Live @ Five!

Freedom Cleaning is pleased to announce our official sponsorship of the 2012 Live @ Five!

Live @ Five is a seasonal outdoor concert series that takes place on Fridays from 5-9 p.m. in Town Square Park every April and October. It's become such a popular Hattiesburg tradition for neighborhood residents, Britney and I included, and we're ecstatic to be a part of it!

If you have never been, let me warn you, Live @ Five is truly addictive! There is no better way to spend your post-work week winddown than seated in a folding chair or spread out on a blanket, enjoying a philly cheesesteak from Floyd's Grill (just one of several delicious local food vendors) and sipping cold brew sold as a fundraiser for Sacred Heart School. Not to mention that the entire community turns out to enjoy the free live music.

This year features a great line-up for April:

SPRING 12' SCHEDULE:
4/6 - GOOD FRIDAY - NO LIVE @ FIVE
4/13 - Dr. E & the Mississippi Voodoo Kings (from Hattiesburg)
4/20 - The Revelers (from Baton Rouge)
4/27 - The Monophonics (from San Francisco)
5/4 - Snarky Puppy (from Brooklyn)

For more info on Live @ Five, visit the event Facebook page.

Read More

Growth

Growing a business, I'm guessing, is a lot like raising a child. You conceive an idea, push out a product, shape and influence it to the point that it stands on its own and hopefully, no longer needs your constant, obsessive attention. Perhaps by that point you're on baby #2.

Right now, Freedom Cleaning is definitely in its infancy.We served our first client on Nov. 8., so we're carrying barely a 4-month old. At this stage, the baby demands full attention. If you don't keep your eyes on the goal of growing, it's easy to be lulled into complacency. Whether you're pushing meals, shoes, real estate, or cleaning services, as a small business owner, you have to stay hungry.  

I'm starting to believe that business is more of an art form than a science. You have to keep one foot grounded in the reality of numbers, i.e. 'How many clients do we have and how can we serve more?' but the other foot has to stay in the clouds, i.e. 'How many clients do we want?' and more long term,  'How can we have a real impact on our community?'

Every business will fail if it doesn't build wealth. Since we weren't millionaires to begin with, we had to start with another sort of capital--the "knowsome" kind. As in, you know someone who knows someone who needs our service. And word spread like a game of telephone. Yet we're still largely unknown, and that's a major opportunity. If I had to sum up the Freedom Cleaning marketing approach, it would be.. Network for your life!

Along those lines, we've been given a great opportunity to participate with the Ladies' Evening Out event this coming Monday, Feb. 27 from 6-8 p.m. at the Neal House, produced by Jennifer Clark of Emerge Events. It's a showcase of 20 women-owned/women-targeted local businesses. By that time, we'll be showing off our brand new logo and brochure. It's free to attend, so if you're in Hattiesburg, stop by for drinks, hors d'oeuvres and door prizes. We'll be giving away a free 2-hour cleaning to one winner. If you're feeling as lucky as we do these days, you should definitely try your hand.

Read More