Robert Stewart knows the power of great advice.
When he first joined BSCAI (and the commercial cleaning business), he was pleasantly surprised by how many people offered him advice. He found people at all levels in their careers were talking to him candidly about their experiences and it helped him grow as a businessperson immensely.
“I give a lot of credit to them for my success,” he said.
It’s why Stewart—along with BSCAI—is looking to engage more people through the association's redesigned Member Advisory groups. BSCAI Member Advisory allows participants to get direction and industry advice from fellow BSCs. This unique opportunity for commercial cleaning mentoring is one that can last for a lifetime.
There are two different groups within the advisory: Peer Groups and Mentors/Mentees. Peer Groups are designed for several people to meet up—virtually or in person—and connect on issues affecting their business. This is a space for freely sharing ideas, information and opinions. BSCAI will put together a peer group based on interests, personalities and business type to aim for optimal success.
Stewart—who is overseeing the expansion of these groups as BSCAI’s Director of Member Advisory—said this is a perfect opportunity for someone looking to bounce ideas off other BSCs and expand their personal network.
“Peer Group members report this to be an extremely valuable experience and find it very helpful to their business success,” he said. “The group primarily focuses on business, but most successful and sustaining peer groups become very close—getting to know one another on a business, family and personal level.”
Mentors/mentees are one-on-one relationships forged between two individuals. Stewart said BSCAI will match mentees and mentors together based on expertise and knowledge interest. Newer BSCs, or those who come from smaller companies, will be connected with seasoned, experienced industry professionals who will volunteer up to six hours of time for a three-month period. If the relationship goes well, Stewart said the parties can choose to extend. In his experience, these relationships can create a lifelong bond.
Both groups are beneficial for many reasons other than the obvious. Not only is knowledge exchanged, but it’s a chance for everyone to grow their networks, get exposure to how businesses are run outside of their region and check their own best practices. Whether you’re in a peer group, a mentee or a mentor, there’s something available for everyone to takeaway.
Stewart said he hopes these new relationships help give more seasoned BSCs a viewpoint different from their own. Most importantly, he hopes both peer groups and mentors/mentees can develop strong relationships within the association and create a better environment for everyone to succeed in.
“This is a service industry, so we know what it means to help others,” he said. “There’s really no better way to build someone up than to talk with them and share your ideas and experiences. We’re hoping this makes a difference in the BSCAI community.”
Interested in learning more? Please visit our website. BSCAI is currently seeking mentees to be part of our Mentor program. If you are interested—or know someone who is—please contact info@bscai.org with the subject line “BSCAI Member Advisory.”