CONTRACTOR SUCCESS STORIES : YMM JANITORIAL SERVICES
YMM Janitorial Services
Creating a Successful Business Niche During COVID-19
With a friendly , outgoing personality combined with inexhaustible passion for what he does , Charles L . Jones has taken YMM Janitorial Services from humble beginnings to a versatile and successful company offering Janitorial Services , Construction Cleanup , and Power Washing .
“ The notion of being able to make an income by providing comprehensive interior and exterior cleaning services occurred to me 47 years ago ,” reflects Charles , “ An older cousin and I were asked to clean my aunt ’ s house . I took care of everything on the outside , including the landscaping , and my cousin took care of everything on the inside . I got paid $ 10 every two weeks back then – and to this day , I still clean my aunt ’ s house every two weeks .”
While Charles developed his professional cleaning skills early on and was able to secure a janitorial subcontract on a City contract four years ago , his biggest challenges came from not knowing how to efficiently run and manage a business . Then , while searching for business funding sources , he attended a Contracting Monitoring Division ( CMD ) seminar hosted by the City and County of San Francisco ’ s Contractor Development Program ( CDP ) and learned about the free training and assistance they offer to small contractors . Charles was excited to realize that his cleaning services could readily cross over into the construction and larger-scale public works arena but was initially intimidated by the City ’ s requirements . Enter Ingrid Merriwether , CEO of Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services ( which administers the Contractor Development Program for the City and County of San Francisco ) and CDP Manager , Jennifer Elmore . “ They showed a sincere interest and concern for me and my business which has been unwavering throughout my journey ,” remarks Charles .
In December 2016 , Program Manager Jennifer Elmore provided YMM Janitorial Services with a personalized business assessment and worked with Charles to create a strategic development plan – which , over the past three years , has included : developing a business plan and employee manual ; creating an estimating template applicable to all construction projects ; accurately estimating and monitoring labor and other job-related costs ; creating a scope letter template ; determining Prevailing Wage for YMM Janitorial ’ s various services ; understanding how to use accounting systems and review financial information ; reviewing and applying Project and Construction Management best practices ; understanding contract terminology and requirements ; obtaining OSHA 30 Safety Certification and developing related documents and protocols .
Encouraged by the CDP Staff to attend as many events , workshops and networking opportunities as possible in order to acquire additional knowledge and skills , Charles also sought guidance from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Contractor Assistance Center and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center , applied to and was accepted in the Clark Construction Strategic Partnership Program , and participated in a Green Certification Program , which later led to
Right : YMM crew completing sidewalk cleaning .
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