The following piece was part of the “Second Acts” column that Matt created for The Boston Herald:
Second Acts
Name: Mark V. Dullea
Old gig: City planner
New gig: Founder and CEO, Drysdale’s All-Natural Carpet Care (www.drysdales123.com)
For almost 30 years, Mark Dullea helped cities like Cambridge and Lowell preserve their historic treasures for future generations. Since 1991, has been helping individuals preserve their own treasures and create new ones for themselves and their families. By cleaning up around the house, Dullea has been able to show others how to clean up in the business world.
What does city planning have to do with carpet cleaning?
Not much. I had just gotten frustrated with city planning, It is a field in which it can take a long time for your ideas to come to fruition. I had always wanted to try a small business. Somehow this just clicked for me.
What prompted you to go into carpet cleaning?
I had been doing some marketing for a friend who had a drapery cleaning business that serviced hotels. I realized there was good profit margins in the field and decided to look into it.
What did you want to bring to the industry?
Carpet cleaning has a low image. People almost expect to be ripped off. I wanted to do it in a way where people were more comfortable with the people providing the services. I wanted to take a mass-market service and give it a personal touch.
How did you come up with the Drysdale system?
I first realized that you could do better work with low-moisture processes that dried faster. And after I started getting headaches from the chemical cleansers, I developed an all-natural cleaning process
What prompted you to move into business development?
I realized that other people could learn how to do this and make a nice business for themselves.
Who might benefit most from getting involved?
Retired people or people like firefighters work two or three days at a time and then have two or three days off could supplement their income with a business like this. There is nothing new under the sun, but I offer a low entry cost into a solid business that people can run for themselves.
