Life Lessons from My Carpet Cleaning Guy
“The surprising secrets of America’s wealthy.”
An off schedule post
This is an off-schedule post. That means something different or interesting is going on that warrants paying attention to. So, my friends, read on to find out more!
Introduction
One of our core principles at Afterburner Success Partners is to help people become wealthy. What we do not want to do is help make people rich. Do you know the difference? If you cannot quickly, without hesitation, name the difference, I might suggest going back and reviewing my post of April 8, 2025, titled Your Financial Path-Rich or Wealthy? You can find it under the Blog tab on my website and scroll back through the previous blogs until you reach April 8, 2025.
Please review the previous post, if nothing else, to refresh your memory.
A tale of three houses
Diane and I had been discussing purchasing a different house in late 2018 or so. We had a beautiful home but the kids were gone, and we were considering downsizing. But the main reason is that our home was 22 years old and that’s about the time homes start needing a lot of stuff done to them. I had previously replaced both air conditioners/heaters and the water heater. The original appliances worked OK, but again were 22 years old. The carpet was about shot after a large family (the previous owners apparently had pets too), the siding was starting to rot, the windows, which were, as we say, not the highest quality, were starting to come apart and were not efficient, and we needed painting inside and out. As I added it all up, I did not like the number relative to the cash required to do all that work versus the home's value. There were a few other features we wanted that the home did not have, so we decided to sell it and get more of what we wanted.
Anyway, the home stayed on the market a long time as the market was a bit soft, and I needed to do some updates to make it more attractive. We finally sold it and were now homeless. While we looked for our new home, we were very quickly able to get a rental home in a nice neighborhood.
You know what happened in early 2020, right? Yes, COVID. As you know, after the initial health scare and the shock to the stock market, things really changed later in 2020. All of a sudden, no one could find a rental home, and the price of homes skyrocketed. Fortunately, we closed on our current home just before it all hit. Of course, we were horrified thinking we made a huge financial mistake, but as I just mentioned, owning a home as the pandemic hit was a wonderful place to be financially. We slid in right under the wire. Better to be lucky than good any day, I always say.
So when we were ready to move out of our rental home, we needed to clean the carpet. The property management company has its preferred carpet cleaner. I was not born last night, and I know property management companies can be selective in withholding portions of the security deposit, so I decided to use their preferred vendors for any work I needed. Good decision, Dave, you say.
I had never heard of the carpet cleaning company before, but the lady who answered the phone was nice, and we set up an appointment. I would later learn that this was the owner’s wife of the carpet-cleaning company, and that they were in partnership together. The carpet cleaners came out as scheduled, early, in fact, and the two young men did a fantastic job. And they were very reasonably priced, too. And I got all my deposit back, and the property management complimented us on how clean and well-maintained the home was. And then we moved into our new (older, used) home.
Our favorite carpet cleaning guy
After we moved in, I wanted to clean the house top to bottom, and have the carpet cleaned. So I called the people we used at the rental house. I spoke to the same lady, and that day, her husband, the owner, came out. Early again. Of course. He was dressed professionally (uniform appropriate to his task and customer-focused work), professional in manner and how he performed his tasks (protected my furniture, painted corners, and wood floors), pleasant, and did a fantastic job. Very reasonably priced as well. I used him again a couple of years later and then just this week for the fourth time. The last three times the owner was the guy who cleaned our carpet. Every time early, every time a wonderful job and a reasonable price. For all these reasons, he is my favorite carpet cleaning guy and I tell everyone I know about him. Did you hear what I just said? I said, because he has done such a great job for me, I am his biggest fan and part of his advertising team, which brings him more business. I hope you understand the important business and life lesson in this little story. You probably do, but if not, email me, and I’ll explain it to you.
I want to be like this guy
Well, this last time, as he was picking up his equipment and putting it all in his truck, I struck up a conversation. It turns out that what he enjoys doing is talking to his customers because he is a friendly guy. Also, he likes to travel to Europe, just like we do, so we immediately hit it off. As I got to know him over the course of the next 30 minutes or so, I learned a lot about him. He grew up in Mexico and at some point, ended up starting his own carpet cleaning business and grew to 7 trucks and crews and last year he sold the business but kept one truck and his company name for himself so he can work 9:00 to 2:00 every day just to have something to do and enjoy meeting and talking to customers. As you can imagine, this conversation really piqued my interest.
I asked him if he had considered retiring. He said, yes, he had, but at 58 he still enjoyed working and people, and was able to travel extensively and continue to work because he enjoys the work and his customers.
Friends, I’ve been preaching this message for almost six years now. Here is a guy who came to this country, worked hard, made a successful business for himself, and now, at about 57 years old, sells it and decides to live life on his own terms. This is what wealthy looks like. And he did it all as an immigrant and as a carpet cleaner. This is the American Dream.
I’ve spoken often of the value of trade work and especially in today’s environment, people who work in trades can often be more successful than a professional. Now, as you know, I use the terms wealthy (as opposed to rich), professional and success a bit differently than a lot of people and the reason I do is that at the end of the day, it’s all about being happy, and my definitions for these terms will produce the happiness you desire. Not a rat race, not keeping up with the Joneses, but happy on your own terms. Let’s review these definitions, shall we?
Professional: A professional is one who utilizes their skill and expertise to accomplish their assigned tasks in a noteworthy manner, going above and beyond what is normally expected to provide a high level of service or quality of work in an effort to delight their customers.
Success: Success is defined as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal (Note 1).
Wealthy: Having financial freedom. Prosperous enough to live the life of one’s choosing without having to struggle to meet not only basic needs but also enough to experience at least some of the finer things in life. Wealthy people do not compare themselves to others, as wealth is a relative term, just like success is. Wealth provides not only an opportunity but a desire, indeed an innate obligation, to help others by using the time, talents, and resources they have been blessed with for good or the betterment of society. Wealthy people are happy and content. Typically, they are self-made. They are secure, safe, and not anxious. They can achieve their dreams and live their best lives. Wealthy people may live next door to you. On the other hand, they may be prominent in the community. You may even confuse the wealthy with the average.
As opposed to
Rich: To have more money and stuff than the average person, typically much more. There are different levels of rich: little rich, somewhat rich, stinking rich. I associate rich people typically being only interested in themselves or their inner circles. While some rich people are kind and nice, I often associate rich people with thinking they are better than others or having an air of superiority. Often, the rich crave power. Rich people may or may not be happy. They may or may not be self-made. You see these people on TV, social media, and other media. You know them when you see them.
So a person, regardless of their station in life, who is living their life on their own terms is, in my vernacular, wealthy and successful. My carpet-cleaning guy has achieved his dreams and is living his best life, and I truly believe this is something we all desire in life.
Summary
Today, it is possible to create wealth and live our best lives in more ways than ever. And it’s surprising that people who don’t look or act like we do are doing it every day in the most unlikely ways. One of the most interesting books I’ve read is called The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko (Note 2). Read this book and find out how people you could never imagine have found the keys to wealth and happiness. Oh, and the quote at the beginning of this post, “the surprising secrets of America’s wealthy,” is the subtitle to this wonderful book.
The book is a few years old, but the lessons are timeless, and today, even more than when the book first came out, mostly because of technological developments in recent years, it is possible to create wonderful lives in the most interesting and surprising ways.
That’s all for today!
Life Lessons From My Carpet Cleaning Guy
Afterburner Success Partners
What’s in it for Me
We must always be aware of our knowledge related to what we want to do and ensure what we think we know is true. Then, we must act in a determined manner. Doing so will ensure we get what we want, and that’s what’s in it for me.
Call to Action
Review the material in the notes below. Purchase any of the books. Take the Afterburner Success Partners course. Tell a friend.
Recommended Resources
Buy and read any of the books mentioned in the notes below.
Up Next
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Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
The definition of success was originally defined by Earl Nightengale and I have adopted it in my writings with all credit to him.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko: https://amzn.to/3GB9boG
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ