Insights on transitioning from the corporate world to a successful entrepreneur

Lorenzo Bates is a former corporate professional who has achieved his goal of becoming an entrepreneur. A native of Simpsonville, S.C., he has been married to his best friend for 14 years and they have two daughters. As a husband and a father, he believes this decision was in the best interest of his family, health and community.

When did you make up your mind to start your business and what were your action

steps?

Lorenzo Bates: As a husband and a father, after spending over 30 years in the corporate workforce and working in the pharmaceutical field, I decided to leave my J-O-B (just over broke) to become an entrepreneur.

My action steps included keeping my current job, while I was researching business opportunities. As the head of the household, I needed to do this, rather than pull money out of my savings or 401K to start a business. While researching businesses, I became interested in franchising because of the support and resources that are typically offered to franchisees.

I signed up as a franchisee with 360clean (www.360clean.com) because I was impressed with their affordable startup costs, their commitment to “cleaning for health,” which focuses on disinfecting instead of merely cleaning surfaces, and their Pre-Set Sales Appointment Program. I started my 360clean franchise on a part-time basis in 2017, in the Greenville, S.C. area. By 2020, I was ready to finally quit my corporate job and go “all in.” Since then, I have seen my business skyrocket, and I have won awards as a top performer with 360Clean. I know that some people like to dive right in, headfirst, and risk all of their savings to get started, but this approach wasn’t right for me. I took baby steps, and eventually got where I needed to be with a patient, strategic approach.

What does a day in your life look like? How do you manage work/life balance including personal time, mental health, a healthy diet, family, exercise, etc.?

Bates: I like to plan my schedule a week ahead for customer visits and meetings with staff and team members. I meet with my supervisors and team leads on Mondays and discuss the week ahead. I enjoy establishing two-way relationships with my current clients and employees and creating a positive impact in my community.

As far as work-life balance, there are boundaries that work for us regarding what is “work time” and what is “family time.” I like to be totally present for my wife and my kids. I haven’t had to change my health plan at all, as I had to follow a healthy diet, regularly exercise and had ways to fight stress when I was working in the corporate world in order to be successful. I have continued these same healthy habits as an entrepreneur because it’s simple — you can’t perform at your best if you don’t feel your best.

How do you feel when you look back at your “work” when you started in comparison to now? 

Bates: The support team at 360clean is very helpful with helping franchisees as it pertains to running a successful business. I used some of my knowledge from the corporate world and added what was learned from the 360clean team and have created one of the top franchises in the organization. I now help other franchisees in developing their businesses. When I look back at my work — when I started my franchise part-time — and how it compares to now, I see that it was more of a “side hustle” to see if it had the potential to be more lucrative than my corporate job.

Compared to now, I am fully committed, full-time, and have put in the work, blood, sweat and tears to be one of the top performers, and often, #1 in overall sales with 360Clean. It is rewarding because it took me a few years to make it happen, but it’s been well worth it!

What areas of business do you excel at and what areas do you struggle with? Share a bit of your personal growth process.

Bates: I excel at customer relations, both internal and external. I believe that it is equally important to make sure you have a great relationship with your internal customers (your employees) as well as your external customers (your clients). As a former sales rep, I learned how to understand and relate to all types of people and personalities. My personal growth happened as I matured and grew more patient with “difficult” customers and personalities. I learned to take a breath, not be defensive and to be a better listener when there are problems. Today, I struggle with dealing with employees or contractors who have a lack of ambition or do not care about the quality of their job performance. I do not like to hire employees who feel they are just showing up, doing a below-average job and expecting a paycheck.

How do you go about planning and executing your business goals?

Bates: At the beginning of every year, I develop a Strategic Growth Action Plan for the year. I also set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based goals to help me attain them. I review these plans and goals periodically to make sure I am staying on track.

What goals do you have for this year in business?

 Bates: Client retention is very important to my business and our brand. I also have a goal of increasing my year-over-year monthly current volume by 60% in sales.

What clients, brands, partnerships or collaborations have you enjoyed the most?

Bates: In 2020, we were able to win a contract with all non-acute facilities with Bon Secours in the upstate area. This was a big “win” for the business and helped boost morale with all of our team members.

What would you consider your biggest accomplishment thus far?

Bates: Growing my business to the level where I was able to leave my 9 to 5 J-O-B and spend more time with my family. To me, this is far more valuable than any sales accomplishments.

Was there a time you considered giving up or lost motivation? If so, how did you overcome that?

Bates: NEVER! Becoming an entrepreneur was always top of mind for me. I knew that I would do it one day, it was just a matter of when! Being an entrepreneur and having a work-life balance is very rewarding to me. For these reasons, giving up has never entered my mind!

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who might be ] too scared to start or are starting to doubt and considering giving up [on entrepreneurship]?

Bates: Don’t give up and remember your “why.” Why did you consider being an entrepreneur and what drives you? Your “why” doesn’t always mean a profit or gaining exposure. It could be your purpose or cause that is the driving force of your business.

What are your future goals?

Bates: Since the pandemic, I have been able to hire more employees and help them and their families. I have also done some pro-bono work at nursing homes, churches, and other organizations with cleaning and disinfecting to help them operate normally and get back to what they do for our community. I would like to continue this and establish other ways to assist and have an impact within my community as well. I would also like to grow my business into other territories and surrounding areas.

Special thanks to 360clean (www.360clean.com) and Lorenzo Bates (lbates@360clean.com or www.lorenzobates.360clean.com) for sharing this story with ALM’s Small Business Adviser program.

Join our LinkedIn group, ALM’s Small Business Adviser, a space where small business owners can gather to network, have discussions and keep up with the trends and issues affecting their industries.

Related:

Hispanic businesses struggle to find the right partners to plan for the future

Start 2023 off right with strategic planning and goal setting