Execute! We have a saying in our office: “less meetings, more doing.”
Michael Scharf, MyClean’s CEO, started the company in 2009 when he realized the need for a convenient online service to book home cleaning for him and his friends. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, he worked in investment banking at Banc of America Securities. Michael attended Claremont McKenna college and played on the school’s basketball team, a hobby he continues to this day. Michael hopes to make MyClean a nationwide brand in the coming years while leading it to continued success.
Where did the idea for MyClean come from?
I heard about the idea for MyClean from my friend Mike Russell, who actually started the company before I joined them to take over responsibility running it.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I do my best to balance handling day to day responsibilities while still taking time to focus on big picture strategic growth initiatives. Usually I am in front of my computer by 8am, I get through my morning emails, I schedule any of my morning meetings or walk throughs for around 10am or 11am. In the afternoon, I usually try to be in the office for meetings, performance reviews, emails, review of the company’s financials or any strategic initiatives we have, etc.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I push things through and work with my team to make sure everything is followed through with. The biggest thing is determined how to allocate the company’s funds.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
The overall trend of online shopping is a great tail-wind for our business.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
My ability to have laser like focus and execution.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
Reverse commuting to Greenwich Connecticut was an eye opener for me. I leaned I don’t like spending a lot of time commuting and I don’t like worrying about when I can come and go.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would have made our cleaning staff employees from the very start instead of waiting a year.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Execute! We have a saying in our office: “less meetings, more doing”. At a start-up this is hugely important!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
We decided to bootstrap our company and focus on profitable growth. That’s helped us focus on opportunities that make a profit, not a loss. Not taking on outside institutional capital has allowed us to grow at a measured pace.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
One failure I had was rebuilding our website’s technology, the project was hugely over-budget, 8 months behind schedule and I had to bring on a new team to finish the project.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I am a huge advocate of health and believe the trend towards “real food” is in its infancy. Find a way to get involved in that space.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I am scared of cats.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
Quickbooks is an amazing way to organize financials.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Zappos: Delivering Happiness. Too many business fail the customer service side of the business. To me, no matter how successful a business is if you fail to provide amazing customer service then you have failed.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
Tony Hsieh revolutionized my thoughts towards making outstanding customer service a staple of a great business. It’s paid dividends at MyClean and will continue to be our foundation.
Connect:
MyClean on Twitter: @MyClean
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.