Wednesday’s crowd at State Fair Community College was the largest 1 Million Cups Sedalia has had since it launched in April. As usual, the audience included those from the local business community, but it also included the Leadership Sedalia 2016 class and Smith-Cotton High School DECA students.
1 Million Cups is designed to help entrepreneurs network with other entrepreneurs in their community to share best practices, as well as reach others in the local business community that could benefit from their services.
Up first was Brandon Grable of Grable Exterior Maintenance Services. The business does exactly what its name says — Grable cleans the exterior of residential and commercial buildings, everything from roofs and fences to brick, stucco or siding.
“I needed a job and a career that could be flexible and I could be there for (my son) at any point in time,” Grable said. “I sat down with my grandfather and I talked to him and over the last few years we discussed how I always clean the exterior of his home. … After two years of him telling me to go do it, I decided this summer, just out of nowhere one day, I’m going to start this company in two weeks and I’m going to make a run at it.”
During the question-and-answer portion of his presentation, Grable said his biggest challenge was learning he doesn’t know everything and learning to ask questions. He said he started with less than $500, cleaning his first house with a one-gallon sprayer and a garden hose, and working to purchase a new piece of equipment with each additional house he cleaned.
He said so far his best marketing technique is word of mouth, noting that using yard signs and advertising may work better once his company becomes more known in the area. His humble beginnings have led to a lofty goal of expanding across the Midwest to provide a service he said is “needed.”
Grable’s technique doesn’t include the expected power-washing. In fact, he said he doesn’t even own a power washer. Instead, he uses soft washing to clean dirt, mold and other unwanted substances from a building’s exterior.
“Everybody’s always power-washed their homes. Power-washing leads to damage, it gets in places water’s not supposed to go. For example, if you power-wash siding, you put water behind it, you have black mold in your house,” Grable explained. “… The process I have developed is a soft wash process that I spray on the house and rinse off. No power-washing involved. It is nontoxic, biodegradable, plant and animal safe.”
Grable noted that his service should be seen as more than just cleaning, but rather regular maintenance for a building, as the process can extend the life of a roof and other materials.
The second business to speak Wednesday was Key Solutions, which provides training and a variety of services to businesses and organizations. Mike Ringen and Julie Brunner are both retired educators who began Key Solutions as a way to work a little after retirement, but they soon realized it was becoming a full business that needed branding and a business plan.
“We’ve helped groups do reorganization in their meetings and creative problem solving, we’ve done board member training at Kauffman Conference Center, we do web content development and some digital services for some interactive things, strategic planning services,” Brunner said. “These are the things we do in groups. Afterward our clients feel empowered, excited, positive, ready to go to work.”
The company’s slogan is “We help people be the best.”
“What can you do today to show examples of understanding confidentiality, practicing empathy, exhibiting integrity, showing respect, developing trust, believe in equality and be always honest,” Ringen said of the company’s core values. “Because we believe those are the foundations of anything we do to make people, to make organizations, businesses, teams be successful.”
Because of their education backgrounds, Brunner and Ringen have been working primarily in the education industry, but they’re looking to expand into other industries that could benefit from their services. They’re also looking to expand their geographic reach. Key Solutions has clients in Kansas City, St. Louis and Warrensburg, but they’re working to include Pettis County in the list.
“Wherever you have people that are working together and you have complicated problems to solve, we can help,” Brunner said.
Julie Brunner speaks about Key Solutions, a company that provides training and a variety of services to businesses and organizations, during Wednesday morning’s 1 Million Cups event at State Fair Community College. She was joined on stage by Mike Ringen, who owns Key Solutions with Brunner.
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Julie Brunner speaks about Key Solutions, a company that provides training and a variety of services to businesses and organizations, during Wednesday morning’s 1 Million Cups event at State Fair Community College. She was joined on stage by Mike Ringen, who owns Key Solutions with Brunner.
Nicole Cooke | Democrat
Brandon Grable of Grable Exterior Maintenance Services points out the after photo on a residential exterior cleaning job he recently completed during Wednesday morning’s 1 Million Cups event at State Fair Community College. His company offers residential and commercial building exterior cleaning.
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Brandon Grable of Grable Exterior Maintenance Services points out the after photo on a residential exterior cleaning job he recently completed during Wednesday morning’s 1 Million Cups event at State Fair Community College. His company offers residential and commercial building exterior cleaning.
Nicole Cooke | Democrat
By Nicole Cooke
ncooke@sedaliademocrat.com
Nicole Cooke can be reached at 660-530-0138 or on Twitter @NicoleRCooke.