New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

Teacher Leaves Public School Job To Clean Windows

This profile features Brian Mick, a humble window cleaner that delights in honoring God, serving customers, leading his family and running a small business that generates a six-figure net income for him while working with his family from his home -- a business he started with less than $100.

Name:

Brian Mick

Family Description:

I am blessed beyond imagination with exactly the woman God new I needed to grow in His graces.  Without her, I would not be an entrepreneur working at our home office, developing a multigenerational vision for the glory of God while trying to romance my children's hearts and minds to follow and press forth.  My bride has bore to me Timothy, Brianna, and Naomi who are here on earth, three other precious ones and praise God for our soon arrival.

Business Name:

A Plus Window Cleaning, Inc.

Business Description:

Believe it or not, we clean windows.  Actually, our focus is to make customers happy.  Not just glad that we cleaned their windows professionally and that they received good value for their hard earned money but that they actually enjoyed and felt encouraged and even lifted up while we had the honor to serve them.  We want our customers to know that we take the extra 30 seconds or five minutes to hear what they want to say. Ok, the specifics, we clean exterior and interior window and door glass from little $12 store fronts to high-rise buildings. $4,000 + has been our biggest job.  We clean -- and personally find most fulfilling -- residential windows from $75 - $1,600 (big house for $1,600).  We also offer construction cleanup for the new home windows (i.e. SAFE removal of paint, drywall mud, stickers, stucco) mineral stain removal, a little screen repair, and some pressure cleaning aka power washing.

Location:

Reno / Lake Tahoe

Formal education/training:

Business Degree University of Nevada. I did not study very diligently, but spent most of my time and money on sports / hobbies and do not remember much of what I learned.  I somehow managed to end up with a 3.4 GPA.   I returned to school to earn a teaching credential with 36 master's credits in teaching courses.

Prior work experience:

• Built pumps and motors and became a purchasing agent at a hydraulic company.
• Public school teacher: fourth grade for four years, 7-8 grade math and a little PE for five years (very much enjoyed my work as a teacher, but God lead me out of that arena.)

Forming the Idea:

The idea basically fell into my lap.

How you got started:

In the summer of 1990, I took care of a pastor and his family who were all ill. This kind pastor wanted to pay me back and the only thing he could give me was to teach me the skills he had developed as a way to put himself through seminary. After teaching me and letting me work for him a little bit he asked me if I wanted to have his customers who owned two story homes.  I started cleaning for them and the word spread.  At this time I was back in school and as I cobbled together some more tools and equipment, new customers kept calling.  I used my windsurfer rack and Subaru to carry the ladders and the only way I could slow down my growing business was to steadily raise the price of my service.

What was it like in the beginning:

I was busy, even though I did not do much to grow the business.  It grew while I was in school and starting my teaching career as a public school teacher.  I think that the second or third summer of work I was making as much cleaning windows in the summer as I was being paid as a school teacher.  I was certainly making four or five times as much when broken down into hourly income since I was often working at school 14-16 hours a day.

What stage the business is at now:

I'm not sure of the technical name for the stage we are in but we are focusing in on what we want to do for the next 40 years of our lives.  We are just now getting sophisticated with our business plan, exit strategy, and accounting (thanks to Wade Myers and teachings of great men like Doug Phillips and Geoff Botkin).  Up until now, these plans have been extremely loose.

 

Technically we are looking to the web for three things:

1. A web based scheduling / invoice generating / database program that will allow our employees to receive their work at home.
2. Developing a good website where customers can get estimates and education by answering the questions we usually ask on the phone.
3. A web-based version of Quick Books in order to automate as much as possible, to become much more efficient with the "paper work". 

The biggest challenge you’ve faced:

The biggest challenge for me has been hiring a few men who did not fulfill their obligation to me and then turned right around and became a competitor in the local market.

Key steps that made the difference:

In many, many areas we have wasted God's resources but I must say that we have made our business successful because we truly delight in serving our customers well and charging top dollar.

Lessons Learned:

Use your time wisely, there are only 24 hours in a day. We all get the exact same amount of time.  Budget your time, keep your word, finish more work and tie up loose ends each day than you generate.  Unfinished business either with family, employees or customers will eat at you.  KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS, emotional, mental, and financial.  Communicate what your audience needs to hear, not simply what you want to say.  You must trust God to make up for your perceived lack when your budgeted time or money is spent.  LEARN TO SAY NO.

The best advice you received:

Figure out what you need to charge on your work and stick to that price.  Don't worry about others charging less.  The Bible says that if you do your work well you will serve before kings.

What your work and family life was like before:

My wife went off to her job and so did I. No kids. Lots of time doing things for my glory, not God's glory.

What your work and family life is like now:

I work in the home office three of five days to run the business and employ an average of four full time technicians.  I bid jobs usually on Tuesday and Thursday and enjoy the chance to get out and actually clean a little, especially with my kids. My children home school and come in and out of the office fairly often and I am usually very available to my family.  My son who is now a teenager is very helpful in the field, as well as his younger sister -- in fact I've found that even a child under ten could sometimes cut my time almost in half doing the windows of one-story homes. Both of the older children help in the office and working with them is a complete joy.  I see my wife 100 times a day and my daughters work with their mother to deliver the most delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (dinners are not taken in the office).