Clean Start
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Rick Schneider believes a successful business owner needs to be in the trenches, knocking on doors, building relationships and getting his hands dirty. That approach has worked well for Clean Start Inc., a commercial, residential and floor care cleaning service owned by Schneider and his wife, Marcy.
“We started small, prospected throughout the area, advertised, joined the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the result is a strong foundation for Clean Start,” Schneider said.
Marcy and Rick Schneider have been in the cleaning business on a part-time basis for about 25 years. Rick decided to pursue it as a full-time business venture in 2008 and incorporated Clean Start Inc.
“We saw a need in the Albany area for a high quality cleaning service coupled with strong customer service,” Schneider explained.
The company now employs 10 to 20 employees and offers commercial cleaning service, residential cleaning service, mostly for apartments or vacant homes that are for sale, as well as specialized floor care. Its service territory covers everything within an hour’s travel time of Albany.
Custom clean
The tag line for Clean Start Inc. is “Everyone Deserves a Clean Start.” But Schneider believes every customer has its own definition of a clean start.
“We customize every cleaning to each customer with the specific services and products they want,” Schneider says.
Increasingly customers are looking for a one-stop cleaning service. That may mean ordering cleaning supplies such as soap and paper products for wash rooms in addition to providing floor care and general cleaning. It can also involve light building maintenance or cleaning with only environmentally friendly chemicals.
Reliable, quality service
Reliability and quality are what differentiate Clean Start Inc. from others in the cleaning business in Albany. According to Schneider, “by no means are we the cheapest cleaning service out there, but customers usually come back to Clean Start for the quality of work, reliability and customer service.”
Every employee working for Clean Start has passed a background check and drug test. Schneider spends a large portion of his time in the field, visiting customers and building relationships. Both Rick and Marcy have done everything from public relations to actual cleaning work.
A member of the Albany community
The Schneiders live in Albany with their son and see the community as a great place to do business. And Schneider believes Clean Start has room to grow in Albany.
“I think more retail, restaurants and recreation would all help Albany to develop economically. But I don’t think we need that to grow Clean Start,” Schneider said.
“We’re knocking on more doors. We believe working in the trenches and building strong relationships, one at a time, is the right way to grow the business.”
More information on Clean Start Inc. is available online at www.cleanstartinc.com
