Business success means something different to everyone.
Some people want to work for themselves. They have an entrepreneurial spirit that drives them to build and create. They want to make the decisions and set their course.
Others enjoy the work and take it seriously but don’t want the added responsibility and pressure of running their own business; they are happy being a valued employee.
Obviously there’s no one career path that fits everyone. We all have to find our own way.
In May, Cleaner featured a company that started out small — one guy going out on his own. Bizzy Bee Plumbing has since grown into a large, profitable business, passing the million-dollar mark in revenue while continuing to expand. Owner Robert Schwachenwald emphasizes quality and professionalism. He invests in advanced technology and training for his employees, and he maintains a strong marketing effort that includes custom branding.
Last month, we featured a completely different kind of company, but it’s no less successful. Big Dawg Plumbing & Backflow is owned by Michael Reed, and he’s a one-man operation.
It’s not that Reed doesn’t want to grow. He has carved out a niche in the plumbing and drain cleaning industry, has a strong clientele for whom he does backflow testing, and has built a reputation for high-end shower installation.
That reputation is important to him. It’s built on his honesty and directness with customers — and it’s crucial to his business. Reed hired an employee two years ago and eventually had to let him go when his high standards for service weren’t being met. Having all the control over each interaction with his customers guarantees the same high level of service on each job. Because of that dedication, Reed’s customers don’t call someone else when he can’t give them immediate service.
Here at Cleaner, one of the ways we measure success is how many eyes we get on our content when it’s posted on the website. The analytics for our online content help gauge what topics you’re most interested in and what articles you find the most helpful.
I usually only look at recent content to see how it was received, but taking a look back over previous years also provides a lot of insight into what topics are most popular and what may be worth revisiting. Since this is the start of a new decade, I spent some time looking back at the content that filled the pages of Cleaner over the past 10 years.
Starting this month, for the rest of 2020 Cleaner will be featuring a different Best of the Decade article. July starts out with the top Tech Perspective story, which discusses how bore planning software can make your horizontal directional drilling jobs more efficient, cost-effective and safe. Vermeer provided the expert source in that article and has also contributed an update on how the technology has evolved over the past 10 years while still fulfilling the original goal of helping contractors do their jobs safely and profitably.
No matter what your version of success looks like, I hope you are on your way to achieving it.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
