15 years of learning and worthwhile work

This is our 15th year in business.  What started out as a part time evening job that balanced our family's needs for a short period of time grew into a 300 plus customer operation with 28 team members rolling up their sleeves to make it happen.    Someone asked me the other day what the secret was to making a service business successful.  The truth is there isn't "one" thing that makes it all come together.  It's many things, and many people involved.  It's not "me" doing everything, it's me learning to trust other people.   One of the things I've learned over and over again is to trust the team I have at home, and to trust the team I have at work.   This is a hard and very repetitive lesson for a Control Freak.    

I remember back to when we first started the company, and my 4 kids were all under the age of 5.     I was home with them all day, working from home making calls, writing policies and procedures, blindly making my way through creating a web site, all during nap time and when Elmo was on.  My husband coming home and me telling him the details of kids' needs, medicines, feeding schedule, etc.   I remember feeling unsure about leaving, it was hard to let go of my daytime 'work' (my kids), and I can still picture my husband with both of our boys hanging off each of his arms that were already holding our twin daughters one in each arm, and him saying "We got this.  Go!  We are going to do Zimmerman Olympics, eat my famous eggs for supper, read books and go to bed."   My team at home was awesome.  They are a major part of what allowed Simply Cleaner to grow, allowed me to grow into new roles and unchartered territory.  And other than all of our pillows, blankets and couch cushions being strewn throughout the house (you have to set up properly for Zimmerman Olympics), I came home to a happy family.

The Zimmerman team 2010

The lesson to trust was easier at home...to trust that all was well because my partner always had my back and looked at that time with our kids as nothing more than fun and joy.
Learning to trust at work was a whole new challenge.   I created processes and policies and wanted everyone on the team to do them exactly as they were written, I wanted the customers we served to experience the same exact service no matter who on our team was scheduled there.   
The entire first year in business my two sisters and I took care of all the accounts, all the cleaning, all the inventory, all the billing, all the laundry, all the vacuum Maintenace, all the customer communication.   Working every single shift with no days off.   At the end of the year we were exhausted....and still growing.    I remember thinking that if we didn't hire another person soon we were never going to have a day off ever again!    So talking about it with my sisters, we decided to put the word out that we were looking for a part time Vacuumer.  ONLY a VACUUMER.  I mean we couldn't possibly allow someone else to contribute more than that or we (I) would lose control of the whole thing.   We ended up with a very sweet lady from our church who joined our team and TAUGHT US....she was capable of being an awesome team mate and such a difference maker for us!  She met the customers well, she communicated to us anything she noticed that she thought was helpful and needed, she followed the task list and process to a T... she did an amazing job for us.    
Over the last 15 years I have learned to TRUST my team more.  Sharing information, giving them the tools they need to be successful, and then GET OUT OF THEIR WAY....has been a major lesson....because a lot of times they come up with great processes and ideas that they implement themselves and it has nothing to do with "me" or how "I" made the company successful.  The lesson of TRUST has been a big one, and I'm sure I'm tripping over some things even now at this stage that will soon hit me in the face and remind me to let my leaders lead, let my team do their thing, and appreciate all they are willing to give of themselves for our customers and for our team.

Cheers to 15 more.
​--Kari