Cerullo's TLA Services Gaining Momentum in 2012

In 2009 Danvers native Chad Cerullo found himself, like so many over the past few years, laid off. Although wife Kim still had her job working for a local contractor, he was feeling the pressure. With his two children, Hailey and Brianna, in mind, the 39 year old did the only thing he could do to bring in the extra income his family needed: he fell back on his expertise in construction.

“I’d been in the trades for at least fifteen years prior, and had worked for a commercial cleaner in the past," he said. "I was laid off for about 6 months, and jobs were scarce - things were piling up. I started doing some painting and light maintenance for local management companies, family and friends.”

Drastic times called for drastic measures.

By the middle of 2009, Cerullo began brainstorming about starting his own business based on his amassed skill-sets.  “I had a lot of contacts that I had maintained, so I sent a mass email out that I would be starting my own commercial cleaning, property maintenance company. When I notified them, I started getting responses left and right,” he said.  In October of 2009, TLA Services, a full-service property maintenance company servicing all of the North Shore, was created.

The business initially specialized in professional cleaning and maintenance, until this year when Cerullo decided it was time to expand services and include landscaping in the menu, mostly because “I’ve found my customers like to go with one vendor.” Another exciting addition to TLA Services is their new employee. Kim, chose to leave her job of the past 13 and a half years to help her husband with customer communication and tackle the mounting office duties.

“I decided to come on board this year to help grow the business," Kim said. "It was just Chad for the past couple of years; constantly working, trying to advertise, and he basically worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was crazy with me going to work, and the kids were in daycare. Having me here in the office means he’s not having to come in at the end of the day and work another three or four hours in the office.”

Cerullo credits the gradual growth of the business for its success and agrees that the biggest obstacle was “...having it be a one man show, when I was trying to build up the business. I would tell anyone thinking about starting  a business to be prepared for the dedication it takes, the 24/7 takes away from family time; but they have to be willing to sacrifice, until it comes to the point where you either succeed or fail.”

When asked what advice he would give to anyone thinking about starting a business, without hesitation he said to give top priority to customer service, to be dependable and reliable. Cerullo added “It doesn’t matter how good your work is, if you don’t treat your customers as  number one, you’re going to fail.”

For Kim, the next step will be advertising. “Up until now we’ve been relying on word of mouth, and [Chad] gets a lot of business through his management companies because his customers really like him. My cousin has done up brochures, fliers, and business cards, and we have marketing meetings to talk about strategies and talk about leads.”

Chad and Kim (Ellis) married in 1998 after a two-year engagement, but their story actually began in elementary school when the two were fifth-grade classmates and would often ride their bikes together in their old neighborhood in the Beaver Park section of Danvers, where they still live today.

“I guess you could say that I married my best friend,” she laughed.

One might question the difficulty of spouses working together, but for the Cerullo’s they say that this situation is perfect for them. “I love being home, working with him, and him having less stress. It’s so much easier,” Kim said. “I’m still in training, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job, we’re just trying to let people know about TLA.”

For more information about TLA Services, go to their Facebook page or call the office: 978-774-4218.