- November 17, 2020
- Posted by: bluclean
- Categories: Carpet Cleaning Chicago, Commercial Cleaning, Janitorial Cleaning, Mold Remediation Services, Upholstery Cleaning
Running a small but mighty business
Trends and practices have been shifting dramatically in the commercial and corporate cleaning industry in the past year. We got a chance to sit down and talk with our CEO, Saul Marchan, to discuss things about his everyday life such as being a CEO running a small business and the changes that have come Blu’s way in the past seven years.
Marchan’s has an early start in the corporate cleaning world.
“I have two families. My Blu family and my immediate family. Finding a balance is always a top priority. I always try to make sure that I keep business and family separate, but in Business and Entrepreneurship, you really can’t. I have to be honest, it is hard to separate the two, you just have to try to know how much time you have those pockets to split with your family time and business. You have to learn to mix it up.”
What’s your favorite thing about being a CEO?
“What my favorite thing about being a CEO is a great question! It’s the pressure, it’s the pressure of making sure as a business that we are creating opportunities and that we are creating a strong brand. I want the brand to live past me. That once I am no longer here Blu will continue. How I look at it is, creating opportunities for everyone working at this company and ensuring that there’s a purpose. We’re only 7 years in, I want to make sure the company and brand are still going on the right path. I know I’m not going to run it forever. I am looking at how I can set up individuals working for Blu in the long run. Not everybody who’s in the company now will be here in a year or 5 down the road. I am constantly looking at how we can make this even better and how can I make sure that it stays forever and ever. You are the CEO like they say of your own life. it’s your discipline and decision making. I always talk to people like I’m not a perfect guy and I’m glad I’m not, but you don’t want to be perfect. I want to make sure that there’s always a different thing to do and improve on every day and so on. it’s your mindset, you guys can be CEOs of anything you want to be. Being a CEO is a position that takes a lot of energy and a lot of persistence with the right decision-making skills.”
Let’s talk about some key services we offer, how did these come about?
“We offer a wide range of specialty services, commercial cleaning, and janitorial. A lot of it is typical day-to-day work. We had to find what separated us from the pack. When you’re starting out if you’re starting out there are still a lot of other cleaning companies. my job was to ask myself “how do I get Blu out of that beginner’s pack?” One thing I learned straight away was to always listen to your clients. Clients will help you innovate and will help you bring new ideas. The one thing I always wanted to make sure we weren’t going to deviate from the original goal. We had one of our bigger clients ask if we offer mold remediation and water damage services. What happened next was taking up those services because they were a bigger client. We decided to become a one-stop-shop for them instead of them having to go somewhere else. We decided to get certified. We sent our guys to Atlanta to get certified in that area. You’re a resource for your client. How do you become a resource? finding solutions and guidance. That is how Blu ended up going with deciding what other services we could specialize in. That is what will separate us from the pack of commercial cleaning companies in the Chicagoland area. It’s important to have a diverse portfolio of services. I am all about staying ready. I am not trying to get ready, I’m not trying to look to get ready. We need to stay ready and be an expert in our field. We should be talking about how we can provide expert consultation and how we can promote and bring about a healthier and safer environment with a large range of services.”
What are things you do to make sure you’re staying up to date with the industry?
“I love reading and I love listening to podcasts. I love it in the sense that there are always challenges out there that you have to be aware of. I subscribed to a bunch of different podcasts. I always get these notifications on breaking news, like the CDC. Especially in today’s climate. There are new chemicals that have a 30 to 60 days life span. I am a part of 3 masterminds groups. These groups recruit, there is one for the cleaning industry that helps provide information. “
As our conversation flowed we wanted to know more about the company culture at Blu. Blu is a Veteran owned business that mainly employs people of color, which many consider minorities. We asked Saul how this influences his business as well as his life.
“I have a job to do when I’m out here promoting business and minority-owned entities. Unfortunately, we don’t come from a background of rich individuals with people who had great opportunities to teach their kids or grandkids about finance about how to run a business.”
In today’s climate, it is important to note that being proud of your business and culture is important to push a narrative for those who have hopes of becoming a business like Blu Commercial cleaning.
