In Honor of Black History Month

In honor of "Black History Month" I would like to present some of my favorite entrepreneurs and icons. These people have inspired and moved me with their talents, abilities, and achievments. Enjoy:

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is living proof that the American dream is alive and well. The illegitimate daughter of a Mississippi sharecropper, she overcame poverty, parental neglect, sexual abuse and racism to become one of the richest and most powerful women in the entertainment industry. Through sheer force of her personality and by simply being herself, she reinvented the talk show and still reigns as the undisputed champ of daytime television. (from entrepreneur.com)

Martin Luther King, Jr.

And being in the service industry I can't help but get inspired by this MLK Jr. speech:

J.C. Watts

Congressman JC Watts was born the fifth of six children to Buddy and Helen Watts on November 18, 1957 in Eufaula, Oklahoma . He attended the University of Oklahoma and earned a B.A. in journalism in 1981. He was first elected to represent the fourth district of Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1994 and won re-election in 1996, 1988 and 2000. Fellow congressmen quickly recognized his leadership qualities and elected him chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth-highest position in the House, in 1998 and again in 2000. Watts earned a solid reputation in Oklahoma and throughout the nation as a perceptive and passionate spokesman for redeveloping communities, exercising fiscal discipline, strengthening education, restoring values, and bolstering national defense.

Sinbad! And on a lighter note, my favorite male comedian of all time!

I've Committed the Cardnial Social Media Sin

Well, thanks to my friend Ron Holt of Two Maids & A Mop, I've removed a video link that became a dead link while I was not paying attention! Sadly, it was about social media--and if you know anything about social media you know the cardinal rule is not to let your blogs, twitters, and facebook pages grow cold! Thanks Ron for snapping me back to responsibility. If I'm going to have a blog I have to use it. Ron sure is good at that, I guess I need to take a few ques from him! Anywho, I tend to be an all-or-nothing perfectionist sometimes, so when I don't have the time to "give it my all" I end up doing nothing. That's just plain stupid, and I know better.......

So, here's some catching up and I'll do better! I'm reading a book right now that I find very interesting. I don't agree with everything he says, but I wholeheartedly agree with his emphasis on profits. Most of the cleaning businesses I consult with put profits last, behind employee payroll, customer needs, and operational non-essentials. Then, they're miserable because they work so hard for so little. If you fall into that category you need to read this book:

Profits Aren't Everything, They're The Only Thing! By George Cloutier

Now, I modify his philosophy to fit my spiritual convictions, but I do believe there is a time and a place to put your business, it's viability, growth, or crises FIRST--above everything until you fix what's broke or stop the bleeding! That's not an excuse for a long-term pattern of neglecting "quality of life" (i.e. family, god, health....), it's a short-term solution that can reap the necessary results. If you need to grow your business quickly or if your sales and operations are in trouble, or you've been doing without a decent profit margin, there is a time and a place for remembering that PROFIT is why you got into the business in the first place, and a lack of focus on PROFIT might be why things are such a mess today!

It's a good book, I highly recommend it.

Also, have you registered for my Coffee Talks on Thursday mornings? They are completely free! 30 minute power bursts of business instruction perfect for anyone in the cleaning business, but especially women-owned operations. You can register here, for free: REGISTER NOW

If you are a women in the residential cleaning business, or any cleaning related business, I'd like to invite you to join Renee O'Brien and me for the very first ever Smart Women Maid Rich Business Conference Cruise. We have an amazing line up of women-centric topics that are perfect for the CEO or upper management of any cleaning business. The guys will be glad to endorse this trip because the ladies will get serious business training along side mega-fun opportunities. And, they guys can come too. Spouses or even kids can hang by the pool and await our dismissal from the conference workshops. My husband Steve will be there as well as several others. So, check it out, Thursday is the last day to sign up and make payments. The last payment is in June, and the total for the cruise and conference is only $799!

If you have questions give me a call: 404-585-0461