FIRING EDNA THE EPSILON

Yesterday I had to fire someone for being a loud Epsilon. It has been a long time since I read Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. I often find myself melding the story line & characters between Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984, but I digress.

In Brave New World, Huxley’s society is genetically engineered into Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas & Epsilons. It is a caste system and goes against everything America stands for. It disgusts me. Yet I sometimes find myself grouping people into categories.

I try never to prejudge, because that is prejudice. God makes us one at a time, and that is how we should judge each person. God also loves each one of us the same, to him Charlie Manson & Mother Theresa are equally valuable. This is where I fall short. Ten times out of ten, I’m putting Mother Theresa at the front of the line.

We try to hire Alpha, Betas, & Gammas. Alphas make the best team leaders, but don’t put two alphas in the same car (they will tear each other apart). Occasionally I will hire a Delta if I feel this person will have a good work ethic, attention to detail, and not undermine the spirit of the company.

Alphas like to work with Betas & Gammas, but may become disturbed if they are forced to lead a Delta or Epsilon. If I hire a Delta, I make sure the Alpha team leader is cool with it, otherwise no deal. If an Alpha is forced to work with Deltas and Epsilons it will not be long before that Alpha looks for employment elsewhere.

So I hired Doris the Delta. Her background check was OK. References OK. She really needed a job. She was socially unpolished so I made sure to point out how she shouldn’t seek to engage our Clients in conversations. Be polite. Answer questions. Just don't start a conversation. Further, I pointed out that whenever a Client is present, we should be as quiet as mice.

So I enrolled her in You’ve Got MAIDS University and she began her course work. First day Orientation & Bathrooms 101 DVD’s followed by a quiz. This was more difficult with Doris than most, but I was up for the challenge. Then she goes into the field to clean bathrooms under a supervisor’s watchful eye. The supervisor came back frustrated that Doris the Delta was a bit obtuse. Had I mislabeled Doris???

Next morning Doris arrives to review her results for bathrooms and then take Kitchens 101. She was informed of her supervisor’s feedback on bathrooms, and we decided she needed to spend more time perfecting that. On this 2^nd day she let her hair down, got relaxed and started telling me better ways to run our business.

Emerson wrote that every man I meet is in some way my superior, and I can learn from him. Emerson is 100% correct of course & I did learn something from Doris the Delta!

By the end of the day Doris the Delta stopped talking to her coworkers. Doris had refused to clean something. Doris was not being receptive to coaching. Doris argued with her supervisor in front of a Client!

I gave Doris the next day off and scheduled a review with her supervisor. At that meeting it became apparent that I hadn’t hired Doris the Delta, I had hired Edna the Epsilon!! She was also loud. I mean my ears hurt when she spoke at me...it was a controlling the volume thing.

She just didn’t get it, and at her age (40ish) she probably never will. God certainly loves her, but if I allowed her to stay at You’ve Got MAIDS she would scare off all the Alphas & Betas. At that point we would start losing Clients by the bucketful, slip into unprofitability, & I would spend my entire day managing malcontents!

HELL NO, EDNA MUST GO. The most humane thing to do is to let her go. So I did.

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You've Got Maids of Orlando, Florida (407.737.7773) specializing in; Winter Park Maid Service, Baldwin Park Maid Service, Islesworth Maid Service, Maitland Maid Service, Avalon Maid Service, Keene's Point Maid Service, Belle Isle Maid Service, Conway Maid Service, Eagle Creek Maid Service, Longwood Maid Service, Eastwood Maid Service, Hunter's Creek Maid Service, Lake Bryan Maid Service, Moss Park Maid Service, Winter Springs Maid Service, Altamonte Springs Maid Service, Stoneybrook Maid Service, Dr. Phillips Maid Service, Tuscawilla Maid Service, Oviedo Maid Service, Orlando Maid Service, Bay Hills Maid Service, Meadow Woods Maid Service, Wekiva Maid Service, Vista Lakes Maid Service, Lake Mary Maid Service, Heathrow Maid Service, Metro West Maid Service, Winter Garden Maid Service, Casselberry Maid Service, Lake Nona Maid Service, Gotha Maid Service, & Windermere Maid Service.

Franchise Benefits for the First Time Business Owner

Stacking the deck. First time business owners flock to established franchise companies because they want to stack the deck in their favor. They don’t want to reinvent the wheel. They want to trim down the learning curve, because they understand that when you are in business for yourself the learning curve cost money. Real money. Harvard tuition kind of money.

Studies show that 90 percent of non franchised business start ups fail within 3 years. The emotional and financial cost of learning their new business, acquiring clients, and building teams swallows up many would be entrepreneurs. If your pockets and resolve are deep enough to see you through the storms that will be ahead, I say go for it. You will definitely learn a great deal, even if your business goes bankrupt.

Joining a franchise minimizes risk. You are in business for yourself, but you are not by yourself.

A franchise offers a proven format, with uniform systems of operation. In this way franchises are like roadmaps, but more so. Think GPS. A franchise offers its franchisees a road map to the finish line. If a franchisee starts veering off course, the GPS/Franchisor lets them know it, and offers a better way.

A good franchisor is so much more than a GPS. A good franchisor knows that the only way to succeed is to help their franchisees succeed. A GPS could care less if you get to your finish line. A good franchisor builds a relationship with you, and encourages you to build relationships with other franchisees who are all traveling on the same journey. A GPS is simply a piece of hardware, just like a toaster.

Franchise Benefits:

• Risk minimization
• Proven business model
• Ongoing training
• Marketing assistance

Most consumers would rather deal with franchises. These consumers rightfully view franchises as specialist. We all know specialist do it better. Hitch your wagon to a franchise that specializes in whatever you want to do. They will not be able to guarantee your success, but a good franchise will greatly stack the deck in your favor.

If you want to gamble go to Las Vegas. If you want to get into business join a franchise.

You’ve Got MAIDS® of Florida (407.737.7773) provides maid service in the following communities: Avalon Cleaning Company, Baldwin Park Cleaning Company, Bay Hills Cleaning Company, Casselberry Cleaning Company, College Park Cleaning Company, Dr. Phillips Cleaning Company, Eastwood Cleaning Company, Gotha Cleaning Company, Heathrow Cleaning Company, Islesworth Cleaning Company, Keene’s Point Cleaning Company, Lake Mary Cleaning Company, Lake Nona Cleaning Company, Longwood Cleaning Company, Maitland Cleaning Company, Metro West Cleaning Company, Orlando Cleaning Company, Oviedo Cleaning Company, Stoneybrook East Cleaning Company, Stoneybrook West Cleaning Company, Tuscawilla Cleaning Company, Wekiva Cleaning Company, Windermere Cleaning Company, Winter Garden Cleaning Company, Winter Park Cleaning Company, & Winter Springs Cleaning Company.

BOTTLENECK MANAGEMENT │ Know Thyself

Sullivans Island, South Carolina (You've Got MAIDS) – There are three potential bottlenecks in your company: #1-Top management, #2-Key Associates, #3-Systems. Which one are you facilitating?

Management bottleneck. Did you look? The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle. The quality at the top reflects the entire organization. In regards to a CEO, their ability to create strategies to reach a vision, their ability to communicate those strategies, their ability to create an effective action plan, and their ability to measure the results of those strategies against set objectives will define your company. To move forward, a highly qualified CEO also drops the dead weight. A sale without a close is nothing. The same is true of a company with no results.

Key Associates bottlenecks. Senior nonperforming employees can become bottlenecks if management allows it. Many people get promoted for the wrong reason. Promotions and tenure should be the reward for results.

Systems bottleneck. Software, hardware, phone systems, vehicles, & equipment can all be potential bottlenecks that will stop up the flow of productivity your company needs. Click here to read how You’ve Got MAIDS lost thousands in sales over a phone system.

Plato challenges the best CEO’s to Know Thyself. Hold up the mirror. Secure an objective evaluation of your operations. Where are your bottlenecks? Part of leading is getting out of the way at the appropriate time.

You’ve Got MAIDS of South Carolina (843.805.7000) provides maid service in the following communities: Charleston Maid Service, Daniel Island Maid Service, Mount Pleasant Maid Service, Wild Dunes Maid Service, Summerville Maid Service, Long Point Maid Service, Ladson Maid Service, Goose Creek Maid Service, Folly Beach Maid Service, South of Broad Maid Service, West of Ashley Maid Service, East of Cooper Maid Service, Hannahan Maid Service, Wescostt Plantation Maid Service, Hamlin Maid Service, Shadowmoss Plantation Maid Service, Ashborough Maid Service, Ashborough East Maid Service, Kings Grant Maid Service, Kiawah Island Maid Service, Ion Maid Service, Rivertowne Maid Service, Snee Farm Maid Service, Dunes West Maid Service, Park West Maid Service, Charleston National Maid Service, Isle of Palms Maid Service, Sullivans Island Maid Service, Belle Hall Maid Service, James Island Maid Service, Johns Island Maid Service, Seabrook Island Maid Service, & Brickyard Maid Service

HIRING FOR THE BENCH │INVESTING IN YOUR COMPANIES FUTURE

Mount Pleasant, SC/Jan. 26/You've Got MAIDS/BLOG
GREAT Maid Service Managers constantly evaluate their teams. Are future team leaders sitting on your bench? If not you could be heading for trouble.

Professional baseball teams hire players who they have no immediate need for. They hire players for the bench, because that bench is their franchises future. Your business may not have the deep pockets of a George Steinbrenner, Nelson Doubleday, John Henry, or Bill Giles, but this doesn't lesson how important your bench is to your company's survival.

Build advancement opportunity into your company and you will reap the rewards. Does every new hire have the possibility of becoming office manager? Does every manager have the possibility of one day owning their own franchised office? If your company doesn't offer this kind of potential to all of its employees you are leaving hope out of your benefit package. People can do amazing things when there is hope. Hope fuels perseverance, and perseverance is an active ingredient of success.

At You've Got MAIDS staffing is discussed weekly at our managers meeting. We systematically review our immediate and upcoming staffing needs. We review Customer feedback. We review peer to peer feedback. We review results. We systematically perform a Job Planning and Review with associates every 3 months.

If you require professional maid service, please consider the company that I founded, You've Got MAIDS™ .

• Click here to learn why You've Got MAIDS™ LOVES TO CLEAN!
  
  


• Click here to request an over the phone estimate at a time that is most convenient to you.

Due Diligence | FRANCHISING FOX’S PIZZA DEN

Maitland, FL., Jan. 25/You’ve Got MAIDS-Blog/ -- So you want to be a Fox's Pizza Den Franchisee. Fox’s Pizza Den was founded by Jim Fox in 1971 in a Pittsburgh storeroom. Mr. Fox scrounging up used pizza equipment, invested $500 in supplies, maid his dough, and was completely sold out of pizza 6 hours later. Fast forward 37 years and Jim Fox has over 265 outlets operating in 28 states. Fox Pizza Den is living, breathing proof that the American Dream still exists.

Contact Information:
Fox's Pizza Den, Inc.
4425 William Penn Highway
Murraysville, PA 15668
(800) 899-3697

Start up Cost & Franchise Fees:

• Total Investment: $93,550 - $115,550
• Franchise Fee: $10,000 + $6,000 Training fee
• Royalty Fee: $300/month flat fee
• Term: 5 years
  

The Flat Royalty Fee

The Flat Royalty Fee may seem like a great thing to the uninitiated, but it would give me pause. If I’m a franchisee, I want my franchisor to have a vested interest in my sales volume increasing. As a Domino’s Pizza franchisee I was paying 5.5% royalties…this seemed like a bargain for all that I was getting. I never had to reinvent the wheel. DPI was constantly improving, and challenging its franchisees to become more successful.

I rationalized the 5.5% royalty like this. Assume a fair price for a pizza in your market is $10. All the Domino’s Pizza Franchisee in that market needs to do is charge $10.55 for that same pizza, and they are even. The value that the national franchise can pack into your operations far exceeds the 55 cents per pizza.

How to evaluate a pizza franchise

When you are evaluating a pizza franchise, assess the business. How does this franchise compare in its industry? Is it a rising star, or is it slipping into its twilight years. Is the franchisor devoted to its franchisees ongoing success? Evaluate the operations. Does the prototype restaurant have a good flow? Has the franchisor developed a successful game plan you can implement? Does the business make sense to you? Can you wrap your mind around what needs to be done in order to succeed? Is there opportunity for you to grow within the franchise once you succeed with your first outlet?

When you are evaluating a pizza franchise, don’t trust your own taste. Your personal tastes are completely irrelevant. Between 469 & 399 BC, Socrates taught his students to eat to live; not live to eat. My personal experience in the pizza industry taught me that the live to eat crowd are very passionate about their pizza brands.

It got to be that I would cringe to tell a live to eater what I did for a living, because there was a better than 50% chance that I would have to hear about their favorite pizza company, and how a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver cut them off in Columbus, Ohio in the fall of 1982. I wonder if engineers have to go through this at cocktail parties...

Burt: Hello, what do you do?

Ernie: I’m an engineer for DuPont.

Burt: I tried DuPont before and hated it…Now I’m a big fan of Dow Chemical.

Ernie: Thanks for that insight…now can you fix me a Scotch & water.

The eat to live person is more likely to see Domino’s Pizza as a very successful business that had very little to do with food. Bottom line…don’t judge a pizza company by what your tummy tells you. Evaluate a pizza franchise opportunity with that grey matter between your ears. Evaluate the business.

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Kindly consider You've Got MAIDS, soon to be selling professional maid service franchises nationwide. With You've Got MAIDS you won't need to invest a ton of money before you see the first dollar in sales. Who knows, you might just end up cleaning up.

Other Franchise Reviews:

• Jack in the Box
• Rita’s Water Ice
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• Hungry Howies
• CiCi’s Pizza
• The Original SoupMan (Soup Nazi from Seinfeld)

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRICE | You’ve Got MAIDS®

Windermere, Florida (You've Got MAIDS/BLOG) When it comes to maid service, it is all about the money. Either the prospective Client doesn’t have enough money to afford a maid service or they don’t perceive the value of that maid service to be in line with the price. It’s always about the money.

Show me the money, and I will show you the service. Maid service franchise owners have three (3) choices: #1- Choose to hold steady. #2-Lower prices. #3-Raise the level of service.

Holding steady.

Plato challenged his student to KNOW THYSELF…this is far easier said than done. Plato knew that by seeking to understand yourself, you come closer to understanding others. Smart maid service franchise owners know themselves & the companies they lead. They don’t try to be everything for everybody; instead they work hard to be something to someone.

Lower prices.

Just keep lowering your prices. Acme maid service is billing out at $28 a maid hour, so you charge $24. The problem is that another maid service comes along, uses your $24 a maid hour as a benchmark and undercuts you by 20%. Another marketing genius is born every week in this industry.

You would think that this competition is providing a benefit to the consumers but you would be wrong. Maid service consumers really want quality, background screening, liability insurance, & maids covered under workers compensation insurance (so they don’t get sued if the maid slips on the floors she mopped)! You can kiss all that goodbye when low price becomes your maid service company’s mantra.

Bottom line…low price strategies are the refuge of inferior maid service business owners.

Raise the level of service.

Maid service value is the benefits you receive from a maid service company for the price you pay for it. Listen to maid service consumers. What do they really want from their maid service? Now design a company that can provide all those benefits. Next tally up the cost of providing those benefits to your Clients, tack on overhead and a reasonable profit margin. Divide that number by the number of Clients you expect to serve and you have your price per maid hour.

People want quality of service, and they are willing to pay a fair price to get it. Think Ruths Chris Steak House, not Kmart.

Not happy with your current house cleaning service provider? Click here to learn why You’ve Got MAIDS® LOVES TO CLEAN! Click here if you want us to call to discuss your home cleaning needs.

You’ve Got MAIDS® of Florida (407.737.7773) provides maid service in the following communities You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter ParkYou’ve Got MAIDS of Baldwin Park You’ve Got MAIDS of Islesworth You’ve Got MAIDS of Maitland You’ve Got MAIDS of Avalon You’ve Got MAIDS of Keene's Point You’ve Got MAIDS of Longwood You’ve Got MAIDS of Eastwood You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter Springs You’ve Got MAIDS of Altamonte Springs You’ve Got MAIDS of Stoneybrook You’ve Got MAIDS of Dr. Phillips You’ve Got MAIDS of Tuscawilla You’ve Got MAIDS of Oviedo You’ve Got MAIDS of Orlando You’ve Got MAIDS of Bay Hills You’ve Got MAIDS of Wekiva You’ve Got MAIDS of Lake Mary You’ve Got MAIDS of Heathrow You’ve Got MAIDS of Metro West You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter Garden You’ve Got MAIDS of Casselberry You’ve Got MAIDS of Lake Nona You’ve Got MAIDS of Gotha You’ve Got MAIDS of Windermere, Florida.

You’ve Got MAIDS® of South Carolina (843.805.7000) provides maid service in the following communities You’ve Got MAIDS of Historic Charleston You’ve Got MAIDS of Daniel Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Mount Pleasant You’ve Got MAIDS of Wild Dunes You’ve Got MAIDS of Summerville You’ve Got MAIDS of Long Point You’ve Got MAIDS of Ladson You’ve Got MAIDS of College Park You’ve Got MAIDS of Folly Beach You’ve Got MAIDS of Goose Creek You’ve Got MAIDS of South of Broad You’ve Got MAIDS of West of Ashley You’ve Got MAIDS of Wescott Plantation You’ve Got MAIDS of Hannahan You’ve Got MAIDS of Hamlin You’ve Got MAIDS of North Charleston You’ve Got MAIDS of Shadowmoss Plantation You’ve Got MAIDS of James Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Dunes West You’ve Got MAIDS of Park West You’ve Got MAIDS of Ion You’ve Got MAIDS of Rivertowne You’ve Got MAIDS of Snee Farm You’ve Got MAIDS of Kiawah Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Charleston National You’ve Got MAIDS of Brickyard You’ve Got MAIDS of Belle Hall You’ve Got MAIDS of Johns Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Seabrook Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Isle of Palms You’ve Got MAIDS of Sullivans Island

KFC | SUPER BOWL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Mount Pleasant, SC (You've Got MAIDS/Blog) If You’ve Got MAIDS offered to donate $260,000 to a charity if a player mimed cleaning a toilet in the end zone during the Super Bowl we wouldn’t generate a lot of buzz. You've Got MAIDS has 2 locations, in 2 different states.

If KFC offered to offered to donate $260,000 to a charity if a player or celebrity performer does an impromptu chicken dance in the end zone during the Super Bowl on February 3^rd the entire world stands up to notice. KFC has 14,000 locations...you do the math.

While Pepsi, Volvo, & Go Daddy are spending up to $2.4 Million per commercial before production cost, KFC has done an end run pass all their competitors. KFC will not be advertising at the Super Bowl, but they will be the Belle of the Ball. The entire world will have their eyes glued to the end zones! KFC is promoting good will, and have created the most ingenious low cost, high impact marketing vehicle ever.

Click here to read the whole story.

Domino’s Pizza │Adding Value

WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA (You've Got MAIDS/Blog) Last September I talked about an influential manager I had when I first joined Domino's Pizza. I was assistant manager for 3 months in Pleasantville, New Jersey under Peter Ramin. Peter taught me sometimes it’s better to keep ones big mouth shut.

Peter Ramin & I worked for Seashore Management doing business as Domino’s Pizza with restaurants in Ocean City, Somers Point, Pleasantville, Absecon, Egg Harbor City, Hammonton, Brigantine, Ventnor Heights, and Atlantic City in South Jersey. In North Jersey Seashore Management operated East Orange, & River Vale. Newburgh & Middletown (2 locations) in New York. They also had a tentacle stretching all the way to Guam! In 1989 the Guam Domino’s Pizza set a first week opening record of $45,000.

The Franchisees for Seashore Management, Don & Terry, seemed much older, but now I realize they were in their early 30’s. My goal was to survive a year of management and then franchise (back then Domino’s Pizza had no franchise fee, and it reserved the right to franchise to its managers who successfully completed one year of operations).

When I was assigned to Peter Ramin we hit it off because we both were joined Domino's Pizza for the same reason. Many of our fellow managers did not share our goals. They worked hard to run numbers so they could purchase cool jeeps, monster trucks and BMW’s with their bonus checks. My mentor, Peter Ramin purchased a Yugo. My wife and I purchased a 5 year old Honda Civic for cash. We saved everything else to prepare for our upcoming business.

Peter Ramin stood out among the managers and everyone knew he would be a great Domino’s franchisee. I was surprised that Seashore Management seemed to find more and more faults in Peter as he closed in on his liberation day, and they started to shred his bonuses. It wasn’t fair, & Peter argued his case. Within a few days he was fired for some obscure reason, but we all knew what it was. The central office just didn’t seem too keen on watching their best managers go forth to franchise.

From the moment Peter was fired I decided to keep my big mouth shut about my dream to own my own business. Nose to the grindstone, eyes to the 1 year horizon, I vowed to do at least one thing extra each week that would bring value to the company. Naturally, I made sure everyone knew about that added value.

My strategy worked. I was promoted to area supervisor in charge of North Jersey and New York before most assistant managers had built up enough skill to become store manager. Truth is I was not as good of a pizza maker as those that I managed.

I got to know the franchisee’s pretty well. They taught me a great deal, from both their good and bad practices. One thing that disturbed me was how one of the franchise partners loved to see his managers upside down on their car loans….he would goad them with a wink and a smile to buy more car than they could really afford...he felt it made them work harder. That still makes my head shake. Where is the Golden Rule in that philosophy?

I never complained when my bonuses weren’t what they were supposed to be…When my year was up I strolled into Seashore Managements office, gave my two weeks’ notice and presented the franchisees with letters of recommendation that just needed their signatures. I felt like I just bluffed my way through a great hand of poker; they knew it too and we all burst into laughter. 3 months later my wife and I took the keys to a failing Domino’s Pizza store in Summerville, SC, and I have enjoyed being self employed for the past 18 years.

Do you have a dream to own a business? Do you have a game plan? Can you keep your nose to the grindstone? Are you willing to sacrifice?

Perhaps a You’ve Got MAIDS™ franchise will be perfect for you. We will be selling franchise in Florida soon. Click here to shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Isle of Palms MAID SERVICE BURGLARY

ISLE OF PALMS, SOUTH CAROLINA (You've Got MAIDS/Blog) Scandal may be brewing for a St. Stephens maid service that clean homes in Isle of Palms, SC. Long story short some St. Stephens maid service is under investigation for a rash of over 30 burglaries of rental homes over this winter. I went to the Yellow Pages, but there is no maid service from St. Stephens. Next I did a Google search, but alas no St. Stephens maid service. Click here to read the article broken by local CBS affiliate Live 5 News.

Hat tip to my friend & fellow maid service industry blogger Ron Holt. Ron called yesterday to make sure this story was not about our new You’ve Got MAIDS office in Charleston before he posted it on his blog. Ron Holt is the founder of Two Maids and a Mop with three offices serving the Florida panhandle.

Who is this maid service? Story developing...

FUTURE SERVICE FRANCHISING │Life after You’ve Got MAIDS™ ?

WINTER PARK, FLORIDA (You've Got MAIDS/Blog) Baby boomers recognize their…old road is rapidly agin’, and they have no intention to spend their golden years in nursing homes. Home health care franchises will spring forward to answer their call.

Robert Allen Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan, wrote the Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1963.

The order is Rapidly fadin', and the first one now, will later be last, for the times they are a-changin'.

The needs of 77 million baby boomers will soon be a-changin’ again. Less will the baby boomers be driving the success of athletic brands like Adidas, Nike, & Reebok. Rather, new franchised brands will rise to meet the health care and housing needs of our mothers and fathers.

Maid service franchises will continue to prosper, but the smart brands realize that opportunity is being left on the table. Is running a home health care franchise that much different than running a maids service franchise? Maid service franchise office personnel spend no time cleaning. Instead maid service franchisees spend 30% of their time recruiting, screening, training qualified maid technicians, and 20% of their time speaking with prospective Clients who want to know about those maids. The rest of a maid service franchisees time is spent on the logistics of delivering quality maid service to its existing Clients. It’s true…a maid service franchise is very similar to a pizza delivery company! The product is different but it is the delivery of service that sets companies apart.

Consider Yum!, the family of distinctive brands that feeds families around the world. KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W, Taco Bell, & Long John Silver’s all under one roof. All these Yum! brands serving different tastes. Although Yum! has five different food brands, it has one focus…feeding people. Intellectually, managing 500 Pizza Huts is no different than running 500 KFC’s.

Once You’ve Got MAIDS has spread its version of maid service opportunities to future franchisees across this country, it will need to consider creating a new brand that caters to elder care. As our Baby Boomers continue to age they will need safe, insured, professional assistance with day-to-day living. This will be a vibrant industry that will serve a higher purpose. It also would be a great way for You’ve Got MAIDS existing franchise partners to grow their business without opening a new office.

FRANCHISES WITH A FUTURE │You’ve Got MAIDS™

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (You've Got MAIDS/Blog) – New Franchises are targeting the green & growing service industry. Service business owners strive to aim their services at markets on the rise. If their targets have notably more prospective consumers every year, it increases their likelihood for success.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, private non-good industries account for 70% of total economic activity in the United States. There non-good producing industries include retail trade, wholesale trade, and the service industries. Of that 70% of the total US economic activity, 55% is attributed to service industries like maid service franchises! Click here to visit this report on the prosperity of service industry franchises like You’ve Got MAIDS on the US Census Bureau’s web site.

Do you want to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself? Consider the residential maid service franchises. Do your due diligence and compare the franchised food service industry with the maid service franchises. Compared to the food service industry, the maid service franchises offer a more balanced life. Nights and weekends off, holiday with your family, and less upfront investment. Less ongoing rent. Less stress.

WINDERMERE MAID SERVICE REVIEW | You’ve Got MAIDS

BEDROOM: EXCELLENT

BATHROOM: EXCELLENT

KITCHEN: GOOD

DUSTING: EXCELLENT

VACUUMING: EXCELLENT

The attention to detail is impeccable. I was amazed by how thorough they were. As Frank said, bathrooms are their forte and he is right. Our master bathroom has been transformed from yucky to pretty.

Ken Blanchard writes that Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions and at You've Got MAIDS we eat Feedback for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Thank you Annette, Rut & Mariluz for a job well done! I'm not going to ask who did the Kitchen, but lets work on that next week. I am so proud to be associated with each one of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

HOW MUCH TO CLEAN MY HOME?

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Visit us at http://www.youvegotmaids.com/

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How much does it cost to clean my home on a regular, recurring basis? Let’s start off with the premise that home cleaning is a simple business. It is not easy, but it is simple. In the final conclusion, maid service owners’ broker screened, insured, trained, and professionally managed house cleaning labor. This article will shed light on this process.

Whether the maid service sends an estimator to your home or if you do an over the phone evaluation of your residence, the maid service is seeking to learn your needs and expectations. Your wishes combined with details about your home, # of people, # of pets, and how hard you live in it are the foundation of your house cleaning estimate.

Consider two neighbors in seemingly identical homes.

• The first home is the residence of Astronaut Tony Nelson and his fiancée Jennie. No pets, no children, & minimalist. In addition, Jennie & Tony clean up after themselves daily. Tony knows he is extremely lucky to have Jennie so he hires maids to scrub his bathroom down once a week.
• The second home is the residence of Mike & Carol Brady’s blended family. Greg Brady, Marcia Brady, Peter Brady, Jan Brady, Bobby Brady, and Cindy Brady all share one bathroom!!! They also have a dog and a cat, Tiger and Fluffy. Fluffy hasn’t been seen since the pilot episode, but we keep finding hairballs on upholstered couches. Tiger, the dog, has the run of the house and may have worms. The Brady’s have a great deal of nick knacks that require dusting. The Brady's home just isn't the same since Alice got busted for running a Meth Lab out of their garage. Now that she is gone it is apparent that Alice was the only one capable of cleaning up.

From the curb, two seemingly identical homes. Maid service is a simple business...even Gomer Pyle would come the conclusion that the Brady Bunch home demands more maid hours to clean. Tony Nelson home might require 3 maid hours on an every other week basis, while the Brady Bunch needs 5.5 maid hours every week.

Naturally, initial services require more time, but after that, Weekly and Every Other Week Clients should have a set price. If You’ve Got MAIDS budgets 5.5 maid hours and the maids end up early, they are instructed to find extra things to do. If You’ve Got MAIDS goes over budget on a home once in a while…no big deal. If You’ve Got MAIDS goes over budget every single week, we might call the Client to budget for more time, or to remove some services to keep the price constant.

You’ve Got MAIDS acts as a broker in that it mediates between Maid Service Consumers and the MAIDS. We don’t just act on behalf of the Client, although we do have a bias toward WOWING THE CUSTOMER. You’ve Got MAIDS Pay-For-Performance program gathers feedback on the maids and rewards those maids that are best pleasing their Clients. We also make sure our maid associates are not taken advantage of. Respect & Dignity are both two way streets.

If professional, screened, trained and insured maid service is important to you click here to initiate an estimate.

MOVING STRESS

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ESTIMATING INITIAL CLEAN

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MAID SERVICE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY

The residential cleaning industry is abuzz with opportunity. More closet entrepreneurs are leaving the cubicle and taking the plunge into maid service franchises than ever before. Having the right attitude increases the likelihood of success for these 1st time business owners. This article will explore some of the mental attributes necessary for your housecleaning franchise to succeed.

First, winning housecleaning franchisees set goals (and review them often). Clearly defined goals become your franchises road map. Stretch your imagination. Envision what your business could be 5 years from now. What do you see? Record your vision in your goal book. Spray paint it on your office wall. Next set a series of objectives required to achieve that goal. Put it on a timeline. Be specific. I can’t imagine a life without goals.

Second, successful maid service franchisees pursue excellence. We don’t always hit our goal, but we are heading in the right direction. We even try to fall forward. When you start a maid service franchise you will encounter challenges you never anticipated, but you are not alone. Franchisees are in business for themselves, but not by themselves. A good franchise fraternity will help you steer clear of some challenges and help you select the best solution to the ones you get stuck in.

Third, thriving cleaning company franchisees are self-aware of their strengths and their weaknesses. How does a franchisee know that they have achieved excellence? Simple…they measure what they seek to manage. Systematically measuring the metrics of your organization will highlight your strengths and weaknesses.

Fourth, flourishing housekeeping franchisees persevere. The best franchises refuse to give up. Perseverance cannot be inherited…it has to be earned. Perseverance is born out of failure. Winners persevere through disappointment by keeping their nose to the grindstone and their eyes to the hills. Winning maid service franchises keep their eyes on their goals, and are constantly seeking to turn failure into fertilizer. Losers try something else.

Lastly, victorious residential maid service franchisees keep smiling. The best franchises remain optimistic. They think positively. Smart, optimistic maid service franchisees should expect problems. However, these business leaders use tribulations as learning opportunities for their organization. Whatever doesn’t put them out of business, strengthens them.

Inject these winning attributes into your new venture if you wish to improve the likelihood of success. Hopefully this article will help you reach your full potential as a maid service franchise owner.

CLEANING TIPS: FILTHY HOTEL ROOMS

According to a University of Virginia Study an adult with the flu transfers the virus onto 35% of the surfaces they touch. This virus can survive on those surfaces for up to 18 hours. In a hotel room the most often contaminated objects from greatest to least were door handles, pens, light switches, TV remote controls, faucets, & then telephones. The toilet handle comes in lower than all of those!

Have you ever wondered how those glasses get cleaned in your hotel room? I never did before viewing the following video. From now on I will not view single use plastic cups as cheap.

Here are cleaning tips for staying at a hotel:

1. Check in late. The more time you can put between you and your rooms previous tenant the better.
2. Pack antibacterial wipes on your next road trip. Wipe down everything mentioned above before you unpack your bags. Want to inject adventure into your ritual? Pretend you are a Hitman wiping down a crime scene.
3. If you are staying at a Charleston, SC Hotel or or a Charleston Bed & Breakfast call 843.805.7000 for a team of highly trained You'e Got MAIDS housekeepers to assure you are staying in a sanitary suite.
4. If you are a visiting an Orlando, FL Hotel near the theme parks, ring You've Got MAIDS @ 407.737.7773 to assure your family enjoys a sanitary holiday free of flesh eating bacteria!

There's something about MARY...

Yesterday I got a call from someone looking for an over the phone estimate for her home. I asked her name, she told me..."Mary". The caller id showed GARBADE L. She didn't want to give up her address...she just wanted the facts, nothing but the facts. She was gruff on the phone & this sent up red flags. Our goal is to serve Clients who view us as partners...we want to partner with our Clients in order to better serve them. We do not want to be in adversarial relationships.

Giving an over the phone estimate requires some time to give an accurate estimate. Not all 3000 square foot homes are the same. There are many variables that affect how long it will take to clean a home. Without honest answers to simple questions it is impossible to give a fair estimate (one that is fair to the Client and the Maids).

I googled "Mary's" caller id number....it brought me to http://starlightcleaning.org. Mary wasn’t "Mary" at all! "Mary" was Starlight Cleaning. I had been deceived!!

Here are some details about Starlight Cleaning I gleaned from “Mary’s” website: “All work is done by family. Serving Oviedo, Chuluota, Geneva, Winter Springs and Winter Park. We have been cleaning for about twenty years now and enjoy what we do. We give free estimates. Prompt and dependable and always on time. We always do our best to make sure your house, office or business, look great once we are done. Excellent local references.”

There is no reference on the website to the address the business is located, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, licensing, or the name of the “family” doing all the work. There is no Starlight Cleaning in the Orlando Yellow Pages, but here are the top ten Google results across America.

Results 1-10 of about 8,519 for Starlight Cleaning:

1. Starlight Cleaning - 735 Garnet Dr Ne, Rio Rancho, NM
   
2. Starlight Cleaning - 357 Airway, Houston, TX
3. Starlight Cleaning - 5323 Tex Oak Ave, Dallas, TX
4. Starlight Cleaning - 13042 Klappa Dr, Lemont, IL
5. Starlight Cleaning - 221 N Cedar Street, Apartment C, Charlotte, NC
6. Starlight Cleaning - Somersworth, NH
7. Starlight Cleaning - 593 Merrick Rd, Lynbrook, NY
8. Starlight Cleaning - Chandler, AZ
9. Starlight Cleaning - 2383 Midvale St Ne, Grand Rapids, MI

Just like You’ve Got It Maid, You’ve Got MAID, You Got Maids & Rays Famous Pizza, Starlight Cleaning is not a trademarked brand. Rather it is a bunch of independent, unaffiliated companies. Each office could be good or bad depending on management. You can count on them being inconsistent at best.

The Starlight Cleaning “family” claims to have been cleaning home in Oviedo, Chuluota, Geneva, Winter Springs and Winter Park for about twenty years now…you would think they would have a listing in the local Yellow Pages. Maybe they are waiting for their Silver Jubilee?

I’ve had local maid service spies’ visit my office looking for a job before; read Maid Service Spies for that story. I guess our seemingly explosive growth leaves some scratching their heads. Here's the secret...we don't focus on the competition...we focus on WOWING one Client at a time.

This blog serves 2 purposes.

#1 - It is a tool You’ve Got MAIDS® uses to communicate to its Clients what type of company we are. Anyone can clean homes, and it appears anyone normally does, but You’ve Got MAIDS® has higher standards than that. I couldn’t stand it if we didn’t. We exist to serve God by improving the lives of our Clients and our Associates. We feel that if we do both of those things correctly, our company will prosper.

#2 - This blog is also a resource for other maid services that wish to raise the quality of service they are providing to their customers. I am being transparent sharing our company values with anyone who is interested. Our philosophy is working; perhaps it will work for you.

We haven’t been doing this for 20 years, and I’m sure someone who has would have a few things to teach us. I respect that. I don’t respect being spoken to in a rude fashion by a competitor disguised as a prospective client. At You’ve Got MAIDS® we don’t claim to be a Family Business, but we have enough integrity to put our families name on the front door.

Living in a VAN Down by the River

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GUERILLA MARKETING │ PIZZA STORE TOUR

In a past life I enjoyed the franchise pizza business. It is great small town business. Everybody loves pizza. Try and say the word pizza without smiling. It's darn near impossible.

Just about everyone you run into walking down Main Street USA is a pizza consumer or a potential Customer. This is not true with the franchised maid service industry…well I guess it depends what street you are walking down...Maid Street USA??

Giving school tours of your pizza shop is a great way to promote goodwill within your community. It's also fun. We had an ongoing deal with the 2nd grade teachers where every spring we would give a pizza shop tour to every class room. We would not do this for any other grade. In this way over the course of 10 years we would have brought every person in our town’s school system from 2nd grade to high school seniors through our Domino's Pizza restaurant.

Steps to implement a successful pizza school tour:

1. Make sure your back room is clean. Real Clean.


2. Get up for the challenge. 2nd Graders have a lot of energy.


3. Plan your party. Short lecture about the brand. Everyone wash hands. Pizza making demonstration. Allow all students a short turn in making the pizza. Throw the dough around... Make 3 or 4 Large pizza & place in the oven. While the pies are cooking take the class into the walk-in and turn lights out for 5 seconds (this is normally the highlight of their trip). Have everyone fold a small box that they can take home. Each box has a gift certificate for a small pizza glued inside. Cut & box pizzas. Pictures. Gather a case of ice cold coke cans by door. Line them up and shake each child’s hand as they leave and give them a coke. In and out in 25 minutes!


4. The class would march down our main street with my empty pizza boxes (pronounced moving billboards), and have lunch somewhere else. It was a cool sight to see.


5. Send class photos from you pizza school tour to local papers with a press release. Place all the thank you cards in your lobby and window for 2 weeks.

Unfortunately for maid service franchisees there is no goodwill silver bullet as easy as a pizza school tour. It's just not that exciting to demonstrate how to clean a bathroom. Our offices don't have a bunch of cool machinery to show off. Maid service franchisees don't need to invest $200,000 to $400,000 to build their offices either.

House Cleaning Franchises need to build their brands one satisfied Client at a time.

If you require professional maid service, please consider the company that I founded, You’ve Got MAIDS®.

• Click here to learn why You’ve Got MAIDS® LOVES TO CLEAN!
• Click here to request an over the phone estimate at a time that is most convenient to you.

GREAT SERVICE SHOUT OUT | LEE HICKS @ GERALDS TIRES & BRAKES

I just received the type of service that requires a shout out.

My front left headlight went out on my family minivan. I’m a man so no problem I’ll just pop in a new bulb…only problem was this vans headlight was directly behind the battery and I just couldn’t get my big old hand in there. Naturally my tools were all safe and snug in my garage.

I weighed the option of risking getting pulled over on my drive home, and how unmanly it would be to take my car into the shop for something as simple as swapping out a bulb. I swallowed my pride and ran down to Gerald's Tires & Brakes. Before I could even close my door a pleasant Gerald's Tires & Brakes employee approached to see what he could do for me. I sheepishly explained my dilemma and he told me that they don’t do it but another Gerald's Tires & Brakes right down the road (1 mile) could. He pulled out his cell phone and called the other shop as he quietly went about inspecting my tires. He told me Lee Hicks at the Gerald's Tires & Brakes shop on Rivers & Mall would be able to help me.

Lee Hicks was busy fixing something in the back of the other Gerald's Tires & Brakes but he came out when I told the manager who I was looking for. He asked me to pull the van around back, and fixed my bulb problem in about 3 minutes (2 minutes of that was exchanging pleasantries).

I asked Lee Hicks how much I owed Gerald's Tires & Brakes, and he said it was on the house. I anticipated this could happen so I had a crisp $20 bill folded in my hand ready to discretely tip during a hand shake. Lee Hicks would not take my tip! I looked around noting that no one could see us and insisted that he take my tip. Lee Hicks looked me square in the eyes, smiled warmly and told me if I ever need tires or brakes to bring my car to Gerald’s.

Let me point out that I was just a guy in a minivan that needed help. No one at Gerald's Tires & Brakes saw a logoed You’ve Got MAIDS car and was angling to take over fleet maintenance for our new Charleston office.

Lee Hicks could have taken that tip and no one would have known. He didn’t tell me it was against company policy…he just promoted his company like an owner would. He is a mechanic that sees the big picture. Lee keeps his nose to the grindstone and his eyes to the hills.

Thank you Lee, I think you have a bright future. You also earned my future business in Charleston, SC. I will be forwarding this to your CEO, Bill Watts, and your VP, David Ard.

Not happy with your current house cleaning service provider? Click here to learn why You’ve Got MAIDS® LOVES TO CLEAN! Click here if you want us to call to discuss your home cleaning needs.

You’ve Got MAIDS® of Florida provides maid service in the following communities You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter Park You’ve Got MAIDS of Baldwin Park You’ve Got MAIDS of Islesworth You’ve Got MAIDS of Maitland You’ve Got MAIDS of Avalon You’ve Got MAIDS of Keene's Point You’ve Got MAIDS of Longwood You’ve Got MAIDS of Eastwood You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter Springs You’ve Got MAIDS of Altamonte Springs You’ve Got MAIDS of Stoneybrook You’ve Got MAIDS of Dr. Phillips You’ve Got MAIDS of Tuscawilla You’ve Got MAIDS of Oviedo You’ve Got MAIDS of Orlando You’ve Got MAIDS of Bay Hills You’ve Got MAIDS of Wekiva You’ve Got MAIDS of Lake Mary You’ve Got MAIDS of Heathrow You’ve Got MAIDS of Metro West You’ve Got MAIDS of Winter Garden You’ve Got MAIDS of Casselberry You’ve Got MAIDS of Lake Nona You’ve Got MAIDS of Gotha You’ve Got MAIDS of Windermere, Florida.

You’ve Got MAIDS® of South Carolina provides maid service in the following communities You’ve Got MAIDS of Historic Charleston You’ve Got MAIDS of Daniel Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Mount Pleasant You’ve Got MAIDS of Wild Dunes You’ve Got MAIDS of Summerville You’ve Got MAIDS of Long Point You’ve Got MAIDS of Ladson You’ve Got MAIDS of College Park You’ve Got MAIDS of Folly Beach You’ve Got MAIDS of Goose Creek You’ve Got MAIDS of South of Broad You’ve Got MAIDS of West of Ashley You’ve Got MAIDS of Wescott Plantation You’ve Got MAIDS of Hannahan You’ve Got MAIDS of Hamlin You’ve Got MAIDS of North Charleston You’ve Got MAIDS of Shadowmoss Plantation You’ve Got MAIDS of James Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Dunes West You’ve Got MAIDS of Park West You’ve Got MAIDS of Ion You’ve Got MAIDS of Rivertowne You’ve Got MAIDS of Snee Farm You’ve Got MAIDS of Kiawah Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Charleston National You’ve Got MAIDS of Brickyard You’ve Got MAIDS of Belle Hall You’ve Got MAIDS of Johns Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Seabrook Island You’ve Got MAIDS of Isle of Palms You’ve Got MAIDS of Sullivans Island

FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIST vs. JACK OF ALL TRADES

Is it better to be a functional specialist or a Jack of all trades? According to Wikipedia:

• Jack of all trades, master of none is a figure of speech used in reference to a person who is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any one.


• Specialist frequently refers to an expert in a profession.

Peter Drucker notes that if you get stalled in a specialty for too long, you become narrowed by it. You loose the ability to see the big picture. You start to mistake your corner office with the entire building.

Let’s hope that if you do become narrowed by your specialty you enjoy it. Let us examine the maid service industry. There are scores of independent, uninsured maids that line up 8-10 clients, and physically clean their homes week in week out. They are in fact functional specialist who deal with what is in front of them. They are limited to the number of clients they can service, because their entire business plan depends on their own hard labor.

Maid Service Franchise Managers have more in common with the Jack of all trades than the functional specialist housekeeper, but it is not that simple. Maid Service Franchisees need to be able to run a real business. Insurance, governmental compliance, IT, human resources, sales, legal, advertising, accounting, fleet maintenance, Customer service, and coaching are the main functional specialties that a successful maid service franchisee must be able to master. If you can’t master a functional specialty, or devote enough time to it, then delegate it to someone who can.

Great maid service franchise owners must be able to coordinate a team of functional specialist. Less of a soloist and more of an orchestra conductor. Because of this structure, maid service franchise owners can scale their business far beyond their individual capacity. At You’ve Got MAIDS we have proven that our franchise business model is scalable beyond one market. How far can it be scaled? I can’t wait to find out.

Housekeeping Expectations | Hiring a Maid Service

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Visit us at http://www.youvegotmaids.com/

Check us out on: twitter, YOUTUBE, facebook

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Expectations are what people buy, not things; these words were spoken by the late Ted Leavitt, of the Harvard Business School. This would be true of my business as well as yours. The unconsumed service is plump with expectations. It is each business owner’s duty to make sure the Clients expectations match up with the service offered.

At You’ve Got MAIDS we believe our Clients expect our maids to arrive ready to clean on the agreed day, inside of the promised window of time. You’ve Got MAIDS Clients expect our house keepers to be professionals. You’ve Got MAIDS Clients expect our uniformed housekeepers to bring all the cleaning equipment and supplies. You’ve Got MAIDS Clients expect that we insulate them from risk by properly insuring our house cleaners. You’ve Got MAIDS Clients expect to be able to talk to a real live person when they call our office. You’ve Got MAIDS Clients expect that we will use the feedback they provide us to fuel our Pay-4-Performance Program.

Here are a few expectation quotes:

• The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. – Abe Lincoln


• Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation. – Charlotte Bronte


• A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes. – Mark Twain


• Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get. – Mark Twain
• You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there. - Yogi Berra

Click here if you want your local office owner to call and discuss your home cleaning needs.

Click here to learn why the maid service franchise You’ve Got MAIDS® LOVES TO CLEAN!

WHAT’S IN A NAME? | You’ve Got It Maid vs. You’ve Got MAIDS™

Ask Juliet Capulet what is in a name and she would tell you…be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…Juliet felt that content of the manuscript mattered more than the envelope it is delivered in.

Take a guided tour of Stratford-upon-Avon, and you will learn that Juliets observation was Shakespeare’s inside joke blasting the Rose Theatre. The Rose was a local rival to where many of Shakespeare plays were presented…the Globe Theatre in the Southwark district of London. The word on the street was the Rose Theater smelt bad…Shakespeare was trash talking the competition!

400 years later people are still talking about Romeo and Juliet, but few talk about the Rose Theatre. Juliet Capulet had it right…content trumps cover.

You’ve Got It Maid or You’ve Got MAIDS™? Which presents a stronger brand? Which makes you smile? Which is sticky?

You’ve Got It MAID is a common name that should not be confused with You’ve Got MAIDS™.

• I don't know anyone running a You've Got It Maid office but you can see a bunch of them on the following map. They don't seem to be affiliated to each other...kind of like Ray's Famous Pizza in NYC. Each office could be good or bad depending on management, but most likely they are not consistent.
  

You’ve Got MAIDS is a clever name that highlights an emotion. No social agenda hidden within this corporate name.

• You’ve Got MAIDS™ ties into the feeling you would get back in the old days (pronounced 1990’s), when you came home, dialed up to the Internet, and the AOL guy pronounced You’ve Got MAIL! Remember how exciting this was? This was before the we needed spam blockers.
• You’ve Got MAIDS™ is one of the emotions you feel when you enter your home at the end of a long work day. Your home looks and smells deep down clean. You had entirely forgotten that this was your regular house cleaning day. You’ve Got MAIDS!
• Here is a map showing the location of the two You’ve Got MAIDS™ offices.
  

you got maid
you got it maid
you’ve got it maid
You’ve Got MAIDS™ (this is just like evolution – except it really was created)

Here are the etymologies of a few companies I found interesting:

• adidas — from the name of the founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler.


• Adobe Systems — from the Adobe Creek that ran behind the house of co-founder John Warnock.[11]


• BMW — Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Factories).


• Bridgestone — named after founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The surname Ishibashi (石橋) means "stone bridge", or "bridge of stone".


• Cadillac — named after the 18th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan. Cadillac is a small town in the South of France.


• Cisco — short for San Francisco. It has also been suggested that it was "CIS-co": Computer Information Services was the department at Stanford University where the founders worked.


• Coca-Cola — derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring. Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton changed the 'K' of kola to 'C' to make the name look better


• Esso — the enunciation of the initials S.O. in Standard Oil of New Jersey.


• Exxon — a name contrived by Esso (Standard Oil of New Jersey) in the early 1970s to create a neutral but distinctive label for the company. Within days, Exxon was being called the "double cross company" but this eventually subsided. (Esso is a trademark of ExxonMobil.) Esso had to change its name in the USA because of restrictions dating to the 1911 Standard Oil antitrust decision.


• GEICO — from Government Employees Insurance Company


• Google — a deliberate misspelling of the word googol, reflecting the company's mission to organize the immense amount of information available online.


• IKEA — a composite of the first letters in the Swedish founder Ingvar Kamprad's name in addition to the first letters of the names of the property and the village in which he grew up: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.


• Kinko's — from the college nickname of founder, Paul Orfalea. He was called Kinko because he had curly red hair. The company was bought by FedEx for $2.4 billion in 2004.


• Nabisco — formerly The National Biscuit Company, changed in 1971 to Nabisco.


• Nero — Nero Burning ROM named after Nero burning Rome.


• Nike — named for the Greek goddess of victory.


• Nikon — the original name was Nippon Kogaku, meaning "Japanese Optical".


• Pepsi — named from the digestive enzyme pepsin.


• Reebok — alternate spelling of rhebok (Pelea capreolus), an African antelope.


• Shell — Royal Dutch/Shell was established in 1907, when the Royal Dutch Petrol Society Plc. and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd. merged their operations. The Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd had been established at the end of the 19th century by commercial firm Samuel & Co (founded in 1830). Samuel & Co were already importing Japanese shells when they set up an oil company, so the oil company was named after the shells.


• Starbucks — named after Starbuck, a character in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick


• Taco Bell — named after founder Glen Bell.


• Virgin — founder Richard Branson started a magazine called Student while still at school. In his autobiography, Losing My Virginity, Branson says that when they were starting a business to sell records by mail order, "one of the girls suggested: 'What about Virgin? We're complete virgins at business.'"


• Wachovia Corporation — from the Latin version of the German wachau, the name given to a region in North Carolina by German settlers because it reminded them of a river near their home in Germany. Many companies founded in or around Charlotte, N.C., have Wachovia in their name.


• Xerox — named from xerography, a word derived from the Greek xeros (dry) and graphos (writing). The company was founded as The Haloid Company in 1906, launched its first XeroX copier in 1949, and changed its name to Haloid Xerox in 1958.


• Yahoo! — The word Yahoo was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book Gulliver's Travels. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and barely human. Yahoo! founders David Filo and Jerry Yang jokingly considered themselves yahoos. It's also an interjection sometimes associated with United States Southerners' and Westerners' expression of joy, as alluded to in Yahoo.com commercials that end with someone singing the word "yahoo".

Evolution of a Logo

Long before trademarking and registering You've Got MAIDS...before formulating our business plan that included franchising our brand...before relocating our family to Orlando, Florida to open our first office...and before we cleaned our first home...we first needed to come up with a name for our new brand. Our name had to fit 4 criteria:

1. It needed to be unique.
2. It had to be sticky.
3. We had to be able to get its website.
4. We had to be able to trademark it.

This was the first drawing our our logo on the legal pad that contains our business plan.

We wanted our Clients to think of AOL'S tag line every time you would get an email...You've Got MAIL. Remember how excited Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks would get every time the computer would chime you've got mail. Some how that movie didn't recreate the magic of Sleepless in Seattle, but I digress.

We knew we wanted yellow company cars, as yellow is one of the safest colors. Think school bus. Yellow vehicles are involved in less accidents than any other...during the day.

We selected the best graphic designers in the country and gave them these very rough renderings, and asked them to refine it. We also asked them to come up with some designs on their own...the only criteria is no vacuums, maids or feather dusters could be on the logo. We felt those items are a negative and want to disassociate ourselves from mundane cleaning instruments.

Not sure what this is. It looks more like a candlestick with a jet engine than a feather duster.

Better, but again...the duster has to go.
Nice, but we never wanted our employees to wear traditional french maid costumes. It seems so demeaning.This could easily be a surfer brand...cool, but not what we are looking for.

No comment. I feel like ordering something with maple syrup, and then going rock climbing.
Almost what I asked for, except it has a maid and a duster!
Nice in a Brooklyn Dodgers kind of way...lets work on the font.

Best yet, but boring colors.

Nice colors but the path to the house makes me think of Dorothy on her way to the Wizard. Also the flag is now coming out of the house which does make you think of the mail box, but now looses the exclamation point.

Finally...You've Got MAIDS!

Mark Twain New Years Resolution | Hiring a Maid Service

Mark Twain wrote, Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

New Years Day is a great time to lie in bed and write down your New Years Resolutions. Mark Twain would definitely see the value in hiring a maid cleaning service like You’ve Got MAIDS. It is hard to be witty while you are cleaning toilets. It also dampens your enjoyment of watching Wisconsin take on Tennessee at the Outback Bowl, or Arkansas vs. Missouri at the Cotton Bowl, or Michigan vs. Florida at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

You've Got MAIDS is a professional residential cleaning service franchise who relieves you from procrastinating about cleaning your personal living environment.

Click here to learn why You’ve Got MAIDS® LOVES TO CLEAN!

Click here if you want your local office owner to call and discuss your home cleaning needs.

•°o©•°Maid Service Cost Benefit Analysis Video°•©o°•

Click here  for a 2 minute maid service cost benefit analysis video.

If you want see what these benefits would cost for your house, you can initiate a complimentary estimate for cleaning your home by clicking here.