Service Built One Block At A Time
|
THE STORY BEHIND HOME CLEAN HOME
Customer service has been a big part of Samuel’s life. Samuel Mejía Olivieri grew up on the outskirts of San Juan, Puerto Rico. When he was 16 his family moved to Georgia and settled in North Decatur. He studied mechanical drafting at DeKalb Technical Institute (presently Georgia Piedmont Technical College.)
As a 20-year old, Samuel moved to upstate New York to work as a volunteer for a nonprofit educational organization where he spent three years learning the value of service and hard work. He later formed a family of his own and settled in Jersey City, New Jersey. While supporting his wife and baby girl, he learned important lessons from two very different lines of business. These lessons would have a positive impact on Home Clean Home's service and the way it runs its business. |
|
In 1996, Samuel became a delivery driver for Coffee Associates, Inc., a coffee-roasting company serving restaurants, coffee shops and bodegas in New York City and the tri-state area. The following four and a half years would impress in him the value of good organizational skills and foresight. He says, "Trifling with New Yorkers' coffee is never a good idea. I learned that timely deliveries and establishing rapport with customers were key to ensuring customer satisfaction." In time, he was promoted to Assistant Plant Manager where he managed inventory, equipment orders and loading of delivery vans.
In summer of 2000 Samuel was hired by Bell Atlantic, the company that soon would become Verizon. His job entailed closing sales of Verizon FiOS (fiber-optic service) throughout the mid-Atlantic region. After 14 years at the company, Samuel says, "When corporate leadership is absent from engaging directly with customers, there will be blind spots in the decision-making. The disconnect between leadership and workers will result in some aspects of customer service missing the mark or falling through the cracks." Samuel recognized that top management's engagement at the ground level is as important as a bird's eye view of the business. A bird's eye view may seem to be the conclusive perspective, but any business is run—for the most part—by those on the ground. Thus he realized that if the bird worked alongside the critters it would gain a deeper insight and connection to its ecosystem. That lesson stayed with him.
After widowing, Samuel eventually became determined to start a new life. First, he would have to pay off his debts. After nearly 19 years in New Jersey, he would return to Georgia—this time with his teenage daughter. In fall of 2014 he made his way to Decatur in a rental truck, grateful to God and debt-free.
Contemplating the idea of working for himself, he sought a way to provide a low-tech service to busy people. While employed as a painter, he asked a couple he knew about their work. They replied that they cleaned houses for a living. Intrigued, Samuel asked if he could join them for two days to observe them at work and they happily obliged. That experience was enough to convince him that this was the path he'd been looking for.
He immediately began researching cleaning techniques and sharpening his plans to become self-employed. At first, he sought clients by going house-to-house, leaving business cards and asking those who hired him for referrals. He established Home Clean Home in 2016 and formed a team, a group of hard-working friends that are like family. Samuel and friends have been serving the Decatur area and its surrounding communities ever since. Besides managing the business, he chooses to participate in the cleaning work. This helps him understand the workers' perspective, provide knowledgeable guidance and avoid the "leader-worker disconnect". With 30 years of experience serving people, Samuel is happy to lead his team in helping Atlanta's homeowners and renters take good care of their homes.
In summer of 2000 Samuel was hired by Bell Atlantic, the company that soon would become Verizon. His job entailed closing sales of Verizon FiOS (fiber-optic service) throughout the mid-Atlantic region. After 14 years at the company, Samuel says, "When corporate leadership is absent from engaging directly with customers, there will be blind spots in the decision-making. The disconnect between leadership and workers will result in some aspects of customer service missing the mark or falling through the cracks." Samuel recognized that top management's engagement at the ground level is as important as a bird's eye view of the business. A bird's eye view may seem to be the conclusive perspective, but any business is run—for the most part—by those on the ground. Thus he realized that if the bird worked alongside the critters it would gain a deeper insight and connection to its ecosystem. That lesson stayed with him.
After widowing, Samuel eventually became determined to start a new life. First, he would have to pay off his debts. After nearly 19 years in New Jersey, he would return to Georgia—this time with his teenage daughter. In fall of 2014 he made his way to Decatur in a rental truck, grateful to God and debt-free.
Contemplating the idea of working for himself, he sought a way to provide a low-tech service to busy people. While employed as a painter, he asked a couple he knew about their work. They replied that they cleaned houses for a living. Intrigued, Samuel asked if he could join them for two days to observe them at work and they happily obliged. That experience was enough to convince him that this was the path he'd been looking for.
He immediately began researching cleaning techniques and sharpening his plans to become self-employed. At first, he sought clients by going house-to-house, leaving business cards and asking those who hired him for referrals. He established Home Clean Home in 2016 and formed a team, a group of hard-working friends that are like family. Samuel and friends have been serving the Decatur area and its surrounding communities ever since. Besides managing the business, he chooses to participate in the cleaning work. This helps him understand the workers' perspective, provide knowledgeable guidance and avoid the "leader-worker disconnect". With 30 years of experience serving people, Samuel is happy to lead his team in helping Atlanta's homeowners and renters take good care of their homes.
|
|
|
|
|