maidpro behind the clean

CLEANBEHIND THE

2 l MaidPro Behind the Clean 2011

MaidPro Corporation60 Canal Street, Fourth Floor

Boston, MA 021141-877-MaidPro

www.maidpro.com

Mark KushinskyCEO

Richard SparacioPRESIDENT

TM

GREETINGS MAIDPRO FRIENDS!We present to you MaidPro: Behind the Clean, an ever expanding publication that reflects the many facets of who we are as individuals and as a company. The MaidPro community is eclectic and incredibly diverse, but there are common traits that describe us well. We are a caring, concerned community that loves to enjoy life, contribute to the lives of others, and just laugh and have fun. We can think of no better way to encapsulate our fantastic culture than to tell some of the stories that illustrate these truths. This journal compiles just a small sample of the many anecdotes and stories collected over the course of 500,000+ cleanings completed each year by MaidPro businesses. Stories are contributed by MaidPro owners, service providers, corporate employees and clients, who have given MaidPro permission to publish them. Some are funny, some are sweet, some are sad, others are heartwarming and truly uplifting. We hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we have. We are encouraged, our spirits are lifted up, and we are challenged to excel even more in our efforts to contribute to our communities of friends, service providers and clients. Yours Truly, The MaidPro Community

WELCOME

CONTENTS

Flashback ...................................................................................4

Caring for our clients ..............................................................8

The lighter side ........................................................................12

Triumphs & tragedies ............................................................ 14

Cultivating success ................................................................22

Happy employees, happy customers ............................ 24

MaidPro kids .............................................................................27

Pet tails ..................................................................................... 28

Lost and found ........................................................................ 31

Love letters to MaidPro ...................................................... 33

editor’s picksA mother and child reunion ....................................................................... PAGE 8

Expressing gratitude to a military family ..............................................PAGE 10

Language barriers and texting don’t mix .............................................PAGE 12

Service rep turns multi-unit franchisee ................................................PAGE 22

Girls think a Mom running her own MaidPro business is ‘cool’ ......PAGE 27

Attention SPs: There will be no more swimming with customers’ dogs ..................................................................................PAGE 29

4 l MaidPro Behind the Clean

FLASHBACK

MaidPro’s original office opened in the fall of 1991 on Beacon Hill in Boston. It was a tiny office about the size of a parking space.

Mark (Kushinsky) and I both lived in the neighborhood, so our walk to the office took us five minutes at the most. It was a dream commute for new business owners.

We had two desks (one was a drafting table), two phones, no computer and a partition wall that separated us from the cleaning supplies. We did some dumpster diving to find a filing cabinet and chairs.

Since we did not have a computer, we would use the computer lab at a nearby college. The carpet we purchased for the office was a left over cut; it was just a little too small to cover the floor, so we painted some of the floor to match the carpet.

The bathroom was so small that you could barely turn around with the toilet being right next to the stackable washer and dryer we used for laundering cleaning towels.

MAIDPRO’Shumble beginnings

It is the early 1990s. The country is in recession, the Cold War is ending, the Gulf War just beginning. Seattle’s grunge music scene is about to break wide open,

and two guys are getting together to open MaidPro’s first office in Boston...

By Richard Sparacio, MaidPro President, Co-Founder, and Business Coach

MaidPro Behind the Clean l 5

We would go around at night hanging advertisements on doors and would take turns with a pager that was connected to our phone line, allowing us to return clients’ calls and give in-home estimates in the evenings and at odd hours on weekends. The Boston area was in recession when we opened MaidPro. Mark was affixing our MaidPro sign to our front window, making a joke

and whistling, “We are starting a business in a recession.”

But we felt like kings in our little business because, each week, little by little, we were adding recurring clients. We were determined to run a successful and resilient business and we always felt lucky.

On our first Thanksgiving in business, we purchased a turkey for each of our service providers as a

way to say thank you for working for us. One of those original service providers, Nora, stayed with us for 14 years. Our beginnings are humble and we are glad to be able to say we have stuck to our original values for how we treat both our MaidPro customers and our employees.

FLASHBACK“On our first Thanksgiving in business, we purchased a turkey for each of our service providers as a way to say thank you for working for us.“

FLASHBACK

MAIDPRO’Sbig idea

By Mark Kushinsky, MaidPro CEO and Co-Founder

The big break for MaidPro what enabled us to take our business nationwide began on the day we decided to stop acting like a cleaning company

and start acting like an effective, highly efficient service business.


FLASHBACK

Once we got MaidPro rolling, we learned there was much more to running a cleaning business than we had imagined. We had to train, equip, bond and insure our staff; capture, store and process customer payment information; schedule and reschedule cleans if customers cancelled or staff called in sick, plus hundreds of other details that had us toiling in our tiny MaidPro office each evening until 10 or 11-pm. We knew we needed to find a better way of operating, otherwise our business would never grow.

We started searching for software to automate our operations work. After several failed attempts to implement existing applications, we realized the software we needed did not exist.

MAIDSOFT IS BORNEager to find a solution once and for all, we decided to design a piece of software that would automate all critical functions of the maid service business. We hired a programmer to write the code and called it MaidSoft.

I remember vividly the first week we installed and started using MaidSoft. Suddenly, I was going home at 7-pm and all the paperwork, schedules, and billing was done.

Pretty soon, word got out to other service businesses that MaidPro was running sweet due to the new solution we had created. Companies started calling with offers to buy the software. At first, the conversations would go something like this:

US: “It’s not for sale. We are a maid business and you are a plumbing service!”

THEM: “We’ll take it anyway. How much?”

In a short time, we were selling $100,000 worth of software each year without ever intending to be in the software business. Then, one day, I got a call from an executive at a large British company. In a distinguished and serious accent,

the gent said: “We sell cleaning products and are trying to start a residential cleaning business here in the U.K. to generate demand for our products. Can we fly you to England for a few days to consult with us?”

A week later, I was on my way to England in a first-class seat on British Airways. After two days on-site, I gave the company a list of things they needed to do in order to improve their residential cleaning business, at which point the topic of conversation changed to software.

“Upon further due diligence, we have decided we would like to pay you to customize your software so it can run our cleaning business,” the executive told me. My reply: “You can’t be serious. We are not in the software business.”

The executive simply leaned over, pulled a check ledger out of his desk, and ceremoniously wrote out

a check to MaidPro. He pushed it across the desk to me and said, “We are quite serious and that is just a deposit.”

Looking down at the eye-popping six-figure sum in my hands, I realized my visit to England would change the future of MaidPro.

UNILEVER WANTS OUR SOFTWARE!The company was Unilever — the U.K. consumer giant responsible for bringing us such brands as Dove, Lux, Hellman’s, Surf, Lipton, Skippy, Jif, Vaseline and others. With that check, the leading software to automate critical functions of service businesses was born.

Fast forward to now. MaidPro has grown to over 110 franchises in 28 U.S. states and Canada. The software has been spun out as a separate company and is used by over 6,000 service businesses in 28 countries, including more than 600 maid service businesses.

Of course, in keeping with our style of continuous improvement, MaidPro is now developing an entirely new cloud-based software that is quantum leaps ahead of its previous software. We expect the new software to change the game once again.

Companies started calling with offers to buy the software:

US: “It’s not for sale. We are a maid business and you are a plumber!”

THEM: “We’ll take it anyway. How much?”


CARINGfor our clients

A MOTHER & CHILD REUNIONOne weekly client — very elderly and living alone — fell down two flights of stairs and was seriously injured with numerous broken bones. She kept her sense of humor, though, and we enjoyed visiting her at the hospital and in her home.

During one visit, our customer mentioned that she and her son were estranged.

Our service provider — never known for her tact — urged the client to call her son and let him know what had happened.

Not long after, we learned — much to our service provider’s joy — that she had taken the advice and broken the ice with her son.

Who knew that a simple, caring remark from a cleaning service provider could foster a much needed reunion between a mother and her son?

HELPING MRS. DDianna, our service provider, noticed that our client Mrs. D, had arthritis which had reached a point where she could no longer reach up to put her clothes on the shelf. There were

Sure, we clean people’s

homes, but we also

form strong bonds

with our clients. And

when they are elderly,

ailing, or alone, the

regular presence of an

observant and involved

service provider can be

an important safety net.


CARING FOR OUR CLIENTSpiles of clothing all over the floor in her closet.

Dianna expressed her concern to me, so I called Mrs. D. and asked if I could go over and lower her clothing racks. She was delighted!

I completed the job in just a couple of hours but, in my time there, I also discovered a number of other neglected tasks. I nailed down a loose tack strip between Mrs. D’s kitchen floor and carpeted hallway, which had been causing her to trip frequently. I also went around and replaced all the spent light bulbs that Mrs. D had been unable to change on her own.

Mrs. D was so pleased that someone had cared for her! Her family was far away and could not be there to recognize and fix these little problems.

At times our service providers are the only eyes and ears who can ensure our elderly clients are living well.

—Greg Ford, Owner of MaidPro Tulsa, Oklahoma

APRIL B AND THE DUNKLAUSApril Bates, a passionate MaidPro service provider, left for a new client one morning not knowing it would change her life forever.

Mr. and Mrs. Dunklau, April’s new clients, were both in their late 70s and suffered from many health conditions that kept their movements limited. Their reason for hiring a cleaning service was that Mrs. Dunklau was very ill and receiving treatments to fight cancer. April clicked with the Dunklaus right from the start. They called the office immediately after their first clean to let us know how wonderful

the service had been and how April had reminded them of their granddaughter. I clearly remember the first comment card Mrs. Dunklau sent in, saying everything was excellent and that, “April is like a breath of spring.”

Meanwhile, April, who had moved to the area about a year before we hired her, was very far from her own family and often told us she felt as if she was providing service for her own grandparents.

When April went out to clean as scheduled on July 29, she thought it would be like any other day. But, upon her arrival, she found Mr. Dunklau alone with his daughter. When April asked if Mrs. Dunklau was in the hospital, the daughter apologized for neglecting to call the office about her mother’s passing the week before.

April called us immediately and could barely speak through her tears. She stayed and cleaned for Mr. Dunklau that day, but it was difficult as there were so many reminders of Mrs. Dunklau about the home. She had loved Mrs. Dunklau very much and wished she could have attended the funeral to say goodbye.

Since Mrs. Dunklau’s death, the bond between Mr. Dunklau and April has grown even stronger. She gives her best effort to help him around the house and takes time after every clean to visit with him. Mr. Dunklau tells April stories about when he and his wife were younger and April bakes his favorite homemade brownies.

A year has passed since Mrs. Dunklau’s passing, but we think of her often. One of the Dunklau’s daughters came to our office just a month ago to thank us for having

such a sweet person taking care of her father. She wanted us to know how much her family appreciates what April does and how much Mr. Dunklau looks forward to each visit.

It warms our hearts to know that we offer much more to our customers than just clean houses. We give them friendship, loyalty, and our best efforts at all times.

—Yohanni Hedges, Owner of MaidPro Crown Point, Indiana

LIGHT IN DARKNESSAn elderly mother had hired us to clean the home she shared with her blind, diabetic son. After several months, she passed away and the home deteriorated gradually to a point where I had to go out with my service providers to help clean.

The son did no laundry, mail was piled up on his dining table, and his insulin needles and blood-sugar testing strips were everywhere. I spoke with him and learned that he had little to no assistance. I helped him go through his mail and it turned out that he had thousands of dollars in checks given to him by family and friends that he did not even know were there. I helped him to pay his bills and to set up grocery delivery. We continued to clean for him and I managed to put him in touch with the League of the Blind.I am so glad we were there to help him find his way.

A NEW BACKYARDWe had a very faithful customer — an elderly widow — who could not do much for herself after the death of her husband. Her backyard was like a junk yard. She told me that she could never go out there to enjoy the yard because it was such a mess and she had no way of cleaning it up. My husband and I decided to go


over and help her out. We spent two weekends hauling away all the debris in his pickup truck. We trimmed the trees and shrubs.

We helped to restore not only her backyard but also her sense of pride in her home and its surrounding property.

ASSISTING A SMALL FAMILY IN DIRE NEED During our first year in business we were hired by a single mother to clean her apartment. When our service providers arrived they were overwhelmed by the filth. Being still new in the business, I

went out to the home to see what all the fuss was about. I could not believe anyone could live as this client appeared to be living. To make matters worse, I had quoted the job at only two hours.

Still, I felt sorry for the woman. Clearly, she had problems and I figured she was probably unable to afford a proper cleaning.

I knew there was a young boy living in the apartment, so I made a decision to stay and help clean the home anyway at the quoted rate.

Three of us worked for four hours

that day, removing nineteen bags of trash. We worked very hard for very little that day, but true compassion carries its own rewards.

EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO A MILITARY FAMILY I recently met a longtime customer of mine at a trade show. She told me that her husband was serving overseas with the U.S. military and that her young daughter had taken to writing “I miss my Daddy” on the chalkboard in her bedroom. My customer told me that Kelda, her MaidPro service provider, had been writing encouraging notes back to the child each time

“It warms our hearts to know that we offer more to our customers than just clean houses. We give them friendship, loyalty, and our best efforts.”


CARING FOR OUR CLIENTS

she went to clean their home.

“My daughter appreciates and really looks forward to coming home to see what Kelda has written on her chalkboard,” my client said.

A few weeks later, after promoting Kelda to a training position, I was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama to sit down and write this letter to my client.

Dear Letitia,

Recently our First Lady Michelle Obama was on

Oprah discussing how we can all do something

small to support a military family in our

community.

During the discussion, they mentioned how so

many of us do not even personally know someone

who is serving our country. I was one of those

people. The weekend after the show aired I had

the opportunity to meet you at our trade show

and I was so touched by your story about Kelda,

your service provider, writing encouraging

notes to your daughter who is missing her

father serving overseas. I am so proud of Kelda

for living the values of our organization and

also for her warm and intuitive spirit to reach

out to your daughter with a small but obviously

meaningful gesture.I am so glad to have met you and learned about

your family’s contributions to our country.

In the spirit of our First Lady’s request to

acknowledge, thank, and encourage a family we

know, we would like to give you the enclosed

gift certificates so you and your daughter can

enjoy a mommy-daughter date at the spa. On behalf of our MaidPro family, thank you for

your family’s sacrifices to protect and serve

our country. We are honored to be caring for

your home and we will keep your family in our

thoughts and prayers.Warm Regards,Cyndi WilliamsOwner MaidPro of Katy, Texas


THE LIGHTER SIDE

I am very sorry

we

accidentally d

ropped

and broke th

is ceramic

figurine behind

the couch.

We have left t

he pieces

here. Pl

ease call the

office a

nd they will

t

ake care of

you.

Language barriers and texting don’t mixA few years ago at Christmas time, one of our service providers, Rosario, asked me for help translating into English a lovely note that her coworker and older sister Ana had written for their clients’ Christmas cards.

In Spanish, Ana had written: ‘Wishing you a season blessed with the richness of family and friends, and a prosperous New Year.’

I promised Rosario that I would translate the message and send the translation to her mobile phone by way of a text message.

The next day Rosario stopped in to thank me for sending her the translated message. She had copied it carefully onto each card, but was curious about the word ‘sorry.’

In the meantime, her sister Ana stopped to join the conversation. With her hand on her hip and head tilted closely to the screen, Ana screamed, “You copied WHAT text message?!” Rosario did not know English well and had accidentally copied a different

translated message from her phone:

‘I am very sorry we accidentally dropped and broke this ceramic figurine behind the couch; we have left the pieces here. Please call the office and they will take care of you.’

I called every client that day to explain the misunderstanding and everyone had a good laugh.

—Rebecca Gill, MaidPro Manager Bellevue/Seattle, Washington


We once had a client who was so upset about her cleans that she called MaidPro headquarters to complain.

When I finally managed to talk with the customer, I learned she was upset that her baseboards were still scratched, peeling and dirty. I explained that we did all we could in the time allotted — that we wipe the baseboards down but cannot make them brand new and they may need to be painted.

The customer’s reply: “I know, that is why I left paint out for your cleaners!”

What, you don’t paint?

Hey, you MaidPro guys are good!Years ago, when I was running our first Boston office, I received a call from a new customer. He was very happy with his cleaning and went on for a few minutes, marveling about how a visually impaired house cleaner had been able to clean so effectively.

Puzzled, I asked him where he got the idea that we had sent a

visually impaired service provider to clean his condo. He told me that the doorman at his complex had observed our service provider carrying a thin walking stick with a red tip on it.

I chuckled and told the customer that, while it may resemble a walking stick for the visually impaired, the stick his doorman saw

is a special tool we use to sweep cobwebs out of high corners and to clean the dust off ceiling fans. The customer laughed, too, admitting he had been especially amazed to find his high ceiling fan so sparkling clean.

—Mark Kushinsky, MaidPro CEO

Monster spider alertOne fine day in Modesto, California, I received a hysterical message from a service provider who had just swept a giant spider off a high window ledge when dusting with her fan brush.

The spider jumped slightly, so she had reacted quickly, grabbing a bowl from the kitchen counter and trapping the spider underneath. She was perplexed as to what to do next. Being plagued with arachnophobia myself, I could not even think about driving into the

neighborhood where the home was located. So, while frantically trying to contact my customer, I dispatched my operations manager to clear up the problem.

After trapping the spider between the bowl and a pan, however, our operations manager quickly realized something was not quite right. The spider was not moving.

Yes folks, we then had the fun task of explaining to our customer that our entire team had been terrified of a rubber tarantula!


TRIUMPHS& tragedies

Local MaidPro communities — owners, employees, and customers — often function like large extended families, sharing deeply in both the best and

worst times of each others’ lives. As the stories in this collection show, our compassion and caring leads to wonderful outcomes.


I first met Mark B. one Friday when he came into our office looking for a job. He was 38

years old, 6-feet, 6-inches tall, and 280 lbs. With long, scraggly blond hair held back by a grungy baseball cap and wearing a t-shirt two sizes too small, Mark looked to me like a retired wrestler from the WWE.

He had been going door to door in our strip mall and — with a handful of resumes and a jovial personality — sat down to tell me his life story of the past two years. As he was rattling off phrases like ‘divorced’, ‘two kids’, ‘wife took everything’, and ‘need work’, my mind wandered. I thought, ‘How would my customers feel about having this hulk of a man cleaning their homes?’ I listened politely to his half-hour soliloquy, shook his hand, and said, “I will call you if I need you.”

That weekend, I kept thinking about Mark. I liked him, but did not feel there was a place for him at MaidPro. I did, however, have a rental house that had been vacated recently. The house needed a lot of work; I thought Mark could probably help me out there and decided to give him a call on Monday.

When I called the mobile number Mark had left, I got a message that the phone has been disconnected temporarily. ‘Oh great,’ I thought, ‘his cell phone has been shut off.’

The next day, he came in anyway. I told him my plans to start work on the rental property at the beginning of the next week. I stressed to him that the work would be sporadic and would end after the house was completed. I did not expect to see him again until Monday. Imagine my surprise when, on Thursday morning, he showed up at 8-am

and started mingling with the other service providers as though he had been on our staff for months.

I said, “Dude, I am sorry but I told you to come in Monday morning!”

His reply: “You did, but I thought I would come in today in case you needed me sooner.”

Mark showed up on Friday too and stayed all day until the office closed.

We spent the next two weeks working on the rental property. That included cleaning out a refrigerator that smelled as if a dead body had been in it, hauling away seven truckloads of garbage, and going to war with enough rats to make Chuck Norris squeal. We made the rental property livable again. I thanked Mark for a job well done and told him I would call him if anything else came up.

So, imagine my surprise when — the very next morning — he showed up again at 8-am.

I said, “Dude, I don’t have any work for you today!”

Mark’s reply: “I know, but if something comes up, I will be here.”

This went on for a few weeks and I used Mark when I could. He did a window job for us, some odds and ends, and helped us move the office to a new location a few miles down the road. Every day, he showed up for work whether or not he was getting paid. He never missed a day.

One cold, rainy Saturday, I went to the office to check on things. As I pulled up, I saw Mark outside the office door. He looked like a

wet Saint Bernard. “What’s up?”

With a melancholy smile on his face he told me, “I am officially homeless now and Child Services has taken my driver’s license for being late on my child support.”

We opened the office and sat down. I asked him what his plans were, but he had no idea. I told him he could stay the weekend at the office, but that he needed to make other arrangements. I left the office that day thinking about how close all of us are to being in the same position as Mark. This guy had once had his own business, a family, a house, a license — the same life we all take

TRIUMPHS & TRAGEDIES

One cold, rainy Saturday, I went to the office to check on things. As I pulled up, I saw Mark outside the office door. He looked like a wet Saint Bernard...With a melancholy smile on his face he told me, ‘I am officially homeless now and Child Services has taken my driver’s license for being late on my child support.”



“I could easily have said, ‘Hey, it’s not my problem,’ which is what some people advised. But, I did not see it that way. Here was a man who was willing to do anything I asked, whether or not he got paid. He showed up on time, never missed a day, and never made any excuses.”

too much for granted — and now it was all gone.

All weekend, I pondered about this. What could I do? What should I do? I could easily have said, ‘Hey, it’s not my problem,’ which is what some people advised. But, I did not see it that way. Here was this man who was willing to do anything I asked, whether or not he got paid. He showed up on time, never missed a day, and never made any excuses.

So, on Monday morning I picked Mark up at the office and told him we were going for a drive.

He looked over at me and asked, “How bad is the news for me?”

I said, “You’ll see,” and drove him to the house he had worked on for two weeks.

“There is no electricity or water turned on, but it is a roof over your head,” I said. “Think of it as camping.”

That night, I brought him an air mattress, a cooler full of food, and some drinks. He thanked me and went to bed.

A couple of days passed. I had just picked Mark up to help me move some furniture, when I got a call from my MaidPro general manager. She was sick and had to go home. This was an ongoing pattern that I had been putting up with for far too long. I was her backup, which

meant I had to drop what I was doing and run back to the office for the day.

When we arrived at the office, I asked Mark to cover the phones while I went out to pick up the mail. I returned to find Mark on the phone with a customer. He was sitting at the desk looking up the customer’s information in our MaidPro software. While I had to show Mark how to navigate to the specific information he needed, I was amazed to find he had gotten himself to the right vicinity. I looked at Mark and said, “You could do this job, couldn’t you?”

This was more of my own realization than a question for Mark. Here in my midst was someone who was always there, loyal, and by virtue of his daily presence in our office, had learned our systems. Why not give him the general manager’s job?

That was back in September of 2010. Since hiring Mark as my MaidPro general manager, the business has grown significantly. Our customer attrition rate has been falling every month and we have added 28 new recurring customers. The office has never run better. Things have worked out great for both Mark and the company. I guess I have finally found my dream MaidPro manager.

—Michael Dash, Owner of MaidPro, Hudson, Florida

Terrible loss reveals our strengthThe true culture of our MaidPro office became apparent two years ago when one of our service providers lost her baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Her nine-month old had a cold and, after a visit with the doctor, was assured he was improving. But she awoke later that night and could not hear the child breathing. She and her husband did all they could, to no avail.

Our entire staff felt an almost unbearable heartbreak when we heard the sad news. The service provider, who speaks only Spanish, brought all the medical reports (written in English) to our office and asked me to read them to her. She wanted to understand what had happened, if there was anything she could have done to prevent the tragedy. Reading those reports was a terrible task. I told her she had done nothing wrong, that God only takes children to be angels. Meanwhile, our staff took up a collection among themselves and many of our clients donated to help provide a funeral and burial for the baby. These may have been small comforts, but it feels good to know that our MaidPro community is capable of such a tremendous outpouring of love and support when such a need arises.


The perfect bargainWe hired an elderly service provider, Linda, suspecting that the hard work might be too much of a strain for her. Although the work was a strain, Linda managed to stick with it. Even with her aches and pains, she was always the most kind, sweet natured person and set a great example for our staff. Around four months after Linda began to work for us, my mother’s Alzheimer’s disease got to a point where she could no longer live alone or take care of herself. When I mentioned this to Linda, she said she had done home healthcare for years and would consider dropping in a couple of times per week at my mom’s assisted living center, which could no longer meet all of her

needs. The only obstacle was that Linda’s car had broken down and she was in a bind. It just so happened that my mother had an old Ford Taurus she would no longer be using, so we worked out a deal — elder care in return for the car. It was a match made in heaven. Linda and my mother became fast friends. Linda was able to work and to use a car that would take her all the places she wanted to go.

Just as Mom hit a point of needing full-time Alzheimer’s care, Linda’s retirement age arrived and Social Security took over. Now, Linda volunteers at The Dream Center, a local soup kitchen, where she helps indigent folks 3–5 days per week.

It fills me with joy to have established this relationship with Linda and to witness the fulfillment she continues to obtain by helping others.

An MBA dream come trueOur service provider, Youma Fade, originally from Africa, had been in the U.S. for around three years. When she arrived here, she spoke very little English, but started studying the language so she would be able to attend college. While holding a B.S. degree from a University in Nepal, Youma decided it was time to pursue an MBA in New York and spent much of her free time talking with different schools to see about transferring her credits. One of Youma’s clients, Steve, caught wind of her endeavor and offered to help. Steve took the time to help Youma complete the paperwork to apply and transfer her credits for various MBA programs.



Today, Youma is engaged and lives in NYC with her fiancée. She is 29 years old and, while attending school and studying for her MBA, Youma still works with MaidPro. We are inspired by her work ethic and perseverance and are so grateful to Steve for the assistance he so kindly provided.

—John Dallaire, Owner of MaidPro, Morningside/New York City

When she is famous, we will know we inspired herOne of our service providers, Erika, has a very artistic 12-year old daughter. She sketches all the time and has found a real love and passion for art. The father is not in the picture, so it is just the two of them.

One day, Erika told us how excited her daughter was about school because she had been accepted into a program that would enable her to study art for three hours each day. While Erika did not really understand her daughter’s passion for art, she was visibly very happy for her.

We learned later from another employee that

Erika wanted, but could not afford, to take

her daughter to the Denver Art Museum. So, on MaidPro’s dime, we surprised Erika and her daughter with a day at the museum and lunch. They had

such a

great day; Erika told us she had never seen her daughter so happy. We even received a drawing from her daughter as a thank you.

The surprise was a small gesture from us that made a huge difference for our employee and served as an educational mark for her daughter.

—Denise Schellinger, Owner of MaidPro, Louisville, Colorado

A client relationship turns true friendshipOne of our service providers, Sandy, who has been with us for over three years, lost her soon-to-be fiancée in a freak accident while on vacation.

They were attending a motorcycle rally and he had planned to propose on the night of the banquet. Before that could happen, he was struck by a golf cart and fell in such a way as to cause a fatal brain injury. His friend, who had been holding the engagement ring, gave it to Sandy in the hospital while she waited for his organs to be harvested for donation.

We told some of Sandy’s close customers about the accident. One of them, Annette Dunn, sobbed for Sandy when she heard the news.

She attended the services with her husband, delivered food

to Sandy’s home and discussed the tragedy with Sandy many times.

Annette’s reaction



to Sandy’s tragedy reminds us that many of our clients and service providers form wonderful relationships that go far beyond those of just homeowners and cleaning service providers. Each day is difficult for Sandy, but those relationships have helped her to continue with work, take pride in her job and take each new day as a gift.

—Susan Dexter, Owner of MaidPro, Penfield, New York

A perfectly timed client pep talkWhen one of our biweekly clients, Barb, lost her corporate job in the earlier part of the year, she called us immediately to cancel her cleaning service. When my office manager

told me the news, I called Barb personally to offer my support. But, rather than commiserating with her, I encouraged her to get excited about the doors and opportunities that would soon be opening for her.

And, while it is not something we would normally be in a position to do, I also told her that — instead of cancelling her cleaning schedule completely — we would clean her home at no charge once per month, using the home to train new employees. I am happy to be able to report that, less than six months later, Barb called me back to say she had started her own business and wanted to thank me for providing the inspiration and encouragement to do so. She is still a regular client today.

—Akisha Greene, Owner of MaidPro Capitol Hill, D.C.

MaidPro client turns service providerOur service provider, Sonia, needed emergency surgery and was waiting in the hospital for her operation. When the nurse came to do some preoperative work, Sonia thought, ‘I know this woman from somewhere.’ It suddenly came to Sonia that the nurse was one of her MaidPro customers. She said to the nurse, “Anna May?” The nurse looked at her and said “Sonia?”

Sonia is an excellent service provider who exemplifies MaidPro from her appearance, to her positive attitude, to her consistent and exceptional service. Anna



May is always happy with her service, loves Sonia, and took that opportunity to return the favor, ensuring that everything was in order for Sonia’s surgery and care during her hospital stay.

—Susan Burke, Owner of MaidPro

Gurnee, Illinois

Unthinkable tragedy leads to bondMany have suffered the grief of losing clients to illness, but few have had to endure what one MaidPro cleaning team went through in the past year.

They had been cleaning for a married couple for some twelve months when they arrived to find crime-scene tape around the house. The husband had killed his wife.

The children — all over 21 except for the youngest — asked the MaidPro team to resume cleaning the crime scene after it had been cleaned and released.

Our MaidPro service providers have gone on to become great friends with these brokenhearted children and have helped to support them through their devastation and grief. We understand that, in service industries, where we encounter people of every kind, we must be prepared for just about any situation.

Concerned customersIt is wonderful to have customers who so obviously appreciate of our work. For instance, one of our clients noticed that his service provider team had a cracked windshield on their car. He immediately called our

office and insisted on paying for a replacement windshield! Meanwhile, ever since the economy fell into recession a couple of years ago, another long-time client of ours has called us, without fail, every couple of months to inquire about the health of our MaidPro office during these tough economic times. He is always amazed when our response is “healthy and growing.” Each call ends with him feeling stunned and us feeling very proud to be thriving even in a slow-growth economy.

We are so lucky to have such wonderful, caring customers.

One terriblewinterThe snow storm of 2011 hit Tulsa in February. There had not been such a storm for over 100 years and our business was shut down for seven business days. No revenue.



Same bills. Out of the blue, Ryan Rabideau, our primary consultant at MaidPro, called and said he and Mark (Kushinsky) had been talking about our disaster and would like to offer us financial assistance. This touched me deeply because I really needed it and believe that, “Where your heart is, there will be treasure.” To know the MaidPro home office’s heart is with me in my trials is very reassuring.

—Greg Ford, Owner of MaidPro,Tulsa, Oklahoma

“When we have a light day, we send a service provider or two to the homes of people we know to be struggling or ill. They are always grateful. Our employees are happy to have the work hours and it swells our souls to know we are helping to relieve a little of someone’s burden during difficult times.”

—Rhonda Peege and Carla Stone, Owners of MaidPro, Middletown, Kentucky

Reaching out in our community


CULTIVATING SUCCESS

HELP WANTEDMARK: Many years ago I could not seem to find just the right person to help manage our Boston MaidPro. After many interviews and finding no suitable candidates, I decided to change the wording in our help wanted ad from ‘Manager’ to ‘Customer Service.’

THE CANDIDATEMAXINE: I was in my early twenties, new to Boston, and looking for my first real job. I saw an ad for a customer service position with a small home cleaning company and thought, “Well, I can do that.”

THE LITTLE WHITE LIEMARK: When she came in for her interview, I really liked Maxine. I knew straight away that she was right for the job, but she had no management experience and seemed nervous at the prospect of taking on any type of management

responsibility. So, I equivocated just a tiny bit; I told her the position was mostly customer service, but that she would have to tell the cleaning staff where to go and make sure they did their jobs well.

THREE SCARY DAYSMAXINE: On the first day of my new job, I realized I had joined a great organization. By day three, though, I was feeling in over my head. I pulled my new boss aside and said: “Mark, this is a management position! I can’t possibly stay in this job. I don’t have the first idea how to manage people!”

THE PEP TALKMARK: On her third day of work, Maxine asked to speak with me. She told me this was a management position and she couldn’t possibly do the job. But, it was clear to me after those first three days that our staff loved Maxine. I knew she

would grow to become an amazing manager, so I talked her into staying. I was right, too. Maxine was great at her job and grew easily into the role for which we had hired her.

THE BIG DECISIONMAXINE: I loved my job at MaidPro. The company had welcomed both my sister and I into the MaidPro family with open arms. I made so many great friends there; both the job and the people made my time in Boston a truly wonderful experience. But I was a long way from home. As much as I hated the idea of leaving Boston and MaidPro, I knew the time was coming for me to move back home to Washington. It was a difficult decision, for I still wanted to be part of this great company.

THE AHA! MOMENTMARK: When Maxine told me

SERVICE REPTURNS MULTI-UNIT

franchiseeBy Mark Kushinsky, MaidPro

CEO and Co-Founder &Maxine Kenefsky, Owner of MaidPro

Bellevue and MaidPro Seattle

At MaidPro, we believe that if we hire warm, caring people who take pride in doing great work, we can always train and nurture them to become effective business managers and great customer service providers. Here is the story of how a reluctant MaidPro customer service manager went on to become the

owner of multiple MaidPro locations.


she was moving back home to Washington, I was devastated. Maxine was not only an amazing manager, she is an amazing person.

It was then that we got this brilliant idea: She could bring MaidPro with her to Washington, so I suggested that she become a MaidPro franchise owner.

ONCE AGAIN, DOUBTSMAXINE: I knew the operational side of the business, but had no idea about owning my own business. Could I do this? Once again, I was back in a position of having a great opportunity and people who believed in me, but I was not certain I would be able to pull it off.

ON IRISH BEERS AND ‘GOLDEN TEE’MARK: I always believed in Maxine,

but it took a few conversations — usually at the Irish pub down the street from our office, playing Golden Tee with beers in hand — to convince her to take the leap. I had to have a few talks with her father too.

THE LEAP OF FAITHMAXINE: MaidPro had so much faith in me, more than I did in myself. So, with encouragement from cofounders Mark Kushinsky and Richard Sparacio — and, of course, from my pops— I finally decided to go for it!

FIRST FLIGHTMARK: To ensure Maxine’s MaidPro got off to a great start in Washington, we vowed to support her every step along the way. I even flew out to Seattle to help her pick out her first office space and review and negotiate her first lease.

THE HAPPY ENDINGMAXINE: I always knew I was in good hands, but Mark’s trip to Washington really sealed it. The rest is history. I have happily owned and operated a MaidPro business in Bellevue, Washington and a branch office in Seattle for over 10 years.

Clearly, opening my own MaidPro franchise is one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I owe it all to my MaidPro family and their belief in me.

MARK: Today, Maxine is a seasoned business owner with an amazing multi-unit business. She has come a long way from the twenty something girl I interviewed ten years ago.

I must say that hiring her is among the best business and personal decisions I have ever made.

Maxine Kenefsky, Owner of MaidPro Bellevue and MaidPro Seattle, Washington


HAPPY EMPLOYEES HAPPY CUSTOMERS

Pinktober Day in OrlandoOctober is national breast cancer awareness month. Every year, our MaidPro Office in Orlando/Longwood, Florida holds a Pinktober Day on which we ask all staff to wear pink — as much as they can put on! We do this to honor all women who have suffered from breast cancer, but also to make people aware of this dreaded disease.

We always get pink food and bring in different breast cancer awareness pins, charts, and other fun things to teach our staff the

importance of self exams and of getting mammograms when they reach a certain age. Pinktober Day is an inexpensive way to switch things up for our staff. It is always a fun day filled with valuable life-saving information.

The last two years in particular have been a real blessing, as one of our staff is a breast cancer survivor.

—Kathryn Boyce, Owner of MaidProOrlando/Longwood, Florida


We believe that promoting the happiness and well being of our employees leads to great experiences for our customers. Here are two behind-the-scenes examples of how MaidPro owners have put the idea into practice.

After over eight years as a consultant for MaidPro, I was so inspired while visiting Matt Sherman’s MaidPro in Denver, Colorado.

I have worked with Matt since he opened his doors in the summer of 2004. Matt is a remarkable and inspirational person who has chosen a slow and steady path to growing his business and who sets a great example for what it means to treat your employees well. And, boy, has the strategy paid off.

A few years ago, MaidPro hosted an operations retreat in Denver and I had an opportunity to spend an

entire day with Matt. Our day began at 7-am where I attended an office team meeting.

I got to watch Matt use a gentle technique of sharing all the good that is happening in his MaidPro office while also discussing the areas that need work by his team.

I watched all of Matt’s service providers leave the office happy, energized, and ready to start cleaning enthusiastically for their clients! We then had lunch, a calming afternoon chai tea, and — much to my surprise — the day ended with a

massage right in Matt’s MaidPro office.

Yes, you heard me correctly!

On Friday afternoons, Matt would arrange to have a massage therapist come in for employees who wanted to swing by the office after work so they could leave the week behind and enter their weekends relaxed.

No wonder Matt’s business is booming and everyone wants to work for him. If I ever move to Denver, I would seriously consider it!

―—Ames Forish, MaidPro Franchising

Wait, is this a MaidPro or a day spa?


MaidPro’s home office staff is a tight knit group. Over the course of several years, I have gotten to know many of my colleagues’ spouses and families, and they have certainly gotten to know mine — in particular my brother Jake.

Jake’s work often takes him to areas near our office in Boston, which gives him an abundance of opportunities to check up on his little brother.

At first, when I was a new employee, he would stop by

occasionally to see how I was doing and maybe be introduced to a coworker or two. But, as soon as he discovered that our office hosted “Margarita Fridays”, Jake’s visits started to become more and more frequent. It was as though he could detect the sound of the blender

from anywhere in the city. Within five minutes, he would be walking through the door with a grin from ear to ear.

After a while, Jake started coming in for visits even when he knew I would not be there. He would do

little things to let me know he had stopped by, such as leaving notes, rearranging my desk, or filling my office top to bottom with balloons so I could not get in. One day when I was out sick from work, I got a call from Jake, telling me he had just been out for a “power lunch” with our CEO and Vice President! He said he had some marketing ideas to discuss with me when I got back to the office.

Before I knew it, Jake had my colleagues’ phone numbers and would socialize with them regularly outside of work without me! People would stop by my desk to tell me they gone to a hockey game or out for drinks with my brother.

Jake has become such a fixture in our office that MaidPro’s owners have named him an honorary employee. His picture can even be found on the employee board, which is displayed prominently in our office lobby.

I always enjoy seeing new employees go through orientation when they are shown the picture board and learn what each person does. I chuckle when they get to Jake’s picture. New employees are usually a bit baffled, but the confusion clears up quickly when they meet Jake — usually within just a few days.

It’s so great to work at a place that has such a welcoming environment. I guess I should have explained in my interview that I would be a two-for-one deal with my brother Jake.

—James Doyle, Director of Marketing and Sales, MaidPro

HAPPY EMPLOYEES HAPPY CUSTOMERSMaidPro’s first honorary employee


A few weeks ago, while my personal car was in for service, I had to use our MaidPro jeep.

That afternoon, when I picked up my 12-year-old daughter, Emily, at middle school, I noticed her surprise as I drove up to the pickup line. She smiled broadly when getting into the car and asked if I would have the MaidPro jeep the next day too.

I was ready to hear that she was going to opt for the bus so she would not have to be seen in such a colorful jeep. But, when I told

her I would be driving the jeep for another two days, she replied, “Great! I love being in the MaidPro jeep. All my friends think it is so cool and they think it is even cooler that my mom runs her own

business. I do too!”

I cannot tell you how proud that

moment made me feel. Part of the reason I decided to leave the fast-paced corporate world was to have some flexibility in my day,

certainly enough to drop off and pick up my daughter at school each day. To know that — at the age of 12 — my daughter thinks running your own business is cool is all right

by me!

—Marina L. Ward, Owner of MaidPro Grapevine, Texas

kids

Meet Cooper, our miniature MaidPro tycoon

Girls think a Mom running her own MaidPro business is ‘cool’

My 4-year old son, Cooper, spends a great deal of time in our MaidPro office with myself and the women. One day, Cooper was hanging out in Rebecca’s office while she was on a sales call. When the call ended, she pumped her fist in the air and shouted, “Yes!”

Cooper’s reply: “Bi-Weekly Becca?”

Another time, I arrived home from work one night and knelt down beside Cooper to ask how his day was. “Great,” he replied. Then he put his hands on my cheeks and asked very solemnly, “Did you sign up any new clients today?”

—Maxine Kenefsky, Owner of MaidPro Bellevue and Seattle, Washington

MAIDPRO


PETA service provider called in to our MaidPro office to say she had broken a client’s ceiling fan and it was hanging by the wires. Being a handy man, I gathered my bucket of tools and headed out to tackle the repair job myself.

When I arrived on the scene, I was greeted — to my delight — by two Great Danes.

I had a Great Dane when I was a child, but one of these was the biggest I had ever seen. As I was greeting my customer and explaining what I would do to fix the ceiling fan, the larger of the two Great Danes sauntered up behind me. She stuck her nose in between my legs, moved underneath me and lifted me off the ground. Suddenly, I was riding this horse of a dog around my customer’s house!

The customer was absolutely speechless. I was just trying to hold on and having the ride of my life. Suffice to say that a new nickname was born that day. It’s a story we share and laugh about often around our MaidPro office.

—Greg Ford, Owner of MaidPro Tulsa, Oklahoma

Coping with our clients’ pets is a fact of life for MaidPro service providers. Here are some funny stories about their adventures with some of our furrier friends.

tailsRide ‘emcowboy


One of our clients had requested that her service providers put her two dogs in the backyard to potty, letting them back inside the house just prior to leaving at the end of service.

The service providers had been doing this without a hitch for several years until one week, one of the dogs — his hind legs paralyzed so he drags himself around — decided it was hot outside and jumped into the swimming pool. He then began to whine loudly and the second dog was barking wildly.

The service provider thought the dog was going to drown so — clothes and all — jumped into the

pool to save him.

When the client was told of the incident, she laughed hysterically and said the partially paralyzed dog loves the pool, has no trouble swimming and whines because he is happy.

Meanwhile, the second dog is afraid of the water and barks wildly when anyone enters the pool, dog or human. Well at least we know our service providers really care about our clients and their pets!

—Janet Sklar, Owner of MaidPro Carrollton, Texas

Attention SPs: There will be no more swimming with customers’ dogs

“ The service provider thought the partially paralyzed dog was going to drown so — clothes and all — jumped into the pool to save him.”

PET TAILS


PET TAILS

Well hecertainlyacted likehe wasyour dog... Dear Kay,

I can understand your frustration. Let me be

the first to say that I am extremely sorry for

what happened with the dog. In discussing the

issue with the service providers who cleaned

your home this morning, I have a clearer

picture as to what occurred. As they were entering your home through your

garage, they returned to get a final item out

of their car. That is when they noticed the

white dog in your garage. When they saw this

little dog in the garage, they assumed it had

somehow snuck out to the garage when they were

carrying in their supplies. Since they were expecting dogs at your home,

they ushered the dog back inside and started

cleaning. Unfortunately, the dog was not yours

and you had to come home to an unpleasant mess

when you were expecting a clean house.

For your troubles, I have deducted $30 dollars

off of this cleaning. I hope you can understand

that this was a bizarre coincidence and not a

standard practice for MaidPro. Although we love

animals and wish they all had homes, we are not

in the habit of letting stray animals take up

residence in our customer’s homes if they do

not belong there!For future reference, I have made a note in

your customer file that your dogs will be left

outside and, if a white dog is hanging around

the house, it should not be let inside.

If you have further questions, please feel free

to contact me directly and please accept my

sincerest apology. Jason Ford Tulsa, Oklahoma


LOST & FOUND

Seriously honey! I really did lose my wedding ringOne of our MaidPro service providers found a man’s wedding ring among our client’s sofa cushions while cleaning. She left a note for the client with the ring on the kitchen counter. The next day the client called us amazed! She said her husband had lost his wedding ring three months before. They had looked everywhere with no luck.

As they prepared for a cross-country move, they had wrapped their furniture with cellophane to keep the cushions in place. The ring traveled across the country in the sofa only to resurface during our clean! The client was so happy she gave our service provider a VERY generous tip.


LOST & FOUND

I know you stole my Donald Trump bookSome time ago we had a client who was sure we had either stolen or misplaced his Donald Trump book. When we asked the service provider if he remembered seeing the book, his puzzled reply was: “Donald, who?”

We found it amusing that the service provider had no idea who Donald Trump was. Clearly, he had not stolen the book. I spoke with the client who was still determined to blame MaidPro for his missing book. The great part of this story is that our client had the decency to call us back and apologize when he later found the Donald Trump book in the trunk of his car. He kept expressing how embarrassed he was over the false accusation and wanted to be sure we passed along his apology to our service provider. We offer a human service. Anyone can make mistakes. We do. Our service providers do. Our customers do. It is a great thing to understand, recognize and express this with each other.

—Roy Ribas, Boston, Mass.


LOVEletters to MaidPro

We just LOVE it when people take the time to write to us with good news about MaidPro. We keep and cherish every letter, so please keep them coming!

Dear MaidPro,

Thank you for having such a great mentoring program!. My first really awful client made me feel so bad that I felt like quitting the business. My MaidPro mentor helped me to understand that it is okay to fire an unreasonably difficult client. Though I would love to have the money, the anxiety and the feeling of being out of control are gone.

This has made an amazing difference in my attitude about being a business owner.Thanks again MaidPro!.


LOVE LETTERS TO MAIDPRO

Dear MaidPro:

I am sure everybody can

relate to the big

holiday rush, getting

the house ready f

or

visitors, shopping, de

corating and bakin

g. This

year, on top of ever

ything else, I had be

en

sick and underwent

surgery on December 10.

I was not supposed

to lift anything a

nd even

everyday chores lik

e washing dishes le

ft me

tired. My sister was planni

ng to visit with

my brother-in-law on

Christmas weekend

and I did not have

the energy to clea

n the

house in preparatio

n for their visit. I

called

MaidPro on Monday December 20 wi

th low

hope of finding ava

ilability. However, A

lice

was so wonderful

and helpful, fitting

me in on

the Wednesday of t

hat week. She also

fit my

boyfriend’s house in

on Christmas Eve.

Your service provide

r, Gloria, did wonde

rs at

my house while Chery

l made my boyfriend’s

house sparkling cle

an. When my sister v

isited,

she was very impressed w

ith both of our

homes. Thank you to M

aidPro, Alice, Glori

a,

and Cheryl. You sa

ved my Christmas this ye

ar!

—Zeynep Akkan


LOVE LETTERS TO MAIDPRO

Dear MaidPro Friends and Almost Family,It is with mixed emotions that I write this farewell

letter. We started MaidPro of Leonia, N.J. in March 2008

and grew the business one client at a time through a

challenging economy and a difficult personal time.The most important news is that our son, Ben, who was

diagnosed with Leukemia two years ago, is finishing his

treatment at the end of May and is now in remission. He

feels great, is going to kindergarden, plays with friends

and looks like a normal and healthy kid. We pray that it

will continue this way.The last two years have taught us the importance of

family and how difficult it is for us to live so far away

from our immediate families. Therefore we have decided to

return to Israel, our home country. We sold our business to Bill Hutchinson who will carry

the mantle for MaidPro Leonia forward. Bill is a great

guy and we ask that you please welcome him to the MaidPro

family. We wish him all the luck in growing MaidPro of

Leonia and making it a success.I want to personally thank you for your prayers for the

health of our son Ben. Thank you for the financial help

that we received from MaidPro and for all the support and

caring from owners and the MaidPro home office.Thank you for giving me the privilege to be a part of the

MaidPro community — such a smart, intelligent and caring

group of people. Wishing you all health and business

success in all your future endeavors!Sincerely,Sharon Sagie-Rubinov


maidpro behind the clean

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