One of the questions I get asked often is what advice I have for other cancer survivors on finding a new meaning or purpose after their cancer experience?
– Try out new things, take risks, start following your dreams and passions. Stop talking yourself out of ideas that may seem unrealistic. Take on this new chance, this adventure and don’t look back! Only look forward. If you loved your career before your diagnosis, be excited to start working again, if you are dreading going back, maybe think of other jobs you’d like to try out. It’s never too late. If there is one thing I learned for sure. Once you recover from cancer you will look at life through a different, much clearer lens. They say surviving cancer is like getting a second chance in life. I couldn’t agree more. It was like a wake up call for me for sure and I can’t be more thankful.
HOW TO START A CLEANING BUSINESS WITH NO MONEY
Besides perseverance, self-confidence, initiative and a few other important character traits with good planning and strategies, starting a cleaning business can be an inexpensive way to start a business!
Here is some great news I have for you: Your initial investment can be close to nothing if you’re willing to do a lot of the work yourself.
Before you get started you should consider a few things, such as WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS, PLAN ON CLEANING YOURSELF AT LEAST IN THE BEGINNING, MAKE WORD OF MOUTH WORK FOR YOU, CREATE A NAME/LOGO.
Why write a book?!
There’s a certain point in life, I believe, where you begin to reflect on the things that have happened to you (or the things that you’ve made happen, like your kids) and wonder – is this it? Is this what life is all about? Have I figured it all out? Not that having kids, being healthy, and successfully working in a career for a living is anything to shake a stick at, it’s just a really good point of reflection.
For the creative types, you might also ask yourself if anyone might be interested in hearing about what’s happened to you and how you might be able to express that. Some of us express these feelings and experiences through music. Some others like to paint or draw. Still others are able to write about it. In any case, you want to tell the world about what’s happened because there might just be one other single person on earth who can relate. That’s what art is supposed to be, if you ask me – relatable. That’s really all I ever look for, is someone or something to relate to. After all, that’s how we get along best with others is by relating to them.
In the tough times though, it’s sometimes enough consolation to know that someone else has, at the very least, shared your brand of pain. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one; or you’ve gotten a serious illness that turned your life upside down; or lived through a war to tell about it. As it turns out I have done all of those things. I have also asked myself whether others might be interested in hearing about my follies, tragedies, and successes. Were there others who would be willing or able to learn something from my experiences, both good and bad? I talked a lot about it over the years and, in fact, the answer turned out to be a resounding “yes.” Once I decided that there are things in my life I believe are worth telling the stories about, it wasn’t necessarily whether people want to hear about them anymore; it became more about how well I could tell the story to those willing to listen.
How I started my business with $1
All I had were the few things I bought at the dollar store and my little red $1 bucket, not knowing if that little bit was going to be enough to pull it off and start a business from nothing. Fast forward six years through all the doubt and uncertainty, Imade my own American Dream and I am proud of my business. The funny thing about the red bucket is that I still use it six years later. The same one. Keeping that thing around reminds me of when and how I started this little “side hustle” that turned into the company that you may (or may not) know as Custom Cleanups. Find out more about my journey as entrepreneur here
From my chapter “Things I Wish You Knew”…
Coming home to make a surprise check on your house cleaners? Good cleaning companies use employees who don’t watch your TV, eat your food, use your Wi-Fi or talk on the phone while they should be working! If you catch someone doing any of these things, they should be fired on the spot. We’re there to clean your home, not drink your champagne, connect to your Wi-Fi, or watch your Netflix. Check out my book now
In one of the chapters in my book I talk about secrets to a successful business & lessons learned
I have learned that you can start a business with only one person. Often times it may not even cost you much to start a business. But what you have to ask yourself is “Do I have the right personality to start a business?” Am I compassionate, independent, self-motivated, a problem solver, can I work 60 hour weeks (at least in the beginning) and am I good with following up? These are just a few core values of starting a business. If you’d like to find out more check out my book on Amazon.