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June 1, 2012: The Residential Cleaning Connection
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| ARCSI Industry Partners Resources | |
Join us in Chicago, Mar. 31.
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From the President
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Are you on the fence
about going to the ARCSI Cleaning Convention in Chicago October 16-19,
2012? From my personal experience and many others that I have talked to,
it is an event that we would never think of missing. I came to the
realization many years ago that the cost associated with attending an
ARCSI event is an investment in me and my company.
As I thought about it
more I asked, who benefits the most from my attending convention? The
answer, my clients! By attending and learning from the educational
sessions presented at convention, the personal connections with other
owners/members, and vendors my clients benefit. How? Because as a
result, I am able to provide a leading and cutting edge residential
cleaning company that is professional, financially stable, delivers
exceptional quality, with very little employee turnover due to providing
and nurturing a pleasant work environment. All of which I accredit to
making the investment in ARCSI events and implementing changes at home
from what I learned.
As you can see, everyone
benefits when we invest in ourselves and our companies. What I am
trying to convey is that we as owners can get caught up in our day to
day operations but if we don't educate ourselves and grow our knowledge
we risk limiting ourselves, our employees, our businesses and our
clients. When your nose is to the grindstone (as the old saying goes)
you have to allow yourself to come up for air and refresh.
You owe it to yourself your family and everyone else involved in your business. October 16-19, 2012 in Chicago is your time!
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Tom Brokaw to Address ARCSI Convention Attendees
|  Legendary
American news icon Tom Brokaw will draw on a rich career in network
news as he addresses attendees at the 2012 ARCSI Cleaning Convention and
ISSA Interclean on Thursday, Oct. 18.
After 21 years as anchor
and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, Brokaw stepped down December
1, 2004. He continues to be a special correspondent for NBC News,
producing and reporting on long-form documentaries, as well as
providing expertise during election coverage and breaking news events.
His
insight, ability, and integrity have earned him a dozen Emmys and two
Peabody and duPont awards for his journalistic achievements. In 2003,
NBC Nightly News was honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow
Award for Best Newscast, representing the program's fourth consecutive
win in this category.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear Brokaw speak. Register now for the 2012 ARCSI Cleaning Convention.
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Do you love ARCSI? Do you love talking to people? ARCSI is looking for a
group of volunteers to head up our member outreach efforts. As part of
the integral Member Retention Committee, you'll be contacting new
members as well as those we've not heard from for a while to say hello
and ask how ARCSI can help them.
Time commitment is 1-2 hours per month. If you are interested, contact Chris Zimmer at chris@arcsi.org or 614-547-0887.
Thank you to Sam
Francescon, Greg Macchia, Alison Palmer, Shirley Perlinsky, Renee
Rawcliffe and Dee Strickland, who have already volunteered!
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|  Entries
to our first annual Cleaning Convention Video Contest came in fast and
furious in the 11th hour! There were excellent submissions from Becki
Cronin, Samantha Snider and Liz Trotter.
After reviewing and
discussing all entries, the judges named the entry from the team at
Absolutely Clean in Marion, IA the winner, landing submitter Julie
Morris a free registration to the 2012 ARCSI Cleaning Convention.
Runners
up Becki Cronin, Samantha Snider and Liz Trotter will all receive a 50%
discount on one convention registration for their efforts, too!
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 Chemical-free cleaning for Castle Keepers
of Charleston, SC - a leading professional home cleaning service - is
not just a buzz phrase, but a deeply held belief founded on concern
for its customers and workers. It?s also a compelling way for Castle
Keepers to provide cleaner, safer and greener outcomes for the vast
community they serve in Charleston and surrounding areas.
"We specialize in
Cleaning to Protect and Enhance Health," notes Tom Stewart, principal
of Castle Keepers. "We provide free home consultations to ensure we
meet the needs of the householder and create a detailed worksheet for
our cleaning teams including chemical-free equipment specifications."
Standard practice is the use of TANCS -equipped Ladybug steam vapor units from Advanced Vapor Technologies with attachments that enable cleaning multiple surfaces using only tap water and low moisture (6%) steam.
"The TANCS steam vapor system is one of several key scientifically-vetted
chemical-free interventions we use to ensure high quality cleaning and
disinfection without the use of harmful chemistries. We clean an
average of four homes a day with one Ladybug, and under constant daily
use it has proven its durability and value to us by reliably
eliminating the need for traditional petro-chemicals while enhancing
home hygiene."
It has also helped to make the Castle Keepers' service unique.
"The Ladybug has helped
us to successfully differentiate our service. The cleaning process,
discipline and cleaning regimen we have developed using the Ladybug is
not easily duplicated by others in our market," said Stewart. "We have
invested in moving beyond cleaning for appearance to cleaning to
improve the health of our clients and cleaning technicians, and
improving the hygiene of our clients' homes and we are known for this
accomplishment."
With more and more Americans being health-conscious
and sensitive to environmental chemicals, the Ladybug has also helped
Castle Keepers attract new clients they wouldn't attract otherwise.
"There are a number of strong markets for us,
including pet owners, people with respiratory problems, and concerned
parents, not to mention the general consumer who is becoming more aware
of how a clean home can affect their health, who will pick a cleaning
service that is cleaning for health, even if their rates are
occasionally slightly higher than other services," adds Stewart.
Castle Keepers took three months to train its staff of 23
teams in the proper use of the chemical-free equipment, and the result
is that properly trained employees clean just as fast or faster than
before, homes stay cleaner longer as validated by ATP and/or other
measurements, and subsequent cleans in bathrooms and kitchens are faster
largely due to initial removal - using the TANCS technology - of
stubborn biofilms and mold.
Stewart also knows Castle Keepers' Cleaning
Technicians or workers appreciate not being constantly exposed to
cleaning chemicals, and that they have greater self-esteem because their
knowledge and skillset differentiates them from the traditional
stereotype. "Our Cleaning Technicians know they are on the leading edge
of cleaning for health using the Ladybug," concludes Stewart.
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  In conjunction with the ISE House Cleaning Technician Certification Program in Seattle
June 22 - 23, 2012, ARCSI is holding a Regional Meeting, complete with
lunch and learning. The event will take place at the ISE headquarters
hotel, Staybridge Inn - Mukilteo at 9600 Harbour Pl. in
Mukilteo,Washington.
Join us for our ARCSI
Regional Networking Luncheon on Thursday, June 21 at noon PST for an
ARCSI Regional meeting hosted by ARCSI member Stacie McMillan of Clean
& Simple Cleaning. ARCSI Board President Daron Tandberg and Board
Secretary Liz Trotter will also be in attendance!
The event begins at noon
with check-in and networking.Lunch, which is included in your
registration, will be served at 12:30 pm. At 1:15, we welcome Tracey
Warren, Manager and Trainer at Ready, Set, Grow Marketing to discuss
"Social Media Strategies That Work!" After Ms. Warren's presentation,
the ever-popular roundtables will begin for more discussion and
networking. The event wraps up at 3:30 pm.
Registration is $35 per person and includes lunch, education program and roundtables. Click here to register now.
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| One of the most common requests from members is a solid non-compete form (you can find several in the ARCSI Member Resource Library).
Employees recruiting customers on your dime, then leaving to start
their own residential cleaning business is a frequent issue of
discussion in member networking events and Hot Topic Tuesdays.
Entrepreneur
magazine has written an excellent article on this topic, with insights
on how to guard against it and how to work through the paranoia of this
scenario playing out in your business.
To read the Entrepreneur.com article by Mikal E. Bellicove, click here.
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Employee Questions: What Do You Want to Know?
|  In preparation for the June ARCSI teleconference "Creating Mini-Me's: How to Recruit, Select, and Retain Hourly Employees",
guest speaker Mel Kleiman wants to know: What are your pressing
questions in employee recruitment, selection and retention? Get your
questions answered on June 20 during the monthly ARCSI Teleconference.
To submit your questions, click here.
Why
is it so difficult to find and hire people who think like owners? The
kind of employees who take responsibility and then take action, who
don't wait for a problem before they look for a solution. The wish that
employees would act more like owners is so commonplace it is viewed as
one of those "just the way it is," human nature problems. This can and
will change when owners and managers first change their own thinking and
expectations.Join Mel Kleiman as he explains how changing your expectations can revolutionize your business and revitalize your employees. To register for the June 20 ARCSI Teleconference at 7:30 Eastern/4:30 Pacific, click here.
ARCSI
Teleconference are always free for Gold members. Silver members can
register for $5 and Bronze members for $10. Nonmembers are welcome to
register for a fee of $15.
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| What would you give for a pool of marketing knowledge and ideas? A group of committed ARCSI  members to bounce your ideas off of, get feedback from and help you market your business?
Introducing
the ARCSI Marketing Mastermind Group, an exclusive place for ARCSI
members to share ideas, ask questions and improve their marketing.This
Facebook group will admit only one ARCSI member per service area (so
you and your competition aren't using the same information) on a first
come, first served basis. Group members must commit to posting ideas or
feedback at least twice per month.
To request access to the group, you must have a Facebook account, send a request to Chris Zimmer by clicking here and agree to the participation terms of posting pertinent information to the group at least twice per month.
Don't miss this chance to broaden your marketing knowledge and grow your business. Request your invitation to the ARCSI Marketing Mastermind Group today!
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The good news is that
business is booming. The bad news is there's only one of you. Perhaps
it's time to take the plunge and hire some help.
There are many good
sources of information about finding the right people, writing job
descriptions, interviewing candidates and managing people once they are
on board. In addition, you'll need to understand your regulatory
requirements as an employer because it is crucial to the success of
your business. These 10 easy steps will help you ensure you are
compliant with key federal and state regulations when hiring.
1. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
2. Set up Records for Withholding Taxes
3. Employee Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)
4. Register with Your State's New Hire Reporting Program
5. Obtain Workers' Compensation Insurance
6. Unemployment Insurance Tax Registration
7. Obtain Disability Insurance (If Required)
8. Post Required Notices
9. File Your Taxes
10. Get Organized and Keep Yourself Informed
To read the complete article detailing all of these steps from the Small Business Administration, click here. |
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|  Join
us June 5 for the First Tuesday Open Forum! Do you have a pressing
question that needs and answer? Have you recently made a change in your
business you'd like to share? Join the call and bring your messes and
successes.
Angela Wilson of Solano Maids as she shares her experiences and moderates the call.
The Hot Topic Tuesday calls are sponsored and moderated by the ARCSI Membership Committee.
Click here o register now for free. |
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At the heart of every great business is an idea, a leader and a
vision. Entrepreneur.com wants to hear how your winning combination is
helping make a positive impact.
If you are a company owner
making more than $350K per year who is still involved in the day-to-day
of running your residential cleaning business, you are eligible to enter
Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur of 2012 Contest Presented by The
UPS Store.
For official rules, click here. To enter the competition, click here.
Click here o register now for free. |
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