Do It Yourself

Business owners do a LOT by themselves.

In the name of saving money, self satisfaction, hobbies, you name it. My father and I spent three days fixing the upstairs toilet at our office. Why? Saves money. And my dad loves plumbing (he doesn't know why). We repair our own vacuums, repair our own cars (whenever possible). All in the name of saving some dough.

Is it being cheap? I dunno. Doesn't feel that way. I mean, when something gets too much for any of us here, we turn to a professional. Hell, I thought we'd have to do that with the toilet until we finally figured it out.

A business owner must be self sufficient and infinitely positive. He/she must be always ready to do a job that they don't want to do. They must be ready to solve problems, pay bills, and grow business. A business owner is the ultimate do-it-yourselfer in my opinion. Whether you're repairing a busted porcelain throne, or changing the oil in a company car, a business owner must be many things.

What do you think?

Cleaning as Our Part

Budget helps people. The way we do it is unique, however.

Cleaning services that are just cleaning services are typically not that good. Treating a client like just any other job doesn't make for a lot of rapport with said client. Most business that treat business as something without any dimension, any feel, doesn't get far. And if they do, the foundation such a business is built on makes the whole structure weak. Eventually, it'll all come crashin' down. Mark my words.

I understand that cleaning is not the first career choice for most individuals. Hell, owning a cleaning company may not be either. But, let's stop talking about cleaning. Let's focus on all businesses. Why do we go to work? Why do we own a business? What's the fucking purpose behind it all?

The purpose? Well. You gotta invent one. Or more accurately, find the purpose already there. When I was younger, I thought that a cleaning business is pretty straight forward. You clean, you get paid. But people come to us with all sorts of problems. Financial, marital, household, kids, job, I mean you name it. They come to us for help with cleaning their home.

That's when I discovered the purpose of Budget. It's not to clean. It's to help give someone their life back through cleaning. Once I discovered that, everything became...a little easier. What's your purpose? Do you have one? If not, you should get on it.

Employee Motivation

How do you motivate employees? How do you present consequences for their actions?

As straightforward as this may seem, it isn't. When I first got into this business on a full time basis, I thought hours and money where the only thing employees were after. I was wrong. I have learned that many different things go into a happy employee and their performance at the company they work at. I don't know why this came as a shock because I have worked in places where I didn't care how much money I made. I hated the work.

So how do you motivate someone who hates their job? You can't, is the answer. This is something that I've learned over working here at Budget. No everyone that comes through that door and decides to work for us is going to have the same amount of passion and desire as I do. At first, it hurts a little. It's like saying, why don't you believe in this company as much as I do? But I've learned that money, as long as they think they're being paid fairly, comes in a distant last place compared to what a person looks for in a job.

Suprises are at every turn when you go into any field, any new job. And as much as I know now, I know. I don't know the half of it. What about yourself? How do you feel about your job? Your employees? What would make you, or them happier? Can you make them happier? I'd love to hear your thoughts.