Q: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A: We are a locally owned and operated cleaning/janitorial services company. We primarily service residential and commercial clients with a core focus on internal cleanliness. We have plans to expand that to include external cleanliness as well. More to follow on that! We currently serve the Cincinnati Tristate area and are based in Covington, Ky. We also have plans to grow into neighboring cities as well. We were founded in late 2023 and have established ourselves within our local community on the promise of trust, transparency and accountability. Those are our core values.
Q: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A:
- The company has two majority owners.
- Alex Schneider
- Business Degree from University of Cincinnati
- Harrison Sommerkamp
- Systems Engineering Degree from University of Arizona
- Real Estate Investor
- Started with Marketing Agency and found his was into real estate and home services with Partner Alex for McHale’s Cleaning Services
Q: What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A: The idea was all about a need that was not being met in our local community. It seemed that everyone always had an issue finding the right person to trust your space too and then feel confident and content in the payment for the services. Harrison had plenty of trouble himself with his real estate as well. That prompted Alex to get the right people on the bus to create such a company. Afterwards, Alex and Harrison asked around and then used values important to them to create McHale’s Cleaning Services. A locally owned and operated company with a commitment to trust, transparency, and accountability.
Q: What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A:
- Find a need. It seems hard at first, but it is the best thing there is. Alex and I tried other business ideas on the internet and there simply was not much of a need. It made the process a lot more painful and longer than it needed to be before we realized we needed to pull the plug and pivot. In most cases it is not you, its just the market. Now that is not to say, do not try an idea that comes to you, since that’s how Alex and I knew we found a need, was by not finding the need the first couple of times around!
- Know when to pull the plug. I remember when someone said, give it two years, after that make up your mind. The only thing that is worse than failing, is failing slow. Fail Fast, your first one doesn’t have to be the last one!
- Find the right people. At first, we didn’t have an idea. We just had two ambitious, intelligent, experienced and successful guys (in other areas of life especially) that wanted to start a cleaning company. We did not have any experience in the field originally, but we had the wit and mindset to get out there and do it. We believed in our abilities to deliver and keep the customer happy. We had no doubt in our mind we would make mistakes, but that did not dim the light at the end of the tunnel. From there we iterated where we had to and doubled down were we wanted to, and now here we are.
Q: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A:
- Discipline
- Curiosity
- Acceptance
Q: How many hours do you work a day on average?
A: Depends, on average it probably gets up to 8-10. Nothing crazy. Once you get systems in place, that helps a ton!
Q: To what do you most attribute your success?
A: Having a team. You cannot do it all yourself. When you can rely on someone and trust that they deliver and they do, that is an amazing feeling.
Q: How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A: We market a decent amount from social media, Search Engine Optimization and Paid advertisements. We believe in the age of the internet and how much it influences our lives. We want to be known as the new, young and tech friendly company that makes it easier for the customers to get what they would like.
Q: Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A: We were self-funded.
Q: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A: That is a great question and we will come back to let you know!
Q: Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A: We see ourselves running the same company along with many others. We have every intention of building this business up to grow into more places and industries.
Q: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A: I personally admire Intuit and Microsoft. Their commitment to innovation and convenience for their users is unmatched. They have great products already but are always trying and launching something new. That’s how we intend to do it as well.
Q: How important have good employees been to your success?
A: Absolutely critical, we would not be hear without them.
Q: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
A: Ahh, it depends. If you are in the weeds with it, I would say two years with solid self-reflection to know if you going the right way or not. It should be easy to see by then.
Q: What motivates you?
A: Being able to provide my family with all the experiences they can dream up.
Q: What are your ideals?
A: Discipline, Respect, Humility and Ambition, Self-Love
Q: How do you generate new ideas?
A: Typically by turning off the conscious mind to the best of my ability. I allow my subconscious mind to drive for a bit and then typically, boom. An idea comes into my mind either in conversation with a friend or by myself.
Q: How do you define success?
A: Having your home in order. I believe that encompasses a lot, but mainly by brining in more than you spend and having a growing family bond.
Q: How do you build a successful customer base?
A: Start off with good services for great rates until you and customer feel they would be happy and willing to pay more and keep finding that limit. Deliver quality, gain trust and charge the premium.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A: The Pivots you are able to make once you set yourself to it. It seems like a lot but usually it is a simple fix that may take a large amount of effort.
Q: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A: Seeing a pivot directly affect the bank account in the right direction…
Q: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A: I think it comes down to a lot of things but, to simplify, I think it comes down to trust in oneself.
Q: What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
A: It is a family friendly environment and it feels very much like that. It is easy going and everyone does what they say they are going to do because they are self motivated by there own reasons. If something comes up, then we take care of it together.
Q: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
A: Exciting
Q: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
A: I would work for a small shop and see how they would do it vs big corporate.
Q: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
A: It has pulled me away at times but it is in the early stages of its life and it needs more time. It was to be expected.
Q: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
A: The greatest fear is allowing my fears to get in my way. I think the biggest thing is acceptance and going about what you truly are able to influence.
Q: How did you decide on the location for your business?
A: Alex and I have family roots in their area going back centuries. We had quite an extensive network to rely on.
Q: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
A: In a way yes, I think experience and trust once again are the biggest things. Trust yourself to do it and that you will learn. Trust that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. However, you must be disciplined enough to pull yourself out of the daydream, once your find out it’s a daydream. That’s where you get experience.
Q: If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
A: I think it would have to be Teddy Rosevelt. I admire him and would like to pick his brain on policy and see what it would relate too.
Q: What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
A: I have spent a lot of money on daydreams that I thought were real… I gained experience and do not regret them but, dang were they expensive!
Q: How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
A: Learning how to be personable, or knowing when someone is not a right fit for the culture and getting them to find their way out.
Q: What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
A: Weekends. They used to be a time to let loose and go wild but now, you need the time to build as you should. You still have time to get out, but most should be used to build.
