Jan 04 2012

Blog:  A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences or hobbies.

You may have learned that this isn’t your “normal” business and I really don’t care about PC.  Part of this nation’s problem is too much PC — so phony.. this PC.  Ironic, eh?  So here is another out of the ordinary business “blog”…

Absolutely Clean is having a tough week.  I’ve said good bye to clients that expect two of my staff to spend 4-5 hours deep cleaning a house that hasn’t been touched in a month for the same price as a maintenance clean … our snow birds are flying away ( we tried to tell them there was no snow here so why not just stay this year???)  We lose clients to over spending at Christmas time (they will be back later.. )    Crystal’s sister’s boyfriend passed away … Jean’s daughter has cancer and Julie’s husband had a heart attack tonight.   The list goes on …

Boy are we praying.

Why am I posting on my business page about such personal situations?  Well.. my business is personal.  My staff are family.   My clients … some have become family — we have been to multiple funerals of people we grow close to.

Here is how yesterday and today played out…

Clients are complaining… staff gets a bit freaked out and I calm them down (internally freaking out) and we just make a plan and solve it!  Move on .. and fix it.

What happens?  We get ten “you are amazing survey’s” in the next few minutes.  See? One out of TEN?? pshh

Client wants the world for less than our cost — I stand behind my staff and dictate a nice note telling them they are better off finding another service.  We really, really hate to lose clients but hey … we rock!   We are worth it and you get what you pay for … we are training someone who worked for a competitor for three years and they are struggling with our details. I won’t settle… and I don’t think you really want me to.  Our office staff is upset we lost a client — I’m calm and walk back into my office knowing we will soon have another client who knows our value.  Rock on …

Jean... I have visited with Jean multiple times in the last two days.  Her daughter has cancer and it’s not good.  I calm here down — have faith — go scream and walk back into your daughter’s room with a “we are going to kick cancer butt” attitude.  She will .. I have no doubt.

Crystal… Her sister has had someone very close to her pass away — she’s in my office.  She tells me what a crappy year it is already.  I told her — Crystal — it’s not the year — it’s a situation and no one picks a date.  I’m very sorry for her loss but you can choose to think what a crappy year … or find the positive.  I then told her a story about my son and his cancer and the little boy in Christopher’s room with no family. You have to have faith … as much as things suck… have faith that you are where you should be.   Faith put us in that litle boys room.

Julie… her husband had a heart attack tonight.  I get a phone call full of distress — I offer to drive her to Iowa City and she assures me her daughter is coming to get her.   As I type this she has just sent me a text — “Scott is out of surgery and doing well” — prayers answered.  We continue to pray for a speedy and wonderful recovery.

Where is all this going?  …. you need a little more info.

My daughter attends Xavier and NEEDS (gasp) a super expensive digital camera for a class she is taking this semester.  We purchase the camera and I guess I was praying outloud as I was walking out of the store… we get into the car and she says “How do you have so much faith mom?”  This … from my daughter who attends a private catholic school.  You have to understand that brings a bit of a distressed internal sigh to this mom….

How do I have so much faith?   Well — I may not be at mass every Sunday but you can bet that what you get is real and I have faith…  I have trust, confidence in and or an assurance that God will lead me where I should be.  I choose which direction he lays out for me… which fork in the road will I choose?  Good or bad?  Negative or positive?  Woe is me or make it work for me?

Great news tonight — much faith that Crytal and Jean’s family find peace in the path that lies in front of them.

Choose wisely — faith is amazing.