Junk in Junk Out – A House Cleaners Lament

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Junk in junk out is a business philosophy. Junk in junk out refers to your early days as a house cleaner. If you are too busy to exercise, too busy to eat right. Or too busy to sleep at night, you can’t be a savvy cleaner. 

Junk in junk out is about results. You reap what you sow. Today on Ask a House Cleaner, Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru, has an answer. “Things get better when you get better.” And it comes from taking care of yourself first. 

You love the things you care for if you have insomnia you need a tune-up. Today’s tips remind us You are more important than any car you will ever drive. 

Today’s show sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com

HouseCleaning360 is a business referral network for house cleaners and maids and housekeepers.

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Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

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Question: Junk in Junk Out – A House Cleaners Lament

Junk in Junk out - business burnout

Now, today’s question comes from a house cleaner who’s been in business for two months.

And she’s stressed out and she has all this anxiety. And she has insomnia at night. She can’t sleep because she’s worried her business is going to fall apart. and she’s afraid she’s not going to be able to pay her bills. So her question is “Does it ever get easier? Or is this what being an entrepreneur is all about?”

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Answer: Junk In Junk Out – The Answer Depends On You 

Okay, that’s an interesting question. And the answer depends on you.
So, let me share with you the concept of junk in junk out. Here’s how it works.

My business has a nice car that runs on premium fuel.
And every time I take it to the gas station, there’s a car wash. It’s an unlimited car wash and I run it through the car wash. So, my car is always clean and it’s polished.

And I love driving this car. I feel good when I drive this car. And the pride I take in keeping this car clean is a reflection of my business.

Junk In Junk Out – It’s a Set of Behaviors Junk in junk out - service man repairing a car

When I get out of my car, I take the water bottles, and lunch bags, food wrappers, or whatever it is, out of the car.

I even have a Swiffer Duster the sits right next to the driver seat. And when I get out of the car I brush off the seat so that there are no crumbs. 

I take the car in for regular oil changes. We rotate the tires on a regular basis. I take it in for its regular maintenance. And the car responds by always performing well. It’s of great service to me.

Don’t Jinx Yourself With Carelessness

Junk in junk out - garden hose running water

All right now having said that, I wouldn’t get in a hurry.
And say “Well, you know, I’m really swamped right now. My business is overwhelming. I’m super busy. I don’t have time to take down a put gas in it. I think I’ll just grab a garden hose and fill it up with a garden hose.
Okay? I hope it doesn’t ruin the car. I know it’s not good for the car, but maybe it can just run on water this time instead of gas.”

Suppose you drive through acid rain and say “Okay, well yeah, there’s pollen and acid rain, and a couple birds pooped on my car. I wish I had time to clean it and I don’t so…too bad.”

And then I eat for six weeks and I never take the bags and the wrappers, and the bottles and stuff out of my car. I just leave it and kind of let it pile up.

“One day, one day I’m going to get around to it. You know, I know it’s a mess. But you know business is busy. Times are tight. I’m… I’ll deal with it later.”

What Just Happened? (Junk In Junk Out)

What happened was the way that I feel about my car disintegrated. Junk in junk out - bald tires

Those feelings of pride and care just disappeared. I don’t feel like I’m driving the cool car anymore I. feel like I’m driving around a piece of crap.

And if I don’t take the car in for the regular tire rotations guess what happens? The tires wear down on one side. And then the car drives wobbly and is out of alignment.

You ignore or neglect your car, you get crummy results from your car.

And so how I feel about my car changes because of the way I treated or neglected it.

Junk In Junk Out Applies To People Too

Junk in junk out - healthy foods - premium people fuel

Okay? If I take the scenario about the car and I switch that over to you as a person, here’s the answer to your question.

Does it get any easier as an entrepreneur? I don’t know it depends on what you’re putting inside of you.

That’s right, you. You are more important than any car you will ever drive. While you might take excellent care of your car, are you taking good care of yourself? And that is the real question because you too need premium fuel.

If you are running a business and you have a lot of employees that are counting on you. And you have customers that are counting on you. Can you afford to put in a dirty garden hose inside your fuel tank and fuel up?

Junk In Junk Out – It’s A Business Mantra Junk in junk out - healthy running up a flight of stairs

And we do this all the time. We say “I’m too busy. I don’t have time to eat regular healthy food. I’ll just run to the drive-thru. Whatever is greasy and fast, I’ll just pour it in my body and I hope that’s good enough.”

And we don’t take the time to go and clear the cobwebs out of our own head. That’s like grabbing all the wrappers out of your car and taking it with you when you get out. It’s like taking that Swiffer Duster and sweeping off the seat.
I know that sounds a little neurotic, but what are you doing to clear the cobwebs out of your head?

Are you getting out every day and going walking or going jogging? Are you playing racquetball or doing something that’s aerobic? What are you doing to get your blood and oxygen flowing through your body?

Junk in junk out -woman sleeping soundlyYou Need A Regular Tune-Up

Are you clearing out the system and keeping it in shape? Keeping it in shape is like taking your car in for its regular maintenance tune up.
What about you? What is your regular maintenance tune-up?
For the car, it’s changing the oil every so many thousand of miles. For your body, it’s sleep every night.

Are you getting the proper amount of sleep? And if you have insomnia, you’re probably are not.
So if you’re eating crappy food, and you’re not getting enough sleep, the results will show up in your business. You will experience stress and anxiety because your body processing what you gave it. Junk in junk out. It’s the reap what you sow philosophy.

You Are More Important Than Any Car

Junk in junk out - things get better man reading book on checkmark

Things get better when you get better. But I’ll tell you this right now, you are your company’s biggest asset. You. You as a person.
I’ve been in business for 25 years and here’s what I know. I’ve got to go on every job. I’m the one that does the work, and I get to manage others doing work.

My physical health is paramount to the success of my company.

Your health is paramount to the success of your company.

You need to be at your best because you need to be able to think on your feet. As a business owner, you get to solve customer and employee challenges. And being able to manage money during the slow times is crucial to business success.

Junk in junk out - pros and consYou Are Your Company’s Biggest Asset 

You can replace a car. But you can’t replace you. You matter. You are on the line every single day. It’s your job to call all the shots. To deal with customer cancellations, bidding new jobs, and inventory of cleaning supplies.

Without a plan for your personal well-being, things can spiral out of control fast.

If you’re stressed out now, and you’re only two months into running a business, change it up now. Create systems that solve these problems each day, each week and each month. 

You’ll suffer a break down if you try to deal with these issues everyday with no plan, running on lack of sleep and raw emotion.

Your Body Runs on Premium Fuel Junk in junk out - choices and their effects are yours

Make sure that you eat and drink premium fuel. Stay away from fatty, salty, sugary foods and sugary, caffeinated drinks.

Make sure that you’re getting plenty of sleep at night.

Schedule time each day to read good, motivational, interesting books.

Because as you clean houses all day every day you got a whole bunch of stuff bouncing around in that head of yours. And you need to make sure that it’s positive uplifting stuff. Because what you put in,
is what you’re going to get out.

And if you’re dumping junk in your only going to get junk out. And you’re going to have a reflection of that in your business.

Junk in junk out - magnifying glass on your healthFocus on the Total Package

You are the package your customers buy. They are buying you and the solutions you provide. Don’t show up looking exhausted, worn out and like you don’t care about yourself, your car and your supplies. It sends the wrong message. 

“If you don’t care about yourself and your business, how can you care about me?”

Take pride in yourself, your car, and your business. The pride will override the stress and anxiety.

So, I’m sorry you’re going through this. I love the question. But right now, is the time for you to take a serious look and your results and make adjustments.

Alrighty, so that’s my two cents. And until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it

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Support the show so we can continue to bring you free tips to improve your cleaning and help you grow your cleaning business.  THANK YOU!

About the Show

Learn how the show came to be, interesting facts about the show host, and other frequently asked questions about the show.

Resources For This Episode

You Reap What You Sow: The Ancient Secret to Universal Success – http://amzn.to/2vTuTf0

The Art of Influence: Persuading Others Begins With You – http://amzn.to/2vTRx7e

My Philosophy for Successful Living – http://amzn.to/2vOySek

THE KEY to a RICHER LIFE – How to turn Self Help, Personal Growth and Development into a Successful Living – http://amzn.to/2wkYyku

How to Talk to Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere: 3 Steps to Make Instant Connections – http://amzn.to/2wdOIjM

The Angel Inside: Michelangelo’s Secrets For Following Your Passion and Finding the Work You Love – http://amzn.to/2wkQ3WG

Twelve Pillars – http://amzn.to/2vOKM8i

The Magic of Thinking Big – http://amzn.to/2ihg5UA

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Show Sponsor

SAVVY CLEANER – House Cleaner Training and Certification – https://savvycleaner.com

HOUSECLEANING360 – Referral database of the world’s most prominent home service providers and the homeowners they serve. https://housecleaning360.com

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