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Editor's Notes
It seems that whenever times get turbulent, scores of purported experts - both the known and the unknown - come flooding into the landscape like ants who've just had their hill kicked over, offering all sorts of advice guaranteed to put you on solid ground in a shaky world: "Buy!" "Sell!" "Hold!" "You have to buy a house now!" "Don't even think of buying a house now!" "Go international!" "Stay at home!" "Commodities are dead!" "Long live commodities!"
Uh huh.
However, finding some advice you can cling to does go a long way in calming jangled nerves, especially as your business goes. In a recent Money magazine article Steven Levitt, the author of Freakonomics, wrote about the best advice he'd ever received on personal finance:
"When I was a first-year assistant professor at the University of Chicago, my friend and department chair, Jose Scheinkman, relayed the advice Milton Friedman
had given him 20 years earlier, "Don't save too much."
The logic was simple: An academic's salary rises steadily over time,
as do outside opportunities - like writing popular economics books! The
right reason to save is so you can even out your consumption. When
times are good, you should save, and when times are bad, borrow. Most likely, I would never be as poor again as I was starting out. That meant I should have been borrowing, not saving."
The money-in-the-mattress approach may give comfort to some people right now, but down the road the thought of all the opportunities they let slip by are sure to lead to some sleepless nights.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Stouffer, editor
ICS Cleaning Specialist magazine
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Specialty Contents Restoration
By Wayne Wudyka
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As the saying goes, the only constant is change. This is
readily apparent in the restoration industry, as service providers continually
face a changing landscape when dealing with insurance carriers.
Insurers increasingly are under pressure to improve
profitability, reduce leakage and improve customer service. As a result, they
have turned to restoration companies that specialize in water mitigation, mold
remediation, flooring, electronics, art, and now garments and textiles.
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Carpet-cleaning van fire chars customer's house NIWOT -- A carpet-cleaning van caught fire in the driveway of a Niwot home Wednesday, spreading to parts of the garage and a room above it. Two cleaners with the Lafayette-based company Nesheim's were cleaning the carpet of Karen Taylor's home at 8748 Skyland Drive just after 10:30 a.m. when she saw smoke and flames coming from the van.
Want to read more?
Home repair companies inundated with calls
EL PASO -- Carpet cleaners, roofers and other home maintenance companies said Monday that their telephone lines have been extremely busy since the storms brought on by the remnants of Hurricane Dolly drenched the area and caused significant damage. Want to read more?
Two more UI buildings to be ready for fall
IOWA CITY -- University of Iowa officials said Wednesday they are confident two of the flooded buildings just east of the Iowa River will reopen by Aug. 15, in time for the fall semester. On Wednesday, university officials took members of the media on a tour of the Samuel L. Becker Communications Studies Building, the Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building and the English-Philosophy Building to show UI's flood recovery progress.
Want to read more?
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| Our Feature Presentations |
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Baristas & Cleaners
By Bill Yeadon
When the news broke that Starbucks was closing 600 stores worldwide, you would have thought that I had been seen at a Dunkin Donuts from the number of calls and e-mails I received. Not that I was surprised, as I am a Starbucks junkie, just like ICS Publisher Evan Kessler. The more I read about it, the more I understand why they need to tighten up. I also realized
there are many similarities between Starbucks and the average cleaning company.
Try This With Your Next Mail-Out
By John Braun
One of the biggest things to remember in advertising is "Do Something Different." You don't want to be viewed as just another company sending out junk
mail. Homeowners get lots of junk mail every week. Getting a postcard
from you doesn't excite them-even if the offer is 10 rooms of carpet
cleaning for $29.99. The competition is fierce. You're competing with everyone else that sends your prospect mail.
Adding Employee Accountability- Part II
By Steve Toburen
As an entrepreneur, you are held accountable by many
individuals, and rightfully so. Your customers expect and deserve the very best
quality and service; your employees expect and deserve a living wage and job
security; your banker and suppliers expect to be paid on time, and your family
expects your focused time and loving devotion. And let us not forget the pound
of flesh the IRS expects from you every quarter!
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BLUEline Equipment Co. Unveils New High-Pressure Electric Solution Reel
Due to the requests of dealers and end-users, BLUEline Equipment introduces a new high-speed electric solution hose reel. No more hand cranking that solution hose. The aluminum reel features a paint lock base with 250-foot, ¼-inch hose capacity. This is part number 69-175.
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| Featured Product of the Month |
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Anabec takes aim at mold problems and prevention
Anabec
is a national manufacturer of mold remediation and prevention product
systems. Our products average 1000 square feet per gallon in coverage
and we offer the best written warranties in the industry for up to 30
years. Anabec's educational training programs provide industry
protocol, hands on application training at your location, strong
technical support and customized marketing programs for your company.
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"On a mid- to high-income neighborhood, if you have a door hanger and a postcard with the same message and artwork, (would you) mail the postcard or put the door hanger on the door alone? Which piece pulls better?
The question is not which has the better ROI but which will generate more calls. Thanks."
What else are they talking about?
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Dan Bernazzani discusses the latest legislation affecting the industry!
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PCUCA Members Clean Denver Ronald McDonald House
Seven professional carpet-cleaning companies from the
Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Association volunteered their
equipment, time and labor May 22 to clean the Denver Ronald McDonald House. This
was a great opportunity for PCUCA and its members to give back to their
community, and giving to an organization like the Ronald McDonald House is very
special.
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BNP Media
22801 Ventura Blvd, Ste. 115
Woodland Hills, CA, 91364
U.S.A. |
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