"Time is the only resource you can’t buy more of.” This quote is attributed to Sam Walton, who when he died at the ripe old age of 72 was the richest man in the world.

In business, just like in sports, most of us want to build a dynasty, an organization that will keep on winning and do so without our constant presence as the owner. When you have achieved this state of business critical mass your company will have true value, either by providing a nice check each month (without you touching a scrub wand) or by selling for a huge sum that will help finance your comfortable retirement.

History is full of sports teams that have been “one shot wonders,” world champions one year and in the cellar the next. Obviously, heads are going to roll among the management of such a team. The goal of all teams is to keep on winning, to build momentum and achieve that hallowed Hall of Fame word: “Dynasty.”

Competition is brutal in this business. I just can’t believe just how desperate my competitors are! What a bunch of bait-and-switch hacks!” I hear this lament daily from carpet cleaners all over the world.

“Home” is such an incredibly emotional word. With just a little contemplation, word-association phrases such as “peace, comfort, safety, pride, family,” and of course the ever-popular “mortgage” will all pop into your mind.

Ah yes, success, that elusive concept. Just like that tantalizing carrot dangling on a string in front of the balky donkey, it is always there…but just out of reach. Even more frustrating, if and when you do grab it – poof!

Her name was Carole Smith. A close family friend who 30-odd years ago bravely (and foolishly) offered to let me practice my profession on her shag carpets with my new portable carpet extractor.

Carpet cleaning can and should be a great life, as a happy, fulfilled and wealthy entrepreneur mans the helm of a thriving business. Or it can be a miserable existence with a sour, negative person slaving away at a job they dislike with customers they despise. Weird.

Technology is great. I’m sure you are aware of some of the fantastic advances made in the whole odor-control area. But don’t let all this slick, whiz-bang technology lead you astray from one central principle of indoor air quality.

"Amazing things happen when you make people feel valued as individuals, when you dignify their suggestions and their ideas, when you show your respect for them by allowing them to exercise their own wisdom and judgment and discretion."
- Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines