In face of possible recession, Rosskothen keeps rolling

preneurs start and grow businesses with training, mentorship and an extended professional support network.

The program is free, serves up to 15 entrepreneurs every class and focuses on practical, intense sessions with topic specialists that address important early stage difficulties. Entrepreneurs attend seminars and meet online with their own team of three mentors for the first three months before an in-person demonstration and celebration event.

For the next nine months, entrepreneurs continue to meet online with their mentor teams once a month for 90 minutes at a time, and once a quarter with their cohort teams.

Richardson said the EforAll program gave him the guidance in how to better manage his money success spreading our business by word of mouth and that is something we strive to maintain so that we can keep going.”

He added, “We have clients with good reviews and I think that speaks volumes about us, but we want to continue to grow. Everybody is not always going to be happy, but that’s why we don’t accept payment until the client is 100% satisfied.”

Richardson’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs who are starting their businesses is to take advantage of as many free resources as possible, such as EforAll and Small Business Alliance.

“I didn’t realize how many opportunities the state of Massachusetts offers to new business owners, such as free seminars,” Richardson said. “If you know someone who has a cleaning business, give them a call.

I don’t think the average cleaning business owner would be offended. That has happened to me. I’ve spoken to business owners from Connecticut.

“That’s the only way we

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have changed, especially with a new generation of workers seeking a better work-life balance, where in my business we need people who are committed to service, working late hours and on weekends,” Rosskothen said.

The popular restaurateur and business owner has been working diligently in meeting the challenges head-on by creating competitive wage and benefit plans as well as refining their workplace culture.

“Paying minimum wage is irrelevant for us. We start someone around $21 and go from there, and our focus more than ever has been on offering attractive health and

And, Rosskothen added, he’s also had to learn how to say “no,” something contrary to business.

“We are now managing guest counts, something we never did before COVID, when the attitude was to ‘bring it all on.’ Now, with a limited staff, we can only accommodate a certain amount of people, and that is a big adjustment for us, especially in the event world. That adjustment has caused us to charge more, not to make more money, but to compensate for money lost in the process,” Rosskothen said.

When looking to hire new employees as the restau-

Richardson’s depending on the size of the contract.

“Once the contract is past a certain size, we do take a small deposit,” Richardson.

“However, the full bill is not given until the client is satisfied because our reputation is on the line. We want to maintain connections through our work to bring more people in.

“The only thing that I can attest to is how hard we work,” Richardson said. “It is very important to maintain high standards on our end because that’s another avenue for the business to grow. We have had more are all going to get better” he added.

Richardson hopes to grow BMC to the point where it produces general wealth for the entirety of his family. His son and niece already work with him in the business.

“I want to keep this thing going and passes through generations to come,” Richardson said. “That would mean a lot to me and is all I can hope and pray for.”

To get in touch with the Richardsons and learn about their business, go online to bmcsanitizing.com, email bruce@bmcsanitizing.com or call 413-561-6227.

That challenge is only compounded for people like entrepreneur Peter Rosskothen, owner of multiple businesses including the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, the Delaney House and its fine dining restaurant, D. Hotel & Suites, Log Rolling (catering) and Delaney’s Market (readymade meals and more to go).

And the challenges are even greater in the hospitality industry.

“Employee expectations dental coverage and a 401(k) plan,” Rosskothen said.

“We also want to be seen as a fun place to work for our employees, with an emphasis more on a team approach to what we do and on problem solving,” he said. “We are also more tolerant of some things, such as listening to music through earphones while cleaning a hotel room or playing music in the kitchen while prepping, realizing that a happy employee is a productive employee.” rant industry labor shortage continues, Rosskothen said one of the best approaches is working the “relationship” angle alongside financial incentives.

“I work hard with our employees to identify friends or family members who might be interested in working at our restaurant or one of my other companies,” he said.

The restaurateur is considering a return to a financial incentive of $100 he once