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| Oct. 14 Residential Cleaning Connection: The Convention Special |
 The Residential Cleaning Connection October 14, 2011 Volume 2, Convention Special Chris' Corner  With the ARCSI Cleaning Convention literally justdays away, staff is busy preparing - as are many of you -for the education and networking fest that is Convention.
For those of you unable to attend this year, you can keep up with all the happenings by following us on Twitter (@_arcsi) and watching for trending topics on the Convention (#arcsi2011). All of our education sessions will be recorded, so you don't have to miss the great information that our incredibly knowledgeable speakers will be dealing out in Las Vegas. We will be videotaping several sessions as well. Watch for information on how to order video downloads of "The Nitty Gritty Basics", "Marketing for Long Term Gains", "How NOT to Run a Residential Cleaning Business - If I Knew Then What I Know Now", and "Transitions: From the Field to the Office, From the Office to Leadership." The videotaping sessions is new for us this year. Actually, there is A LOTat ARCSI recently.This has been a year of growth for ARCSI. With our financial foundation strong and our membership growing, volunteers and staff have implemented a number of new programs that I hope will engage you. The first meeting of the ARCSI Legislative Action Committee will take place on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Convention. Governmental Relations is an integral part of any trade association. Advocacy for our members has always been an ARCSI goal, and we are moving forward, making it a top priority in 2012. The LAC will play animportant part in determining where ARCSI stands on a number of issues affecting small business. If you are interested in participating,contact Executive Director Ernie Hartong at ernie@arcsi.org. The much anticipatedARCSI Synergy Groups will also make their debut at the 2011 Convention. These virtual roundtables will meet monthly to help members improve their businesses, solve problems and act as sounding boards. These Synergy Groups will be available exclusivelyto ourSilver and Gold members, who make enhanced investments inthe association. For more information on Synergy Groups, contact me at chris@arcsi.org. To kick off the Convention experience,ARCSI members will be touring the Zappos facility on Tuesday afternoon. Legendary for their customer service and client loyalty, Zappos has literally written the book on a customer-focused culture. The tour is an excellent lead in to our Keynote Speakers from Zappos, who will present on Thursday afternoon. The ARCSI Member Lounge, sponsored by KYSO/Speed Cleaning,will offer members a place to relax, chat with friends, get personal, one-on-one coaching and catch a breather during the week. Look for the Lounge in room N119. Thanks to the dedication and tenacity of member Stephanie Nesseth of Absolutely Clean, we are pleased to offer the ARCSI Ambassador's Silent Auction ONLINE for the first time this year! Having the auction items online allows members not attending the Convention to bid on big ticket items such as a private aerial tour of the Chicago Skyline with Board Member Jeff Lange, a stay at Ellen and Chunky Folk's Gulf Shore condo,or a complete 2012 Convention Package (including hotel stay and airfare). To view the complete list of auction items, click here. Bidding will close at 5 pm EDT on October 20, so that the live auction in Las Vegas can take place. You know what they say: Bid early and bid often! Finally, the Convention will close with the ARCSI After Party - complete with dancing and DJ - on Friday night. A fantastic way to let off some steam after a long week of learning, the After Party is sure to generate a lot of post-Convention chatter. Thanks for allowing me to bend your ear while Ernie finishes up the Convention details. If YOU have ideas or thoughts on new ARCSI initiatives, I'd love to hear them. Drop me a line at chris@arcsi.org or give me a call anytime at 614-547-0887. Our members make my job exciting, and the best job I've ever had. See you in Vegas! Chris Zimmer
The 2012 ARCSI Silent Auction is now online and open for bidding!  Until
now, the items in the annual silent auction were open only to
Convention attendees. This year, Stephanie Nesseth of Absolutely Clean
has donated the use of her web guru and her website to host an online
version of the auction.Items include:
Bidding closes at 5 pm EDT on Thursday, October 20 in order for the bidding in Las Vegas to take place. Click here to bid now.
So what does being a VIP mean? Glad you asked. Cohron and Vance will enjoy:
Along with other surprises throughout the 2011 Convention. Congratulations, Ines and Sarah and we hope you enjoy your VIP experience! ARCSI is once again offering a way to enhance the education offered at the Cleaning Convention. The four hour Bonus Sessions have become can't miss events, going into depth of detail that allows both presenters and participants to really "drill down" into the issues discussed. This year, Bonus Sessions will be offered by industry experts
Sharon Tinberg and Debbie Sardone. Both sessions will be held at the
Bally's Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Cost for
the Bonus Sessions is $59 for Gold members and their staff, $69 for
Silver members and their staff and $79 for Bronze members and their
staff. Nonmember registration is $99.  The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Owners, Managers and Cleaners with Sharon Tinberg of Rags to Riches. Habits are something you do daily that you have no idea you're doing. They define who you are and what kind of life you will have - good or bad. The
individual habits of an owner and their staff, when combined, determine
what kind of company you will have - successful or unsuccessful. This
Bonus Session will define what a habit is, how to create them, how to
get them all working together and how to change them. In addition, there
will be a fairly in-depth study of the seven habits of highly
successful owners, managers and cleaners. Click here for more information or to register for The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Owners, Manager and Cleaners withe Sharon Tinberg.  Training Managers Boot Camp with Debbie Sardone of The Maid Service CoachOwner's who are interested in improving their training program and who are willing to make dramatic changes in their organization are in for a treat with this Bonus Session. Field Managers who currently do the primary training of new staff will be interested as well! Sardone will cover "Training 101", including curriculum
based training,the scope & duration of a successful training
program and the do's & don'ts of a successful training week. She'll
also cover
the training managers tasksand duties; the cleaning system and the "deal breakers." Click here for more information or to register for Training Managers Boot Camp with Debbie Sardone.Labeling Your Employees as Independent Contractors? Here's a Head's Up
Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Utah Washington, Hawaii, Illinois and Montana, as well as with New York's attorney general, all signed agreements to share information with the DOL andthe Internal Revenue Service as the Dept. of Laborgets more aggressive in its program to crack down on businesses that cheat workers out of their wages. The intent of the investigation is to help Labor officials target businesses that improperly label workers as independent contractors or as non-employees to deprive workers of minimum wage and overtime pay. Misclassifying workers also lets companies avoid paying workers compensation, unemployment insurance and federal taxes. Businesses that have been improperly labeling their employees as independent contractors did catch a small break, however: A new Internal Revenue Service program will allow those businesses to reclassify workers and make only a small payment to cover past payroll taxes. To read the entire article from Forbes, click here.
ARCSI Image Award Finalists Will Vie for Trophies in Las Vegas
Best Vehicle Wrap * Better Life Maids, St. Louis, MO Owner, Matt Ricketts * Harmony Clean, Doylestown, PA Owners: Vicki Brown & Deb Sarandrea * San Diego Pro Cleaning, San Diego, CA Owner: Kevin Atto Best Web Site - Be sure to click on the links to view the nominees before Convention! * Teresa's Family Cleaning, www.teresasfamilycleaning.com, Rocky Point, NY Owner: Teresa Ward * A Zing Zap Cleaning Service, www.zingzap.com, Minneola, FL, Owner: Dee Strickland * Crystal Clear Homes, www.crystalclearhome.net , Sebastopol, CA Owner: Erica Piorkowski Best Logo * Ask Alice Home Cleaning & Services, Troy, MI, Owner: Mike Grecky * Harmony Clean, Doylestown, PA Owners: Vicki Brown & Deb Sarandrea * Better Life Maids, St. Louis, MO Owner, Matt Ricketts Best Uniform * Harmony Clean, Doylestown, PA Owners: Vicki Brown & Deb Sarandrea * Better Life Maids, St. Louis, MO Owner, Matt Ricketts Best Newsletter * A & A Cleaning Service, Pearland, TX Owner: Mona Chavarria * Sponge & Sparkle, Chamblee, GA, Owner: Raina Raflo, * Better Life Maids, St. Louis, MO Owner, Matt Ricketts Best Marketing and Branding * Enid's Cleaning Service, Rochester, IN Owner: Enid Tate-Shepherd * Better Life Maids, St. Louis, MO Owner, Matt Ricketts * Triangle Green Cleaning, Raleigh, NC, Owner: Joe McCutcheon NLRB Postpones Implementation of New Pro-Union Poster The National Labor Relations Board is postponing the effective date of a new rule requiring most private businesses to put up a poster that tells workers about their right to form a union. The board said Wednesday there has been so much confusion about which businesses are covered under the rule that officials want to conduct more outreach, especially to small and medium sized businesses. "We got a lot of calls from various businesses that are just not familiar with this law and are not aware they even fall under our jurisdiction," said board spokeswoman Nancy Cleeland. The rule was supposed to take effect on Nov. 14, but that date has now been moved to Jan. 31. It requires nearly every private business to post the 11-by-17-inch notice in a prominent location explaining a worker's right to bargain collectively, distribute union literature and engage in other union activities without reprisal. The poster includes language explaining the legal right not to join a union. "We realize we need to do a lot more outreach to let businesses know that the National Labor Relations Act covers employers whether or not they have a unionized work force," Cleeland said. The rule produced outrage in the business community and at least three major lawsuits challenging the board's authority to require companies to put up the poster. Businesses groups trying to block the rule - the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Federation of Independent Business are among them - claim the posters are a government effort to encourage workers to unionize. Congratulations to Harmony Clean!  Congratulations
of ARCSI members Debi Sarandrea and Vicki Brown, owners of Harmony
Clean in Doylestown, PA. The sisters and co-owners were recently named
"The Best of Bucks/Mont" in the house cleaning division. "The
Best of Bucks/Mont" is a reader voted contest that allows consumers to
choose their favorite businesses in Bucks and Mont counties. Harmony
Clean started in 2003 and has been an ARCSI member since 2009. The
owners and staff are all incredibly involved in their community and
local causes, including Gilda's Club, Cleaning for a Reason, Cleaning
for Heroes, Habitat for Humanity and Green Collaboration. Small Biz Programs Extended into 2012 The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 has opened many doors to start-up and growing businesses, providing tax incentives that have been extended into the 2012 fiscal year. The budgets for many small business loans have been increased to allow more applicants to receive financing and various programs have raised their loan limit amounts for eligible loan recipients. SBA can approve up to $15 billion for 20,000 businesses in fiscal years 2011 and 2012. You can find many of the loan programs with increased limits on Benefits.gov and GovLoans.gov.
Don't let 2012 pass you by without exploring all available options for you and your business. |
ARCSI
members Ines Cohron and Sara Vance have been announced as the 2011
ARCSI Convention VIPs. At the April Executive Leader Conference, Cohron
and Vance were the first to complete the task of obtaining all of the
Convention Committee's signatures on their ARCSI: In It to Win It
playing card.
The
US Department of Labor recently announced that it has signed agreements
with 11 state agencies to end the practice of "misclassifying employees
in order to avoid providing employment protections."
The
ARCSI Image Awards are voted on by members at the annual Cleaning
Convention. Nominees in each category have been narrowed to the top
three finalists (fewer, if there were few applicants in that category)
in each category. You can find the finalists' materials and voting
information in the ARCSI Member Lounge at the Las Vegas Convention
Center Wednesday and Thursday of Convention week.
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