In the business of clean, as with most endeavors, “it”™s about being good to the clients.”
Tommy LaRosa, president and CEO of LaRosa”™s Cleaning and Building Maintenance, is going on 20 years in business in Norwalk.
“We began with one vacuum and one mop,” said LaRosa. “I first went house to house, selling myself. I”™ve never advertised, to this day it”™s still word of mouth. We started doing houses and then commercial accounts.”
LaRosa said his honest persona helped his business grow. He soon brought his wife Julia on board to help. Today the business has the LaRosa”™s four sons, nieces and nephews working, as well.
“We do everything, but we specialize in medical buildings,” said LaRosa. “It”™s a team effort. If it”™s going to be a family business I want it to stay a family business and everyone gets their say-so in it.”
LaRosa has made a name for himself in Fairfield County and has most recently bought out Clean As A Whistle cleaning company in New York City. The company will be referred to as Clean As A Whistle by LaRosa”™s Cleaning.
“We”™re not in it to make a huge amount of money; I enjoy what I do, we are cleaning people,” said LaRosa. “It”™s about being good to the clients.”
LaRosa said the economy has slowed business somewhat, though the family has seen just as many competitors start up as have been weeded out.
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“My thing is, give people what they want,” said LaRosa. “It sounds cliché, but the customer is always first in my book. You give them a good price and good quality work. There are a lot of bad apples out there that are giving cleaning companies bad names. We”™re not just another cleaning company. You”™re talking to me and that”™s it.”
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LaRosa doesn”™t have his clients sign contracts.
“I shake your hand, that”™s our contract,” said LaRosa. “I haven”™t gotten a complaint yet.”
A few years ago, LaRosa began using green cleaning products and became Green Seal Certified.
“We started it because we like doing as much to help the environment as we can,” said LaRosa. “It”™s great to be able to say. A lot of the medical buildings are getting into green; they”™ve begun to seek us out for that. You don”™t want the chemicals all over everything, plus they smell and a lot of people have allergies to them.”
La Rosa”™s cleans at Norwalk Hospital, St. Vincent”™s Medical Center in Bridgeport, and Bridgeport Hospital.
Robert Feinberg founder and CEO of ItsNotAPain.com cleaning in Valhalla, NY, echoes the value-added mentality of LaRosa.Â
“Everyone needs a cleaning company, but you need one that”™s reputable,” said Feinberg. “If you can be of value to people and achieve something that they need that”™s great, but in this climate you also need to understand the structure and what not overcharging people can do for your repeat business. It doesn”™t sound like it”™s about marketing, but it is because a repeat customer will market your name to other people.”
ItsNotAPain.com does residential cleaning in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and commercial cleaning across the country.
Feinberg said the majority of other businesses have reduced their cleaning from five and six days to three days each week. He said most commercial locations are reducing the amount of time during which they are cleaned.
“In some businesses they don”™t realize that by doing that they”™re in fact hurting themselves,” said Feinberg. “The first image for a retailer is your window, if it”™s nice and clean it”™s inviting; it gives the impression of a nice atmosphere. If you”™re in the food industry, you should do your windows at least once every week. In this economy you might not make a lot on one job but you have to be ready to do volume with good quality. You”™ve got to give more service for less money, if you can do that you”™re going to survive.”
Feinberg said at the start of 2010, he has seen businesses begin to open their doors again, but he said there is a sense that most business owners are going to think twice before they make any moves.
“Before it was: You do this; OK we”™ll sign you up,” said Feinberg. “Now, people don”™t care if they know you, they”™re going to be checking competitor”™s prices first. You better make sure you”™re doing good business. You need professionalism and quality. It”™s a pretty simple equation but living up to it is another thing.”
