Material Detail

In July 2015, Managed by Q co-founder and CEO Dan Teran was trying to decide how best to grow the 15-month old on-demand office cleaning and maintenance company. As Teran saw it, Q, which differentiated itself from the competition by leveraging people and technology, could grow by acquiring customers in its existing markets of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco; expanding into new markets; or, diversifying the range of services it offered in the office management space. No matter which path Q chose, Teran was committed to protecting the company’s unique business model and culture.

Leaerning objective:

To demonstrate how a start-up can disrupt an established industry known for mediocre service and bad jobs with a good jobs strategy—a human-centered operations strategy that combines investment in frontline employees with carefully made operational choices and strong commitment to values; provide an opportunity to discuss growth in the context of a young business that has a human-centered operations strategy; and, highlight the importance of aligning investors and their expectations with a business that has a human-centered operations strategy.

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