I just wrote about this over at juliansutter.com but I figured that I would open up the old allinmysaab blog and get an entry in.
Octoclean is a company located in Riverside California. Simply put they are a cleaning franchise company. They have been helping small business owners set up cleaning franchise for close to two decades now. Having a central office in riverside california is pretty cool if you ask me.
See, Riverside is in the heart of the Inland Empire which is in the backyard of LA and Orange County. For those who are form LA, Riverside is often ignored. Having grown up in Riverside myself, I love it. Riverside is a city that has a lot off opportunities for small business. (I could know, I own and operate one in Riverside with a couple partners).
Back to Octoclean…
I first came into contact with Octoclean a couple years ago while I was working for a web design company here in town. We had just been asked to come in and work on the site (which we did). The company was really cool to work with. The offices are located in a small business park, with a fairly cool interior.
I think what I like most about octoclean is that they seem to be a company that understand branding. When I refer to branding, I am not talking about the colors of the site or the logo (although those are part of it). I am referring to the way that there brand is different from other brands.
Octoclean is not afraid to be different from other cleaning companies, that is cool. See, in a world were cleaning companies are a dime a dozen, it is important that octoclean be set apart as “different” than the others. That is what they do best, stand out.
Also having a cool mascot like an octopus helps! Good job guys! Cheers and keep up the good work.
I have 4 brothers and now thanks to Reuben (brother) and Lisa (his wife) I now have 6 nephews (all boys). It is sad that all of them live in other states, but still, it is pretty awesome to be an uncle.
So welcome to Ethen! You are a huge baby, and I hope to make my way out to New Mexico to see you soon!
My good friend Andrew Murphy sent me this video to watch. Although it is a very technical and talks a lot about programming, the message of the speaker REALLY rung true to me. Quotes like “I demand all of your talent and trust non of your judgment” really reminded me of some places I have worked.
If you don’t have time to watch an hour and a half video on programing, here are some of the basics.
Creativity has a value beyond the product that it can produce.
Most creative people work for business (read non creative) minded people.
Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of. If someone values your creativity and drive, they should show it beyond a paycheck. (This is one place were I disagreed with the speaker a bit. He seemed to imply that EVEN a high paying job is not enough of a reward. Although I agree that ideally one should benefit directly from there work… there is a value to job security and a FAT paycheck as long as you enjoy the job).
Don’t let your creativity slow down if your job does not fulfill it. (I got a BFA in graphic design, but within 1 month of my “design job” I was doing SEO and writing HTML. I had to find a way to keep designing on the site in order to keep my design skills up to par).
Do something other people are not doing. “I am going to start a blog about being a mom and review toys.” That’s fine, but you should have a real good twist to it if you want a following. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make it with a simple “parenting blog” it just means your chances are slimmer.
Before I left my job and started my own firm, I used to do a lot of the things he mentioned. I had various sites that I would work on in my free time. Although, as an employer I don’t agree with doing personal projects while on the clock, I do agree that any creative work (this includes programming) requires some level of flexibility.
Have you gotten to the point were you are getting the value out of your talent? If not, how are you able to keep the creativity going? Are you actively moving towards a place in life were you can benefit?
This has been a really wierd, twisted, touching and emotional Christmas. My grandpa passed away on Sat. night from acute Leukimia. We found out about it 4 days prior. It was quick. On top of that, anyone who knows me personally has seen how stressed out life has been over the past few months for me. It has been good none the less. The business is doing well (especially for this economy). We are growing quickly and all the stress and responsability is only making me stronger.
Leading up to Christmas I have been very negative towards Christmas. I have been scared of Christmas Eve mostly. This is because I didn’t have anything planned. Sure I could have found some way to take up time, but part of me wanted to feel lonely tonight. I was afraid, afraid that I would have another night of drinks, bad tv and home made guacamole. Somehow I have avoided that.
Today I have been at peace. All day I have been less energized, less “spazzy” than I usually am on a day to day basis. This evening however I just feel peaceful. I doubt it has to do with the symbolic celebration of the birth of Christ. I think it has more to do with the arival of something I was waiting for, Christmas.
Tomorrow I spend Christmas with my family. My empowering mother, father who is always helpful, and brother who is both cooler and younger than me. For tonight however, I spend Christmas with myself, and thats okay.
Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope you are as peaceful tonight as I am.
