Sherwood Newkirk - Taking a Business to the Next Level For more than two decades, Sherwood Newkirk has been the owner of Sherwood Cleaning Services in Knightdale, North Carolina. He assumed ownership of the business after his father passed away. However, for many years prior to this happening, Sherwood had the advantage of learning from his older brothers and father, whom he assisted in his younger years. Having the benefit of seeing his older siblings run the business enabled him gain an understanding of what it took to run a business. In the years that followed his father’s death, he would learn a lot more. Sherwood Newkirk has built the business to last. When he took over, he had a solid idea of the principles his father utilized to ensure success. But times were changing and customers were looking forward to better and simple ways of keeping their premises clean. Technology became a major factor for many industries, so much that Sherwood had to understand the new techniques and equipment needed to keep up with the times. Lastly, the local business economy was growing, and with it increased demand for his cleaning services. These were more than challenges in his eyes. Rather, they were opportunities for him to continue on his father’s legacy and take the business to the next level. The need to keep the customer central to his operations necessitated Sherwood Newkirk to come up with a strategy that would keep the business relevant. He understood that keeping customers happy at all times required hiring the right employees, utilizing the right products and structuring the business services to cater to their cleaning needs. Thankfully, Sherwood is an intelligent man, and he quickly came up with the strategies required to tackle on this challenge.
Looking back, Sherwood Newkirk acknowledges that those first few years after taking over were probably some of the toughest. Getting clients to continue their business relationships even in the absence of the person they were used to takes time, but Sherwood was able to bring them even closer. He appreciates the hard business lessons he learned under his father’s mentorships, not to mention the support he received from his family. Most importantly, he was able to keep the family business afloat for more than twenty years, a feat he is very proud of. By constantly revisiting the business plan to cater for challenges, he was able to build a business that lasts.