“All life is about balance and harmony”
AsrorJon Shukurov (who also goes by Jon) was born in Uzbekistan to a family of teachers. As such, he majored in English philology at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University with the goal of teaching as his parents did.
In 2005, he came upon an opportunity to travel to the United States to work in the hospitality industry, and jumped on it. But he soon ran into problems with that offer and found out that his English teaching abilities weren’t going to provide a great backup plan. After all, everyone in the US seemed to already speak better English than him! So he needed to re-qualify himself, and re-qualify he did.
He had arrived in the US with nothing but a few bucks in his pocket and an aspiration for the American Dream. He worked himself out of a rock-bottom situation in Denver, Colorado, moving across the entire country to land himself in Maryland. After years of doing odd jobs and teaching himself new skills in various industries, he started multiple companies and moved them to the top.
When he arrived in the US, AsrorJon found out that the original offer as a guest services agent was a fraud. He had been misled and trapped along with 12 other people forced to live and work in poor conditions in the middle of nowhere without pay. They all shared a trailer without enough beds and only one unventilated bathroom while working as housekeepers.
With only $200 in his pocket and thousands of dollars of debt from back home, he became further trapped in what were essentially slave quarters. But his cousin, Garik, provided a way out. Garik lived in Maryland and helped AsrorJon get back on his feet.
It wasn’t easy, by any means. Those who had entrapped AsrorJon blatantly threatened him when he escaped, but he pushed onwards. His background in English proved of little use for the community, so he needed to look elsewhere for an income. Starting from nothing, AsrorJon worked tirelessly at odd jobs to make ends meet. Everything from a mover and construction worker to a cleaner and delivery guy. Long hours and low pay made for a slow uphill climb, but he did start to make progress.
In 2009, four years after leaving his home country and arriving in the US, AsrorJon had climbed the ladder to reach a job with benefits and stability. He was in a good enough spot to start something new and adventurous. This new adventure was the founding of his janitorial company Interworld Cleaning. It was a risk to make such a huge investment, but it paid off. In fact, he has since expanded into starting a Green cleaning Association and co-owning a home improvement company called Fix Construction as well as a real estate company called PRUZ.
But why start with janitorial cleaning? Before starting Interworld Cleaning, AsrorJon had worked in enough cleaning jobs to become familiar with the field. But he wasn’t only familiar with it. He was also astounded by the waste he saw in the industry, and immediately thought of how much it could improve if someone would just put in the effort.
As he started his company and mission, he quickly discovered how little help newbies get, even in the great capitalist center of the United States of America. But he differentiated himself from the competition by constantly learning and adapting to the latest in computer systems and technology. This gave him an edge that got his cleaning company off the ground and up to a worth of one million dollars without cold calling or door to door sales.
He used the same approach to start his second company, the Green Cleaning Association. It now offers green products for half the price of what he used to pay for standard products, and does so all online. The Green Cleaning Association helps extend AsrorJon’s green vision to other companies, making the change spread far and wide.
Through such growth, his companies work to completely eliminate the human carbon footprint of the cleaning industry without sacrificing performance. They take the time and effort that most companies don’t to really look into the ingredients and long-term effects of cleaning chemicals and supplies. They recognize that the industry can and should work to leave the Earth in a better state for future generations.
Accomplishing that requires everyone to work together, which can be hard in an economy that so strongly fosters competition. But with enough determination and organized methods, working together doesn’t have to mean losing money or sacrificing more than the competition. Rather, it’s a win-win that both helps the environment while also helping businesses grow. And that’s how AsrorJon’s companies are changing the scene as we know it.
Now, AsrorJon is an active player in many facets of the cleaning industry. He has been a guest speaker for the Maryland Department of the Environment, as well as a speaker on the podcast “Doin The Thing.” He also continues to use technology to advance his companies and their goals. Online lead generation and search engine optimization have allowed him to increase his companies leads exponentially.
His company Interworld Cleaning is doing exceptionally well, with a trademarked name and franchising model ready to hit the road. His other companies are also picking up sales and making waves in their fields. The Green Cleaning Association maintains its philosophy of staying free for everyone, so it isn’t limited only to those who already have a seat at the top of their field.
It took ten plus years of struggling to reach this point: to pay his debts, develop new skills, and adapt to a new country. But although there were thousands of bitter experiences, the good experiences ultimately outweighed them. AsrorJon made the best of tough situations, building upon them to create something new and worthwhile.
While the path to success was difficult, he feels that this country has given him so much. He has fallen in love with it and today calls Maryland home. Running his companies isn’t just a way to make money, but a way to repay the country and its people for everything they have done in his life. The companies help him in his goal of doing everything possible to improve tomorrow, together today.