A portable sanitation company in business for 38 years has undoubtedly weathered the ups and downs of economic cycles a few times over. That said, navigating an economic downturn is never a picnic. So say John and Linda Measel, owners of John’s Sanitation, a portable restroom and pumping company in South Lyon, Mich., located between the economically hard-hit cities of Detroit and Ann Arbor.
While Linda Measel says the current downturn is the worst she’s seen in her career, she and her husband have worked tirelessly to ensure the company’s revenues stay steady or grow despite the forces at work around them. Employing shrewd business judgment and a deep understanding of their market, the couple has identified potential revenue pipelines as others dry up. They’ve been proactive in making changes to ensure the company’s long-term viability, changes that include adding their sales savvy son-in-law to the employee roster and moving into a market that was new to them until recently: special events.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Having built their business from the ground up, the Measels are well aware of the challenges inherent to creating a sustainable enterprise. In fact, when they launched their business in 1972, they couldn’t get a bank loan, so they used their resourcefulness and ended up buying an old beer truck to convert to a septic pumping truck.
That beer truck proved to be a better purchase than they’d anticipated, when, upon arriving home with it, they discovered the truck was full of cases of beer. True entrepreneurs, they sold the beer to friends, family —anyone who wanted to buy it — and raised a fair amount of capital to put toward outfitting the truck with a tank.
“It was probably easier to sell the beer than to get the septic business,” Linda Measel jokes.
Using their community ties (they grew up in the area) and friendly contacts, the Measels began drumming up business and were able to secure a few jobs. Their luck, however, took a turn for the worse when the tank they had bought one day imploded — the result of a stuck pressure relief valve.
“It looked like a pretzel — and it was brand new,” Measel recalls.
While Measel remembers “sitting out there crying,” the couple quickly got back on their feet. They headed back to the bank, and secured a loan that allowed them to launch the business they operate today.
