Janet, would you please introduce yourself? Yes,
thank you. So my name is Janet Schultz, and I'm
owner and founder of Blue Jay Cleaning Business
in a Box. I'm a mother of two adult children.
I'm a grandmother of two. I'm a special education
teacher and a social entrepreneur. That's pretty
cool. All right. How did this Blue Jay in a Box
happen? Well, it happened back in 2000. Well,
I've always had the entrepreneurial spirit within
me. As far as I can remember, I always had dabbled
into businesses, home -based businesses. So that
was just kind of a part of who I was. I'm a risk
taker at heart. So I feel like you have to have
that sense of adventure to be an entrepreneur.
And I definitely have that. But I was in the
classroom for many years. for the reason of needing
to make a living so I did that and then it was
uh in 2007 I got remarried and in that relationship
he had a a construction company and so I came
alongside of him and I helped you know in that
construction company and really enjoyed for the
first time I had you know a business that entrepreneurial
part of me came out and was allowed to blossom
so i realized some things about myself some things
that i was naturally suited for marketing sales
i'm very good with people and just have a sense
of what works and what doesn't so it really gave
me a forum to kind of grow in those areas and
unfortunately things did not work out and i was
once again faced with a life altering life happening
i .e divorce and had to go back into the work
force and having had a taste of being an entrepreneur
i knew i could not go back in the classroom i
would be like a bird in a cage and so i was undergoing
trauma at the same time because like i said it
was not an expected or a wanted situation so
i was thrust and you know trying to figure things
out you know i've got to support myself again
you know and i don't recommend that for anybody
but that was where i was And so I began to, when
I was a single mother the first time and raised
my two girls, I taught school and cleaned houses
on the side. And I'm very good at cleaning. I'm
very detailed, oriented, but I certainly don't
like it. But I'm good at it. What I do like is
having my own business, being a small business
owner, which I very much support small businesses
in my community. And so, you know, having, okay,
that, no, what can I do? I don't want to go back
in the classroom. Oh, okay, I'll start a cleaning
company. And so, okay, so I'm going to do that.
And now I need to come up with a name. And so
I want it to be eco -friendly. And blue was a
synonymous color with clean. And J for Janet,
my name. So it had no reference to the bird.
Now, later on down. two years down the road so
blue became obvious that it was the color of
autism awareness which at the time two years
prior i didn't know that so things are starting
to connect and play out so um fast forward i
started shooting out emails to my friends and
and all that and they could tell they could read
between the lines things aren't going well janet's
in and um she's having some trouble so they all
rallied around me and gave me work well sue it
became obvious that i was growing way too fast
for me to do all the cleaning so it was time
for me to start bringing employees on to help
me and at that time i i was doing residential
And we found our niche in small office cleaning.
So we're not competing with other big cleaning
companies that would clean hospitals and large
corporations, warehouses. That was not our competition.
So we kind of fell in with our own niche with
small office. And I had people say, do you really
think there's a market for that? and i said yes
and that became true that there is a niche for
that and a need so when i began to bring people
on i was quickly disappointed and disillusioned
and discouraged and frustrated you know people
wouldn't show up i they came with attitudes they
wouldn't clean the way i would tell them to because
early on sue i developed a cleaning process this
is how you clean a bathroom this is how you um
clean windows so everything was broken down in
the task analysis and that was the teacher part
of me coming out oh yeah but no you know i they
you know the comment well i i know how to clean
well no you don't because cleaning for a business
is different than you cleaning your home is is
different so just came with so many issues and
and just out of pure desperation I just cried
out you know um I call it a prayer you know but
just to cry out you know where are my employees
and then all of a sudden it just came to me that
I need to look and it was an epiphany um it came
to me that Well, you need to look at people on
the spectrum. Well, consequently, in my teaching
days in the classroom, I taught what in North
Carolina, we have a diploma track, which allowed
students to gain work hours towards a certificate
to a high school diploma and teach them work
related skills. And that's what I did. And I
that was my I was in my zone with that. And also
people with autism, we just got each other. I
got them and they got me. So we just naturally
gravitated. And so informally, nothing formal,
but recently I've been informally diagnosed with
perhaps having adult autism. As a woman, it's
very different looking than it is in a male.
Yeah, so that's interesting. So I just, you know,
didn't want to just jump on that bandwagon. It
needed to make sense. So I started listening,
you know, and doing some research and talking
to people in that world that I happen to have
connections with. And I was told that by someone
in Autism Speaks that I would see, and back then
it was 2014. And then she said, you would start.
She said, Janet, you're going to start seeing
or we are as a culture will start seeing companies
like yours, social enterprises, because I wanted
to align myself with a cause. I didn't want to
just have a business. I wanted to have a business
that had a cause behind it. You know, so I was
searching for that cause. You know, would it
be veterans? Would it be? human trafficking would
it be prisoner you know i was just look still
looking for that that cause so now okay this
is my cause and so she taught she said you would
see a lot of companies like blue jay starting
up because you have kids that now are have graduated
through the system are now adults At home, very
capable, but cannot find a job. And if they have
a job, they do not have skills to keep that job.
So I thought that makes sense because, you know,
what the crisis in our society is that people
with disabilities and autism falls into that
have the highest unemployment rate. Oh, yeah.
so it affects us all we are all now in this day
and time affected or know someone that is affected
by autism and um are faced with those challenges
you know parents are faced with those challenges
what happens after high school you know and i
chose to be a social enterprise over a non -profit
because a social enterprise to me i can do was
a business for profit that addresses a social
need, and that's a high unemployment rate of
those on the spectrum. But we also involve ourselves
into our community. It's a community -based model
that we integrate ourselves into the community.
Some of the things that we did, we got involved
in fostering the pet fostering community. We
got involved in gardening for the community.
So we did a lot, you know, not outside of ourselves.
And that's being a social enterprise, you know,
doing things in your community, you know, sharing,
giving back. Yes, I'm giving back to people with
autism and giving them a job opportunity. But
we got to think beyond that, the business itself.
And so I just, it seemed like everywhere I went,
I was hearing someone that had autism. So I just
really, okay, I stood up and took notice. And
then the word got out in our little community
that I was looking to do that. And we even were
awarded a grant by Autism Speaks in the beginning
because they were behind us. They wanted us to
succeed. There was nothing like this. There are
other nonprofits, not a cleaning business, but
there is one that I know of in Chapel Hill. But
it's a nonprofit. But this is the first that
I know of this kind that I developed for and
in part by those on the alternative. They had
input into this business model. that is duplicable
and is a prototype that we can pass off to someone
else for them to do what we did in our community.
So cool. And so people with autism, I sought
them out. Why? Well, not only did they face challenges
in the workforce, but they had the skills I needed.
Dependability, reliability, honesty to a fault.
They're routine -driven. They get better with
time. And they don't get bored with it. They're
not going to get involved in drama. They go there
and they work. They don't involve themselves
in chit -chat. And they're detail -driven. Now,
you can't put everybody in a box, Sue. Okay?
So some people didn't make the cut. And it is
a business. So you had to interview. And our
interview process was by way of job shadowing.
Because, you know, they don't do well in the
social realm. That's a challenge. But we don't
shy away from those challenges. We meet them
head on. And they were able to, within Blue Jay,
it was like a cocoon because I understood them.
And they were able to gain confidence and achieve
success. and failure, which is very important.
We have to allow our young people everywhere
to fail. We cannot deny them that. And build
their resume. Everybody who came through Blue
Jay as a person on the spectrum, this was their
first job. So we still have some. I sold the
first Blue Jay that I had for 12, 13 years back
in 2021. Because what I'm doing now, promoting
the Blue Jay business in a box, is what I intended
all along to do. But some are working still with
Blue Jay. And then some have gone on Adam. He
gained a lot of confidence within himself. got
his license to drive he became a team leader
he became able to take people to jobs and and
back um and then he got he didn't want to work
for blue jay anymore not there was anything wrong
with it but he had he had aspirations for himself
working for federal express was his dream job
and that's where he is today and so i was able
to help him develop those skills and confidence
it was so we're mentors too yeah and and and
we're in bringing education to the public that
they come in you know our clients and so forth
because they may be the only person that they've
ever met with autism i told them i said you're
on display you know people are watching you and
so we became like family and so clients that
are attracted to us Our clients, well, first
of all, mom and pops, usually small business,
because the bigger companies really don't want
to come and clean their small office. So we're
filling a need for them. And consistency, people
on the spectrum offer me consistency because
they will follow the process. They will not get
bored with a routine. So that is a big key in
the cleaning world that is a big need, finding
a consistent. cleaning company so we met that
need and they liked being a part of something
bigger than just hiring a cleaning company so
they got to involve themselves with our our workers
and so they developed relationships and they
learned communication and it was just endless
the the you know once a teacher always the teacher
right so i wasn't in the classroom anymore but
yet i was so it was just natural and i don't
know how much time we have but um i think the
most inspiring things um would be to share some
stories because it's not just my story i want
to tell it's their story and i owe everything
to them because like i said in the beginning
when i was undergoing starting this business
i was undergoing such emotional trauma that they
hung in there with me They were so patient with
me because I wasn't always on the top of my game.
You know, I owe so much to them. So, yeah. Yeah,
I definitely want to hear that. I also want to
hear first, though, like. Where do you want this
to go? You know, so now you had Blue Jay and
now it's Blue Jay business in a box. So people
are able to talk a little bit about that and
what you want that to become. And yes, definitely
like inspire with those stories because that's
that's huge. All right. So what is my vision
for Blue Jay? Cleaning business in a box. My
vision is, well, is to have it everywhere, you
know, because it. it cannot it doesn't just work
in concord north carolina i've got one that's
starting up this month in greensboro north carolina
so it's not just a north carolina thing it's
a colorado thing it's a canada thing it's a community
thing uh in the philippines it because everywhere
people are affected you know by you know the
the working issue that people on the spectrum
face. So it solves a problem. I'm the type of
person, Sue, that if I have always been this
way, and I guess it's the best explanation. If
I see a problem and I just get a passion about
it and I can see a solution, I'm going to do
what I can. to do to make that solution happen
you know if it's just in my little circle um
so my vision is that it would be everywhere that's
that that's possible you know and what i'm trying
to do now is align my finding those non -profits
or other businesses or groups that we share the
same goal in the end but I'd like to align myself
with them so that maybe they're looking to start
to a business so that they can employ people
in their community their group home you know
and so it it could be that's kind of what i would
like to do is and it seems like it's happening
because um that i am i'm going to be speaking
at an event not far from concord in july and
i've been invited to a networking group here
in charlotte so you know that's kind of i gotta
align myself um with people like that And then
just for people, parents, special educators like
myself, people that want to be a part of something
bigger, that want to give back to their community,
to help give someone a helping hand, not a handout,
because this is not about that at all. I do not
coddle my autistic employees. I probably expected
and was harder on them than I was anyone else.
i didn't rate i didn't lower the bar the bar
was high and they reached it every time so it's
not about that it's not a handout at all and
not everybody gets a job with blue jay and sometimes
i had to fire some because they weren't ready
emotionally or socially and behaviorally so you
know there's a lot of factors that go into but
by it is not i'm not giving anyone a job i'm
offering them an opportunity that's beautiful
tell me your favorite success story okay i'm
going to tell you about eric since i've already
told you about adam eric was my first person
that i hired on the spectrum and and i want to
make sure everybody understands that i saw these
guys out because they had the skill set i needed
so we helped each other So Eric was my first
hire and I was told that Eric really probably
wouldn't be able to work independently. And so
you have to be able to work independently. So
I, I didn't believe that. And so in the end,
Eric was allowed. I trusted Eric. And see, I
expected of him and expected of all my employees
until I was proven otherwise. And so once Eric
lived with his mom and she had developed cancer
and she was no longer, this particular day, she
was no longer able to take him to work. Now,
at this time, Eric had been with Blue Jay for
a little while. He had earned the right to have,
he got promoted. He got a raise. He was what
we call the keeper of the keys. And there was
a pretty large ring of keys. And nobody dared
take those keys away from Eric. And they tried,
but didn't succeed. And I told that person who
was not on the spectrum, like you and me, I said,
you've got to trust Eric with the keys. He's
the keeper of those keys. Do not take those keys
from Eric. And some people couldn't understand.
I know I'm rambling. some people couldn't understand
how i was able to give them so much responsibility
you know i trusted them you know they were that
they were the ones in charge a lot of the times
so eric found himself and i couldn't take eric
this particular time he never asked me either
but it became apparent later that when eric was
on his job i don't know how it came up in conversation
But I said, Eric, how did you get to work today?
He said, well, I took the bus. And Eric really
didn't talk much. You wouldn't say he was nonverbal,
but he didn't talk much. And so I said, you wrote
the bus? He said, yeah. I said, well, how did
you know what bus to take? He said, I got on
the computer and I looked at the bus routes that
I would need to take from my house area to my
job. And that's what I did. And I said, how about
the vacuum cleaner? Because we had so little
capital that we only had like one vacuum cleaner
for many jobs. So we had to take that vacuum
cleaner all around. We had humble beginnings,
believe me. And so he said, I just took it with
me on the bus. And so Eric, to everyone's surprise,
you see what I'm saying? Do you get what I'm
trying to say? no one told eric that he he didn't
ask anyone he took responsibility for his own
self he had a problem how am i going to get to
work he figured it out he figured it out and
if given that opportunity they can do it see
that's what blue jay gave them it gave them an
opportunity to not be not to depend on someone,
a job coach or a teacher, to tell them the next
move to make. Because a lot of times in school,
they become what I call Q -dependent. They are
not allowed to problem solve and then figure
it out. Whether they make a mistake or not, that's
part of life. So they're not protected from those
things. But encouraged, they've given the space.
And evidently, he gained the confidence within
himself to do that. And when Eric had to leave
and move to South Carolina because his mother
passed away and he moved in with his sister,
it was a big loss. Oh, yeah. It was a big loss
when we lost Eric. Thank you for being here today.
I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision
Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your
reactions as these episodes continue to move
forward. This is going to get more and more fun.
We'll have more and more engagement as well.
We'll invite people to participate in the show.
And thank you for giving us your time and attention.
Have an excellent time building out your vision
and becoming a vision pro yourself.