Job Spotlight: Jay Brown, carpet cleaner and business owner

It was in 2011 that Jay Brown was among those who were told their contract job at Fort Benning was disappearing. He suddenly found himself searching for work, but after three long months had come up empty.

That's when he approached his wife, Stacey, about trying something different. He talked with family and friends and decided on starting a carpet cleaning business from scratch. He was entering the world of an entrepreneur.

"I kind of felt like if I was going to do something, it was now or never," said Brown, 35, a Phenix City native and resident.

So he took a leap of faith, became a sole proprietor, purchased equipment and installed it inside his van. And his wife came up with the name Southern Cleaning & Carpet Care.

That was nearly three years ago, and Brown has found a profession he loves and that is consistently in demand. After all, most people use carpet in their homes and, naturally, track dirt and spill things on it.

Carpet cleaning is a popular avenue, be it via launching large companies or being a proverbial one-man operation like Brown. IBISWorld, a market research company, says there are more than 43,000 carpet-cleaning businesses in the U.S., generating a collective $5 billion in revenue. It projects both new startups and revenues in the sector will increase in the coming years as Americans continue to recover from the recession and see their disposable income rise.

Brown's game plan is fairly simple: Do a great job cleaning carpet, get to know his customers, and use referrals and repeat clients to steadily grow the business he now loves. It includes upholstery cleaning and pressure washing.

The Ledger-Enquirer visited with Brown recently to discuss his job, some of the tough tasks he tackles and what the future holds for him. This interview is edited a bit for length and clarity, with an expanded version available at www.ledger-enquirer.com.

First, how did you decide on this occupation?

People ask me that, why carpet cleaning? There was no real basis to it. My uncle started carpet cleaning and he did it for just a few months. But I just really thought it was a good idea. Everybody usually needs it at least in one or two rooms. And what I liked at (former employer TIC Federal Credit Union) was the customer interaction, talking to people and learning about them. Carpet cleaning's great, but I really enjoy the customer interaction.

You're moving around and not office bound?

That's it. I love being able to move around and meet people and talk to people.

And you're a one-man show?

I am. (laughs) I do everything -- the accounting, the marketing, the work, everything. At some point, I know that's going to have to change, when the business grows and everything.

What's a typical day like for you?

If I need to be there early, I can be. But what I usually do is drop my daughter off at 9 a.m. and go to my first job at 10 a.m. And I go from 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., when I need to pick her up. If I have other jobs coming in, I can make other arrangements for my daughter so that I can do those, too.

So you never considered any other type of business?

I really didn't. Everybody has some form of carpet, usually. I know some people are going to hardwood floors and stuff, but you still have carpet and rugs in your bedrooms. And it was something I had thought about doing before, but I just kind of shot it down. ... But it got to where I couldn't find a job, anything, and I needed income. So I said let's do this now. And I've gotten to where I love it. I enjoy it.

Did you do much research?

I talked to my uncle a lot and I did about three or four months of research on equipment, and got my equipment in. Then I did a few more months of just free (cleaning) -- parents, family, anybody who would let me clean their carpets. It gave me more experience. It let me know, okay, this is the temperature I like to set the equipment at, this is the suction, this is a good drying time, these are the chemicals that I like using. I've learned that citrus-based (cleaning fluids) tend to break stuff up real good. It's also pet friendly and people friendly.

So I set my website up and started getting calls, and became comfortable to where I felt I'm good with this.

What equipment do you need?

A lot of guys use the steam vac. It's called a wand. But what I use is more of a buffing system. I like it more. In fact, I got that idea from my uncle. He had bought it and said it was great. It cleans carpets better. It has jets on the bottom, plus the suction gives it a better clean. And it's not going to break your back, because pulling (equipment around) all day is pretty strenuous.

What I have on my van is a truck-mount system. It gives me my steam and it has a blower, which gives me suction, and like a pressure washer would have, it has that for the water injection. The dirty water stays on my van.

How many rooms a day do you tackle?

Usually, I can do two houses, unless it's a large house. It's usually (up to) eight rooms, and at that point I have to get rid of the water. I leave and empty it.

Do you face some tough jobs?

Usually, my tough jobs come from renters, property managers. Some people that rent are awesome. They keep the carpet awesome. But on average, it's really bad. There's gum in the carpet and maybe crayons or paint. There are pet issues, too.

Do you price services based on how dirty the floors are?

I should, but I don't. I give a lot of my quotes over the phone. If you were to call me and say, I've got a four-room house, I'll say, OK, $25 a room. That's $100. I don't up the price (when I get there) and say, oh, this is going to be more. To me, that's not right. So I just go in there and take care of it.

How often should carpets be cleaned? I guess it depends on the traffic?

It does. Some rooms may need it more than others. Usually, I say every six months to a year. Most carpet manufacturers will recommend cleaning your carpets once a year, and maybe also putting some kind of protection down, such as Scotchgard.

What's the hardest thing to clean up from carpet?

Probably the hardest thing to get up are red stains, especially if they've been there for awhile, like Kool-Aid, because they are dyes. Dirt is easy, but cola, tea, coffee, anything with a dye in it, is very difficult. They used to use tea to dye clothes with. Carpet with (dye stains), if it's been there for years, it may be there (always). I may be able to get it lighter, but I may not be able to get it all the way up.

Is gum easy to get up?

Gum is something you can get up yourself, really. Ice will make it harder. That's what I usually do. Even with my steam, I can't get it up as good as ice and WD-40. The WD-40 breaks it up. It gets it where it's in chunks and you kind of scrape it and it comes right up. Of course, I have to make sure I get the WD-40 up as well.

Do you work into the evenings?

I do, especially if it's in an office, because they don't want me in there when customers are there. So I'll usually wait until my wife comes home and then I'll go do it.

How about the weekends?

Weekends, too. Not so much on Sunday, I try not to. But if I have to, I will. Especially in this area, you'll have soldiers who have orders and they've got to go and they've got to find somebody quick. What I'll do is go to church that morning and tell them I'll be there around 1 or 2 ... The military's awesome, though. The carpet is never real bad and payment goes well and everything.

What's the longest someone's told you they haven't cleaned their carpet?

I had an older woman and she said she hadn't cleaned the carpets in about 20 years. It was like a baby blue shag carpet. They were rough. The only thing with that is if it's been so long since you've cleaned them, the dirt itself will rub the sheen and the color off the carpet. In the traffic areas, you'll have where the dirt will come up, but it will have a lightness or darkness to it because it's just like sandpaper.

Is it a physical job for you?

It is, and eventually there will be a point where I will have to take somebody on ... But it is very physical as far as moving stuff in and out.

What's the hardest part for you on the business side?

Just a balance, with me being by myself. It's like, today you need to do some kind of maintenance on the vehicle to keep it up, and then you've got to get your books ready, and who are the customers this week. I want the address and phone number of all of them so that I can keep in contact with them. I guess that's the hard part, just keep up with everything, having everything fall under you and keeping it all in line.

Are there any worries as an entrepreneur?

Oh, definitely. Even after three years, there's still ups and downs. And there are months that I know are typical slow months for everybody, all of the carpet cleaners. Right after Christmas there will be a little dip, and it will pick back up in the spring and summer. And about the time that kids are going back to school it will slow down, and then pick back up right around Christmas with people having parties and getting together.

Can the competition be really brutal?

It is. You have a lot of competition. There may be one company you've heard of your whole life because it's a franchise, and you have to deal with that. If you're a brand new company, they've never heard of you. So it's a lot of word of mouth from previous customers. In the third year, I'm seeing it and getting those calls. I've always gotten referrals, but returning customers are great.

Is social media and Facebook important?

Social media is awesome, because if you do a good job with one person, they're going to tell their friends. It can be bad, too, so you've got to keep that in mind. Especially with stay-at-home moms and military wives, if you do a good job for them, they're going to tell their friends. And they're going to get on the social network (and say) oh, I had this guy clean the carpet today, did a great job, real nice, out and in, great price. Well, that's awesome. I know at one time nobody had social media, so I'm just thankful we have that.

What's the major challenge you face?

I guess the biggest challenge is the competition, because there's probably 15 in Columbus and five in Phenix City. Of course, the area's population is big but, still, with that many carpet cleaners, it gets tough.

Another thing is you have different kinds of carpet people. If you go into this, you need to decide, am I going to be quantity or quality? If you're by yourself, you probably want to be quality and just take your time, get to know your customer, give them good service.

Quantity is the big guys. They're in and out in an hour. They may say hey to you. The problem is that they're doing so many (jobs) during the day that they'll throw in that $9.95 room, and they may up the price (when they arrive). ... That's been my hardest thing. I don't want to lower my ($25 per room) prices any more because of the time I spend in the house, getting it looking good and making the customer happy.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The customers. That's what I like the most. Just meeting them, being able to talk to them, learning what's going on with their family, and they'll get to know my family, too. That's got to be my number one thing.

Is this your future? Growing and expanding at some point?

Definitely. I'm all in. I love doing it. From here on out, the plan is to grow it some, find some people I can trust to help. Maybe it's something my son will want to do one day ... But if he doesn't, that's fine, too.

Name: Jay Brown

Age: 35

Hometown: Phenix City

Current residence: Phenix City

Education: 1999 graduate of Central High School; earned accounting degree from Troy University in 2008

Previous jobs: Financial services representative with TIC Federal Credit Union (now Kinetic Credit Union) from 2006 to 2010, and contractor at Fort Benning in 2011

Family: Wife, Stacey, married Dec. 9, 2006, (she’s a 5th-grade teacher at Smiths Station), and two children — son, Brody, 6, and daughter, Rebekah, 3

Leisure time: Enjoys throwing ball with his son, holding his daughter, spending time with family, and attending Summerville Baptist Church, where he teaches Sunday school to 7th- to 8th-grade boys

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Job Spotlight: Jay Brown, carpet cleaner and business owner."