Scott Rendall

SCI-CLEAN and BRC Systems Solutions
Howell, MI

Tell us a little about you personally (family, hobbies, history/backround)
I’m 40 yrs old and married to the best woman in the world - Sunny. We recently celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. (July 06) We’ve got 2 wonderful kids - Mike: 18 and Jackie: 15. I spent the first 10 years of my adult life (age 18-28) in the US Air Force and since the age of 28 have been in the cleaning/restoration business.

When did you get started in your current business and why?
I received an early retirement from the Air Force in 1994 and went to work for my parents in their housekeeping/cleaning company. I liked it so much I bought the company!

Tell us more about your business. Trucks, employees, focus and services
We have a staff of 4-5 (depending on the season) and 3 full time trucks and a couple of backups. We live in a very small community and have diversified from housekeeping to carpet, upholstery, tile/grout, wood floor, and rug cleaning/care. We’ve been in business since 1981. We ALWAYS have things to do in our business. We’re not a huge company by any definition, but we’re extremely profitable and it’s right about where I want it. I delegate as much as I’m comfortable with but I do definitely have a limit. The 4-5 truck company is my “sweet spot” and where I’m the happiest. At one point we had 22 employees but it sucked too much time and energy out of us (owner/managers) and we were nowhere near as profitable as today.

What is your 2 and 5 year goal of your business
2-year: continue to run it from the sidelines. (my staff takes care of the labor, I do the marketing and finances)

5-year: Selling in 3-4 years. That was my exit strategy since day one - to grow and sell it by the year 2010.

What is your ideal job and customer?
One where they let us in, leave a blank check, then drive away! Ahhh, if that only happened every day. I’d have to go with commercial contract cleaning. Whether it’s tile/grout, carpet or upholstery cleaning, I love autopilot type work.

What are your best skills in your business and what do you need to work on? Sales, technical, management, closing jobs, advertising, etc.
First, I LOVE teaching and helping people achieve their goals. I get the most satisfaction out of life when I can help and see a person progress through the various business-building and life-changing stages. I’ve had extensive training (and success) in management, systemization, organization, and entrepreneurship.

On the flip side, I have a tendency to get bored easily so I have to do a lot of things to keep me occupied. The financial/marketing end of the cleaning business keeps me a bit busy but not as busy as I need to be so I run 2 other businesses in my spare time - BRC Systems Solutions and cleaningmentor.com and own/administer several investments. I fully believe in creating wealth through business and investments while avoiding putting all eggs into one basket. I know one thing is sure: I will NEVER be able to work for anyone ever again! We live in the Land of Opportunity and have so many interesting and profitable things happening around us all the time. For those who see these opportunities and seize on them, life is GREAT.

What is one thing you would do differently if you started over?
To take more calculated risks right from the start. As a young business owner I was a bit intimidated and gun-shy when I first started. I wasted at least 2 years doubting my abilities. Not one to dwell on the past, I got those 2 years “back” by doing more in a year than most do in 5. Now I do more “new things” in a week than most people do in 6 months to a year. (see my boredom comment above!) I travel, teach courses, spend more time with my family, create new businesses, products, and ideas, invest in other opportunities and delegate as much as possible.

If you had to give up your business, what would you do and why?
My motto is, “Work smarter, not harder!” I would invest into other business endeavors and investments that freed up even more of my time and energy while maximizing my returns. My mentor taught me that since we only go around once in life, we better make the best of it. That’s not earth-shattering news to anyone, but too many people just accept things the way they are instead of creating positive changes by taking risks, planning, leading, and delegating. Ultimately, and sadly, most people don’t create their own destiny. I do.

What is the biggest struggle you face in your business?
Communications is the biggest struggle for most small businesses and we’re no different. Many people talk about “growing pains” where I believe it can mostly be blamed on lack of communication.

Example: A biz owner hires a technician; teaches him on-the-job for a few months, gives him the keys to the truck and says “go do it - be like me”. This technician, without having been properly trained (formally and consistently, that is, which falls into the communications category), will likely fail. In the end the boss gets mad and fires the tech. when in fact it’s the bosses’ fault for not continually training and having allowed lack of communications to rule his world. The boss then swears off technicians for the next several months (or even years) and reluctantly hires another when he gets older or too busy. Then the vicious cycle repeats itself, over and over again.

Hiring, leadership, management, training, marketing, delegation, and many other business functions are not normally God-given abilities; yet these things have everything to do with communication. However with proper training/learning, planning, time, patience - and especially dedication to the belief that “failure is not an option” - these struggles can be overcome.

What is your favorite color?
Royal Blue