I've been in a lot of shops and factories. Too many to count. Tonight I'm going to let you in on three dirty little secrets to a clean shop or factory floor.

Dirty little secret #1 Buy your employees good cleaning tools that will make the cleaning job easier, which means it will take your employee less time to do the job. Less time spent cleaning means more time to spend what they are supposed to be doing. This translates into more money in your pocket and happier employees. Nobody wants feel like a cheap maid using lousy cleaning products.

Dirty little secret #2 Make your employees responsible for the cleaning tools you buy them. 

Dirty little secret #3 Reward good performance with inexpensive atta-boys and atta-girls like lunch on the boss.

Thats it. Real simple. Real easy.

Go get'er clean

Let's go back in time, back to 1989 because I'm about to get a good used car screwin'. I spotted a black Mercury Capri parked at a local gas station. I stopped, looked the car over and wrote down the phone number. The next day I called the selling party. They told me they were selling the car because their daughter had just left for college. They also said the owner of the gas station had the keys and I could drive it anytime.

The next day my older bother, Alan and I drove the car. I took the bait and paid well over retail for the car. 2 days later I noticed the oil gauge was low. I pulled over and checked the dipstick, I was almost out of oil! That's when I discovered this car was an oil burner and a piece of crap. I had all kinds of trouble with this "jewel" and eventually sold it for a lousy $400.

Later I heard this shady gas station guy sold lots of worn out cars to the unsuspecting public. Last I heard he's 6-feet under and that old station is now a bank parking lot.

Onto deal number 3. This time I thought I had all the answers. Silly me, car profits are for insiders - not novices and wannabes. So in all my arrogance I bought a 1985 Plymouth Turismo for $2,750. After 18 months and 40,000 miles I sold it for $1,250.

Deal number 4 No, I haven't' smartened up yet. Car deal number 4 proved to be yet another loss. I purchased a Dodge Lancer that immediately needed $600 worth of repairs. 3 months later the steering rack went out. That's when the fun began. I needed a car to drive ASAP so I called a used car rental service. It felt like I was about to get taken for a ride again but it turned out to be the best phone call I could have made.

Steve Meadows, the owner of the used car rental service taught me everything he knew about the used car business, over 21 years of specialized knowledge. I personally detailed over 100 cars for him. It was some of the easiest money I ever made and best street smart education I've ever had.

I learned how to buy vehicles from new and used car dealers, auctions, and private individuals at good wholesale prices. On the other side of the business I learned how to detail cars for sale appeal. These techniques I learned about and will share with you will immediately add $300-$500 worth of retail value to almost any vehicle. In many cases you can pocket $1,500 very easily. I'll show you how.

Shawn

Photo courtesy of Ekusie