It’s the beginning of a new year, which is always a good time to step back a little and take a big-picture view of your business and life and then put your plans in writing for the upcoming year. One thing I notice is that really successful people and businesses do this consistently. You could look at it as developing a road map or plan for what you want to accomplish. It’s a basic concept, but one that is often overlooked by small-business owners who are busy doing the work and don’t understand or appreciate the importance and value of regularly setting goals and planning for the future. As my daughter who works for Nike would say, “Just do it.”
With that in mind, here are a few additional tips to help you plan for a successful year.
Getting on the CIMS Bandwagon
During the last seven years, I’ve assessed in-house operations and cleaning contractors of all sizes nationwide for ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) certification program. There is no question that I am a strong supporter of the CIMS program, but what I want to pass on to you are the reasons why I support CIMS and how I believe it can help your operation.
The CIMS program is based on operating according to the foundations of a successful business or department. That’s not to say you can’t be successful without CIMS, but what I’m finding is that your chances of achieving success are much greater if you operate according to the principles outlined in CIMS.
It’s getting more difficult to run a profitable and successful operation than it used to be. Good employees, supervisors, and managers are harder to find and even more difficult to keep. Customers are concerned about price and quality and have high expectations for those who clean their buildings. Plus, the work is more complex than it’s ever been before. Those who operate according to the CIMS guidelines eliminate problems that keep others from operating smoothly and profitably.
I recommend that you go to www.issa.com/cims, print out the CIMS standard—the same checklist I use to assess an organization—and begin applying the CIMS principles in your business or department immediately at no cost. If you want to get certified as an official CIMS organization later on down the road, you can, but there is no requirement to do so. In the meantime, though, you can get many of the benefits just by implementing and operating according to the principles outlined in the CIMS standard. I hope you’ll review it, and if you do, I’m confident you will find that CIMS is one of the best things you have ever done for yourself and your organization.
Floor Care Profit
The area of cleaning that offers the greatest potential for cost savings and profit these days is hard floor care. Improvements in surfaces, equipment, and chemicals are almost nonstop and fast-paced. When you look for profit opportunities in your operation or a customer is pushing you for a better price, my suggestion is that you take a serious look at how you maintain hard floors in the facility. If you are still stripping, finishing, burnishing, and recoating, chances are you’re passing up opportunities to reduce floor care costs by as much as 65 percent. Simply put, that money could be in your profit margin instead of the expense column. Keyword searches for diamond-impregnated floor pads, nano-coatings, and robotics will lead you to the information you need to update your floor care program and improve your bottom line.
Thank you for reading. Keep it clean out there.
