your 12-month goal.

What boxes will you get out of this year? What staff changes will you make?

STEP 7: Create your performance results description (PRDs)

This is like a job description, but I ��Dz�’t want anyone in my company to have a “job.” I want them to have an opportunity to grow up in the Organization Chart so the business can continue to grow. A performance results description (PRD) describes the result of that position and the performance required to achieve it.

For example, suppose a salesperson needs to make a certain number of sales (result). In that case, you can determine how many sales calls need to be made to achieve that result (performance) and describe the policies and procedures for that position.

STEP 8: Create your phenomenal marketing and sales plan

How will you generate prospects? What is your process for generating referrals and repeat business? What is your sales process for closing the sale? Your plan needs to take you all the way from visualization to money in the bank.

You’ve heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It’s a tough statement, but it’s true. But ��Dz�’t worry, planning isn’t predicting the future; it’s preparing for it. Things rarely go exactly as planned, but when you have a roadmap, you have a destination. If you get off track, you can find your way back. These eight steps have been key for me.

In parting, here are some wise words of advice from Zig Ziglar: “You were born to win, but in order to be the winner you were born to be, you must plan to win and prepare to win before you can expect to win. But when you plan to win and prepare to win, you can expect to win!”

Remember, planning isn’t predicting the future; it’s preparing for it.

The post The Compass Question appeared first on Cleanfax.

In fact, a leader is a coach. And every top performer has several coaches. But we will discuss that later.

No one succeeds alone

Gary Keller, co-founder and phenomenal leader of Keller-Williams Realty, the nation’s largest residential real estate company, said, “No one succeeds alone.” He also shared that he doesn’t consider his company a real estate company but a coaching and training company that happens to do real estate.

My growth has happened only with the help of a coach—many coaches. I do not know one phenomenally successful business owner who has succeeded alone.

I was only 23 years old when I started my cleaning business out of the trunk of my car. I had yet to gain experience as a business owner. However, my experience as a high-end waiter taught me how to deliver the most outstanding service experience ever.

As a high-end waiter, I learned to be ultra-attentive to the needs of the city’s most prominent citizens, celebrities, and high-profile clients who came to dine. I waited on Howard Hughes’ accountant, Liza Minelli, Tom Jones, Sammy Davis, Jr., and many more names.

This set me up perfectly for my first business. My customer service was off the charts from the beginning. I did not know then that my service company would also serve the same level of clientele. Celebrities, astronauts, star athletes, and world leaders became our clients. Former President George Bush and Barbara Bush were clients before they passed away.

Long before that, however, I was in the first stage of business growth. But I had a lot of business. I made US$100,000-per-year profit. I could not get to all of them because I was overwhelmed with the duties of the company. I was in survival mode. I did not have systems.

My many coaches

Fortunately, I had a spiritual mentor named Bill Beckham. He is the wisest man I know, and being mentored by him was a huge blessing. He would come to my office every week to pray with me. Let’s pause right there and think about that for a moment. He didn’t get paid to do that. He just loved people and understood his purpose was to develop leaders.

Beckham traveled the world training leaders, and even though he was a pastor, he diligently studied business to extract leadership lessons from the leaders. As he sat at my desk, observing the stack of papers, the numerous interruptions to deal with staff members’ questions, and the general chaos, he said, “Howard, you need the E-Myth.”

The E-Myth Revisited is a book as ground-breaking, nerve-hitting, and revolutionary as the man who wrote it, Michael E. Gerber, “the world’s No. 1 Small Business Guru,” according to Inc. Magazine.

The E-Myth, or Entrepreneurial Myth, is a concept introduced by Gerber, with the central idea being that many small business owners are trapped by the “fatal assumption” that understanding the technical work of a business means they can successfully run that business. He argues that this assumption often leads to failure because running a business requires skills different from performing technical work. He emphasizes the importance of working on your business, not just in it. He introduces the idea of creating systems and processes that allow the business to operate independently of the owner. The E-Myth framework helps business owners identify and address the key areas that need improvement to build a sustainable and scalable business.

Upon reading The E-Myth, I realized, for the first time, that I could have a turnkey business that ran itself. I began putting systems in place.

Later, I got to know Gerber personally. We are friends and currently neighbors. He has been on my stage several times, and we have shared the stage many times. When he turned 80 (he is 88 at the time of this writing), his wife asked me to emcee his birthday party.

Beckham and Zig Ziglar helped me develop myself. Gerber and his work helped me build my systems along with my team. Ellen Rohr came along and helped me become financially free. My coaches, Rick Jones and John Maxwell, helped me become a better leader.

Having the right coach is only part of the picture

The problem is we need different coaches for the different areas of life and business. The seven areas of life, to me, include:

1. Spiritual – Having the right relationship with God.
2. Mental – Having a positive self-image without undue stress.
3. Physical – Being healthy.
4. Family – Having good family relationships.
5. Career – Doing work that fulfills you.
6. Financial – Being prosperous enough to fulfill your vision.
7. Personal – Having friends, having fun, being free.

And in business, we focus on five more areas:

1. Leadership
2. Marketing
3. Sales
4. Operations
5. Administration

That’s 12 areas we need to be strong in, and no one is naturally strong in all those areas. So, what are you going to do? Should you hire a coach for every area you need to improve in? It would be worth it if your dreams are valuable enough and you can invest the time, money, and energy. But a better way exists.

Community

I call it community. When you have a community of coaches, trainers, experts, and peers, you will have a community’s support, encouragement, and accountability.

We need community. Community is a place where we support one another, encourage one another, and help one another. It can help you be accountable for your biggest dreams and goals and help you become the person you need to achieve them.

So you need a curriculum for life and business, you need the community that loves you, and you need coaching to keep you focused. Coaching is the key ingredient. The fastest way for a business to grow in any area is to have a coach. The problem is that one coach can’t help you in all areas. That’s not even what a coach does.

A coach helps you stay focused, get perspective, and ask great questions. A trainer teaches you the essential skills that you need. Community gives you the love and encouragement you need to inspire you, as we are all on the same journey. Each of us can inspire one another through our actions to learn from someone else and be inspired by them.

Coaching can result in your freedom

Coaching helps you grow your business and enables you to have the life and freedom you’ve always wanted. Many years ago, I created the acronym L.I.F.E., which stands for Living In Freedom Everyday. No freedom is had by being a captive to your business or in debt.

No freedom exists in not having the team you need to reach your goals or not knowing what to do in each situation. No freedom comes from being a prisoner of what’s happening in your head. No freedom can be had in not having a community that loves you and can give you feedback and perspective.

At 64 years old, I have been in the coaching space for over a quarter of a century. I have come to realize the value of coaching. I have been on both sides of the coaching table. As a coach, I have seen tremendous breakthroughs and results.

For example, Michael Killen, owner of an outdoor furniture company, went from bringing in $3 million per year at a loss to $11 million at a considerable profit, from a disengaged team and employee problems to a phenomenal dream team running the business for him as he comes into the office three days a week and invests more time in his family.

So, who will coach you?

Having the right coach in your corner makes all the difference. You cannot see how you fight when you’re in the ring. And even better, we need a coaching community.

All of us have personal strengths and weaknesses, and all of us have strengths and weaknesses in our businesses.

In business, I learned leadership, marketing, sales, systems, and finance from phenomenal coaches. To become successful personally and professionally, I paid many coaches. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on coaching, mentoring, and training from some of the best in the world. Not everyone is able to do that, and it takes a long time.

So, find your coach and your community so you can get the support, encouragement, and accountability needed for growth. Having a coach is not a weakness; it’s a strength.

The greatest life lesson I have ever learned is to surround myself with people who have already been where I want to be and who have a plan for me to follow.

The post The Coaching Question appeared first on Cleanfax.

Many business owners still need to reach their biggest goals and be where they want to be. Why are they still tackling some areas of their business, like building the right team, being profitable, or getting enough of the right clients?

You may have created a monster

One problem is that too many messages from so many messengers can create what my friend Ellen Rohr calls the “Frankenstein Factor.” This describes the phenomenon of adding too many ideas to a project, resulting in confusion and a lack of direction. You may inadvertently create a monster when you put random parts together haphazardly as you go along!

Rohr led Benjamin Franklin Plumbing from zero to US$40 million in franchise sales (through conversions) in less than two years. After leaving the business, she became a highly paid consultant.

That’s when I met her. I call her Wonder Woman.

Rohr is a master business builder in many aspects, but her superpower is in the financial arena. At the time I met her, my company had built up a tremendous amount of debt. My service company was generating $2.5 million in revenue but still struggled to pay all the bills. After hiring Rohr, we realized we were underpricing and our labor rate was too high.

We went to work on a pricing system and our compensation program and became profitable. Because of the work Rohr began in my company, I became debt-free. My companies are debt-free, and I only carry real estate debt. I’m blessed to say that we could quickly pay off all our properties and still be financially sound. I went from being deep in debt to debt-free because of Rohr.

A curriculum is key

At that time, my training business taught me what we were good at, like marketing, sales, and systems. We didn’t have a program for the financial area. I then hired Rohr to work with some of our coaching members, and they had the same miraculous results.

Unfortunately, most small business owners have never been adequately trained in the five areas of business: leadership, marketing, sales, operations, and administration. Instead, they get some information here and a little information there, and they end up with a business that doesn’t operate like it should—a Frankenstein business! A Frankenstein business is unpredictable, unreliable, and downright scary!

Now, please understand that I read every day—I’ve read over a thousand books. I am an avid consumer of content and consume content in various forms daily. I’m also a teacher every day, which means I must have the information to share.

But information alone does not transform. People say, “Content is king.” But content is not enough. You need a curriculum, not just a collection of content. Organized content—content that has been vetted and put into a curriculum is the key. You need to have systems designed to work together.

What do you need to learn?

It’s about the questions. Continually ask yourself questions to determine what you and your business still need to learn.

For example, let’s return to my previous article from the September/October Cleanfax issue: The Conflict Question: What is your biggest challenge? What did you discover from that article? What area do you need the most help in?

Here are the five areas of business, followed by another question to help you determine where to focus:

1. Leadership: Everything you do to communicate your vision. Are you clear on your vision? Is your team engaged?
2. Marketing: Everything you do to attract prospects. Are you generating enough of the right kinds of prospects?
3. Sales: Everything you do to convert prospects into paying customers. When you get a prospect, are you and your team effectively closing the sale?
4. Operations: Everything you do to serve your clients. Do you have systems allowing your team members to deliver the most outstanding service experience daily?
5. Administration: Everything you do to track your progress. Do you have a process where you know where you stand financially?

What is the most pressing issue in your business right now? Unfortunately, most business owners and their teams are never trained correctly in these discipline systems.

Training breeds confidence. Learn the proven systems of a successful business and implement them. Content alone won’t get you where you need to be. To build a phenomenally successful business, you need a curriculum that will train you and your team on the proven business systems step by step.

The post The Curriculum Question appeared first on Cleanfax.

• “I can’t find good people.”
• “Nobody wants to work.”
• “I ��Dz�’t have enough customers.”
• “I’m not making money.”
• “I work too many hours.”

What about you? What is your biggest challenge? Whatever you feel your biggest problem is, let’s dig a little deeper.

The problem behind the problem

Several years ago, I learned to ask this question: What is the problem behind the problem? For example: What’s the problem behind not being able to find good employees? “I have to do everything myself.”

And the problem behind that? “I spend too much time working.”

And the problem behind that? “I ��Dz�’t have time with family.”

And the problem behind that? “I miss dinner and important events with my family.”

And we all know the problem behind that. The family becomes stressed, and the family grows apart.

I understand. My family suffered from that. When my son was younger, I worked all the time. I started my training business when he was only five years old. I traveled a lot and missed many opportunities to be involved in his life.

We grew apart and had lots of problems. Thankfully, we are very close today. And now my son has a family. One of the greatest joys in my life today is my two grandkids. I love being with them and am completely involved in their lives.

My friend David Frey likes to say, “No amount of business success can compensate for failure at home.”

Achieve your L.I.F.E. goals

Remember that the one and only reason your business exists is to help you achieve your L.I.F.E. (Living In Freedom Everyday) goals, and surely your goals include having good family relationships. Everyone wants that.

You may not even know what all your goals are yet, but deep down in your gut, you at least know what you ��Dz�’t want. You ��Dz�’t want to lose your family. You ��Dz�’t want to be broke. You ��Dz�’t want to be a slave to your business.

So, it always comes back to your life and your life goals—the life you were born to live, the life you were created to live.

What’s the solution?

The real reason you aren’t reaching your biggest goals is because of something I call F.T.I. (Failure To Implement).

Would you agree that if you did all that you already know to do, you would be more successful? Of course. Would you agree that if your team did all they knew to do, your business would be more successful? Again, the answer is yes.

The real problem behind all these problems is that you aren’t living the life you feel you are supposed to live.

The common feedback I get from coaching clients when they ��Dz�’t perform is that they are overwhelmed, a team member dropped the ball, a client had a problem, or some other kind of event like a weather disaster or family problem occurred.

Yet, at the same time, you have other people who are growing despite having the same issues. What’s the difference between the two? The difference is that the person who implemented didn’t let the problems keep them from their goal.

Learn and implement

Coaching thousands of business owners reveals that those who are the most successful do just two things:

1. They learn the proven systems.
2. They implement them.

Just having the curriculum available is not enough. You must learn the process and believe that you can accomplish the goal.

Zig Ziglar, the renowned motivational speaker, often emphasized the importance of desire in achieving success. He believed it was the driving force behind all great achievements. It’s the passion and determination to reach your goals that can help you overcome obstacles and stay motivated. A person with a burning desire will do everything they can to discover what the successful person is doing.

I call it inspiration. People who ��Dz�’t implement aren’t inspired. They are not inspired because they ��Dz�’t have a vision. They ��Dz�’t have a vision because they have doubts. They ��Dz�’t believe!

The Conflict Question

You will always have problems. Issues will always exist. They always continue in a business. But when you have the right processes and the right people in place, your problems will be minimized because your business will be profitable and predictable.

You can start solving those challenges by learning the proven systems, by learning how to be a stronger leader and by learning how to build a phenomenal dream team.

But learning is just the beginning. What do you need to learn?

The post The Conflict Question appeared first on Cleanfax.

The brutal reality for most small business owners is that they feel like they have a job instead of owning a business and spend their days putting out brush fires. I know how you feel.

Our third article of this series will now discuss “The Cause Question: Why is it important?” Our last article covered “The Clarity Question: Where are you going?” Once you’ve identified where you want to go, it is vital to understand why.

Having systems in business

After being in business for 13 years, I found myself working 24/7. I had little freedom. That’s when I began to learn about having systems in my business.

My early mentor, who helped me get through level one (personal development), was at my office one day and noticed all the chaos happening around me. He told me I needed to read a book called “The E Myth” by Michael E. Gerber, which I did. After reading the book, I went to Destin, Florida, with a pile of spiral notebooks and began to rewrite my future. After a week on the beach, I returned to Houston and began building systems and hiring staff. I realized for the very first time that I could have a turnkey business.

Over the years, we have succeeded in building systems, learning leadership, and building a phenomenal dream team.

But why did I want to have a turnkey business in the first place?

Why? For freedom

Remember, I wanted freedom. I wanted to go to the beach. I was not too fond of most parts of the business. I didn’t like having meetings and managing people, and I hated administration work! However, I loved marketing, didn’t mind sales, and have always been good at both.

But I wanted to be free. My vision was to have other people do everything I didn’t want to do. But that only lasted a short time. I truly wanted to spend more time at the beach, but I also sensed a calling to do something else.

Freedom led to a new path

Once I realized I was no longer a lackey in my business, it wasn’t long before I found my new path. At that point, my business was earning a couple of million dollars per year, and frankly, I was bored.

I had become president of a regional trade association, which put me in a position to speak, write, and get cleaners together. I began writing for Cleanfax, sharing my business growth strategies. People were very interested, so I decided to start helping them grow their businesses.

I love to write, so I started with three manuals I sold as a set. Then, I expanded my product line (hence the name Phenomenal Products). Along the way, I began doing teleseminars (now I’m dating myself). Next, I started doing in-person seminars and continued to build my packaging. I was doing about eight seminars per year for a large supply company with dealerships nationwide.

My programs focused more on marketing and sales in those days. I didn’t have much on leadership or pricing, but this larger company did. I proposed a joint venture, and we co-branded the product. We ended up with the ultimate business-building system in a box—everything you could possibly need to build and run a small business.

Big, fat vinyl cases housed this product—11 in all. A person couldn’t even take them out to the car without making two trips, and we sold a ton of those programs. People loved our systems, but a problem developed.

Although they loved the packages, they didn’t use them; it was too much information. Even though my modules had the solution to every business problem in their business on their shelf, many still did nothing with it. I visited a gentleman in upstate New York back in the days when I was offering on-site consulting. As I settled into a chair on the other side of his desk, I couldn’t help but notice all the big vinyl manuals on his shelf.

He had my entire system! It took up a whole shelf! I was so proud. But when I pointed them out, he said, “I’ve only opened one of them. They give me a headache. That’s why you’re here.” Then it got worse! I showed him the solution to all of his issues that day, and he kept making excuses why he couldn’t do it. He never took action.

That’s when I realized training and coaching were the keys. So, I started a coaching program. Now, the customers who bought the packages have coaching to help them implement the curriculum!

But one more problem emerged.

A single coach simply isn’t enough. When you consider the five areas of business, which are leadership, marketing, sales, operations, and administration, and the seven areas of life, you realize you need more than one coach. I also learned that we need others around us who are going through the same thing, so I then developed a phenomenal community of coaches, trainers, experts, and business owners.

The results have been beyond phenomenal. I discovered that my purpose is to help business owners reach their life goals. As a result, I have been completely overwhelmed by the transformation of our clients’ business and personal lives.

In addition to business growth, I’ve seen marriages saved, families restored, and many of our clients find their purpose. I’ve even seen people restore their spirituality. I’ve seen cultures change and members grow into phenomenal leaders. What’s most impressive to me is how our community members support, encourage, and love one another. It is truly unique.

My why is to help others determine their why

My why is to help our coaching community members have more freedom to spend more meaningful time with their family, friends, and faith; to help them get out of debt; to help them become stronger leaders; and to help them build a phenomenal dream team. Members can soar with their gifts and not be bogged down with stuff they hate to do and, frankly, aren’t good at.

The first book I wrote was “7 Secrets of a Phenomenal L.I.F.E. (Living in Freedom Everyday).” No freedom comes to those who live in servitude to their businesses. Being broke and/or in debt offers no freedom. Not living out your purpose provides no freedom. My purpose became helping small business owners have more L.I.F.E.

What is your “why”?

Do you have a phenomenal dream? A phenomenal dream is different than a “big” dream. A dream just needs to be meaningful. It needs to make a difference in people’s lives, and a personal dream isn’t wrong either. It just won’t fulfill you. The pursuit of happiness is an American right, but it doesn’t fulfill.

Only when you find your purpose will you be inspired. And when you see the fruit of your purpose, you will have joy, which is completely different from happiness. Thought leader John Maxwell once told me, “When you get a taste of significance, success will never satisfy.”

I call this “The Cause Question” because one would answer that question with “Because…. What is your cause?” Why do you want a phenomenal dream team that can run your company for you? The reason most business owners aren’t turnkey, even though they know it’s a possibility, is because they ��Dz�’t have a vision for what they would do if they didn’t have to go to work tomorrow, as I mentioned in the previous article.

Someone once said, “When you find your why, you’ll find your way.”

Growing a phenomenal business requires massive action. But as my coach said, “All growth happens outside the comfort zone.” Change is required. People only make extraordinary changes through desperation or inspiration. The problem with desperation is that we tend to slip back into our comfort zone as soon as the pressure is relieved.

Inspiration is key to moving up into the success zone. Nothing will inspire you more than a big why.

Michael E. Gerber, best-selling author of “The E-Myth,” the book that uncovered the mystery of a turnkey business for me, became my friend and mentor. One of the things I learned from Gerber’s book “Awaken the Entrepreneur Within” is two kinds of dreams exist.

The first one is what he calls the “personal dream.” For me, that is the house on the beach. The second one is called the “impersonal dream.” That is the dream that will make a difference in the world, has meaning, and has a meaningful BE-CAUSE.

I acquired my personal dream, and it is truly phenomenal. However, I realized through leading my coaching company that my lifelong purpose is helping others get what they want.

Leadership expert Dave Anderson said, “Make sure your dream is big enough to include your team.” My right-hand man, Santiago Arango, started with me when he was just 17 years old. He is 41 at the time of this writing. When he was in his twenties, he was going to school part-time to be an engineer. When he saw the life change happening to those in our coaching program, he decided to join the mission.

The best part is that when you build up people, a win-win-win is possible. Obviously, I am winning, and obviously, our coaching clients are winning. But Arango has become a master coach, master trainer, and is the epitome of a phenomenal human being. He is a man of faith, a family man, a physical beast, smarter than most people I know, prosperous, and has a lot of fun with his family. Arango is living his dream, too!

When I think about Arango, one experience sticks out more than anything: The day he became an American citizen. When he came to this country as a mere 17-year-old, a drug cartel had run him and his mom out of Columbia. A Columbian refugee with nothing but the clothes on his back reaches the ultimate American dream.

That is my “why.”

What is yours? And why is it important?

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Yes, you want to do better. You want to have a better business. You want to make more money, and you want to enjoy better health and relationships. However, if you aren’t clear on where you’d like to go, you won’t make the best decisions in your business.

Are you feeling burned out?

For many years, I’ve shared that your business exists only to be a vehicle to achieve your life goals. Your business can have a dramatic impact on your personal life. If you are like most business owners, your company may occupy your thoughts 24/7. You may feel like your business owns you, leaving you with very little family time and your days consumed with putting out brush fires.

I understand how you feel. I started my cleaning company out of the trunk of my car over 39 years ago. For the first 13 years, I felt enslaved to my business. Then, I realized the importance of implementing systems and understanding that every business decision I made (or failed to make) would impact my personal life.

Eventually, my cleaning business became turnkey, thanks to having people and processes in place that allow it to run by itself. But this transformation started with me getting clear on what I wanted: freedom. I wanted to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to do it. I reached that goal and fell in love with helping business owners. Although I work very hard leading my coaching and training company, I still manage to continue fulfilling my life goals.

What’s your long-term vision?

Far too often, business owners operate based on their immediate needs rather than according to a longer-term vision. In other words, they are just reacting to the day’s problems and putting out brush fires instead of planning for their future beyond just making this week’s payroll. I once did that, too.

In the absence of clearly defined goals, you will be forced to focus on an activity and ultimately be enslaved to it. If you aren’t clear on where you are going, how will you know what team members you need? How will you know how many you need?

And if you have a dream but no team, you’ll have to either give up the dream or build up the team. Phenomenal team members ��Dz�’t want to follow someone who lacks a dream, doesn’t have big goals, and doesn’t know where they are going.

So, where are you going?

Five stages of business growth

Even if you know where you want to go, you, like many business owners, might not understand where you are on the field of play in the business game. You see, there are five stages of business growth that we need to know in order to determine our destination.

Stage 1: Survival. First, we have to survive. However, that is not the ultimate goal; it’s just the starting point. A rocket ship has to get off the ground, but its destination coordinates have already been programmed and predetermined. The rocket ship’s crew knows where the rocket ship is supposed to go. Similarly, business owners should move beyond survival mode, especially when they have a team. Unfortunately, business owners much too frequently micro-manage every move, stifling not just the entire team’s potential, but also the company’s growth.

Stage 2: Stability. Again, the sole reason your business exists is to serve as a vehicle for achieving your life goals. That is the only reason it exists. Any vehicle, whether it be a train, a plane, an automobile, or a rocket, is a group of working parts designed to work in unison for a specific reason: to take you where you want to go. This group of working parts is called a system. You can’t get past survival mode without systems. Why? Because without them, your business will always depend too much on you!

Stage 3: Success. Once you have established systems in your business, you can begin to duplicate yourself. This means that you can delegate aspects of running your company to others. This is where leadership comes into play and is crucial. Everything rises and falls on leadership. And the most challenging person to lead is ourselves.

Stage 4: Significance. If you want to have a business that runs itself, you’ll need to enter the rare but rewarding space of developing leaders. You must go beyond hiring people to do routine tasks and even beyond managing. Now, the objective is to cultivate directors who can run your company (or at least parts of it) for you. You’ll need to develop leaders. This requires an entirely different skill set and value set. It demands a different mindset and the adoption of deeply held values.

Stage 5: Scale. At this stage, you have enough infrastructure in place to duplicate your vehicle. You can do that if you want to have multiple business locations, franchise your business, or license it. Or, if you aspire to serve in the ministry, travel the world, spend time with your grandkids, or all the above, you can do so because you now have an organization that supports your biggest goals.

So, where do you want to go in life? What role would you like to fulfill in your business? It’s up to you, but it won’t happen accidentally. We all need clarity to see where we want to go. And we must intentionally build a business that will fulfill our life goals.

You see, your business has a significant impact on your life, but this impact doesn’t have to be negative. It can be positive. My mentor, the late Zig Ziglar, said: “If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your mind before you arrive at your goal.”

The first step in reaching any goal is to define the goal clearly. Mr. Ziglar also said, “You can’t hit a target you cannot see.” You must see the goal vividly. You need to see it and feel it. It’s like being in a movie.

As you get clarity of your vision, consider why it is essential. My next article will explore “The Cause Question: Why is it important?”

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Of course you would!

The problem is that we aren’t asking ourselves the correct questions. We ask the wrong questions, or worse, we never ask any questions! Albert Einstein reportedly said, “If you gave me an hour to solve a problem, I would spend the first 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution.”

You see, we are changed through our thinking, and by asking the right questions, we, therefore, get better results. But what are the right questions to ask?

In this article, I will present seven coaching questions—the right questions—that will help you achieve your goals.

1 | The clarity question: “Where are you going?”

What do you want? What is your goal? What do you want your business to look like? What do you want your life to look like? The only reason your business exists is to be a vehicle to help you achieve your life goals. Design your future with this question. What role do you see yourself fulfilling in your business? Technician? Manager? Director? Owner of a turnkey business? The choice is yours.

2 | The cause question: “Why is it important?”

As you get clarity around your vision, consider why it is important to you. What are the benefits of your vision? How will your vision benefit you, your family, and your team? Someone once said, “When you find your why, you will find your way.”

3 | The conflict question: “What is your biggest challenge?”

Often, business owners can feel stuck because they aren’t growing, they’re unable to find the right team members, or they simply aren’t making enough money. But the biggest challenge is what I call F.T.I. (Failure To Implement). We have big ideas, but they never seem to get traction.

4 | The curriculum question: “What do you need to learn?”

You might have heard the phrase “content is king,” but content alone is not enough to build your business properly. With millions of podcasts and an abundance of information available for free online, why do business owners still struggle?

Because content is not enough. Organized content—content that has been vetted and put into a curriculum— is the key. You need to have systems designed to work together. When you get a little information here and a little information there, you end up with what my friend and colleague Ellen Rohr refers to as The Frankenstein Factor. This describes the phenomenon of adding too many ideas to a project, resulting in confusion and a lack of direction.

5 | The coaching question: “Who do you need to work with?”

The one thing that will help you become more successful is having the right coach. We all need support, encouragement, and accountability in order to move forward. The only thing better than having the right coach is having the right coaching community. There are seven core areas of life and five core areas of business. No one is an expert in everything. Top performers ��Dz�’t have just one coach—they have a coaching team.

6 | The compass question: “What’s your plan?”

Most small business owners ��Dz�’t have a written business plan. That’s like going somewhere you’ve never been without a map, with no GPS. Once you know where you are going, why you are going there, what the roadblocks are, what you need to know, and who you need to work with, it’s time to build a plan!

7 | The calendar question: “When do you want to get there?”

When do you want to reach this goal? What is the completion date? When you determine the date, break it down by the year, by the month, by the week, and by the day. That gives you a sense of urgency to take action each day when you review your goals. Go over your goals with your coach!

In subsequent issues of Cleanfax, I will break down each question in detail. We will delve into each one together with the goal of helping make your business and life phenomenal.

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Love and commit to your team

Our business recently celebrated its 39th anniversary—marking 39 years since I started my cleaning business out of the trunk of my car. Whenever the team hits the monthly goal, we always have a big breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Coincidentally, this celebration fell on the day before our 39th anniversary.

My operations manager had everyone wear a tag displaying how many years they had been with us. There were so many that were over 20 years! Now, some of their children have come to work for us! We are into the next generation. To see them all so happy and prosperous was a real blessing.

Spend time with your team members.

I am so grateful for each of them, and I love them. In 2018, I authored a book published by McGraw-Hill titled The Power of Community: How Phenomenal Leaders Inspire Their Teams, Wow Their Customers, and Make Bigger Profits. In that book, I share six things that leaders do: value others, serve others, care for others, develop others, coach others, and love others.

The word love may seem out of place here, but love is not a feeling. It is a commitment. Are you committed to your team? You want them to be committed to you, but are you committed to them? The entire process of building your dream team is really as simple as “love people.”

I’ve often said that all of business and all of life is about relationships. I’ve talked about that a lot in this series, too. Unfortunately, long-term positive relationships are uncommon these days. Many marriages ��Dz�’t last, and some people choose not to marry at all. Essentially, this indicates a reluctance to fully commit to another person. Today, there is a notable lack of care, concern, and commitment.

When a group of people sees each other day after day for a long period of time, there is a tendency to get tired of one another. You know others’ weak spots, and they know yours. The key to transcending this is to focus on each person’s strengths and foster a culture of winning together, as a team.

Show gratitude for your team

Can you maintain an attitude of gratitude every day from now on, for the rest of your life? Mr. Zig Ziglar said that out of all the attitudes one can acquire, the attitude of gratitude is by far the most important and most life changing. Why is that? It’s because having an attitude of gratitude keeps you focused on what you have, not on what you lack or ��Dz�’t have.

Can you make a long-term commitment to your team members? Doing so doesn’t mean you avoid coaching them when they miss the mark—quite the opposite. You coach and correct them because you love them. It doesn’t mean you won’t have to part ways with someone eventually. Sooner or later, someone may find a more attractive opportunity or decide they no longer want to remain grateful or committed. But you, as the leader, should make certain that you ��Dz�’t acquire that same mindset.

Keep your long-term dream team

As a result of building a phenomenal dream team, my cleaning company has become one of the most reputable companies in the industry and is respected worldwide. It cares not just for carpets, but also for high-end rugs and natural stone floors for some of Houston’s most prominent citizens and celebrities.

Remember, if you have a dream but no team, you must give up the dream or build up the team. If you have a big dream but a weak team, you have some work to do. And, by the way, if you happen to hire phenomenal people but you ��Dz�’t have a big dream, they won’t stay with you. Your dream must be big enough to include them.

Here are the steps to maintaining and sustaining a phenomenal dream team long term.

Work on yourself daily. Remember that everything rises and falls on leadership, and the toughest person to lead is yourself. As your business grows and you reach new heights, you’ll need new leadership skills.

Repeat and refine steps 1–7 of Building Your Dream Team. You can review them in my previous seven articles of this series. Get better at building your network so you can easily find, attract, and hire the right people. Work on your skills daily. The better you get at training, coaching, developing, and helping your team members succeed, the better you’ll get at retaining and sustaining your team.

Understand the growth stage you’re in. In order for your leaders and team to continue growing and developing, your business will need to evolve. You’ll need to decide what role you want to maintain and why. Maybe you want to have a turnkey operation, where your team runs the company for you. If you decide to scale up by adding more locations, expanding services, increasing departments, or getting into an entirely different business, your team will need to advance alongside you, possibly moving up and out. You’ll need to think strategically. Learning different business models and how other people have scaled their businesses is key.

When I moved from the cleaning business to the coaching business, many trials came along with that move. People in my cleaning business moved up, and Santiago Arango moved over with me. Last year, I franchised my coaching business and, therefore, had to learn an entirely different business model and leadership role. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep going.

Plan and prepare for problems. The longer you’re in business and the longer your team members stay with you, the more new and unique problems you will have to face. During the pandemic, I was determined not to lose a single employee  (love, commitment, gratitude). I decided I would pay them out of my pocket if I had to. I set aside several hundred thousand dollars just in case. Remember, back then, no one knew what would happen or how long we would be affected. Planning isn’t predicting the future; it is preparing for it.

Fortunately, I dealt with my debt problems years ago and became totally debt-free, so I could make that commitment when the time came. My team was so incredibly grateful that no one was laid off. Each team member wrote me a personal note, which I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Additionally, my warehouse manager had a stroke and can barely sweep the floor now without getting distracted. We have kept him on because he was not prepared to retire. In another case, we had an assistant who wore out his arm from almost 30 years of pushing the wand. We helped him retire. Our team members have faced various challenges. We have been there for them. They are family. I love them. I am committed to them. I am grateful for them.

Facilitate experiences for your team.

Plan and prepare for the promises. Recently, I was reading one of my favorite books by Jim Collins. In studying extraordinary companies, they discovered that every company, regardless of whether they thrived or failed, experienced roughly the same amount of luck, both good and bad. The research shows that those who overcame the bad luck and those who capitalized on the good luck were prepared to do so.

When I committed to keep my team members (so I wouldn’t lose people we have invested so much in and so we wouldn’t have to try to replace them when the pandemic was over), I didn’t realize that I would end up getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money and Employee Retention Credit (ERC) money. You commit first. Then you get the reward.

When I worked hard on retaining people, I hadn’t thought that one day, their kids would come to work for us! When I first began to see those possibilities, my wife and I began to invest heavily in their children. We treat their little ones like our grandkids.

Stay positive yet humble

As you continue to practice positive systems, leadership, and team development practices, your position will improve. Your financial status will improve. Your reputation value will improve. And your relationships will improve.

I’m always curious about how and why some highly successful people fail. Typically, they give in to some temptation to cheat the system. They stop feeding what has brought them success. They forget what got them this far. They allow their inner negative person to finally get some play. They give into their ego. They believe their own press, so to speak.

The key is to stay humble and hungry!

And one more thing: Stay around winners! As Mr. Ziglar always warned, “Don’t be a SNIOP (Susceptible to the Negative Influence of Other People).” Stay plugged into a positive community that will help you keep your eye on the prize. And get a coach or mentor if you ��Dz�’t have one.

The greatest life lesson I’ve ever learned is to be around people who have already been where you want to be and have a plan to help you get there.

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You have gotten to this point by getting the right people on the bus, by training them, and by creating a positive environment through coaching. By getting to this point, you are a rare and blessed business owner.

If you are not at this point yet, follow the process and get better as you go. Keep the steps handy. They have served me well for almost 40 years. I have many team members who have been with me for decades.

That is not by accident. To retain them for long periods of time is one thing. That can be done through benefits such as vacation pay, healthcare, and a positive working environment. But not everyone will rise to the company’s top levels, which is understandable.

The better you get at building the right kind of relationships with your team members and understanding the steps of building a dream team, the stronger your team will become. Remember, this is a process that you must continue to practice every day. It is not automatic. You have to earn your stripes as a leader every single day.

Once you have gotten accustomed to being a coach leader rather than a boss, and your team is trained and engaged, you should have people who are ready to move up.

Moving up

The game of getting your business predictable, profitable, and turnkey is simply a process of replacing yourself intentionally and methodically on the organizational chart. (See my article, Leading Through Coaching, , in the September/October 2023 issue of Cleanfax for a reminder of what my suggested organizational chart looks like.)

Where are you now? What areas have you replaced yourself in? What areas are next up for replacing yourself?

As you fill in the bottom row (the implementer role) of the chart and when you have successful people in those areas, you need to look for candidates to fill the middle section (the manager role). You are looking for people with good soft skills and relationship skills, or who can be trained and developed in positive personal habits and leadership skills.

WARNING! Just because someone is a great technician or salesperson does not mean they will be a good supervisor. Many people are great technicians but never develop the required soft skills.

Personal development and leadership

Two areas require development:

1. Personal relationships
2. Leadership skills

All of business—and all of life—is about relationships. Your ability to build solid relationships is key to building your business and is essential to building a dream team. Your team members will have to develop those skills as well.

Personal development includes having a positive self-image, building winning relationships, having a positive attitude, and understanding how to reach goals.

Leadership development is about gaining influence in others’ lives so they will follow you. Everything rises and falls on leadership, and understanding the right kind of leadership is vital to building a team.

Just knowing about personal development and leadership is not enough. As my mentor recently pointed out, knowledge isn’t enough. It must be cultivated. In other words, it has to be developed.

Be a teacher, instructor, and facilitator

Again, development happens over time. So, how do we develop people? One of my early mentors taught me a framework around development that has stuck with me to this day:

• Information: Requires a teacher
• Skill: Requires an instructor
• Experience: Requires a facilitator

In order to learn information, one only needs a teacher. The teacher transfers the information in a way that is usable. If you want to learn how to fly an airplane, for example, you need to learn how an airplane flies, how to operate the aircraft, how to go through the preflight checklist, etc.

But you ��Dz�’t learn to fly an airplane with a manual only. You develop the skill by having an instructor to show you how and watch over you as you learn how to fly. Eventually, you get to fly the plane solo, which you must do before you can get your pilot’s license.

But to be a great pilot, what do you need? Experience! And to get the best experience, it wouldn’t it be good to have an experienced pilot by your side?

Develop yourself

To develop people, you must first develop yourself. If you want to develop and nurture leaders, you must first become a great leader. There’s a huge leadership vacuum in the world we live in today. There are too many people in this world who have read about leadership but never developed the skill of leadership. They think they know leadership but have never been through the fire.

Our instant-gratification culture bucks the idea of developing anything over time. Our microwave mindset demands a fully cooked meal in seconds.

But leadership doesn’t work that way. Developing people doesn’t work that way. We have to go through a few storms. We have to endure a few emergency landings. We must have wise mentors who can help us continue our leadership journey.

After training, we need to get them into different experiences.

For example, we take all of our management team through Ziglar Training so they can develop a positive self-image, build winning relationships, and learn how to set goals.

Then, we get them into leadership training. For example, we train all of our management in John Maxwell content.

Investing in and developing your top-performing team will set a strong foundation for a predictable, profitable, turnkey operation.

Take them to conferences. Put them in rooms with other leaders.

One of the things I’ve done to facilitate experiences for managers to become directors is putting them in higher-level training and mastermind rooms where leaders flesh out concepts.

I spend a lot of time with them, taking them to conferences and traveling together. I want them to know not just my vision but also my heart. I want them to understand how to make decisions like I would.

The four Cs of competence

Along the way, I learned the four Cs of competence concept, which is instructive for developing people.

We ��Dz�’t hire people with experience in our cleaning business. We hire for attitude first. Remember, the ideal team player is humble, hungry, and intelligent (people smart). Then you train them for skill.

Level 1: Unconscious incompetence. Everyone starts not knowing what they ��Dz�’t know. Untrained and inexperienced leaders see this as a weakness. I see it as a strength. Why? Because I would rather them not know anything than come into my business with bad habits.

Level 2: Conscious incompetence. At this level, they know they ��Dz�’t know. They are learning brand new things they have never understood before. Again, this is good because as they learn something for the first time, whether that is how to push a wand, talk to a customer, or do marketing, they are learning it the right way, the first time. It will always stick with them. Of course, that depends on how good your training systems are. (Again, see my article on training in the May/June 2023 issue of Cleanfax.)

Level 3: Conscious competence. This is the minimum standard of performance. Ensure your people are well-trained before you let them operate independently. Many small business owners I talk with are afraid to let someone use their expensive equipment or speak to their top clients. I would be, too, if they weren’t trained.

Remember, the simple process of tell, show, watch. Tell them what to do. Show them how to do it (with a manual and training), then watch them do it until they get into the proper habits. This takes time, but it is worth it overall because they will eventually run your company for you.

When you get to the point where you cannot train yourself, make sure you have a trained trainer! Don’t let someone who does not know how to train do the training! You could have the best technician, best salesperson, or marketer, but they may not know how to teach someone else how to do it!

Level 4: Unconscious competence. This is the ultimate level. This is the level of mastery. When someone has enough of the right type of experience, the highest level of training, and enough practice, they become a master. Mastery takes time, but having people at that level opens up unlimited possibilities for you.

The rewards are off the charts.

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