“Baby Steps” - that’s the advice Sandie Barkeit of Deer Park Cleaning would give to new chamber members trying to build a small business on a limited marketing budget. Sandie founded Deer Park Cleaning in 2002 to serve the needs of the office maintenance market. The business has grown to include several solid contracts and a work force of four people.

Sandie joined the Greater Manassas / Prince William County Chamber of Commerce in August 2004. As a start-up business, Sandie had a good work ethic and lots of enthusiasm, but little budget. As Sandie says, “”I had no money, so I thought to myself – what could I do for free?” The Chamber offered a lot of opportunities.

Networking – Attending Chamber events was free and offered a way to meet other business people. Sandie’s schedule allowed her to attend two or three events per month. She sent letters to people she met, acknowledged the contact via a follow-up letter and started to get returns in terms of real business.

Committee involvement – Sandie soon realized the way to build solid relationships within the Chamber was to get involved. She became a member of the Ambassadors Committee which allowed her to form deeper ties to people she met and learn a lot more about how the Chamber operated. She sponsored a New Member Orientation, taking full advantage of the opportunity the session gave her to showcase the benefits of Deer Park Cleaning to a roomful of new members.

Events - Sandie also presented at a Brown Bag luncheon seminar. Based on her years of experience in handling service contracts, she was able to give useful pointers on How to Hire a Service Company.

Advertising – An ad in the Community Book kept Deer Park Cleaning’s name in front of Chamber members. This effort has not resulted in trackable leads so far, but is a point of contact for people who have met Sandie to look up Deer Park Cleaning when they are ready to do business.

Sandie’s involvement in the Chamber has been a positive experience. It’s been a good way to support marketing efforts on a small budget and a positive factor in the growth of Deer Park Cleaning. Her enthusiasm and involvement was recognized by her March 2005 award as the Chamber’s Rookie of the Year.”