America’s Best Cleaners hosted their first Live Accelerator meeting for 2022, themed, “Diversification?” The meeting provided their affiliates with an opportunity to reconnect, share challenges, contribute to successes and build a new future together.
Affiliates arrived in Seattle with a revitalized interest in learning new methods to implement a more sustainable business portfolio. As many businesses continue to recover from the massive shakeup created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC affiliates have been busy building a variety of products, service channels and new business models.
America’s Best Cleaners put together the Accelerator meetings to give ABC affiliates, partners and guests an opportunity to share their experiences dealing with the challenges created by the pandemic. The goal was to continue to move away from reacting and supporting a shift that focuses more on strategizing while developing and implementing programs that will help them accelerate their business models towards growth and success.
Executive Director Chris White shared, “The question wasn’t if you should diversify, but to what degree diversification best fits the owner’s goals, the market needs and the ability to build successful new businesses or service offerings that will provide sustainability in the mid and long term.”
To enhance the in-person experience, ABC aspired to give affiliates a real-life example of a business that has thrived from adding additional business channels by providing attendees with a tour of Helena’s Cleaner’s new state-of-the-art facility designed by ABC’s Chris White and Ed D’Elicio. Affiliate Helena’s Cleaners welcomed their fellow affiliates and were happy to give them a glimpse of the new space designed to maximize the business services they offer.
Managing Partner Will Waterstraat said, “We were honored to have ABC and affiliates tour our new facility. The insight and knowledge provided was invaluable. Chris’s guidance throughout the process was second to none.”
After concluding Thursday’s meeting, the ABC team hosted the affiliates and partners for dinner at Seattle’s favorite Salty’s on Alki Beach to enjoy great comradery, wonderful views and amazing seafood. Executive Director Chris White had the honor of presenting affiliates with their annual certification awards.
Helena’s owner Will Waterstraat passed the Golden Iron to Puritan Cleaners Vice President Norman Way who will be hosting the next Live Accelerator meeting themed, “Community,” in Richmond, VA from September 21st to 23rd.
On Friday, the ABC team informed affiliates of all of the current programs, updates and partnerships with the CTDA and FIT of NYC. Affiliates Mary Mills of Sir Galloway Cleaners, Robert Strong of Country Club Cleaners and Dianne Lee of The Press DC also conveyed their insights on diversification and shared how they were able to expand their business plans to offer different services and achieve success during the pandemic.
White added, “It’s easy to talk in hypotheticals but the power comes from learning directly from your peers to understand their analysis, development and implementation and execution of their ideas. These affiliates shared real-world challenges and successes to aid their fellow affiliates in making smart business choices.”
Featured speaker Kevin Walter, delivered a powerful presentation to affiliates about the importance of empowering team members to think like owners through financial literacy training, goal setting and understanding of the company’s more critical KPIs. As a Great Game of Business coach and the owner of Tasty Catering in Chicago, Mr. Walter knows firsthand how to overcome the obstacles business owners have faced in the last two years and how the Great Game of Business was a focal point to their survival and success. The event concluded with the highly coveted mastermind program, “Hot Seat” Business Ideas or Challenges. During Hot Seat, affiliates use the collective body of knowledge to formally present business ideas or challenges and obtain direct feedback, ideas and support in a very focused format.
In addition to the speakers, America’s Best Cleaners would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the ABC Live Accelerator meeting: Kreussler Textile Care, SPOT Business Systems, Select Risk Insurance Services, Inc., Sankosha USA and BeCreative360.
