office buildings, schools, restaurants, medi-cal facilities, retail and department stores, grocery stores, management companies and contractors. Some of the above clients contract out on a larger scale to national companies that are able to take on the majority of their locations, as opposed to local companies that are only able to take on one or two of their locations. Little do our clients know, by contracting out to national companies, it devalues the quality of services rendered. In the end, the work still gets contracted out to the local companies as a subcontract for less money, limiting profitability and mak-ing it more difficult for the local company to remain a viable operation. This leads to poor quality and low worker production by the subcontractor and higher employee turnover. Use What You Have To Your Advantage As a minority cleaning service, obtaining the necessary capital to graduate your operation to that of larger scale companies can seem almost impossible. However, depending on your circum-stance, there are low-interest loans offered to eligible minorities. Nonetheless, the process of getting to the top is never an overnight thing; it takes time, patience, hard work and persever-ance. When marketing your minority cleaning service, do just that. Do not hide the fact that you are a minor-ity cleaning service thinking that you would gain some sort of advantage by doing so. The truth is that you’re at more of an advantage by stating that you are a minority cleaning service. Start by offering your services to other minority-owned businesses, as they are always supportive of upcoming minority companies. Request for proposals (RFPs) should always include a copy of your MBE certi-fication because this is proof that you’re a minority-based company doing business in the city or county where your potential client is located. Last — but certainly not least — get involved within your community. There’s no better way to gain recognition than by lending a helping hand. Simple things like offering your time or services to local charities will get your com-pany noticed. And, aside from the publicity and altru-ism, that helping hand will be offered back to you. CM Omar Russell is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Economic Cleaning Solutions LLC. Founded in 2009 in Tallahassee, Florida, when he was only 26 years old, Russell now operates out of his Miami Beach headquarters, one of three office locations. Economic Cleaning Solutions, a leading minority janitorial company, serves commercial businesses and facilities throughout the state of Florida. Members of Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI), more informa-tion about Economic Cleaning Solutions can be found at www.ECSFla.com or by calling (305) 467-7443. Product Information no. XXX on page 24 www.cmmonline.com 35
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