Cleaning For A Reason Milestones & ISSA

The cleaning conference was a huge success. I've been wanting to update everyone about Cleaning For A Reason and the success of the ISSA Convention. We reached some very exciting milestones this year and passed some tipping points. First, the MOST exciting news all year, is Cleaning For A Reason tipped the scales on over 1 million dollars in donated house cleanings to women with cancer! So far, our generous Cleaning Partners have helped over 4,000 women with cancer get their homes cleaned for free. I salute our giving Partners that are helping women everywhere. They deserve your support, so please only consider using a maid service that is Cleaning For A Reason! We grant a free cleaning every 90 minutes to a women battling cancer. This is only possible because of the generous maid services that are a part of this great program.

The next milestone, or tipping point was the ISSA show this year in Orlando, Florida. We hosted a Cleaning For A Reason Appreciation Reception at the Double Tree Hotel for nearly 100 Partners and guests. The evening was spectacular. We heard heart-warming stories from 5 prominent C4R Partners: Teresa Ward, Shirley Perlinsky, Lanette Richmond, Liz Trotter, and JoAnn Dipierro. Several sponsors donated great prizes and folks left with free vacuums, books, business training materials and products! Our GENEROUS sponsors made the entire evening spectacular and free to all attendees. Thank you to Jean Hanson of MyHousecleaningbiz.com, Debbie Richter of RF Monolithics, and Mike Julo of DirectMopSales.com. Direct Mops also provided a $25 Gift Certificate to every guest!

Lastly, and this is really exciting, the ISSA show was a tipping point on the tradeshow floor. Out-going ISSA President, Bob Stahurski accepted our offer to join the Cleaning For A Reason Board of Directors. He will be added to our Board in December. Bob was so impressed with Cleaning For A Reason, that he brought incoming ISSA President, David Holzman over to meet us. David was immediately enthusiastic and wore the "Ask Me" pin on his lapel all day. He also had it on the next day while introducing the keynote speaker, Prime Minister Tony Blair. David shared the Cleaning For A Reason story with Tony Blair at the executive breakfast that morning and presented him with the "Ask Me About Cleaning For A Reason" pin as well as a black C4R logo shirt! David Holzman and Bob Stahurski are two powerful, well-respected men in our industry and they are very excited about Cleaning For A Reason!

We made great contacts at the ISSA Show this year, and now we are working feverishly on our upcoming MAID SERVICE Best Practices Conference, which is January 21, 22, 2011. If you haven’t registered for this amazing event, you don’t want to be left out. We think it will be largest event of this kind in the history of the residential cleaning industry. We’ve lined up top speakers, maid service specific topics, lots of surprises, and tons of value and benefit! Don’t miss out, the early registration is extremely low cost: http://ping.fm/5Nmie

I finally made the time to link my Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger accounts together. Now I just need to remember to use it!

Tamara Lowe at Christ Fellowship

Worth Watching

No Excuses

Precision and Practice

Get good at what you do, practice!

Hoover Vacuums Sponsors Cleaning For A Reason

Big announcement! Exciting times! Hoover Sponsors Cleaning For A Reason.

in reference to: cleaning for a reason hoover - Google Search (view on Google Sidewiki)

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

Interesting Links

Here are a couple links on this page about the most influential business thinkers:

-- http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/13/influential-business-thinkers-leadership-thought-leaders-guru.html

Quick Upate on the Cruise:

What an incredible launch of the SMART Women Maid Rich Conference and Cruise! At one point there were orders coming in 5+ per minute. I've been meaning to update you, but its been crazy and I didn't want to pester you with too many emails. Couple of things --

I know many of you have already secured your spot, but in case you didn't catch it, many of initial incentives (first registrant gets the cruise absolutely free, the first five registrants get one free upgrade or $125 spa/shopping bucks and the first 25 registrants get the DVDs for free) - all gone! BUT, we have another great incentive that you can still get in on, and that is that if you sign up for the Conference/Cruise before October 9th then you will be invited to attend the private wine tasting on the boat with Debbie Sardone, myself, the VIPs, and our surprise guest.
And, because the rush to sign up early was such hand to hand combat that Debbie and I have decided to allow everyone who has signed up so far, and 5 more people to receive the complete DVD set ($597 value - perfect for training your team) absolutely free - Heads up - only a few spots left. Something to think about if you are sitting on the fence.

Also, we have decided to add a NEW PERK for you social bees, and here's the scoop. Invite someone who has not signed up yet to sign up for the Conference/Cruise and you will not only secure a spot for your buddy before we sell out, but you will also receive $50 value fun-bucks-goodie-pack (on board drinks, photos, spa, shopping) - AND sign up 5 people and get the fun bucks and $250 off of your own conference cruise fee. The person you refer does not have to be your roommate; those decisions are separate. And, I don't know how long we can do this for, so take advantage of it before we have to end the incentive.

We are still trying to secure more cruise rooms, but we don't know where we are at with that yet, so if you want to find out check back here or on our website: http://smartwomenmaidrich.com and we will post any updates on there about any additional spots.

Second, I forgot to mention in my previous email, but I don't know if you noticed that the starting price that we settled on for the launch of this conference is $200 less than what we had originally discussed. That launch price is going away soon, and if there are any remaining seats of the original 74 then prices will go up.

Register NOW - Easy Pay starts at $77/month

http://smarwomenmaidrich.com

Registration Opens Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST

If you have not already signed up for a username and password on Renee's shopping cart, you can do that now, and then when registrations opens up you'll already have one! Just a quick step to being faster than anyone else.

So, go here now:

http://www.sharpchip.com/shop/

sign up for her shopping cart and THEN when registration opens at 8:00 p.m. EST you'll be ready to just REGISTER!

Can't wait, I hope you get in the first 25!

debbie

The Cruise Is Priceless

Being Part of the Club is Priceless

Renee O’brien and myself are so excited to invite you on this ladies only cruise! The power of getting entrepreneurial women together for great information, inspiration and a fantastic 4 night weekend cruise is going to be priceless.

So you have been emailing us like crazy wanting to know about all of the details:

The schedule
The ship and cruise route
The image makeover that is included for you
What benefits you will gain And most of all, the PRICE!

Well, we weren’t going to reveal the price until tomorrow when registration opens, but we made our final decision yesterday and we are going to reveal it to you today in this ten minute audio.

Click to hear details on the conference and the unbelievable price:

Get ready to register FIRST on Wednesday! Watch your email for the links to register!

A'Hoy Mates! (fe-mates?)

Okay, GREAT guessing! You now know we are holding our women's conference on a cruise ship! Can you believe it?! What fun........I can hardly wait and will be counting the days. So, what's the third piece of the puzzle?

Quick Re-cap:

Who: Renee O’Brien and Debbie SardoneWhat: Hosting a Fun, Powerful and Strategic Conference for Women in the Cleaning Industry (Owners, Spouses, Managers, Administrators and Executives)

When: Thursday, May 13 – 17, 2010 (Oh, did we let that exact date slip out?)

Where: Cruise – Originates in Miami, then onto Key West, AND then.......?????

Clue #5:

FINAL CHANCE TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER AND LOG YOUR GUESS! WINNERS AND DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY!

log your guess now by filling out the guessing survey:

http://tinyurl.com/debbiesclues

or visit my website: http://themaidcoach.com/

or vist the SMART Women website: http://smartwomenmaidrich.com/

Bon Voyage!

Debbie

Another clue, another Chance to Win

I'm a little late posting my clue, because I'm in Hiltonhead, NC having a "girls weekend" with my sister and childhood friends! I was unable to find wi fi anywhere til now!!! So, here it is:

Clue #4

No second place winner yet…Although you are getting very close. Yes, Key West is PART of the destination.

So let’s recap:

Who: Renee O’Brien and Debbie Sardone

What: Hosting a Fun, Powerful and Strategic Conference for Women in the Cleaning Industry (Owners, Spouses, Managers, Administrators and Executives)

When: Thursday, May 13 – 17, 2010 (yes! we did we let that exact date slip out!)

Where: Key West AND ?????

So here are your the three Saturday clues, I know you can guess it from these!

Log your guesses here:

log your guess now by filling out the guessing survey:

http://tinyurl.com/debbiesclues

you can visit my website here: http://themaidcoach.com/

or vist the SMART Women website: http://smartwomenmaidrich.com/

Cheers!

debbie

Some Smart Business Owners Are Good Guessers

We Have A Winner! But, there is a 2nd Prize Available Now

She has actually guessed what we are doing and won the $100 prize. Congratulations Claudia Avery, Florida Cleaning Concepts. But, now someone can guess the rest and win the 2nd prize!!

We're having so much fun that we are going to keep going for a second place winner. Keep guessing to see if you can win a luxurious, theraputic massage from Massage Envy.

So OKAY, here's what's beend guesse CORRECTLY SO FAR by our winner, Cladia Avery (obviously a SMART Woman indeed!):

Who: Debbie Sardone AND Renee O’Brien
What: Hosting a Fun, Powerful and Strategic Conference for Women Executives in the Cleaning Industry (Female Owners, CEOs, Presidents, Top Managers, Administrators, Executives)
When: Thursday, May 13 – 17, 2010 (Oooops, did we let that exact date slip out?--oh well!)
Where: ????

So, you "guys" are good! I've read some great guesses so far.....one was so close I thought maybe they've been wire tapping my phones! The responses I've been getting to our "clue excursion" has been phenomenal. I am getting so excited I'm afraid to answer my phone lest I accidentally let the rest of the details slip out. So, here is another clue to help you come up with the rest of the specifics for the 2nd place prize winner:

CLUE #3:


This will be the only clue posted today, so for those of you who said you've been chained to your computer, checking your email every five minutes so you can be the first to guess, take a deep breath, think about these photos and log your guess now by filling out the guessing survey:

http://tinyurl.com/debbiesclues

or visit my website: http://themaidcoach.com/ or vist the SMART Women website:

http://smartwomenmaidrich.com/

Guess today, and then check again tomorrow for another clue! Only Saturday and Sunday for clues and the the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT will be made on Monday!

Here are just some of the guesses that have come in that DO NOT have location correct. A little more hints… not in Seattle, not in Dallas, not in Seattle and Dallas at the same time, not on the internet, not in Las Vegas, not in Chicago, not in Alaska – but these are some great guesses.Here is just a handful of the dozens of SMART guesses you have given:

"Fun Seminars, Debbie Sardone and Renee O'Brien in May 2010 in Seattle, Washington" – You are right that we definitely will be including lots of fun.

"Paris" (I wish! We should have talked to you before hand!)

"You two are planning a weekend conference, I'm guessing May 8th and 9th?? 2010 in Seattle hosted by Debbie and Renee to teach us cleaning service owners how to get profitable -- even maybe RICH! and have more personal time... and I am SOOOO READY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You GOTTA count me in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hugs!" – We feel so energized from your comments!

"It's called Smart Women Maid Rich, hosted by Renee O'Brien and Debbie Sardone, it is in May of 2010 and it will be in Vegas (between Washington and Texas)." – We’ll have to lose our pocketbooks another year.

"Educational Seminar - Women in the Cleaning Business - Having It All - Hosted by Debbie & Renee in May, 2010 in Seattle WOOOOOOO WHOOOOOO" – No not Seattle, but YES bring your enthusiasm!Presenting a new maid cleaning service franchise Smart women hosting in Seattle in May 2010 – Interesting….got us……maybe we can launch another business…….uh, no.

"Work/Life Balance with Renee O’Brien and Debbie Sardone" – The speaker part and the Work and Life in Balance is 100% right, in addition to Sales Skills, Communication Skills, Conflict Management, Leadership Skills and a heck of a lot of FUN!

"May 2010; women in leadership roles, women learning to become leaders and wealthy through advanced systems, proven techniques and bartering. Who? Only the absolute best mentors in the whole world Renee and Debbie" – LOVE the comments!!!!

"You two are joining forces and developing an INCREDIBLE (COULD IT BE ANYTHING ELSE????) seminar for women in the cleaning industry" – Oh boy, now we are starting to blush. It’s this great group of women that will really make this event!

"Oh man, I've sooo got it! You're holding the weekend conference at the Seattle Aquarium!!!!!!!! Fish, right? Ha! Such a wicked clue I couldn't go to sleep!" – That would have been cool, but Seattle in May is a little cold. Oops, I did it again, let it slip.

Funny Comments This is going to be a fun group, some of these comments are too funny!--At the fish market, with the theme
F females
I intending to be
S super
H humans

A Man

What does it need? A Location One of the male respondents was super smart and understood that this event, though geared toward women involves him because he likely has women in his business that can benefit from this. When asked what this event must have to be complete he said: "Estrogen and a venue."

All great ideas that we may incorporate!

Someone else thought: “You are going to teach us how to have it all: riches, balance in life and business and how to make it fun for us and our employees. The theme will be based on the book FISH which will help us to transform a “toxic energy dump” (every company has one) into a workplace that adds value, productivity and profit to the company, thereby creating happier workers, employers, and customers!" to quote a review of the book which I LOVED. When we closed our (old business) we watched this video and handed out the book. IT WORKS I JUST HAVE TO BE REMINDED AND RE-ENERGIZED WHICH WOULD HAPPEN JUST BY BEING NEAR THE TWO OF YOU!!!!! :-) “– WOW what a great idea and flattering comment. We hadn’t planned on using that book, but it is a great idea!!! And, of course with the FISH clue we should have thought of it.

Massages – Now you’ve got me giving away more secrets. Yes there will definitely be a possibility of massages.

Lots of great food – You bet! And, we might as well let it out that our conference will include several dinners and some entertainment that will all be part of your conference ticket!!

A Glass of Wine – Wouldn’t miss it!


Cheers!

Debbie

http://themaidcoach.com/

Clue #2: Okay, the cat is out of the bag, and people have guessed that we are holding a Women's Conference! But no one has guessed the details. Keep trying! Listen to this phone call I placed to Renee and grab that second clue!

Take a stab at another guess, log your guess here (you can't win if you don't try! Take a stab at it!) http://tinyurl.com/Debbies2ndClue


Take care and look for more clues tomorrow!

http://themaidcoach.com/

Secrets in Seattle & Dallas

CLUE #1 - I am planning a huge SURPRISE evnet with industry consultant Renee O'Brien that will knock your socks off! We are releasing clues a little at a time until someone guesses this weekend! A check for $100 will go to the person who guesses the details of what, when, where! Some are close but still have not guessed. Keep guessing and keeping checking this blog as more clues are coming daily!

Debbie's Big Secret To Be Revealed Soon!

Debbie's BIG SECRET Contest

I am soooooo excited about THE BIG SECRET that I told some of my friends about on my call Monday.

I am going to start off small with a contest for the first person to guess the entire secret of "Who, What, Where, and When" for THE BIG SECRET. Over the next few days you will receive Clues and the first person to guess "Who, What, Where, and When" accurately will win a check for $100.00. .. And, that is just for starters.

After the person with the winning guess is released you will remain on the Preferred Notice List so that you have a chance at over $1895 in free items and early bird notice of discounts. All I can say right now is that the BIG SECRET is really big, and expected to SELL OUT so to speak. No purchase is necessary to make guesses, of course. So, watch your email over the next 7 days for some real excitement!!!!! Click HERE for your first clue Video or copy paste this url into your browser: http://smartwomenmaidrich.com/ Enter your guesses of "Who, What, Where, and When" for the BIG SECRET and you can make one guess a day over the next few days. Contest ends Monday, 9/28/09 at 7:00 am EST or when the first person guesses the correct answer.

Stayed tuned for more!

More soon!

Another Cleaning Service is In The News

I am so proud of Shawn Day of Professional House Cleaning Services, of Chester Township in Northeast Ohio. He has helped over 50 women received free housecleaning through our program. Shawn was also the recipient of the prestigious Remembrance Award at our 2008 Cleaning For A Reason Partner Recognition Program. That award is for providing the most free cleanings in a year!here is the news clip:

http://tinyurl.com/C4R-ShawnDay

I am so proud of all of these companies! Here's a list of all 440 something!

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/maidservice.php