We had the good fortune of connecting with Chad Gunner and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Chad, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Thanks for having me.
I truly believe that growth in any form requires risk taking. I clearly remember my reluctance to take on a promotion. From the outside looking in, this was not a huge jump from my current job. It was just a change in visibility from “higher ups.” I listened to many people both ahead of me in the reporting chain as well as subordinates express how well I would perform in the next step. For me, fear of failure was the overwhelming thought. As I look back, this particular move was the risk I had to take to grow. Fortunately, I survived the leap and it became what I consider my first considerable risk as an adult. There are levels to risk taking and though minor this occurrence, it proved major in the the grand scheme.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m the CEO of a small but growing facilities maintenance/janitorial service. Easy Clean Janitorial has sustained exponential growth since our expansion from Lafayette Louisiana into Greater Houston.
I was asked what’s our vision for Easy Clean. I answer with a question. “What is a business you frequent mainly because of great service?” The group of answers always include Chic-Fil-A. Now my answer is “Easy Clean aims to be the ‘Chic-fil-a’of the facilities maintenance space. The brand will speak for itself as we focus on client partnerships and service execution.”
Our future includes expansions to other geographical regions as well becoming a retail supplier of janitorial supplies. We have earned our way into service agreements with schools, places of worship, offices, restaurants, event spaces, medical facilities and more. Soon we will offer others an opportunity to own their own piece of Easy Clean. The experience of servicing all facility types will ensure we ready new partners for success in this space.
With my partner, Eric Joseph’s, extensive experience in this business coupled with my customer relations background, the growth potential of Easy Clean is infinite.
Anyone looking for a dedicated service provider is guaranteed satisfaction with Easy Clean.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If one of my best friends was visiting us from south Louisiana, I would have just a few places that are musts to visit.
Let’s start our day out grabbing coffee and delicious bread pudding from Gulf Coast Bread Pudding. From there we’d travel to the Houston Museum of African American Culture. After our tour, we would head over to Burn’s Barbecue to refuel.
One last stop at the Galleria Mall to get a fresh new outfit before we grab a patio table at Royalty Bar where we can enjoy a drink or two and a cigar in a grown-up atmosphere.
If the friend is in search of some inspiration or in the mood for spiritual word, I’d take him to see Lee Skinner, Pastor of Good Shepherd Baptist Church.
This is a pretty well rounded visit, wouldn’t you say?
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Claudia “Claudie Dell” Gunner is my mother and greatest influence in my life. A poor single mother who instilled pride into her children regardless of our living circumstances. That egoless pride that we have allowed me fire inside of me to burn hotter and more intense that the fire that surrounded me. When faced with the pressures to do the wrong thing, the thought of damaging her prideful stance lead me to the light far more than it did the dark.
Website: Easy-cleanllc.com
Instagram: Easyclean.llc
Linkedin: Chad Gunner
Facebook: Easy Clean Janitorial LLC