How Tru-Pro Steamers Came To Be
That's me, Billy. I will do an amazing job cleaning your carpet, tile and grout, and/or hardwood floors.
Hi. My name is Billy Pope. I am the owner and operator of Tru-Pro Steamers Carpet Cleaning. I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you a little bit about who I am and how I came to be a local small business owner right here in Birmingham, AL.
A couple months after creating my business plan in 2010 my wife surprised me with the exciting news that we were going to be parents. After that wonderful news I really put my nose to the grindstone learning everything I could about running a small business. Occasionally I would go over my business plan with the warehouse manager where I'd worked since 2003. He saw that I had more to offer than being a warehouse clerk and he wanted me to grow out of that job. One day we were talking about my plan in his office and the general manager walked in. The GM asked what we were talking about so the manager told him about my plan. I couldn't believe what came out of the GM's mouth next, but he didn't waste one second in threatening my job if I continued to go through with it.
A couple months after creating my business plan in 2010 my wife surprised me with the exciting news that we were going to be parents. After that wonderful news I really put my nose to the grindstone learning everything I could about running a small business. Occasionally I would go over my business plan with the warehouse manager where I'd worked since 2003. He saw that I had more to offer than being a warehouse clerk and he wanted me to grow out of that job. One day we were talking about my plan in his office and the general manager walked in. The GM asked what we were talking about so the manager told him about my plan. I couldn't believe what came out of the GM's mouth next, but he didn't waste one second in threatening my job if I continued to go through with it.
Jennifer and I don't wear glasses, but Liam wouldn't keep his on so we got some readers to prove they're fun to wear. He quickly learned to love them, but when he got upset they'd go flying.
I had a lot to consider. We had a mortgage, car payments, student loans, a baby on the way... Should I play it safe to keep the insurance since Jennifer was pregnant, or take the road less traveled and go out on my own with no life raft if things didn't work out?
I chose to play it safe. I didn't put starting my business on the back burner, I took it off the stove completely. As it turned out, that was the right move at the right time. Our son was born 2 weeks early weighing only 4 pounds 10 ounces. The doctor called him Shotgun like the 410 used for small game hunting, but we named him Liam. We got to see Liam for a brief moment before the nurses checked his vitals. They discovered his blood sugar was low and he was rushed to the NICU where he remained for 2 weeks. After over two hundred incisions on the bottom of his tiny feet his blood sugar finally stabilized and we were able to take our newborn baby home.
Fast forward a few years and I still had a burning desire to start my own business. I knew I didn't want to live my life asking "what if" ten years down the road. So in the summer of 2015 I dusted off my old business plan and got to work. Within a few months I had built this website and gotten my license, equipment, business cards and truck magnets. Since then I have cleaned for hundreds of people and a few small businesses all across Birmingham and Jefferson County. After trying for 3 years to grow my business beyond part time, I knew there was only one way to break through the shell to make that happen. I had to quit giving away 50 hours per week to the warehouse. After 15 years of dedicated service fulfilling orders of textbooks for all the children and teachers of Alabama, I turned in my resignation. I now have the time and energy to grow my business and I hope you will help me do that. I promise to always have your best interest at heart, to always treat you the way I want people to treat my family, and to stand behind my work 100% of the time!
I chose to play it safe. I didn't put starting my business on the back burner, I took it off the stove completely. As it turned out, that was the right move at the right time. Our son was born 2 weeks early weighing only 4 pounds 10 ounces. The doctor called him Shotgun like the 410 used for small game hunting, but we named him Liam. We got to see Liam for a brief moment before the nurses checked his vitals. They discovered his blood sugar was low and he was rushed to the NICU where he remained for 2 weeks. After over two hundred incisions on the bottom of his tiny feet his blood sugar finally stabilized and we were able to take our newborn baby home.
Fast forward a few years and I still had a burning desire to start my own business. I knew I didn't want to live my life asking "what if" ten years down the road. So in the summer of 2015 I dusted off my old business plan and got to work. Within a few months I had built this website and gotten my license, equipment, business cards and truck magnets. Since then I have cleaned for hundreds of people and a few small businesses all across Birmingham and Jefferson County. After trying for 3 years to grow my business beyond part time, I knew there was only one way to break through the shell to make that happen. I had to quit giving away 50 hours per week to the warehouse. After 15 years of dedicated service fulfilling orders of textbooks for all the children and teachers of Alabama, I turned in my resignation. I now have the time and energy to grow my business and I hope you will help me do that. I promise to always have your best interest at heart, to always treat you the way I want people to treat my family, and to stand behind my work 100% of the time!
