Murfreesboro Post
MURFREESBORO WEATHER

The next ‘little Richard Branson’




The next 'little Richard Branson'

The next ‘little Richard Branson’

Steven Leipzig is a veteran business owner with a growing company, laser-beam focus on customer service and a college student. He’s also barely old enough to drink alcohol.

The 21-year-old computer information systems major has been operating a pressure washing business since age 16. People often think he is in his early 30s at first, and he tries to not focus on his age.

“I figured out my path early on,” the Middle Tennessee State University student said.

In addition to pressure washing, Leipzig runs a resume writing business in Murfreesboro for young people, offering his combination of business experience and insight as someone in that age bracket.

The pressure washing business, named The Pressure King, has doubled every year, and Leipzig has 11 employees working throughout Middle Tennessee. Next, he said, he plans to open a painting company in Middle Tennessee and Alabama.

“I want to be a little Richard Branson,” he said, adding he would rather build 100 companies doing various tasks than focus solely on one career like computer information systems.

When he’s not working toward becoming the next Branson, Leipzig enjoys reading, backpacking, hiking, rock climbing and traveling (his goal is to visit all 195 countries).

Even as his company grows, he does not have any trouble finding employees, he said. He belongs to business networking groups and realizes some companies do struggle to find staff.

“A job has to be more than a job, especially for my generation,” he said.

He said he hires based on current employees’ recommendations. He also keeps a spreadsheet with his workers’ information, ranging from their significant others’ names to their pets and makes a point of following up on how things are in their lives. He offers a “generous” time off policy and structures jobs around employees’ schedules when possible “so they can work the hours they need to work … but not for their career to be their life.”

Leipzig said he tries to be “atypical” in his business approach, adding that “anyone can paint or power wash.”

Instead, he focuses on building relationships with customers and employees as well as giving back to the community. He takes time to speak with customers and takes a photo of the crew in front of the clean house, then sends them postcards throughout the year with the photo.

The company conducts a give-back initiative when working for schools and other non-profits, which receive a discount on their cleaning. Any non-profits that refer business to The Pressure King will in turn receive a donation. Through August, five percent of profits are being donated to the Nashville Food Project.

“We believe everybody deserves a clean space,” Leipzig said.

Leave a Reply