Man Risks Money and Starts a Home-Based Cleaning Business
Back in 1997, Jonathan Bergstein was living in New Jersey working in the corporate world in a dead end job. Jonathan knew that he had gone as far as he could in his field of customer service, and he contemplated starting his own business.
While speaking to a friend in Virginia, Jonathan mentioned that there were several job opportunities in Richmond. He indicated that he could stay with his friend while searching for employment.
Jonathan was somewhat hesitant about the move; however, he was young and thought it was worth the risk to start fresh. When he arrived in Virginia, he found a temp job to pay the bills and started to save for his own business. Jonathan thought the company was doing well, but after being employed for only two weeks, he was laid off.
Thankfully, Jonathan had unemployment benefits; however, these benefits would only last three months. This was his chance to start a home-based business. Working from home would provide him tax advantages, save on overhead, and provide him with solace when needed.
After almost three months of investigation, Jonathan had not made a decision on what business to start. He was too proud to ask his parents for money, and he had no choice but to call the local welfare office to send forms so that he could apply for welfare and food stamps.
While waiting for the forms to arrive, Jonathan decided to risk what little money he had and filed for a business license to operate a residential cleaning service. He did not know how to advertise, clean, or hire employees. He had to learn from the beginning which was an exciting, but also daunting task.
Jonathan began by advertising via flyers, newspaper ads, and direct mail to dual income families in his area. He made the usual mistakes being a new business, but after two years, Jonathan had over 200 customers. Providing superior customer service was the key to building a strong brand and loyal customers. For more information, visit www.maidtosparklecleaning.com. HBM
