A neighbor doing the work, on his own street.

Chapter One · How I got here

A new neighbor on Barcelona Lane.

When I moved into the neighborhood, my neighbors were — for the most part — pretty welcoming. A few stood out, the way a few always do. But the overall feel was good. A well-established neighborhood with residents who have been on this street since its inception, in some cases. People who know who their neighbors are.

I had the equipment for yard work, so when I saw a neighbor who needed help, I helped. It wasn't a business yet. It was just what a neighbor with a mower does for a neighbor without one.

That part wasn't planned. It was just the way I'd been raised to show up.

Chapter Three · Beyond cleaning

One name had to hold it all.

So now I was cleaning condos. I was already doing the landscaping. Cars in the neighborhood started getting detailed. Handyman work came along when someone needed something fixed.

If I was going to make this a real business, I needed one name that wouldn't box me in. Not a cleaning company. Not a landscaping company. Not any one thing.

Beyond Clean Solutions was birthed. The word "beyond" was on purpose. Whatever the work was, the name would hold it.

Chapter Four · Why a website

A place online specific to them.

This is personal to me because it lets me give the people on my street something they don't usually have with a service person — a place online that's specifically about the work I do for them.

The way I see it, this might be one of the most underrated business models around. What customer wouldn't want to visit a place online before picking up the phone? See what someone does. See what others have said. Get a sense of the person doing the work.

My neighbors will pick up the phone anyway. They know me. But now they have another way to reach me — and one I can't exactly ignore when I see it come through.

House Rules

A short list of how this works.

If you’re going to be on the rotation, three things are good to know up front.

One. My day job runs my calendar. BCS moves around it. If you need work done on a strict deadline, you should probably call a real company. If you can let me get to it when I get to it — usually within the week, often the same week you ask — we’re a fit.

Two. Pricing is below market because we’re neighbors. There’s no above-market rate because I don’t take work outside Barcelona Lane and the immediate vicinity. If the work hasn’t been done in a while and the job has grown, the quote will grow with it — but never past honest.

Three. Don’t give my number out to anyone who still owes you money. The math doesn’t change when it comes to me — if they couldn’t pay you back for the lawn chair they borrowed two years ago, they’re not paying me for the yard. Spare us both.

That’s the whole list.