SHINING STAR
Molly Maid of Virginia Beach’s success story is proven by its steady sales growth. Pelton said focusing on operations, managing people and continually improving processes has been their long- term approach to achieving results. “Controlled growth is profitable growth. My goal is 5-7 percent top line growth per year. If I can hit that, given the maturity of the business, I’m happy,” Pelton said. Highs and Lows “My parents built a good business – it would have been difficult to see dramatic improvements once I took over,” Pelton said. “I’m proud that we’ve maintained a high-level of customer retention and low customer cancellation rate over the years.” He said their culture is based on everyone from the owner to each employee working together to be excellent. They speak honestly about keeping their customers satisfied during every meeting and that it’s everyone’s responsibility to help make it happen. “Life is easier in business if you hold onto your customers and your employees,” he said. Retaining employees and keeping them engaged is critical to the business’s success. Pelton draws on his past managerial roles to build the most professional environment and compensation plan as possible and offers quite a few benefits including
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PELTON SAID THEIR CULTURE IS BASED ON EVERYONE FROM THE OWNER TO EACH EMPLOYEE WORKING TOGETHER TO BE EXCELLENT. THEY SPEAK HONESTLY ABOUT KEEPING THEIR CUSTOMERS SATISFIED DURING EVERY MEETING, AND THAT IT’S EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN.
While his parents started the business, Pelton graduated from college, worked in Washington D.C., completed an MBA degree, met his wife Wendy and then spent nearly a decade in various management roles, which gave him very good prep for running a successful Molly Maid franchise. In 2004, Mike said he and his father had a long discussion about the possibility of taking over the business. Along with his siblings, Andrew and Matt, he purchased the business in 2006, and took the lead on the daily operations. After working with his parents for six months, the transition was complete as Ron and Ulaine started their next chapter in retirement. “I certainly didn’t come in thinking the business needed to be fixed. It was doing well by any standard before I took over, and my initial goal was not to screw it up!” Pelton said. That first year, Pelton focused on getting to know the people, establishing mutual trust and building relationships. “I did not make any major changes – except for catching the office up on technology a bit – taking the filing from a paper to an electronic system,” he said. “Within a couple of years, I implemented a visible quality management incentive program to continue improving on our level of service.”
medical, retirement, paid vacation and holidays. “A lot of managing is about building culture. I have a pretty good rapport with employees, and I try to be visible, accessible and flexible,” he said. “Cleaning houses is hard work, and I don’t want to make it any more difficult on my employees than it already is.” Currently, six employees have exceeded the 20-year milestone and he has a number of others who have been in the business longer than 10 years and five years.
Pelton receives his Shining Star award at Convention with Mary Kennedy Thompson and Meg Roberts.
See SHINING STAR , Page 42
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