National Clothesline

Everybody is experiencing a cash flow crunch these days. For businesses, the solution is to get more customers and to get existing customers to spend more. This is easier said than done because those customers and potential customers are also experiencing a cash crunch.

For government, the solution is to raise taxes and fees, or come up with new taxes and fees. Unfortunately, this is too easily done. Imagine, if you will, that you could run your business like the government. You need more revenue. No problem. Just raise your prices and customers will have to pay, like it or not. You bring in new customers by simply telling people that they now must do business with you.

Of course, it doesn’t work like that in the business world. And the trouble with this solution when implemented by government is that it becomes part of the problem. In California, cleaners who have their backs against the wall because of a state-mandated phase-out of perc are now being told they need to pony up to the government to keep operating. This added burden will not help cleaners who are already struggling.

Perhaps instead California should look to the example of New Jersey, which is providing real financial assistance to cleaners to help meet the state’s goal of reducing perc use.

California has been collecting taxes on perc sales for several years now, which has created a fund specifically to give grants to cleaners who want to switch from perc. But the California grants have been restricted to liquid carbon dioxide and wetcleaning systems. If the state would open this fund to other non-perc alternatives, as is being done in New Jersey, more cleaners would be able to convert their machinery and the state would be that much closer to its goal of eliminating perc.

If you were lucky enough to catch either of the two perfect games in Major League Baseball this season (Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies), then you witnessed something that has only happened 20 times in baseball history. The first one occurred in 1880; the most recent was on May 29. When you break all the numbers down, fans can typically expect to see the awesome feat occur about once every six years. Also, once you see a pitcher retire all 27 batters he faces in nine innings without a hit, walk or error, you won’t see him do it again. At least, it hasn’t happened yet. Nobody ever said perfection comes easily or often.

So, if this amazing achievement rarely happens, why then have there been two perfect games before the All-Star Break in 2010? It’s simple. Pitchers have been more consistent this year; batters have not. Of course, there is also an element of luck, as well, but the key factor in achieving perfection is consistency. The same is true of your business.

Imagine trying to go through you entire drycleaning career with every stain removed successfully and no damaged garments. It can’t be done. Sooner or later, humans make mistakes. Sometimes, garments react in ways to the cleaning process that you cannot anticipate. The trick is not to try to be perfect all the time. That is an unreasonable ambition. Instead, you have to try to be the best you can every single day and learn from the mistakes that occurred on your bad days.

If you happened to watch one of the perfect games, you probably saw teammates keeping their distance from the pitcher in an attempt not to mess with his routine. Even non-starting players who sat in the dugout all nine innings would dare not move from their seat or distract anybody in the game for fear of jinxing the possibility of perfection. Meanwhile, the pitcher was simply trying to keep the same focus and mindset he’s relied on since he played Little League. He knows exactly what it will take to succeed. It all boils down to whether he can execute his game plan, pitch with control and keep fortune on his side.

The best cleaners do exactly the same. Some days, you’ll achieve perfection and feel invincible. Other times you will find only frustration, no matter how hard you try. The next day you simply start all over again. That’s baseball. That’s drycleaning. That’s life.



								National Clothesline






						A better solution for California Everybody is experiencing a cash flow crunch these days. For businesses, the solution is to get more customers and to get existing customers to spend more. This is easier said than done because those customers and potential customers are also experiencing a cash crunch. For government, the solution is to raise taxes and fees, or come up with new taxes and fees. Unfortunately, this is too easily done. Imagine, if you will, that you could run your business like the government. You need more revenue. No problem. Just raise your prices and customers will have to pay, like it or not. You bring in new customers by simply telling people that they now must do business with you. Of course, it doesn’t work like that in the business world. And the trouble with this solution when implemented by government is that it becomes part of the problem. In California, cleaners who have their backs against the wall because of a state-mandated phase-out of perc are now being told they need to pony up to the government to keep operating. This added burden will not help cleaners who are already struggling. Perhaps instead California should look to the example of New Jersey, which is providing real financial assistance to cleaners to help meet the state’s goal of reducing perc use. California has been collecting taxes on perc sales for several years now, which has created a fund specifically to give grants to cleaners who want to switch from perc. But the California grants have been restricted to liquid carbon dioxide and wetcleaning systems. If the state would open this fund to other non-perc alternatives, as is being done in New Jersey, more cleaners would be able to convert their machinery and the state would be that much closer to its goal of eliminating perc. The pursuit of perfection If you were lucky enough to catch either of the two perfect games in Major League Baseball this season (Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies), then you witnessed something that has only happened 20 times in baseball history. The first one occurred in 1880; the most recent was on May 29. When you break all the numbers down, fans can typically expect to see the awesome feat occur about once every six years. Also, once you see a pitcher retire all 27 batters he faces in nine innings without a hit, walk or error, you won’t see him do it again. At least, it hasn’t happened yet. Nobody ever said perfection comes easily or often. So, if this amazing achievement rarely happens, why then have there been two perfect games before the All-Star Break in 2010? It’s simple. Pitchers have been more consistent this year; batters have not. Of course, there is also an element of luck, as well, but the key factor in achieving perfection is consistency. The same is true of your business. Imagine trying to go through you entire drycleaning career with every stain removed successfully and no damaged garments. It can’t be done. Sooner or later, humans make mistakes. Sometimes, garments react in ways to the cleaning process that you cannot anticipate. The trick is not to try to be perfect all the time. That is an unreasonable ambition. Instead, you have to try to be the best you can every single day and learn from the mistakes that occurred on your bad days. If you happened to watch one of the perfect games, you probably saw teammates keeping their distance from the pitcher in an attempt not to mess with his routine. Even non-starting players who sat in the dugout all nine innings would dare not move from their seat or distract anybody in the game for fear of jinxing the possibility of perfection. Meanwhile, the pitcher was simply trying to keep the same focus and mindset he’s relied on since he played Little League. He knows exactly what it will take to succeed. It all boils down to whether he can execute his game plan, pitch with control and keep fortune on his side. The best cleaners do exactly the same. Some days, you’ll achieve perfection and feel invincible. Other times you will find only frustration, no matter how hard you try. The next day you simply start all over again. That’s baseball. That’s drycleaning. That’s life.