This entry is from a 5-part series on building a successful cleaning company.

Core values. Mission statement. Vision statement. Yawn. I know, this is so overused and abused, but just hear me out. I am talking about hardcore core values- you know, those things that shape every part of the company. The owner(s) or executives of a business impart a lot of themselves into their company, so they need to discover what their personal core values are and share them with their entire organization and all who do business with it. There are many paths of self-discovery to find out who you are at your core. For example, I texted my 5 closest friends and asked them to text back just 1 word to describe me. I was pretty amazed at the responses because 3 of them were the exact same. Using this information, I also thought about the things that drive me crazy.

After using both sets of information, both things I liked and disliked, I was able to discover those things that matter most to me. The 4 core values of my business are:

1. Be honest

2. Inspire growth

3. Make it happen

4. Have fun

I will go further in depth with all of these core values at a later date, but suffice it to say that I try to make all of my big decisions based upon just these 4 qualities. I make sure my clients and employees are a core value match; if I meet someone who is not, I save us both time and frustration by inviting them to explore other opportunities. You may think I am crazy, but stop and think about it for a minute. Not everyone in the world gets along with everyone else, or has the same values. My dad always said, “Son, it is a difference of opinions that makes horse racing interesting.” I have always loved that quote because it reminds me that we are all different.

Some clients may not want to have fun, so every time my cleaning company organizes an Easter Egg hunt in their office while we are cleaning over the weekend, just to surprise them on Monday, they may not like it. That is totally fine. This just means that we may not be a good core value match, so I do not want to waste their time or patience by serving as their cleaning company.

Thanks for reading my thoughts, and keep an eye out for the next part!