To "clean up" in business means to become a success, and ServiceMaster Professional Building Maintenance (PBM) of Lincoln has found a way to combine both.
Jon Paolini, who worked more than 15 years with ServiceMaster PBM of Lincoln, ultimately rising to the position of general manager, has successfully transitioned from employee to business owner.
Paolini and his wife, Angela, came to the Nebraska Business Development Center's Lincoln office to seek the help of Director Marisol U. Rodriguez in creating the specifics and the narrative of a business transition plan that would allow Paolini to buy ServiceMaster PBM.
He also relied upon NBDC-Lincoln's services when preparing the loan application. The loan was approved and the couple were able to purchase the business, becoming the new owners in August 2009.
"Approaching banks for financing was more difficult that I thought," Paolini says. "They suggested approaching the NBDC for help, and Marisol was able to put together the complete package with my input and information. Because of what Marisol put together, I had everything I needed."
In the time since, the Paolinis have used the Lincoln office's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) services in obtaining government contracting opportunities. Paolini studied human resources on his way to earning a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994. He joined ServiceMaster of Lincoln as the human resources manager. "I wrote the handbook that created the policies regarding human resources," he recalls.
"We went from a handful of employees when I stared to more than 100."
He rose the corporate ladder to office manager and company operations, being promoted to general manager in 1997. "The previous owner thought I'd make a good owner someday," he says. Ultimately, Paolini realized that goal.
The business continues to grow as the Paolinis expand services. In 2010, the company grew 14 percent, and in 2011 it was up 10 percent. "Overall, we're up 20 percent from when we bought the business," Paolini says. The number of employees has risen from 140 to about 170.
Paolini advises other entrepreneurs to rely upon the NBDC for advice and support. "A lot of new business people have trouble writing budgets or figuring out marketing strategies," he says. "Those are tasks that don't come naturally to everyone, but those are things NBDC does a great job helping with. That's why I've personally recommended them to other small businesses."
He says the advice of Marisol Rodriguez and others like her at NBDC is priceless for those struggling to buy or begin their own businesses. "Once I started talking with Marisol, I found out how much I didn't know," he says, chuckling. "That's when I realized the gravity of what I was going after. And that's why I'm really grateful the help was there."