I work at/from home, and because of that my routine varies from that of the typical office or factory worker. I usually start my workday at 9 AM. By 8:59 I have finished breakfast, spent 30 to 45 minutes reading business articles in my favorite magazines, and now it is time to go to work. I go to the kitchen, pour another cup of coffee, and walk down the stairs to my basement office. Total commute time: 31 seconds. I run what some people call a micro-business. Daniel Pink, in

This is a re-post of one of my most referred to articles. Many of the companies have undergone several lawsuits. Google any of them with the companies' name and the words 'lawsuits', 'scams', etc., to see the latest information That was the title in a May, 2011 issue of Entrepreneur magazine. The author listed the top 10 and their franchise start-up costs: Here is the list: 1. Vanguard Cleaning Systems Startup costs: $8,200 - $38,100 2. Jan-Pro Franchising International Inc.

This post is about overcoming ‘resistance’. The word ‘resistance’ many conjure up a number of images in your mind: For example, some dictionary definitions include: : refusal to accept something new or different, : effort made to stop or to fight against someone or something, : the ability to prevent something from having an effect. For the purposes of this post I am going to refer to the book, the War of Art, by Stephen Pressfield. In his book, Pressfield labels the enemy of

We all need a few extra dollars to spend, but taking on another job, even if it’s part-time can really cut into your family life. If this is your problem then you may be interested in learning how to make money cleaning offices in your spare time. 1. One of the benefits of creating your part-time job and earning the extra income you need is that you get to set you own hours! If you can work on Monday and Tuesday nights and not Wednesday through Friday because you have plans

When I began my cleaning business, I had to develop an advertising plan to allow me to show a clear point of difference between the service I was offering and that of my competitors. In any business, having a unique selling proposition is crucial in marketing and will make any marketing campaign you have much more effective. It can also keep you away from the need to discount your services. Dan Miller, author of No More Dreaded Mondays, defines it this way: What will you be d

I discussed in a prior blog about the fact that some people start a business only to get a JOB, and others start a business to obtain freedom, financial independence and a certain lifestyle. So, why the difference? What makes one person end up working a JOB and the other building wealth and freedom from their business? For success you must have the ability to see yourself totally free from the need to work for a living. And you have to believe that your business is your maj

I get emails from folks wanting to start a contract cleaning service, and one of their biggest fears is challenging the already existing “competition”. Their concerns usually go something like this… “Rod, I would love to start an office cleaning service but there are so many companies already in the business! To a start-up business person this would seem to be a big problem. However, the opposite is true: Because, when you see a lot of other companies, that means THERE IS A L