In celebration of National Small Business Month, we’ll be shining a spotlight on some of our local small business clients. What do they do, what challenges do they face, what gets them most excited and what are the risks they’ve taken? Today, we caught up Mario Campos, owner of Stanley Steemer of Cape Cod.
What is your business?
My business is Stanley Steemer of Cape Cod which services all the Cape, Plymouth and the Islands.
When was your business formed?
Stanley Steemer has served the Cape for over 25 years. I took over in June 2015.
How did you get started?
I got started working for Stanley Steemer International, which is the cooperation or franchiser. I ran the New England company-owned operations for many years. I know this industry in and out!
What’s the biggest risk you took in your business?
The biggest risk I took is the construction of our new facility in Bourne. Luckily for us, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod gave us financial support to buy the land and build the facilities to our specifications. The building allows us to be more effective in many aspects; resulting in delivering better services to our customers. It was a goal achieved!
One piece of advice I’d give someone starting a small business is…
One piece of advice I would give anyone starting their own small business is to work hard, harder than ever, but always making time for family, friends, and the community. The rewards in those relationships are equally as important as the financial rewards.
What’s the most challenging part of running your business?
The most challenging part of running my business is the double-edge sword of having a national name. The recognition is there, as we have a great reputation, but at times some people do not think we are local. We are as local as we get! I live here, our employees live here. We are part of your community. So my biggest challenge is for people to know that we are local!
Are there any community partnerships or initiatives you’d like people to know about?
Currently I sit on the Board of Directors of the YMCA here in Barnstable. I’m also on the Steering Committee for The YMCA Teen Achievers program. The Teen Achievers programs is one of the best ways I could give back to the community by helping our future leaders. It’s great to see some of the kids achieve success on their way to college. We also donate to many local organizations…too many to list, and frankly we do it to help, not to promote our company.
Anything fun facts about the business you’d like to share?
I want to be sure that readers know that our people are what make us great. They are caring, trained and professionals in their field. Starting with Jason, Ray and our Lead Tech Jordan; those guys set the tone of the operation.
Every morning we meet in efforts to deliver great service and cheer each other up by reading customers’ reviews and messages. Even Bernie (our company pet), the Aussiedoodle, gets in on the action every morning. Bernie loves when we clap and cheer our positive feedback, he howls and barks just as loud.
Want to learn more about Stanley Steemer of Cape Cod? Follow them at these links:
Website – stanleysteemer.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/stanleysteemer
Twitter – https://twitter.com/stanleysteemer
Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanley-steemer/