A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT

I spent the first 10 years of my professional career as a pilot. For many people, it would have been a dream job. And I for one loved to fly, and still think about the flying all the time. It is an amazing job to be a pilot, especially as you work your way up toward larger and more complex equipment. The interface between man and machine is pretty incredible, and nothing feels quite so good as touching down smoothly after a challenging approach through rain and wind, breaking out of the clouds with just 200 ft left till touchdown. You can measure your success with every safe arrival.

When I finally quit, I had worked my way up to captain at large regional airline. The next step in the career progression would have been to seek a job at a major passenger or freight airline. Those are the kind of opportunities that every young pilot working toward their first license dreams of. I can still my remember my first solo flight. Three touch and go’s takeoff and landings at Parks Airport. It was and is still one of the highlights of my life. That solo flight flight inspired me to continue on my path as a pilot.

For many the dream to fly has a magical grip on them. They will do whatever it takes to make the career work, enduring great personal, and financial sacrifices to do so. Some of these include traveling hundreds of miles from home, even before the work day begins. Living in “crash pads” in their base cities, with upwards of 10 to 15 other pilots in small apartments. Extended periods away from home, often with little more than a handful of hours in their home city, before it is time to turn back and commute again.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the airport one day. I was not not even on the employee shuttle yet and I just could not bear another day. My wife was past 8 months pregnant, and my daughter was not yet 4. I was tired of commuting to work, and being away from them for days at a time. I called scheduling and told them I would not be able to make my trip. I started my leave of absence for FMLA for the birth of my son. Little did I know that would be my last trip to the airport, at least to fly the jets.

Now I did not leave my job without a plan. We had started Better Life Maids in the summer of 2008, and I left my job 2 and a half years later in December of 2010. We had a net. But I think we were about 1 year ahead of where we thought I would quit. However Better Life Maids was farther along than we could have ever dreamed. It had grown from a small little dream in the basement of our home, to one of the largest and most successful house cleaning services in the St. Louis market. On top of that, our retail co-brand in Better Life, had experience tremendous growth and their products were now sold coast to coast.

We were also embarking on a similar path as Better Life, our co-branded product partnership, as we had begun the process to build a national franchise system. It has been a fun journey, and exciting to watch our dreams grow into a real business that supports our family. A business that lets me be home to see the milestones in my children’s lives, and to work side by side with my wife Angela to build a brand and a legacy beyond what I could accomplish in a career as a pilot.

I hope that those of you thinking about a career change can also find the path that lets you work for yourself, be your own boss, and build something that can pay you back incredible dividends. We are now sharing what we have grown with others by offering Better Life Maids franchises coast to coast. If being apart of the Better Life brand of products and services interests you, go to www.betterlifemaids.com and explore our franchise opportunities. You can also feel free to call me directly at (877) MAID-TIME. I would be happy to discuss if owning a Better Life Maids franchise would be a good fit for you.

 

Matthew Ricketts

President/Chief Experience Officer