How Deep is Your Bench?

As a Navy Submarine Officer and Nuclear Engineer, I’m deeply conditioned to believe that redundancy is non-negotiable. A nuclear-powered submarine has backups for every system onboard—and often, backups for the backups. This ensures that if a critical system fails, the nuclear reactor remains safe, and the ship can continue its mission.

I view my STR business the same way, particularly when it comes to vendors. Are you one case of the flu away from a cleaning disaster? One broken leg away from having no handyman on call? What if your cleaner wants to take a vacation?

How deep is your bench? (Think of a sports team’s bench of backup players.)

Relying on just one vendor for each service puts your business in a precarious position. Everything may run smoothly when all is normal, but the moment one of your team members is unavailable, and you have a same-day turnover, chaos can ensue. Here are my three recommendations to avoid such a disaster:

1. Find Backups

I search high and low for backup cleaners and handymen. My go-to is usually Facebook groups where I can find word-of-mouth recommendations. Once I find solid options, I add their contact information to my vendor database to keep on hand.

2. Make Contact

I’ll reach out to them, especially cleaners, and explain that I already have a primary cleaner, but I’m looking for a backup just in case. For handymen, I focus on getting to know them and understanding their capabilities.

3. Test Them Out

Before fully relying on them, I give potential backups a test job to evaluate their timeliness, quality, and skill. For cleaners, I might have them clean after a guest and inspect their work. For handymen, I assign a small, non-critical task. For instance, I once asked a handyman to change out a strike plate on a door—a simple job, but enough to see if he’d show up on time and get it done properly.

If they pass these tests, I add them to my list of trusted vendors. That way, if your cleaner is unavailable or your handyman is overbooked, you can call your backup.

Don’t operate your business on a knife’s edge. Build your bench strength and operate with confidence!

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