Scott Higbie, owner of Higbie Services
“You know why most people don’t make it in business?
Because they give up. ”
We all know that one person who walks into a room and lights it up just by being there. Clean cut, beaming smile, twinkling eyes...you can’t help but smile back when they look your way. Today that’s Scott Higbie. His smile is genuine and friendly. He makes you feel welcome into his space be it your office, or your house.
After almost 30 years in the automotive services industry, working for someone else, Scott changed careers. Higbie Services, LLC was established in 2014. Like most entrepreneurs, Scott has quite a few stories to tell about the ups and downs of starting a business when you don’t really know what you’re doing. Start with what you know, listen and learn along the way, accept advice when you don’t know and remember to give credit where credit is due are all part of the process of owning your own business for Scott Higbie.
Tell us about your business and what makes it unique.
Scott and Shari Higbie
Scott openly incorporates his Christian values into his business - Higbie Services. Higbie Services provides residential and business cleaning services. He tells us: I love my clients. It’s not about the numbers. It’s a ministry. I am here to serve. I don’t preach to my clients, but I will gladly pray for them at their request.
One of his most memorable clients came from Yelp.com. A son living in California was looking for someone to help his mother, who lived in Virginia, clean her house and the occasional odd job. He found Higbie Services online.
“The reason he hired me was because his mother is a Christian lady and he wanted a Christian cleaning company. I want to help people, but I still have to earn a living. It doesn’t matter what religion they are. I believe we have to be an example for others. We have to love everyone. That’s the biggest thing in my business. I am learning this as I go, too. We have all been given a story. Some more than others. My story - it’s not for me, but for others.
I clean my equipment regularly and have special equipment for special needs such as allergies and sensitivities. I use my own cleaning supplies unless the client requests I use their cleaners.
When I start cleaning for a client I always tell them upfront that it will take 2-3 times for me to get comfortable with their surroundings and I ask what their pet peeves are. I want to make sure those get addressed.”
Have you made any mistakes in your business where you thought, "I should have done that differently!"?
When I started Higbie Services, I started with lawn care and residential cleaning. I think that was a mistake. I should have concentrated on one, the house cleaning since it’s year-round, but I was afraid. I’m a guy. People wouldn’t want to have a guy clean their house. But then I think of Mr. Clean…and a janitor – these are guys that clean! I needed to concentrate on one thing. This was a learning curve.
When I first started advertising on Facebook, I put up a picture of my house, yard, and pond. It was confusing to people when I switched to just cleaning houses.
What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur?
Learn to be a servant leader. Learn to be a servant first, then a servant-leader.
What does that mean to you?
Be humble in everything you do. If you won’t do it, then don’t expect somebody else to do it.
As a business owner, taking care of all of the aspects of your business, when and why did you decide it was time to outsource your bookkeeping?
Scott Higbie meeting with Erin Johnson, the owner of BLA, in our Greenbrier East office located in Chesapeake, VA.
I had heard about Erin through Barb (of The Creative Wedge). I actually had an appointment with a different accountant, through my financial manager, but I didn’t feel like that was for me. At that moment, when Barb mentioned Erin, I felt like it was a God-nudge. I knew to come here. That was it. I didn’t even know her. The very day I met her, it was like we’ve known each other forever. He puts people in our lives for a reason - you know real people when you meet them.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought, “I’m going to get into trouble!” I’m not educated in that part of the business. I can go through it, but I don’t know if what I did was right. I didn’t want to have to pay the penalties if I was wrong. Honestly, I was scared. I didn’t feel that my business could succeed without an accountant. I don’t feel like I would be a success without Erin and her team.
What are some of the community organizations Higbie Services has been supporting?
We support community outreach mostly through our church. Each year our church provides many Thanksgiving dinners for entire families. For the entire week of Thanksgiving, we participate in efforts to house the homeless for that week. They receive meals and housing for the holiday. For Christmas, we also support Grundy Mountain Village and their efforts, including an angel tree. This is something in our walk that has really taken flight!
Bottom Line’s Bottom Line
It is so true that everyone has a story! Scott Higbie tells a story of inspiration, change, and faith. He works through his business to give hope and cheer to those he comes in contact with. We wish Scott and Shari, and Higbie Services much prosperity, in all its forms, and may we all be so generous with our time and resources this holiday season and into the new year.