Changing Direction

Too many people fail to take control of their lives, allowing themselves to fall victim and accept whatever happens. When you choose to dream―and defy the naysayers all around―you can change direction and accomplish nearly anything you set out to achieve.

In “Changing Direction,” Mary Miller lays out 10 choices anyone can make to impact his or her dreams. By concentrating on improving the future, you become a new, happier and more energized person.

Miller describes how she first seized control of her life in 1987 as a then-30-year-old twice-divorced single mother of three. She explains how she later found the fortitude―and support―to buck conventional wisdom and change the direction of the family business she led with her third husband, Tony.

To address their biggest obstacle―turnover―they began encouraging people to achieve their dreams and developed the Dream Manager program, a world-renowned initiative helping employees identify dreams, set goals and work to reach a better future.

Miller explains that there are few things worse than having no control. You may feel lost. You may feel desperate. You may feel despair, but it does not have to be this way. “Changing Direction” weaves Miller’s amazing personal story of triumph and transformation with 10 practical choices you can make today in order to move from victim to victor. To get started, all you have to do is dream.

Mary Miller is the CEO and owner of JANCOA Janitorial Service, Inc., an award-winning, family owned and operated, commercial cleaning service located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mary is known for her positive outlook and her desire to help others realize their uniqueness and personal power. Through her tremendous efforts and her legendary employee benefits program the Dream Manager, she has created an exceptional work environment and a truly successful organization. Mary is a keynote speaker on such issues as taking control of one's life, learning how to dream, organizational transformation, and changing direction.Dustin Scott Klein is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author and the publisher and COO of Smart Business magazine, a national chain of management journals, live events and digital properties designed for senior executives. Dustin is a former investigative news reporter who cut his teeth as a business section editor and digital media entrepreneur in the 1990s. Over the past 25 years he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped nearly 30 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. Dustin has edited or co-written six Amazon bestselling books: The Unexpected, Manufacturing with Heart, 5 Fundamentals to Unleash Millennial Talent, Limping on Water, and the two Amazon #1 bestsellers Undaunted and The Benevolent Dictator. A rabid baseball fan and active volunteer on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, he lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with his wife, Laura, and children, Sam, Cole and Mollie.

Mary Miller is the CEO of JANCOA Janitorial Services, a local certified WBE that is family owned and operated. Mary is known for her positive outlook and desire to help others realize their uniqueness and personal power. As the CEO, Mary has become the backbone and driving force behind the success of the company. Mary says her success came when she stopped selling and started caring, and that’s really the core of who she is. Subconsciously she believed that caring had no real place in business, but now she understands that is where it is needed most, and seems to be where the innovations have come from.

“Our basic message to employees,” Mary says, “is that no matter where you come from, no matter what level of income or education you’ve attained, you can lead a productive, fulfilling life—and you can make your dreams become reality.”

In addition to running a business with more than 500 full-time employees, she is also an associate coach for Strategic Coach where she works with fellow entrepreneurs on concepts to focus and balance their careers with life and increase income, while working less and enjoying the process.

Mary has become a popular speaker with a national following. Two of Mary’s greatest recent achievements include being a named a 2015 Enterprising Woman of the Year and YWCA Career Women of Achievement honoree in 2013. In 2015, JANCOA received the WE Celebrate Woman Owned Business of the Year (mid-large).

Mary enjoys sharing her vision and inspiration by actively participating in many industry, business, and nonprofit organizations in the Cincinnati area. When not enjoying time with family in the city, Mary and her husband, Tony, enjoy the serenity of their lake home.

Dustin Scott Klein is an award-winning business journalist, best-selling author and the publisher and COO of Smart Business, a national chain of management journals, live events, and digital properties designed for senior executives. Dustin is a former investigative news reporter who cut his teeth as a business section editor and digital media entrepreneur in the 1990s. Over the past 25 years he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped nearly 30 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. Dustin has edited or co-written six Amazon best-sellers: The Unexpected, Manufacturing with Heart, 5 Fundamentals to Unleash Millennial Talent, Limping on Water, and the two Amazon No. 1 best-sellers, Undaunted and The Benevolent Dictator. A rabid baseball fan and active volunteer on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, he lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with his wife, Laura, and children, Sam, Cole and Mollie.