What It Takes to Lead – Veteran Entrepreneur Shares Insights

Jonathan Barnett stands at the side of an open Oxi Fresh van. Products can be seen in the background.

Oxi Fresh Founder Featured in Authority Magazine

Jonathan Barnett, the founder of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, was recently featured in Authority Magazine. The digital publication, which focuses on thought-provoking interviews, asked Mr. Barnett to share five things he wishes he knew becoming a c-suite executive leading a carpet cleaning franchise.

“Interviews like this are always useful,” said Mr. Barnett, “They encourage you to look back on your career, identify the things that got you here – good and bad – and then you have to distill those moments into useful lessons. I hope that this article helps entrepreneurs out there who are beginning their business journey.”

Five Big Lessons from Mr. Barnett

You’ve Got the Green Light
“Just like an entrepreneur can’t let themselves become paralyzed waiting for the perfect moment,” said Mr. Barnett during the Q&A, “C-Suite leaders can’t lead while waiting for life to give them the green light. They need to seize the moment and act.”

For Mr. Barnett, an example of that risk-taking was Oxi Fresh itself. Founding a carpet cleaning franchise in a market already full of other carpet cleaners was a significant risk. But, said Mr. Barnett, if he had “waited around for the perfect moment, it would never have come. That’s because people looking for the perfect moment are, in many ways, actually looking for excuses not to take that big leap. If you do that as a C-Suite leader, you won’t accomplish anything.”

Letting Go to Grow
A business can’t grow if its leader tries to control everything. For Mr. Barnett, a necessary trait to cultivate is a willingness to entrust tasks and responsibilities to others. If you don’t, the business can only get as big as you.

Speed Through Systems
Per Mr. Barnett, “It’s vital to create systems that save time and reduce labor. This will free you and your staff up from busy work and allow you to focus your efforts on growth and development.”

The spreadsheets his carpet cleaning franchise company used to use to schedule appointments were an example of this. According to Mr. Barnett, these sheets were a workable solution at the time, but they also led to errors, slow-downs, and confusion. In order to accelerate the booking process and improve results, the company invested in special booking software. “This was an expensive program,” said Mr. Barnett, “but the system created speed, which saved time, which saved money.”

Ownership Through Scoring
Establishing metrics and measurables for your team is important. By creating scoring systems, you create both accountability and a drive for achievement among your team. This can spur people on to greater achievements and help you identify poor performers.

Profits with a Purpose:
For Mr. Barnett, businesses must have a reason to exist other than “making money.” He finds it’s healthier for both the company and staff.

“At Oxi Fresh, we donate to Water.org with every job booked online. This nonprofit helps families around the world get reliable access to safe water and sanitation solutions. . . . Working with Water.org has been both good for the brand – customers love supporting companies that give back – and good for my team.”

The head of the carpet cleaning franchise shared various other engaging lessons, anecdotes, and more. To read the original article, click here. To learn more about opening your own carpet cleaning franchise location, click here. Need your carpets cleaned? Click here.

Did you hear about our franchisee featured in Vetrepreneur?

Carpet Cleaning Before and After Photos

What Customers Are Saying

Average 4.7 stars (Out of 5)

Based on 275,817 Carpet Cleaning Services Reviews
Gets the job done well, even on really bad stains. Clean, clear, smells great. Dawson worked very hard to restore my new carpets to new after my doggos made a blizzard of a mess! cs. - Vallejo, CA - 03/03/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
Prompt and excellent customer service. The carpets are very clean and even stains, that had not come out after the cleaning of another company came out. Great job! GO. - Georgetown, TX - 03/03/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
DL. - San Antonio, FL - 03/01/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
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