Mainebiz Special Editions

V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I I I § 2 F O C U S on behalf of Cleaners Joy, which has an online booking service. "ey are self-employed, and are already trained and insured, so it saves me so much time and money," he says. Noting that the arrangement also benefits contractors, he says, "I help them get the jobs and all they have to focus on is doing a great job for the client and doing a great quality cleaning." He also notes that his prices are expensive. For quality control purposes, cleaners are required to follow a checklist for each job, and the com- pany calls customers for feedback after every assignment is completed. Adan is new to business ownership but not new to being an entrepreneur, having run a Southern Maine-based small painting business in 2020 as a branch of Collegiate Entrepreneurs Inc., a Braintree, Mass.-based con- tractor that gives college students their first taste of business leadership. Because the company supplies all the materials and training needed, the branches have low start-up costs and are profitable in the first year. Adan ran his branch as a franchise for 11 months, bringing in around $50,000 in revenue, though a large percentage of that went to the owner. Preferring to strike out on his own, Adan launched Cleaners Joy in January 2022, two decades after immigrating to the United States from the Kenyan refugee camp where he was born during the height of the Somali Civil War. He grew up in Lewiston and graduated from Lewiston High School in 2017. Now as an entrepreneur, he has found the agency model to work well for him, and one he believes can be replicated. "It's a great model for anyone in a service-based industry," he says. "You just have to plan and strategize and be consistent about talking about your businesses, whether through social media posts or at networking events. Eventually and only when it makes sense to do so, Adan hopes to bring on employees. "It's definitely something I'm looking forward to doing because it gives you more control," he says, "but you have to make sure you're not cut- ting too much into business expenses." 'Keep hiring' and other tips from two lobster pros Cousins Maine Lobsters co-founders Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac — real- life first cousins with Maine roots — know a thing or two about talent development, having grown their Los Angeles-based business from a single food truck into a nationwide opera- tion with 50 trucks and eateries. Here are five tips the duo shared with Mainebiz on hiring and main- taining a workforce in a startup. 1. Throw out the resume: "Resumes and specialties are important, but some people are too focused on that. ey cannot tell you how hard some- one will work, if they care about your business or your brand, or if they have fire in their belly," Lomac says. 2. Keep hiring: "Hire if you're not even sure you need the position or even if you aren't sure what the posi- tion is. Hire before you think you need to — always be growing and never take your foot off the gas. New people add new perspectives on your business and opportunities; they add creativity and possibility which is essential for growth and innovation," Lomac says. 3. Establish a fun business culture: "It doesn't matter what your busi- ness is, whether you're in an office, or you're remote. Work can and should always have an element of fun. Our corporate team is split between Maine and California, and our franchisees are nationwide. We all work hard, but we are intentional about bringing fun and creative people into our corporate team and our franchise system. We have annual retreats to bring the whole operation together and the regional teams get together regularly — the Mainers like to take breaks for a quick cribbage game, while the L.A. team is really big into ping pong," Tselikis says. 4. Don't micromanage: "We believe in giving guidance and goals and then just letting the person go for it," the duo says. 5. Share in the successes: "Show gratitude for the people that work with you," the partners say. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E S TA R T U P S — M A R S H A L L I N G TA L E N T P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C O U S I N S M A I N E L O B S T E R Hire if you're not even sure you need the position or even if you aren't sure what the position is. — Sabin Lomac Cousins Maine Lobster P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY J U N E 2 7 , 2 0 2 2 20 Cousins Maine Lobster co-founders Jim Tselikis, left, and Sabin Lomac, are real-life first cousins with Maine ties. Becky McKinnell is the founder and president of iBec Creative, a digital marketing agency in Portland, and the founder of a craft handbag maker called Wildwood Oyster Co. She is shown here with one of her leather totes.

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