Mother & Daughter Entrepreneurs: Good Guys Carpet Cleaning

After working 10 years as a marketing manager for the U.S. Postal Service, Carolyn first became an entrepreneur alongside her husband, Garland Cox, after he opened the first video store on the south side of Chicago in the 1980s.

Although the store eventually closed, Carolyn and Garland realized they enjoyed working together and decided to try their hand in the carpet cleaning business. Having used a non-toxic cleaning method called circular dry foam in their own home for eight years, Carolyn and Garland realized this process could fill a niche in the carpet cleaning market where most people still rely on steam and harsh chemicals.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Starting out in 1997, the husband and wife team managed to build up their company through hard work and various advertising outlets, including being one of the first carpet cleaning businesses to have a website.

Sadly, Garland passed away in February 2005. Their daughter, Shannon, had occasionally helped on large jobs and so was familiar with the work. When Carolyn was looking for someone to help continue the business, Shannon insisted on filling the spot. Reluctant at first, Carolyn now agrees that it has been the best thing to happen to her and the business.

Today, the ladies of Good Guys Carpet Cleaning provide commercial and residential carpet cleaning, upholstery and tiling. In addition, they clean, buff and polish wood floors.

To learn more about Good Guys, please visit:
www.goodguyscarpetcleaning.com

On Their Relationship:

We each bring different strengths to the table. Through trial and error, we discovered that Shannon was best fit to take over most of Garland’s responsibilities. Shannon has been around our business since she was a little girl so she knows quite a bit about running our operations already. She is very outgoing and loves dealing with the public.

On the Challenges of Working Together:

Working with anyone everyday is a challenge. Add to that all the issues you may have with a family member, and it could get rough, especially when dealing with criticism and conflicting personalities at times. I think what has gotten us through is just remembering to love and respect each other.

On Being Women Working in a Non-Traditional Occupation:

Fortunately, our business has been running for more than 10 years now so our reputation has had time to grow. Still, there are times when we arrive at a customer’s house and they look around to see if a man is coming or they assume we are just there to do the estimate. We surprise a lot of people when they see that we can move furniture and do everything that men can do. Naturally, women customers love us. In addition, families appreciate that our cleaning products are hypoallergenic and non-toxic to their children and pets.

On the Rewards of Working Together:

This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. We have learned things about each other that we never would have discovered if we did not work together everyday.