5 Questions: Howard Partridge

1 | Who are you, and what do you do?

I’m Howard Partridge. I built my carpet cleaning business up from the trunk of my car into a multi-million-dollar, turnkey operation over 40 years ago. Today, I have a staff and systems in place, so it runs itself.

Twenty-seven years ago, I began teaching the cleaning industry my business systems. I became a top consultant in the industry. Then, in 2008, the late American legend Zig Ziglar spoke at my conference, and I became the exclusive small business coach for the Ziglar Corp.

The result is that we train and coach business owners in over 100 industries in 20 countries. Recently, I franchised my coaching company under the brand Phenomenal Business Coaching and have nine franchisees.

My wife, Denise, and I have been married for over 40 years. We have one phenomenal son, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and two of the cutest grandkids on the planet.

2 | How did you get started, and what are you known for?

Howard Partridge with his family spending time at the beach.

When I was 23 years old, I married Denise Concetta Antionette Pennella. Now, that’s Italian!

When you marry into an Italian family, you don’t get wedding presents, you get cash. There’s a special purse made to match the wedding dress that is perfectly sized for envelopes with cash in them. After the wedding, we counted the money, totaling $3,000.

A friend of the family who was the same age as me drove around in a little red Mercedes convertible. I immediately wanted to know what he did (and if it was legal)! Turns out he had a cleaning business.

So, as soon as I returned from our wedding, I spent the entire $3,000 on portable carpet cleaning equipment and supplies. I began cleaning carpet out of the trunk of my car.

Over the years, our company has become the most respected high-end residential cleaning company in the Houston area and is known around the world thanks to writing for Cleanfax for over three decades!

Today, I am known more as a business coach than anything else.

3 | Who has impacted your life more than anyone else?

I’ve been blessed to have many mentors and coaches over the years. My earliest mentor was one of my pastors who studied business. When he saw the chaos of my early business, he recommended The E-Myth to me. I read the book, implemented systems, and got my business turnkey. I eventually met Michael Gerber, who is a friend and neighbor. I actually help Michael with his business currently.

Zig Ziglar probably has had the most significant impact on me. To be mentored by him and tapped to carry on his legacy opened many doors for me and changed my mindset. Of course, that would not have happened without Tom Ziglar allowing me to do that.

I’ve been personally mentored by and become friends with many legends, including John Maxwell, Brian Tracy, and Dave Ramsey.

I also must mention my personal coach, Rick Jones. He was with Dale Carnegie for over 33 years and owned the top franchise for 20 years. He has been with me for 14 years and is like a father to me.

4 | If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?

Jesus. Hands down. No question.

5 | What hobbies do you have, and are there any that people don’t know about?

I am a beach bum and was blessed to build my dream home on my favorite beach in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, near Destin. I dig my toes into the sand and write and read books. That’s my hobby. Everybody knows about it because I post on social media all the time!