Steve Toburen answers pleas for help from carpet cleaners, mold remediation and fire and water damage restoration professionals. If you are starting a carpet cleaning business or an experienced small business person you will surely find practical advice here.

A premium Georgia carpet cleaner looks to expand into the budget cleaning market with a “parallel operation” operated with his existing staff and building. Steve isn’t real positive but would like other cleaner’s thoughts. Read and chime in …

An Oregon water loss carpet expert struggles with being completely up front with the homeowner of a water damaged home versus the customer’s desire for “Immediate Action”. Guess who wins with Steve?

All of us brag about our “imagined percentages” of repeat clients. Comments like this are common at every SFS seminar: “Yeah, over 90% of my clients are repeat business.” But honestly, have you ever put a magnifying glass on this claim? (Steve confesses he was guilty of this empty bragging too!) One very capable SFS member did and here is what they found out …

Have you been stuck waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for your contact to show up and lock up after you finish a commercial carpet cleaning account? Nothing is more irritating and frustrating. If it has happened to you then you will “feel his pain” as a Salt Lake city carpet cleaner shares the typical “key boondoggle” …

One California carpet cleaner wants to know if he could be sued in a house break-in where supposedly the thieves targeted the home after seeing the door hanger outside. Hmmm … good question! Where do you folks come up with this stuff! Steve takes the query and runs with it …

A harried Florida cleaner is battling an upholstery cleaning problem. Steve explains that sometimes the best thing to do is “throw in your cards” but do so with honor and dignity …

When entering a new industry it can be an oh-so-very-overwhelming journey. So it is tempting to go the pre-packaged equipment route, especially if the company offers you a “protected territory” for your carpet cleaning business. But Steve says to be very, very careful. After all, you are putting one more link in the “supplier chain” …