After I finished college, I passed on my cleaning business to a friend and went to work for a large management consulting firm that helps corporations operate at their peak performance.  During my time as a management consultant, I realized that many of the practices of huge businesses can easily be applied to small businesses.  With this knowledge, I was eager to get back to operating my own business ­ the same one I left a few years earlier.

Back in business for myself, I began to methodically grow my business using marketing and management techniques that were low cost and highly effective.  My client list grew into the hundreds; I added employees, managers and paid myself well.  I was able to take six ­ 12 weeks of vacation per year, and eventually spent only 10 hours per week working at the business as an "absentee owner."

The years of hard work paid off and I was able to spend quality time with family and benefit from the steady stream of revenue the business created.

At that point, I realized that the business I built was worth quite a bit of money ­ never guessing that I could sell the business for more than a nice nest egg.  And I did just that, selling my business for a six-figure sum.

As what I call a "serial entrepreneur" I could not sit back for long.  I started a business consulting company that helps individuals and small service businesses get off the ground ­ and have helped hundreds of companies both in the U.S. and internationally.
 

What I realized while consulting with other service businesses was that many of them started the same way I originally had ­ with little money and in a very short period of time.  Just like me, they got their feet wet in business, testing the waters to see if they could find success.  After being in business for awhile, just like I did, they often realize they are swimming in a sea of entrepreneurial opportunity.

The key to success in starting a service business on a shoestring is to realize that it is important to pace yourself financially, and go back and make investments once you get your business going.  Once regular revenue is established, the most successful businesses invest in education, better equipment, certifications, and more expensive marketing materials.

While my story might sound too good to be true, it can be your story too.  It isn’t rocket science; it is simple determination, planning, effective time management, and using the wisdom found in the 7 Day Startup Kit to avoid costly pitfalls and rookie mistakes.

In simple and easy to understand instructions, I turn the opportunity of starting your own business into a series of steps.  The guide will help you get you up and running, get your "feet wet" in business and be ready to make your next move to grow the business to your wildest dreams. 
 

Take my story as an example of success, and add to it the hundreds of thousands of small businesses that are started each year.  There are a number of keys to success in small business, especially in starting a business on a limited budget in a quick amount of time.  In order to defy the statistics of small business failures, it is important to take the advice of someone who knows how to avoid the pitfalls and focus on the bare necessities to get in and stay in business.

In this kit, I base all my recommendations on my own experience, and the experiences of my clients in the service industry.  The result is grounded, realistic advice that will help start a business on your terms, so you can enjoy life.

What clients are saying about working with Renee, the 7 Day Startup Kit, and Renee's other products
 

"Taking Renee’s advice saved me time, and money ­ meaning I was able to start making money quickly, and fill up my schedule within the first few weeks of getting my business license.  The information in the kit was easy to understand, especially for someone who knew nothing about business before I started my own."

K. Knutsen, Help at Home Services
 

"My 7 Day Startup Kit was like having an expert walk me through what to do and what not to do, guiding me step by step on each part of opening a business.  I’ve heard of people spending thousands of dollars to start up businesses ­ I just laugh when I think of how this kit paid for itself within a few hours!"

S. Tempo, Mother’s Helper Organizing
 

"Wow!  The 7 Day Startup Kit gave me the steps that I needed to get my landscaping business up and running in less then two weeks.  The easy to follow guides, quick start ideas, and important tips have given me the edge that I need to grow my business in my competitive market."

Ross Pascoe, Natural Landscaping

"Quick answers and recommendations are what I needed, and Renee delivered! Great response time… A thorough understanding of my challenges… I can’t wait to see what they come up with next."

Sabine Straight, Sabine’s Lifestyle
 

"Renee generates solutions to our toughest management questions!  Great ideas, practical solutions, and a problem solver is how I would describe Renee and her products and services."

Kathy Gage, Marvelous Maids
 

"I have many of Renee’s products and she does an outstanding job of detailing the topics in a plain-spoken way that is easy to understand.  They are always incredibly thorough, well thought out, informative, to the point, and relate to many different types of businesses.  I recommend Renee and her products regularly to business owners who want to grow their businesses, and could use some help from someone who has done it before."

Teresa Schulz, Scoop’s Pet Services

"Our business has roughly 20 employees, and working with Renee is like having a trusted business partner.  She shares our values of high standards for our customers, and helps us generate unique ideas to solve tough business problems.  Since beginning our work nine months ago our sales are up 35% over last year!  I find her products to be innovative solutions to common industry problems, and yet be easily customizable to meet our unique situations."

Jim Fain, You’ve Got it Maid
 

"Renee’s stuff is awesome!  Business is booming, and I am thankful that I finally conquered the employee retention challenge.  Her consulting advice is top notch." 

Cathy Sandberg, Maids of Honor
 

Although we’ve used business coaches before, we learned more tangible strategies that we could put into action immediately in just the first 30 minutes of consulting with Renee O’Brien then we did with previous coaches combined.  We utilize on-going custom consulting, new manager coaching, the training program, the estimating tools, the employee motivation kit, customized sales script, and many other custom projects, and we have found the products and services to be consistently responsive, easy to follow, practical and action oriented.  In just the last two months our business has grown by 20% and we were able to take advantage of the growth opportunity because of the leadership time Renee helped us free up.  In addition, we were able to reduce our management overhead from two full time managers to one, increasing our profit potential substantially.  With my commercial and residential business I expect sales to break the $1 million mark this year, and we have found the help that we have received from SharpChip invaluable.

Ken Celebucki, All Clean Services

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