Cleaning up with the cleanup business
John Majeski owns the Servpro franchise of Eatontown/Long Branch.
When did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
When I was a child, the thought of owning my own business was very appealing to me. I would shovel driveways in the winter and do odd jobs for neighbors in the summer.
Why did you start this business?
Because I wanted to build something that I could be proud of. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny and develop a great team that would provide a valuable service to customers and the community. I was interested in Servpro as a franchise because they help people recover from difficult events like fire and water damage.
If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
I would have started a business sooner. In high school or college.
What’s the best business advice you have ever received?
You always need more of a financial cushion than you think. If you think you will need $20,000 in reserve to operate your business, you probably need $40,000.
What personality trait helps you the most?
The drive to be successful, build a reputable business and support my family. That’s what kept me going through the tough startup period, and it keeps me going through life’s daily challenges.
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What’s the hardest part of the job?
Being an emergency service business that operates 24/7/365 has its challenges and balancing the busy times with the slow times is hard.
The easiest?
Meeting new customers and talking to people about how our services can help them. I love doing that.
What surprised you the most about running the business?
How quickly the business changes and evolves.
Describe your most unusual customer, job or work experience.
When we are called it is usually because someone is going through a trying time, so in our line of work we deal with many unique situations. I think some of the most unusual jobs are hoarding cases, where people save anything and everything. One of these customers had a large amount of bearer stock certificates that they weren’t even aware of until we found them and brought them to their attention.
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How would you like the business to grow and change?
We are always looking to add new services to provide to our customer base. For example, this past year we added duct cleaning to our services offered.
In one sentence, tell us why customers should go there.
Because we are professional, respectful and the experts in our industry.
What do you love about the community where your business is located?
Eatontown is a great place for a business to be located. The people are very friendly, I think the local government does a great job and we are located right next to the Parkway and routes 35 and 36. This allows us to get to our customers quickly.
When you leave work, do you leave the office behind, or are you always in contact?
I'm always in contact. Business is 24/7/365 and never stops.
What do you do in your off time?
Spend time with my beautiful wife and two amazing boys. We like to do anything in or on the water. I am blessed to have an amazing family and friends.
When you leave the business behind someday, what will you do?
I imagine myself always having some type of business, but when I have more free time I would like to be sailing, fishing and diving all over the world.
Small Business Spotlight runs Mondays. If you’re a small-business owner in Monmouth and Ocean counties interested in taking part in this Q&A, contact business producer Dennis P. Carmody at dcarmody@gannettnj.com.
SERVPRO OF EATONTOWN/LONG BRANCH
Describe your business: Fire, water, mold, biohazard, hoarding cleanup and remediation.
Owner: John Majeski
Location: Eatontown
Phone: 732-578-9888
Website: www.servproeatontownlongbranch.com
Founded: 2008
