Modern Bride Magazine Mentions My Consulting!

Wow, I've been way too busy because I didn't realize I'd let so much time lapse between blogs! I've got to turn over a new leaf and keep my blogging promises and get back to blogging at least monthly, but ideally more often.

I am really excited about the mention I received in Modern Bridge April / May 2009 edition that just came out. As a business consultant, nothing can be better than free, national exposure! And to top it off, the concept of MAID SERVICE gift cards was mentioned in the article as well. Let me back up a little and bring you up to speed. I have a workshop I offer called "Barter Is A Guaranteed Sale" and another workshop called "How To Get Free Publicity". Modern Bride Magazine just helped elevate both of those concepts for me when they published an article entitled "Have It All But Spend Less!" by Elizabeth Larsen. Elizabeth is on the staff of Modern Bride and found my business blogs about barter. She interviewed me and the recent article is the result of that interview. Pretty sweet!

In my business workshops to maid service owners I teach residential cleaning businesses how to use barter to get business and personal services you might not otherwise be able to afford, especiall marketing. My concept of spend your trade and save your cash is the basis for my workshops on business bartering. I got to practice what I preach last summer when my daughter Amy got married. I blogged about using my maid service gift cards and services to barter for limousine service, flowers, the cake, a photobooth, and the photographer. The writer for Modern Bride picked up my blog and interviewed me for the article she was writing. That's amazing, free, national publicity from one article! Whew-hooo!

Now, you don't have to be a business coach to benefit from free publicity. You just have to be on the look out for every opportunity you can create to get you name, your brand, and your service out into the public and especially the internet. You can do this for your maid service the same way I have for my maid service and my maid service consulting business.

If you'd like to learn more about how to create free publicity and how to barter your services, you can can check out my audio CDs and start saving money like crazy, and generating free publicity for your company. Learn More......

To read the full article on barter click here: Modern Bride Barter Article

my mention is on the last page, last column.

Hard Work Doesn't Equal Success

It’s been well documented that working hard is not synonymous with success, and entrepreneurs know this more than anyone else. Some of the hardest working, well meaning, highly motivated and self-determined people own their own business. They are out there working for free day after day, year after year. They keep hoping for that lucky break—the tipping point, where their business takes off and their hard work pays off. Sadly I’ve seen some throw in the towel at the brink of financial ruin and go back to work for someone else. What’s the difference between one business that flourishes from the start and another that flounders for years never turning a profit? As a maid service business coach, I see hard working people spin their wheels day after day, until they finally "get" what's missing.

The problem and the solution lie generally within the owner themselves. They take such great pride in their product or service they can never get past the “technician’s” mindset. They hold back their company by insisting on perfection standards that cannot be duplicated beyond their hands-on surroundings. This frustrates competent employees and sets up customer expectations that can only be met by the owner. The most successful entrepreneurs aren’t necessarily the ones with the best product or service, but instead have the most duplicate-able system that delivers consistently without their hands on the wheel.

And, secondly, the most significant factor in entrepreneurial success, in my humble opinion: They possess the ability to communicate a compelling reason why they are the obvious choice when it comes to their service or product. They communicate effectively, their expertise, knowledge and skill. That “little ability” is more important to the process of success than the product or service itself.

If you can’t promote yourself, your company, and your service or products it won’t matter if you’re the best because no one will know it! Effective promotion is not just marketing, it’s the life and breathe of your business. Miss it and you will expire before you succeed. www.themaidcoach.com

It's All In A Day's Work

The cleaning business is a tough job; but somebody's gotta do it. I am happy to say that I've been helping busy people find more time to do the things they really want to do for over a quarter of a century (wow, I sound old) at Buckets & Bows Maid Service in Lewisville, TX!

The professional housecleaning industry is booming in the United States and there are no signs that it will be slowing down any time soon. To the contrary. More and more people are opting for "quality of life" over "a penny saved........" and are investing in the "must haves" like maid service. This trend is getting stronger as a generation that never had to clean their own room is growing up and having families of their own. Business owners are discovering that finding clients is the easy part! Although Marketing for a thriving business takes careful planning and skill, it's typically not the hard part of owning a cleaning service. The hard part is finding, hiring, training and then retaining the best staff. But just as soon as you think you've got that tiger by the tail another issue will surface, then another, then another. My blog will explore all the elements of running a successful residential cleaning service. Maybe someone will be inspired to grow their business to a size they never imagined. Maybe someone will decide they don't have to "throw in the towel" after all. Or maybe someone will just be encouraged because there are people who actually enjoy helping others fulfill their dreams. As a business consultant to maid service owners all over the country, trying to grow and improve their residential cleaning service, I love helping people fill in those gaps, stop the bleeding and plug up those profit leaks! Spread the word if you know anyone who owns a cleaning service and needs help, send them to me! www.themaidcoach.com