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My Way
By Rick Owenby
October 13, 2010
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My name is Rick Owenby, and I’ve been in the cleaning industry for more than 20 years.
I’ve seen a lot of developments and have learned what it takes to take a small company and create something successful that I can be proud of.
My fiancée Pam Clark helped me start Appalachian Carpet & Textile Cleaning in 2005. We live and operate our company in a small town called Leicester, just west of Asheville, NC, with a county population of about 200,000.
We are supported by my daughter, Britney, and Pam’s son, Cameron.
The small town we live in has helped me to build this business to what it is today.
Many of our customers have become good friends.
Our focus
I have worked for large franchises and small businesses during the years.
When I finally decided to start this business, I knew I was either going to go broke or make some money for myself and be successful. Which one would happen was anyone’s guess!
This was harder work than I imagined, but with determination we have been able to build a good business focused on customer satisfaction.
That’s been the key, our focus.
We show up on time, exceed customer expectations and deliver within a 24-hour turnaround time. We send satisfaction surveys to each client the day following their service, and these surveys act as a “report card” for the quality of our work and the performance of our employees.
We cater to the commercial market, with very little emphasis in the residential market.
By specializing in maintenance programs for the majority of our commercial accounts, we’ve found a way to lock in clients and to give us a measure of security.
How do we sell this to potential clients? We offer and perform an evaluation of the building, determine how often each area should be cleaned, and which specific method of cleaning would be best.
We incorporate three types of carpet cleaning (two low-moisture methods and hot water extraction), offer upholstery cleaning, hard surface cleaning and ceramic tile restoration (along with ancillary services) to the majority of our accounts.
In addition to “normal” services offered by cleaning and restoration companies, we offer pressure washing, construction cleanup, janitorial services, and snow removal.
Our goal is to provide as many services as we can for our clients, and give them exceptional service.
Plus, we want to stay busy all the time!
Challenges we faced
The most challenging experience was trying to get the company launched, with enough money to make sure it was a solid start.
Pam and I both quit our previous jobs to devote 100 percent of our time to getting this business up and running.
We met with bank after bank trying to borrow enough money to buy our first van and truckmount and other necessary equipment.
It was very difficult to continue paying our personal bills and the new business bills when the banks continued to turn us down.
I ended up having to use my personal credit, home equity line and tax refunds to pay for our expenses.
We started the company in the garage of our home and sold jobs during the day and serviced them at night.
In nine months, we were able to add two employees and move to a warehouse location with office space. We now have 10 employees and four trucks.
It was very challenging, but well worth every sleepless night.
I would encourage anyone with devotion to try and make it on their own. Self- gratification is worth more than the money you can earn.
Keys to success
The key to success is to have the drive to succeed.
Do what you say and build trust in your friends, co-workers and clients.
I live by the phrase, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”
No one will do the work for you.
During the years, our clients have learned to trust me and this has built long-term relationships.
Remember, you are only as good as your team of employees.
We feel we owe the success of Appalachian Carpet & Textile Cleaning to our excellent customers and our dedicated employees.
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Rick Owenby owns and operates Appalachian Carpet & Textile Cleaning, and can be contacted at (828)683-6858.
My Way is a monthly feature in CM/Cleanfax® magazine. If you or your company would like to be featured in an upcoming issue, please send an inquiry to Jeff Cross, Senior Editor, at jcross@ntpmedia.com.
