Portage is the smaller of the two neighboring cities along with Kalamazoo comprising over 350,000 in the 2010 Census. Portage is my choice for focus in our 269 Happy Window Cleaning territory solely based on what has been happening in that area. And that is a lot. In the last ten years, there has been phenomenal growth and prosperity in that city. Also, the cost of real estate is about half of what it is in East Grand Rapids or Oakland County, these days. This area is perfect for Happy Window Cleaning commercial and residential services. My SWAT analysis checks all of the boxes for a successful franchise. I am very confident that with our Happy Window Cleaning model someone who is honest, ambitious, and thoughtful can build a very nice life for his or her family in this place. Aside from some outstanding lakeside homes available at unbelievable prices, there is indoor soccer, a very cool amusement park, and a place where kids can literally learn to fly just to name a few of the local activities available in Portage Michigan.
Busy and affluent is the best way to describe Portage. Most residents own their homes and take pride in keeping things up. You really see the division of labor and specialization at work here. Many people in Portage work in the pharmaceutical, electrical, or plastics industry and are pulling seven-figure incomes. The last thing people earning that kind of money want to do with their weekends is clean out the gutters or power wash the driveway. When someone is making $40 an hour straight, the weekend is overtime (time and a half) so those folks can afford to hire Happy Window Cleaning to climb ladders. And if you have children to keep busy, there is SoccerZone a great indoor facility to play all year with weekend hours open to midnight.
The Airway Fun Center has bowling, rock climbing, and Go Carts. And for eats, there are plenty of great Chefs in the back of restaurants from Carrabba’s Italian Grill to Asian fusion themed “Ziingo”, it's simply all here. The Happy Window Cleaning Vision Statement “Improving Views” is short but full of meaning. First, it obviously references window cleaning, reflecting one of our staple services, but it goes much deeper than that. We want to help employees, customers, and those in the community see God in our deeds and model principles that carry the seeds of change for them. We love our customers but the Lord is our King. We are instructed to work with our hands, mind our own business, and not be dependent on others, and Happy Window Cleaning is striving every day to steward that biblical directive in all that we are and do. At the end of the day to borrow a phrase from whoever said it first,
“We are working to live not living to work”.
So having a team behind you, and a coach (that would be me, Scott) can help to keep everything in the right focus and perspective. If for no other reason, you should visit Portage MI, and try the flight simulators at the “Air Zoo”, an Aerospace and interactive science museum that is just an amazing experience for you and your kids.
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