I just entered Olsen Brothers Window Cleaning into Intuit’s Small Business Big Game Multimillion Dollar Campaign! I figured what do I have to lose?? I’m not sure exactly how it will work, but apparently Intuit and “the world” will be voting to determine which deserving small business should win the opportunity of a lifetime – its very own thirty-second television advertisement that will air during the Super Bowl on February 2, 2014!! Wouldn’t that be sweet!
I was asked to write a 600 word paragraph about “our story”. I found that to be impossible. I was only able to share a small portion of the beginning of our story. So, I decided to add a link at the end of my paragraph (not sure if this was legal) in hopes of leading readers to this blog post where I will now post the rest of story. 
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For those who are following the link from intuit, here is the rest of the story:
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Window cleaning is not rocket science! It just requires a squeegee, a sponge and a bucket of soap and water. At least that is what I thought when my brother Kyle and I decided to start a window cleaning business back in 2001.
We had both been on completely different career paths. I was doing legal support for AT&T, traveling around the country meeting with lawyers and doing depositions. Kyle had graduated from ASU and was working at a hospital translating for surgeons. He was soon to become a doctor. Life was good. Then we both hurt our backs within a six month period. There we were, doing rehab and trying to get ourselves healthy and back to work. Kyle ended up having surgery. It was during this period, that we found ourselves talking about the possibility and desire we had to work together. At the time, it seemed a little far-fetched. After many months we both showed signs of healing, and were chomping at the bit to get back to work. Sitting at a desk was one of the worst things I could be doing for my back, so I was actually considering leaving AT&T.
Eventually, we both felt that this whole situation happened for a reason. After many prayers, we felt confident that we should go into business together. Because of our shrinking savings, we needed to start a business that didn’t require a lot of money. It was Kyle’s idea to start a window cleaning business. I had never even considered that. Neither of us knew anything about it. But, how hard could it be?
I’ll never forget the first day. We were full of excitement with high expectations of many new clients, and consequently, potentially becoming rich over night. We even recruited another brother, David, to work with us.
We put our equipment in the trunk of my Mazda 929, and hopped in the car in search of our first customer. I remember going from business to business in various strip malls soliciting window cleaning jobs. It quickly became evident that this was not going to be easy. We felt looked down upon time and time again. No one would give us the time of day no matter how inexpensive we offered our services. This was especially humiliating given our previous employment and successes.
Then, finally, we had a businessman agree to our $6 estimate to clean his storefront windows. We were excited! All three of us began to scrub the windows, and then attempted to squeegee them. I could not believe how hard it was! There were streaks everywhere! We scrubbed them again, and tried not to leave streaks. It was impossible. To make matters worse, we had an audience! People were watching us, and were quick to observe that we knew nothing about window cleaning. After nearly an hour of sweat-inducing, back-breaking work, we had finished cleaning the 2 large window panes. Well, to say they were cleaned is a bit of an overstatement. I’m not sure if they looked better before or after we “finished” cleaning them, but the owner of the store was merciful, and gave us our $6.
At the conclusion of that day, we were definitely discouraged. The $6 we made didn’t even cover gas, let alone lunch. The following days and weeks were equally hard and at times disappointing. I am happy to report, however, that we did not quit! We began investigating how to clean windows correctly. We made sure to get the equipment that the professional window cleaners were using. We found out what type of solution they were using.
We made up flyers and broadcasted them on every door in targeted neighborhoods. Once we began to get some jobs, we finally hired an employee who had experience. Our employee never knew this, but he taught us how to clean windows efficiently! We watched him, and mimicked his actions. Before long, we were more proficient, and better window cleaners than him.
Now, more than 9 years later, we have established one of Arizona’s premiere window cleaning businesses. We offer both residential and commercial services. We have also branched out, and created several sister companies: Olsen Brothers Sunscreens, Olsen Brothers Pool Service and AZ Christmas Decor (a Christmas light installation company).
I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and will undoubtedly continue to learn as a businessman. If I hadn’t gone through the difficult times, I would not enjoy the successful times nearly as much.
So for any of you who are considering to go into business for yourself, remember: hard work, and a good attitude can make the difference! Don’t give up on yourself… you can do it!
Ryan Olsen
Olsen Brothers Window Cleaning
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