My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Part 1: What is “WOW”?

My name is Omar Soliman, and i’m the CEO and co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving. I’m writing because I want to share with you our company’s search for the best ways to truly “WOW” our clients and take College Hunks’ service to the next level. I want to you to be a part of that search…a part of our story.

At College Hunks, there’s been a lot of discussion about what we can do to provide consistent “WOW” moments to each and every one of our clients, but instead of just hearing ideas from my College Hunks team, I want to hear from our most important advisors: you. I want to know what your “WOW” is. Let me explain.

“WOW”, or a “WOW moment”, is that moment when you can’t help but step back and say “WOW!” because of the unbelievable lengths that a company or team went through to help you out. It could be any experience, big or small, where a service provider went above and beyond to ensure your satisfaction.

At College Hunks, we’re not in the business of hauling junk or even moving. I personally believe that we’re in the business of helping people beyond what they even realized was possible. Our mission as an organization and as individuals is to “Move The World”. We want to make sure that, at every turn, we aren’t just meeting your expectations, but far surpassing them to the point where the only word you can think to say is “WOW!”

Over the course of this 8-part series, I’ll tell you what this process means to me personally and to the College Hunks organization, how it began and evolved, and why we feel it is the key ingredient in our success. I’ll even share the best ideas from our readers right here on the blog.

Here’s what it all boils down to: at the end of the day, your opinions are what matters. The College Hunks brand isn’t growing because of what I do every day, but because of your support, your interaction, your appreciation and your willingness to recommend our business to others. It seems like a lot of companies these days have forgotten that their brand is created by their clients, but I believe that the voice of our clients should count above all else.  

So, remember, check us out next week for next post in the series, and in the meantime, let us HUNKS know what we could do to “WOW” you.

If you want to enter the College Hunks “WOW” contest for a chance to win a $100 College Hunks gift card, click here to check it out.

If you’d like a College Hunks team in your area to help you out with your junk removal or moving needs, click here to check out our website.

Auman, the first College Hunks franchisee to qualify for a VetFran discount, is making HUNKS everywhere proud by lending a helping hand to a great cause. This past New Years Eve, Auman’s Greensboro, NC team went to their local Goodwill site on Battleground Avenue to volunteer their muscles for the year-end donation rush.

As a long line of donors streamed steadily through Goodwill’s donation drop-off zone, the Greensboro HUNKS were on hand to unload the donations and help speed up the process. Check out the news footage below from News 14 Carolina!

For more information on Anthony Auman and his new franchise, click here.

To have a College Hunks team like Anthony’s help you out with a donation pickup in your area, click here.

Image courtesy of Ambro / Freedigitalphotos.net

If you know anything about College Hunks, you know that we’re committed to helping you live the stress-free life.  What you might not know, though, is that our commitment goes further than just providing great services.  At College Hunks, we want to make sure that you stay stress-free all the time.  To do that, we’ve come up with a list of practical, stress-blocking exercises to help you stay calm all year long, no matter the situation. Enjoy!

Take a deep breathe. This one seems simple, but it’s surprisingly effective.  When things start to go wrong or you begin to get upset, try taking a few deep breathes. The increased oxygen flow to your brain will create a soothing sensation in your mind. Plus, this can be done anywhere at any time (unless you’re swimming underwater).

Stretch out. You don’t necessarily have to limber up for a triathlon, but try reaching up and back for a few seconds or gently rocking your head from side to side.  This will increase the blood flow throughout your torso, neck and head which, in turn, will help you think more clearly about whatever situation you’re in.

Drink water. This exercise has two benefits.  First, you’re able to think more clearly when you’re properly hydrated. Second, if you’re at work and feeling overwhelmed, a trip to the water cooler can help you step back from all the chaos so you can mentally regain control.

Think “big picture.” Often times, our day-to-day stress comes from a million little things rather than one big problem. When something happens and you feel as though you’re about to get worked up over it, try to think of the broad topic that covers that problem.  For example, if you’re upset about something at work, try to think about your job as a whole, including the parts of the job that you like. Or, you could think even broader than that, and think about life in general. Why are you working in the first place? To support a family? Then, think about them and the happiness that comes with having them in your life. When you put your problems into perspective, you’ll see that the day-to-day stressors seem much less significant.

If you’ve been searching for a stress-free way to cut down on the clutter in 2012, College Hunks has found your answer: The Clutter Diet.

The Clutter Diet is an online resource for any organizational need you might have. The Clutter Diet will set you up for success. Here’s how:

The diet itself will give you a “menu” of weekly organizing projects to help you whip your home into shape quicker than a montage from one of the “Rocky” movies.  Plus, you’ll have access to multimedia tutorials, articles, and hours of audio content. Basically, you’ll have more tools to work with than a carpenter.  The best tool that we’ve found on their site, though, is the support system.

Like anything in life, we all need help from time to time, especially when it comes to a diet of any kind.  The Clutter Diet is no different in that regard. What sets this diet apart from a food diet, though, is that you actually have that help at your fingertips whenever you need it.  On their website, The Clutter Diet offers a team of certified professional organizers ready to help you stay focused and follow through. Consider them your personal dietitians to consult with whenever you want.

If you’re thinking about trying The Clutter Diet, the timing couldn’t be better. Right now, The Clutter Diet has an awesome January sale ending on the 16th where you can join for FREE for 14 days. Plus, you can save 25% on an annual membership. (Click here to check it out.) Combine that offer with a stress-free College Hunks service and you’ll be a lean, mean, clutter-free machine!

Remember the sale ends on January 16th, so you may as well not delay. Get started today!

The 6-part series dedicated to helping you de-clutter your home in time to start the new year off right!

Part 6 - New Years Finale

Image courtesy of Naypong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Well, we’re nearing the end of the year and, more importantly, the end of our 6-part series on de-cluttering your home.  Sort of feels like the end of an era, doesn’t it? Okay, maybe we don’t need to get that sentimental about all of this, but you have to admit that your house is looking pretty good compared to what it looked like 6 weeks ago.  Now you’re all set to say goodbye to 2011 on a positive note.  After all, when your home is de-cluttered, so too is your mind.

What’s that?  You haven’t been cleaning all along like I told you to?! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!?!

Relax, you’ve got this.  Here’s what to do:

Cram for the exam.  There’s no need to run wild through your house like a blindfolded jackalope.  Just look back through these blogs real quick and you’ll have all the information you need.  Then, work on one room each day and you’ll be ready to rock ‘n roll by December 31st.

New Years Eve.  Once you’ve got your home in order, it’s time for the big night.  If you’re hosting a party, there are a few basic rules that will help you out immensely.

First of all, decorations are great for setting the tone of the party… if it’s your child’s birthday party.  For New Years Eve, skip the decorations and concentrate on the substance.  You probably already have enough bells and whistles left up from last week, so just make sure you have some good food.  If you aren’t going to have a main-course, let your guests know that they should eat dinner beforehand.  Then, you can serve finger foods.  It’s helpful to stick with hors d’oeuvres (yes, I checked, it’s spelled correctly) that don’t create crumbs (avoid crackers) and can be eaten in a single bite.  This will save you from having to vacuum every square inch of your home the next day.

The other all-important piece of the New Years Eve party puzzle is to make sure you have enough “Pepsi” (just go with it).  Make sure when you’re buying the cases of “Pepsi,” though, that you get cans instead of bottles. Nothing ruins the mood like flipping out on a guest who is, let’s say, “over-caffeinated” and drops a glass bottle that you’ll have to clean up.  With cans, you can set a giant garbage bag in the corner of the room and just tell everyone to throw their empties in it before they grab their next one. Then, you’ll be able to recycle easily and maybe earn back a few of those dollars that you spent on the party.

New Years Day.  Believe it or not, some people actually celebrate the new year on January 1st… during the daytime… when the sun is up.  No one is going to take pity on you just because you went out last night, not while their stomachs are growling for food. Take two Advil and fire up the grill.  Hot dogs and hamburgers are the type of food you want to stick with today. They’re easy to make and, if you burn anything, you can just throw some extra sauerkraut on it and no one will know.

Plus, since the grandparents will insist on eating dinner no later than 1pm (it gets earlier every year… eventually you’ll be eating hot dogs for breakfast), you’ll have plenty of time to catch a nap later in the afternoon.

So, from all of us at College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving, have a safe, happy, stress-free New Years and we’ll see you in 2012!

The 6-part series dedicated to helping you de-clutter your home in time to start the new year off right!

Part 5 - Holiday Special Edition

Image courtesy of Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gifts?  Check.  Tree?  Check. Stomach ulcer? Check. Wait, what?  Why are you stressed? It’s only the week leading up to the biggest holiday of the year, when you’ll have more set-up and tear-down than a three-ring circus and less assistance than Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.  Piece of (fruit)cake, right?

Okay, so maybe you could use some help. Here’s what to do in order to make this holiday as easy as possible:

1. Clean as you go.  Obviously, on the big morning, the kids will be singularly focused on shredding through wrapping paper.  Picture something along the lines of the Tazmanian Devil meets a bag of potato chips.  It can get messy. Giving your children the unadulterated joy of opening gifts doesn’t necessarily mean they have to trash the room, though.  Instead, bust out a garbage bag and tell the kids they have to get the wrapping paper and boxes in the bag between each gift.  Tell them they can shoot it, dunk it, or toss it, as long as it ends up in the garbage bag.  Trust me, this won’t take anything away from their joy.  Quite the opposite, in fact, as it will stretch the gift-opening ceremony out and allow them a little more time to enjoy their surprises.

2. Fun doesn’t mean disorganized.  Just because there are new toys for the kids to play with doesn’t mean those toys should find their way into every corner of the room or house.  Instead, have the kids stack the toys in a neat pile as they open their gifts. Then, when they’re done opening boxes, have them find a place for the new toys in their room immediately instead of leaving a pile of toys to sit under the tree for the next week.  This will help immensely when it comes time to get rid of that large, rotting, woodland situation going on in the living room (No, I’m not referring to any of your in-laws, I’m talking about the tree).  If they can’t find any space for the new toys, maybe it’s time to donate a few of the older, less-played-with toys to a charitable organization like Goodwill or The Salvation Army.  With the new gifts in hand, the kids will be more open to the idea of getting rid of some of those older toys that do nothing but take up space anyway.  This goes for adults as well.  After all, you can only store so many random holiday sweaters in your dresser before you run out of space.

3. There’s still a tree… in your living room… losing pine needles by the minute.  Now I’m not suggesting that you chuck the tree through a glass window in the living room while little Timmy is still sitting under it, unwrapping gifts.  By the same token, though, you shouldn’t try passing it off as a “Groundhogs Day Tree” in February when you haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Pick a deadline to get rid of the tree and stick to it – no excuses!  The deadline itself can be arbitrary.  Some like to have it out by or leave it up until New Years. Others want it gone by December 26th. Either way, if you aren’t sure where to take the tree, it might make things easier to use a professional service like College Hunks Hauling Junk to come in and haul your tree away for you.

So now that you’ve picked up some hints on getting through the stomach ulcer that is holiday cleanup, put down the Pepto Bismol and enjoy yourself!

From all of us at College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving, we wish you a happy, safe, and stress-free holiday!

Image courtesy of Zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos

Well folks, we’re in the final countdown.  We’ve hit the single digits for shopping days before the holidays.  So, if you’ve been too busy going to parties, drinking eggnog, and deciding if you need a HAZMAT team to remove Aunt Edna’s fruitcake from your fridge, it’s time to switch gears. Now is your last chance to brave the shopping malls and department stores to grab the right gifts for your family and friends.  After all, you don’t want to wind up on the naughty list for giving gifts that scream, “I WAS DESPERATE AND BOUGHT THIS AT A GAS STATION!” So, what should you do to stay on the “Nice” list?

Whatever you do, don’t panic.  The HUNKS are here to help!  At College Hunks, we like to keep things stress-free for everyone so here are our top 10 picks for the best, last-minute holiday gifts for anybody on your list.

1. Music.  Everybody loves some kind of music, even if they don’t always buy it for themselves.  This is a gift that you can buy in a variety of formats, making it fast and easy.  Put together a collection of songs tailored to the recipient’s tastes and they’ll think you spent all day on it.

2. Food.  Holiday gift baskets are popular for a reason: they are delicious and can be shipped quickly.  Plus, restaurant gift cards are available in several national-chain supermarkets and drug stores.

3. Movies. Wrap up movie tickets with a certificate for the snack bar.  Or, if it’s for a cinephile of the hermit variety, purchase a copy of that favorite, treasured classic and add a box of popcorn or candy.

4. Lottery tickets!  Come on, this is a great gift to receive.  Who doesn’t want a chance at millions of dollars?  Bundle some scratch-off cards or lottery tickets and watch your recipient smile.  If that doesn’t seem like enough by itself, add it to another gift package.  Oh, and feel free to donate a portion of the winnings to your favorite blog writer… if you want… just a thought…just sayin’.

5. Plants.  Flowers are beautiful but plants are a gift that keeps on living.  Just keep it low-maintenance.  Orchids, for example, are gorgeous but delicate – too much stress for us HUNKS.  Instead, go with a cactus!  Okay, maybe not a cactus, but something that won’t take much work.

6. A framed photo.  People take a lot of pictures, but how many of us actually take the time to print a nice copy and frame it.  There are many online tools and apps to help you make an average cell photo look like an Annie Leibovitz.

7. Pet supplies.  What pet owner doesn’t need one more pet toy?!  Plus, you can find them in holiday colors and shapes.  Pair it with Fido’s regular dog food or treats and it’ll be all wags for you.

8. Handmade gift coupons.  Don’t laugh, this isn’t just for the kids.  Think up a few projects that you’re willing to tackle for someone on your list: car wash, house cleaning, photo organizing, babysitting, yard work, golfing with an in-law, etc.  The more horrible the task, the more points you’ll score. Just print the coupon out on a nice looking certificate, wrap and go.

9. Books/Magazines.  With all of the different electronic formats available now, you’ll be able to purchase and send quickly.

10. Gift Cards! They’re wildly popular for a reason.  It’s a gift that says, “pick it out yourself.”  It’s like money, but with stipulations!

The 6-part series dedicated to helping you de-clutter your home in time to start the new year off right!

Part 4 - The Bedroom

Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the holiday season underway, it’s natural to worry about the cleanliness and organization of your home, and for good reason.  You’ve got to stay on top of the kitchen, otherwise it could get out of control quicker than a fourth-grade food fight.  It’s helpful to make room in your closet, especially if you plan on having guests because you’ll need extra coat room. But there is one space that often falls into neglect, and it’s the one area that never should – the bedroom.

Think about it.  At the end of the day, the bedroom is your own personal refuge from everything and everyone.  You’re at your most relaxed and comfortable in your bedroom (or should be), otherwise, how would you ever get to sleep?  Unless something falls off that big pile of clutter and knocks you unconscious, it can be difficult to sleep in such an environment.  So, if you want a relaxing night’s sleep without the concussion, here are some steps to help you tackle the problem:

1. Identify the problem.  If you have to walk sideways through a storage swamp to reach your bed, you’ve got too much clutter.  If, when you finally get into bed, it feels like you’re sleeping in the eye of a clutter-cane, you’ve definitely got too much clutter.  You should be able to walk into your bedroom without stubbing your toe on a pile of who-knows-what before climbing into bed, where you need a sleeping mask to visually block what amounts to a sea of stress surrounding your sleep-haven.

2. Take action.  Get rid of all the things in your bedroom that don’t need to be there.  Leave the alarm clock where it is, for example, but put the pile of seasonal clothes (sweaters for the winter and shorts for the summer) in a drawer or closet.  If there’s no room, then you need to start making the tough decisions on what to keep and what to donate or move to a storage unit. This may require a little rearranging, but if you desperately want to keep that horrendous “Rudolph-the-glitter-and-bedazzle-nosed-reindeer” sweater in your bedroom, you’ll have to make room in the dresser… where no one else has to look at it… ever.

3. Relax.  Once you’ve gotten everything into its own drawer or spot in

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

the closet, take a nap.  See if you don’t sleep better knowing that everything around you is neatly organized and put away. Just make sure you set that alarm because you may never want to leave your newly de-cluttered sanctuary again!

The 6-part series dedicated to helping you de-clutter your home in time to start the new year off right!

Part 3 - The Closet

It’s the smallest room in the house.  You can barely fit an arm in there and you operate strictly by feel, since there isn’t enough room for your head.  That’s fine, though, because after all, that is where the monsters live and you don’t want them to attack your face while you’re looking for your raincoat.  I’m talking about the closet, of course.

Unfortunately for you, the holidays are here and you may need to make room for your guests, you know, just in case they bring more than one scarf among them collectively, let alone multiple coats.  It’s time to evict the boogeyman and get your closet back.  Here’s how:

1. Yank the coats out and spike them down on the floor.  Feel free to do a touchdown dance.  You’ve just completed the scariest part of the job – tangling with the boogeyman on his turf – and won!  Once you’ve got everything out (coats, hats, and anything else you may be storing way in the back), take a minute and separate everything into piles.

2. The piles.  Make one pile for things you use regularly.  This should include your day-to-day outerwear plus one or two nicer coats (think “Sunday best”) but no more than that.  You don’t need five coats that look identical to everyone else.  They aren’t very different if the defining factor is the style of the buttons.  Make an executive decision and stick with it.

Next up is the pile of items that you don’t necessarily want to throw out but you don’t need taking up space in your closet.  Take any coats or other items that you just can’t get rid of and box them up.  Put them in the attic or basement or any storage type of room that can hold it.  But what type of items should you box up?  Usually, it’s obvious to everyone except you. Here’s a hint:  if your high school letterman’s jacket isn’t already in a box in the attic, then do it now.  Whether you can squeeze into it or not is beside the point.  It’s a keepsake, not a valid option for wearing outside of your house under any circumstance.  This is non-negotiable.

That brings us to the third pile, the pile of ill repute and broken dreams.  It would be easy to make jokes about the styles and sizes of clothing found in this pile, but here’s a better idea – DONATE!  Donate the entire pile to charity.  Take it to Goodwill or, if it is an overwhelming pile, hire a professional service like College Hunks Hauling Junk to swing by and take it off your hands for you.  Also, many communities have local coat-drives during the holiday season to benefit people in your own neighborhood who are outside and freezing.  If you’re never going to wear that old coat, why can’t someone else?

3. When putting the “keeper” pile back into the closet, organize the items by use.  Put your day-to-day outerwear toward the front and the once-in-a-while type clothes toward the back.  The most important step, though, is to leave the very front of the closet unoccupied.  If you want to impress your guests, give them a place to put their coats.  That will set the tone for the evening by showing off your hospitality.  Plus, let’s be honest – at the end of the night, no matter how much you enjoy your guests’ company, you don’t want them playing musical coats or doing battle with that closet monster. You want some peace and quiet.  It will definitely expedite the process if your guests can find their coats quickly.

Once you’ve cleared out the closet (and possibly helped some less-fortunate people in the process), you will notice that it’s not as big of a hassle to go places when you can easily find things in your closet.  You’ll save some time and you’ll save some aggravation, but most importantly, you’ll save the family from the closet monster!

Image courtesy of Farconville / FreeDigitalPhotos.net