Your friendly blogger, DJ DripDry, just returned from a much needed vacation. This year, my wife and I went to the Dominican Republic with a few friends. We like to pick out-of-the-way places when we can, not just to enjoy the adventure and unwind, but also because the cost is typically much less than resort hotspots. The vacation (barring a bout with a bad lobster) was a success. We enjoyed exploring a new country, took time to lie on the beach, and spent a little time sailing. But that’s not what this blog is about.
More than anything, I think I needed to get away from America for a bit, just to be reminded of how good we have it. (This is one of those things that may be worthless to write about. It’s easy to say. And just as easy to ignore if you haven’t experienced it personally. But I’m going to give it a go anyway.)
Before we took off (on a brutal red-eye flight that just about brought yours truly to his knees), I was a bit down on America. I was angry about the economy. I was frustrated by my staff. I was depressed about the labor pool. And I was irritated by how all of this seemed to be teaming up on Metro Car Wash (and small business in general). I found myself sounding curiously like my father (or my grandfather, for that matter), mumbling about how America had changed for the worse, and that workers didn’t seem to care, and that in the good old days things were just a whole lot better.
Then I spent 7 days in a very poor country.
Streets were crowded with running kids, mangy dogs, motorcycles with wobbly wheels, and careening (filthy) cars. There were no safety standards, no traffic laws (at least that were observable). Garbage filled the roads and sidewalks. We met some great people, but for the most part, customer service was non-existent. You were waited on when it was convenient for the seller … and … you … learned … to … wait … and … wait … and … wait. No one really cared about quality, speed of service, or delivering anything to you with a smile. And by the way, we were very friendly and spoke the language—this wasn't about being a rude American; this was just the way things were. In other words, they didn't have much of a business model (although I would like to mention a fairly inspiring car wash we happened upon that was “car wash by day” and “discotheque by night”). But ultimately, there was just a very sad feeling one got that this was the way things were going to be for a long, long time. The businesses weren’t going to improve their service; the workers weren’t inspired to better themselves for the future; and no one believed they had any kind of a shot at growth, opportunity, or financial progress.
It’s amazing what 7 days can do to your attitude.
Coming back into America, my wife and I were struck by how quickly lines moved (yes, even at the airport), by how many times we were greeted with friendly smiles, and by how superior the quality of … well … just about everything was. It was more refreshing than I’d ever imagined.
Then I went back to work at my own car wash. Here’s what I saw: lots of smiles while the Metro Staff worked very hard to provide a quality service in a very short time. I also saw satisfied customers, getting the value of the service they’d paid for, while often times pleasantly interacting with the Metro Staff (one gentleman even had pizzas delivered to Metro for the good job we’d done on his truck). Put simply: I was very proud of our customers, our employees, our Company, and our Country.
We may be frustrated with government, our economy, health insurance, and taxes. But America is still a great place to be, folks, on so many levels. The streets are clean and safe, the plumbing works, and the water is good. Police and Fire Departments respond when we call. Our doctors and hospitals are competent. Computers, Wi-Fi, and cell phones deliver instant information and entertainment on levels unheard of in other areas of the world. And more than any of this, there is the knowledge (embedded in most Americans) that there is still the opportunity to better yourself if you’re willing to try. Put another way, there’s hope. And hope can go a long way.
So when I looked at our car wash with a fresh set of eyes, I was reminded (in my own back yard, so to speak), why America is still great. It’s great because you can still dream of bettering yourself, and it’s great because the chance of doing so is a good one (if you’re willing to put in the work).
At Metro, we have employees that have come from less fortunate places; they’ve learned our language, worked hard, and saved enough to own cars and homes. We have employees that see Metro Car Wash as their future; they see a growing organization and want to be a part of it for the long haul, want to participate to make it better. We have employees that don’t want to be car washers forever, but they do a great job because they’re funding some other dream—they’re attempting to be Hip-Hop artists or they’re students studying to be engineers. There’s nothing special here; just Americans being Americans in another small business in America. But I have to say: it’s a wonderful place to be.
Good to be back, folks. And as always, stay clean my friends.
--DJ DripDry
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