This document discusses finding and hiring good employees for a cleaning business. It provides tips for finding employees through referrals, advertising in local papers and community boards, and contacting the local unemployment office. Once candidates are identified, it recommends conducting a pre-employment test and trial period to evaluate work performance and determine if the candidate is a good fit for the role. The regional contacts and franchisee meeting schedules are also included.
1. In This
Issue
Finding Good
Employees
Franchisee Profile:
Total Cleaning
Solutions,AZ
Small Business
Tax Tips
Franchisee
Business Meeting
Schedules
Training Calendar
Franchise Referral
Program
T H E F R A N C H I S E E S ’ N E W S L E T T E R F R O M O P E N W O R K S ®
A P R I L 2 0 1 3
Hard-working employeescan be hard to find.For a cleaning business,you need able-bodied employees
who are able to follow directions closely. If you plan on sending employees to clean properties without supervision, you
should check into their background to ensure they are trustworthy. Advertising for help in the right places increases your
chances of finding the right employees for your cleaning business. If you do not require your employees have a college
degree,you will have access to more of the available workforce.
peningDoors
REFERRALS
1. The best way to find good employees is through re-
ferrals. Ask your current crew if they have friends that might
be interested and qualified. Ask your family members and
friends and members of networking groups that you may
be associated with.
ADVERTISE
2. Advertise the position in the local paper and in
any student papers near your business.Get at least a quar-
ter-page ad and explain what benefits will come with work-
ing for your cleaning company.Decorate the ad with a rel-
evant picture that catches the eye – be sure to contact the
OpenWorks Marketing Department and share a proof of
your ad with them before print to ensure that it follows all
necessary guidelines.
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARDS
3. Put up advertisements on community bulletin
boards. Look for these boards at local thrift stores,universi-
ties and churches.
LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE
4. Contact your local unemployment office. They
will often have already screened candidates that they can pro-
vide to you. Each state is a little different,but most have a lo-
cal government agency that will not only assist unemployed
candidates but will also assist small business owners in their
recruitment efforts. Please visit the sites below for further in-
formation and phone numbers for your local office:
ARIZONA – http://phoenix.gov/econdev/phxwc/index.html
WASHINGTON – http://www.worksourceskc.org/default.php
TEXAS – http://www.twc.state.tx.us/customers/bemp/
businesses-employers.html
ILLINOIS – http://www.theworkforceconnection.org/
emp_main.cfm
CALIFORNIA – http://www.worksourcecalifornia.com/
MAKING THE‘RIGHT’HIRE
Once you have identified your candidate it is always
a good idea to follow the below steps to ensure that you are
making a“RIGHT”hire:
continued on page 4
FindingGOODEmployees
2. FRANCHISEE PROFILE
Innovation
“When you expect things to
happen - strangely enough -
they do happen."
JOHN P. MORGAN, FINANCIER
AND POWER BROKER
“It's choice, not chance, that
determines your destiny."
JEAN NIDETCH, WHO STARTED
WEIGHT WATCHERS IN HER
NEW YORK APARTMENT IN 1963
AND SOLD IT WITH REVENUES
OF $1 BILLION IN 1978
“Innovation distinguishes
between a leader and
a follower."
STEVE JOBS, APPLE CO-FOUNDER
“The entrepreneur always
searches for change, responds
to it, and exploits it as an
opportunity."
PETER F. DRUCKER, MANAGEMENT
CONSULTANT AND SELF-DESCRIBED
SOCIAL ECOLOGIST
“It takes 20 years to build a
reputation and five minutes to
ruin it. If you think about that,
you'll do things differently."
WARREN BUFFETT, BERKSHIRE
HATHAWAY CEO AND STOCK
MARKET LEGEND
“Be smart, but never show it."
LOUIS B. MAYER, KNOWN AS THE
"CZAR OF HOLLYWOOD."
In June 2007,The Perez Family was looking for a business that they could start as a
family. Cristina Perez and her daughter, Teresa along with Teresa’s husband, Esteban
Valdez; learned about the OpenWorks franchise opportunity and it peaked their interest.
After several meetings they purchased an OW5 package and in just 5 years they have
grown their business and it is now one of the largest in the OpenWorks franchise system.
When they started the business Teresa never thought that they would come this far.
She thought that they would have a couple of accounts and be done with it. However,Tere-
sa found that she was truly able to accomplish the “American Dream” and has not only
grown the business but has established strong relationships with her clients and has a very
solid business.
Teresa is looking forward to continued structured growth with OpenWorks. She is
now able to achieve her dream of providing her parents with an early retirement. Teresa is
incredibly proud of her business, proud of her team and all those that work with her. She is
very happy with all the support that she receives from the OpenWorks team. In the future,
Teresa would like to learn how to better sell her own accounts. She would like to get to the
point where she can have a supervisor to manage the day-to-day operations and take care
of her customers so that she can focus solely on selling her own accounts.
When asked what contributed to the success that the Perez family has achieved,Tere-
sa said,“Attitude and persistence and working as a team with my family and employees.
Employees are the key to your success and they have to do a lot – you must invest in them.
I usually find good employees through referrals from family members, friends and current
employees. I came into the business with no cleaning experience and so working along-
side OpenWorks – the Sales and Operations team has guided me through the industry. The
monthly franchise meetings and trainings have provided a lot of good information and are
very helpful.”
OpenWorks is very lucky to have the Perez Family onboard. They are incredibly reli-
able and always willing to help. They assist with field training of not only new franchisees
but also new employees.They are a role model among the franchise community and a lot of
franchise owners look to them for inspiration. We will always be grateful to the Perez fami-
ly for the value they bring to the OpenWorks organization.
Total
Cleaning
Solutions,
AZ Region
Teresa Perez
3. source: sba.com
BETTER BUSINESS PRACTICE
4. Avoid Common Audit Traps – It is very important to be aware of potential
red flags which could include:
• Classifying Employees as Independent Contractors – Independent con-
tractors and employees are not the same and it is important to understand
the difference.In the eyes of the IRS,misclassification can be seen as an at-
tempt to avoid payroll taxes;non-compliance can bring penalties and back
taxes.
• Home Office Deduction –This deduction is very specific and not all home-
based businesses qualify. Know how to determine if you are eligible to
claim this deduction and what specific expenses may be deducted.
• Large Sum Miscellaneous Deductions – If you claim a large amount of
itemized deductions or miscellaneous expenses, relative to your income,
the IRS could get suspicious.Be specific and label every deduction.
5. Keep Business and Personal Expenses Separate
The IRS scrutinizes personal expenses that may have been claimed as a
business expense, such as the use of a business vehicle, for personal use.
Maintain separate bank and credit card accounts for your business and per-
sonal use.Be diligent about keeping good records.
For more specific information regarding preparation of Small Business taxes
visit the IRS at: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Em-
ployed/Small-Business-and-Self-Employed-Tax-Center-1
April 15th is just around the corner and hopefully you are
well on your way to completing the preparation of your taxes for filing
with the IRS. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind:
1. Keep Good Records and Understand Available Deductions
Proper record-keeping year-round is the first step to ensure taxes are
filed accurately. Save essential paperwork that could be needed to
back-up deduction claims,should there be an audit.Keep it in mind
that tax credits and deductions change each year.
2. Utilize the Small Business Jobs Act Tax Provisions
The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, signed into law by President
Obama,has over 17 tax provisions to decrease tax burdens for small
businesses—several of these provisions can be taken advantage of
during this year’s tax season.Utilizing these provisions could provide
great savings for your business.
3. Remember the tax credits within the Affordable Care Act
These tax credits will allow small businesses to cover up to 35 per-
cent of the health care premiums a small business pays to cover its
workers.In 2014,the tax credit will increase to 50 percent.
Small Business Tax Tips
4. Franchise
Referral Program
— Regional Contacts —
Arizona
Don Speck
DonS@OpenWorksWeb.com
602.772.3027
California
Bob Hurd
Bob.Hurd@OpenWorksWeb.com
562.428.9210,x402
Illinois
Ryan Dosenberry
Ryan.Dosenberry@OpenWorksWeb.com
847-993-9826
Texas
Dennis Reid
DennisR@OpenWorksWeb.com
214-260-3761,ext.153
Washington
Tony Orso
TonyO@OpenWorksWeb.com
425-827-0550,ext.305
Please forward your comments,
newsletter contributions,
or suggestions to:
Opening Doors Newsletter
4742 North 24th Street
Suite 450
Phoenix,AZ 85016
fax:602.772.3028
E-mail the editor:
info@openworksweb.com
www.openworksfranchise.com
ARIZONA
Meetings will be held on select Fridays:
12:30pm – 3:00pm. Space is limited, RSVP
to your regional office to reserve a seat!
Meeting topics are subject to change.
Friday, May 31st
Accounting: Organization/Taxes
CALIFORNIA
Meetings will be held on select Fridays:
12:30pm – 3:00pm. Space is limited, RSVP
to your regional office to reserve a seat!
Meeting topics are subject to change.
Friday, April 19th
Carpet Cleaning
ILLINOIS
Meetings will be held on select Fridays:
12:30pm – 3:00pm. Space is limited, RSVP
to your regional office to reserve a seat!
Meeting topics are subject to change.
Wednesday, April 10th
OSHA Bio Hazard Cleaning
TEXAS
Meetings will be held on select Fridays:
11:00pm – 1:00pm. Space is limited, RSVP
to your regional office to reserve a seat!
Meeting topics are subject to change.
Saturday, June 8th
Up Selling to your Clients:Additional Services
and Tag Jobs
WASHINGTON
Meetings will be held on select Fridays:
1:00pm – 3:00pm. Space is limited, RSVP
to your regional office to reserve a seat!
Meeting topics are subject to change.
Friday, June 7th
Floor Work
2013 Franchisee
Business Meeting Schedules
FirstWorksTM Training
Graduates
Congratulations to the following graduates
who successfully completed the intense 10-day
FirstWorks training program.
Texas California
Annie and Neil Delossantos
Clark Sullivan
1. Create a pre-employment test for candidates
to take when they submit their resume.Ask about their
career goals,experience with cleaning and priorities.Offer-
ing short answer questions will show you more about po-
tentialemployeesthanstandardfill-in-the-blankquestions.
2. Meet with the candidates.If you see someone
with potential, hire them on a trial basis. See how they
perform and whether you want to keep them on as a
regular employee.
We wish you luck with your search – though it is
never easy to find a good employee,if you make use of
these tools you are halfway there! Watch this space next
month to learn how you can RETAIN good employees
once you find them.
The OpenWorks Human Resources Department
is always available to help you answer any
employee related questions and suggest
solutions for resolving employee relation issues.
The program is very simple – just call
the Regional Director in your region
and give him/her your name and the
name and phone number of the
person whom you are referring.If the
referral decides to purchase an
OpenWorks franchise,then you make…
First Referral = $ 750.00
Second Referral = $1,000.00
Third Referral = $1,250.00
----------------------------------------------
* referrals that result in a sale *
OpenWorks
Celebrates
30 Years!
Watch this space for some OpenWorks
Milestones. Do you have any burning
questions about OpenWorks and its
history?! Now is the time to get
answers – email your questions to the
editor at info@openworksweb.com and
watch out for them in upcoming issues!
Finding Good Employees
continued from page 1