When Paula Friedrich left her job with H&R Block, she knew she didn’t want to return to the corporate world, but that she could use her experience assisting franchise owners set up, train, develop and run their franchises profitably to establish a business of her own.
So Friedrich and her husband, Ron, acquired two residential cleaning franchises called The Cleaning Authority, one in 2002 and one in 2007, which they now own and operate jointly with their two sons and daughter-in-law. After starting with one employee and six customers, today the two offices, located in Woodbine and Frederick, employ about 100 people and are in the top 2 percent of all residential cleaning companies in the country.
“Always take care of your employees and your customers,” Friedrich says. “In a service business like ours, we are nothing without those two components. Treat them as you would want to be treated and never compromise your integrity.”
Friedrich says that getting her family involved in the business has been her biggest success as a small business owner.
“I take great pleasure and pride in teaching them good management skills needed for successful business ownership, as well as learning things from them,” she says. “Each of us brings a unique strength to the business that we have learned to maximize and share. It has also allowed me to develop an excellent succession plan that will provide me with income for years to come as I sell out to them in the next few years.”
Friedrich says that the ability to make your own decisions without waiting on corporate feedback is the best thing about being a small business owner, but being on your own can also feel lonely when you don’t know how to proceed in a situation. Her family’s involvement in the business has helped with this, as has NFIB.
“I joined NFIB to stay informed,” she says. “As a new business owner, I was so busy that I found it easy to lose sight of what was happening in the world. NFIB has kept me informed, which has helped me avoid making some mistakes. It has also allowed me to better plan the implementation of new laws that impact my business.”
When off the clock, Friedrich says she and Ron like to take care of themselves by staying active with regular gym visits and growing vegetables in their garden. They also love to travel and spending time with their three adult children, their spouses and four young grandchildren.
