If you’ve been a carpet cleaner for any length of time, you’ve probably read or engaged in discussion on the industry forums about vacuum configuration that sound something like an argument over whether Ford is better than Chevy.

Education has been a fundamental mission of flooring industry trade associations for decades. Most have had great success improving the technical skills of their members and keeping them abreast of the latest advances in flooring technology.

We asked a panel of experts about green cleaning for a Q&A in our October issue of ICS and our experts delivered – so much so that there was no way we could fit all of their complete answers into the magazine. So while we included the highlights to their answers in the magazine, there was a lot more to many of their answers – and it was too good of stuff to not share. Read on to see the answers, in full, from Doyle Bloss (HydraMaster, U.S. Products), Mike Kerner (Legend Brands), Frank Kinmonth (Chemspec), Jessika James (Prochem) and Mike Sawchuck (Enviro-Solutions).

Almost 100 years ago, Dr. Søren Sørensen, a Danish biochemist, invented a measuring system that would become essential to proper carpet and upholstery cleaning - a system that measures whether something is acidic or alkaline, known today as the “pH scale.”

Congratulations, you have your own business. The American dream! However, it’s sucking the life out of you. No time, not enough money, too many headaches. 

Tracking your advertising is crucial for business owners or managers, but too often we just don’t do it. Company resources are scarce and should be cautiously appropriated to those activities that will produce a positive return on the investment. If we make no effort to measure our results how do we know if it is giving us a positive return?

Everyone wants to have a phenomenal life. No one wants an average existence, but you may be settling for that. And that’s a shame because if you live in America, you live in the greatest country on Earth where you can have whatever you want, do whatever you want and be the person you want to be. 

Law No. 1 - It’s got to be fun: Life is too short and the potential to enjoy all aspects of life are too great to overlook this law. Sure, bad stuff happens to everyone, but that should be for a season and not for a lifestyle. Enjoy your customers, your vendors, the thrill of the pursuit or go and do something else. Running a business can really be a lot of fun. Are you having fun or would you be better off working for the man? Here is how I have fun in my business.

It is not uncommon for a technology to be introduced ahead of its time to be appreciated only years, if not decades, later. For instance, most auto buffs are familiar with the 1948 Tucker Sedan. It introduced a host of technical innovations to the automotive world, including disc brakes, seat belts, fuel injection and a padded dashboard - none of which got more than a passing glance at the time. Twenty years later, most cars included these innovations as standard equipment.

For the most part, you are competing against yourself, not others. Sure, you have competition. And while competition can definitely motivate you, your main competition is with yourself. People implement ideas and get motivated through one of two different factors.