Jason Davis found himself trapped in the monotonous routine of his dream job in banking, enduring the daily grind of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The toll of this predictable work schedule eventually convinced him that it wasn't the right path for him. One day, on impulse, he walked away from his banking career without a plan. Encouraged by his wife, he connected with the cleaners at her workplace, which sparked the idea of starting Forte Commercial Cleaning in Salt Lake City, Utah. Recently, Jason and Forte Commercial Cleaning gained national attention for their initiative in offering job opportunities to homeless individuals. Jason attributes the philosophy of "The Go-Giver" to his company's philosophy of inclusivity, providing employment opportunities to those in need. He takes pride in providing fresh starts for people and helping them to develop their skills to enhance their career paths. Since 2019, Forte Commercial Cleaning has held the cleaning contract for the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz. Every night, over 100 people gather to clean the entire arena within four to five hours. What sets Forte apart from competitors is their commitment to same-day payment, a promise they always fulfill. Jason believes that consistent attention to detail, even in seemingly small matters, fosters a loyal and dedicated workforce.

In the mid-1980s, Don Aslett made a pivotal stop at the Edison Museum en route to a Boy Scout jamboree, where he conceived the vision of establishing a museum dedicated to cleanliness. He envisioned a space that would pay homage to the past, present, and future of the cleaning industry, with a particular emphasis on showcasing classic equipment. This idea began to take shape when Don acquired 250 premium pre-electric vacuums in 2006. Finally, almost 30 years later, in 2011, his dream materialized with the opening of The Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho. The museum draws both local and national tourists eager to explore its 74,000 square foot (occupying one city block) complex, offering excitement, education, and inspiration for the entire family. #businessofcleaning #janitorialmanager

Joel Craddock's first experience in the commercial cleaning industry came from his church, where he made $0.25 an hour. The job taught him hard work and responsibility from a young age. If he woke up, he knew that his job expected him to be at work. While in college, Joel worked his way up to an operations manager position for one of the biggest commercial cleaning companies in the Rochester, New York area. In this role he had hundreds of employees reporting to him at just 23 years old. While it was intimidating and a steep learning curve, he accepted the challenge. This opportunity forced him outside of his comfort zone and prepared him for his future as a business owner in the commercial cleaning industry. Joel dedicated himself to cleaning for health as a business owner when a doctor told him that he had more chemicals in his body than an embalmed person. When he first started in the industry, no one used personal protective equipment. Because of this, he has long-term lung, hand, and feet damage. He knew when he started Doc's Facilities Solutions, he needed to focus on protecting his employees and his clients. His clients realized cleaning for health was working when their employees were taking fewer PTO days and carrying over time to the next year.

In 2001, Steven Harper made the decision to leave the corporate world after working for several fortune 500 companies. He chose to start his own commercial cleaning company, Spectrum Building Services of America. His goal was to build a company where he could leave his mark, instill his core values, and achieve personal and professional balance. While working in the corporate world, he endured 60 to 70-hour work weeks and did not take a vacation for 10 years. He realized that to achieve his goals, he needed to grow not only as a leader but also by acquiring new customers and providing career opportunities for employees. Recognizing that flexibility was crucial, he understood that he had to spend his time working on the business, not just in the business. Steven credits his employees, continual growth as a leader, and flexibility for the company’s continual growth. In 2023, he realized they needed to spend time focusing on their branding effort. The epiphany he had was understanding his company’s “why.” His realization was that companies don’t buy from customers because they do a good job; they buy from them because they buy into why they’re doing what they’re doing. They bought into their “why.” From this, his company was able to create their mission. One of the biggest takeaways was being able to attract the right customers through digital marketing and account-based marketing. But most importantly, they want to align themselves with companies that share their values. The mission they came up with is to be “caretakers and stewards, restoring and enriching spaces so businesses can thrive.”

As 2023 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our incredible BOC community. Join us in celebrating our top conversations of the year with our 'best of' episode. Stay tuned for more amazing content in 2024.

Mark's industry expertise is unique. He provides an in-depth breakdown of cross-selling and upselling in this episode, discussing how cleaners can better serve their customers. He stated that "people don’t realize they’re leaving money on the table with current customers." He dives into scaling a business and emphasizes the importance of having a developed plan before considering scaling. In fact, according to Mark, premature scaling and organization is why 74% of startups fail. To succeed, Mark points out the significance of surrounding yourself with experts in other areas once your operation, allowing you to acquire new skills. Aditionally, Mark recently launched a podcast called Polishing Profits with industry experts.

Over the past three years, sales approaches have witnessed a profound transformation, catalyzed primarily by the seismic impact of the 2020 pandemic. In this evolving landscape, MJ Mrga, Manager of Business Development for GDI Services, underscores the paramount importance of adaptability. The ability to be an empathetic listener and thoroughly comprehend customer needs has assumed heightened significance in virtual interactions. MJ imparts invaluable insights into achieving success by honing these critical skills and meticulously attending to the details in every client interaction.

Like numerous businesses, Imperial Cleaners faced setbacks during the pandemic, particularly in staffing qualified candidates. With a population exceeding one million in Nova Scotia, the company needed to expand its horizons beyond provincial borders to locate and hire the right individuals. This expansion introduced challenges related to longer commutes and transportation logistics. However, Imperial Cleaning didn't allow these hurdles to impede its progress. Instead, the company embraced the difficulties by adopting innovative solutions. Collaborating with a recruitment agency, they addressed their staffing needs with determination. Beyond this, Imperial harnessed the power of social media, leveraging platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to reach and engage potential candidates effectively.

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Training is crucial for a successful cleaning operation. This month, Brant Insero, ISSA’s Sr. Director of Global Education, discusses training trends and increased company investment in training programs. He also highlights how public perception has improved, leading to greater respect for industry workers.

When Ken Carfagno entered the cleaning industry in 2005, he had $160,000 in debt. Listen as Ken discusses how he remained determined to eliminate this staggering debt. Despite finding success with his business, Ken was working 70-hour work weeks and missing important family events. This is when he developed a plan to create the lifestyle he deserved, allowing him to work less and spend more time with his family.

In this edition, Scott Prather, Senior Regional Manager for BETCO Corporation unveils their groundbreaking product EnviroZyme Probiotic Solutions products. A probiotic that lasts 21 days on surfaces and is environmentally friendly. Scott guides us through the research and development of the cleaning product at their world headquarters in Bowling Green, Ohio. He also discusses how he’s witnessed sales and businesses grow and develop during his 33-year career.

In this episode, Edwin Eaton shares his strategies to building a positive company culture that leads to employee retention. Instead of promoting customer reviews, he promotes his employees on the company’s social media and sells his customers on his employees. This has created a family atmosphere between their customers and employees. Learn more about our show here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/

In this month's episode, Valerie Reyher introduces us to The Kennedy Collective and how they provide an all-inclusive approach to employment opportunities in the Commercial Cleaning Industry. Valerie Reyher started with The Kennedy Collective 28 years ago as a college graduate and has worked up in the company to her current position as VP of Workforce Development and Social Enterprise. Being able to help people achieve their goals and dreams every single day is a factor in why Valerie has stayed with the company all these years. Learn more about our show here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/

In this month's episode, we caught up with the Founder and President of Janitorial Manager, Archie Heinl. During the episode, we discuss the founding of Janitorial Manager and the many solutions JM provides to elevate cleaning organizations across the globe. Learn more about Archie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aheinl Learn more about Janitorial Manager: ⁠https://www.janitorialmanager.com/ Podcast landing page: ⁠https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/

To kick off the year, host Halie Morris sat down with the Owner of Payroll Select, Mark Miller, to talk about the dos and don'ts of payroll you should be considering for your commercial cleaning business. Learn more about Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-miller-81269251/ Learn more about Payroll Select: https://www.payrollselectservices.com/ Episode blog, video, and transcript: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/the-ins-and-outs-of-payroll/ Podcast landing page: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/

In this BoC podcast episode, Podcast Coordinator, Halie Morris, speaks with Jared Loar, an account manager for Janitorial Manager, regarding the effects of implementing change in the janitorial workplace. Jared is right on the front line when it comes to helping onboard new customers to Janitorial Manager’s software.    While onboarding, he hears what sort of feedback business owners in the cleaning industry are receiving (the good, the bad and the ugly) when they decide to implement a major change, such as new software, without first going through the proper channels of involving their entire team in the decision-making process.   Read our blog: COMING SOON  Find us on your favorite platform: https://anchor.fm/business-of-cleaning Learn more about the show: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/

Mike Sawchuk, from Sawchuk Consulting, goes into detail about the effects of leadership on employee retention.   Host: Halie Morris | Guest: Mike Sawchuk    A cleaning business will never succeed without strong leadership and an employee will never stay with a company that lacks the leadership to provide proper support and a clear mission to follow. One without the other is destined for failure.   Blog post: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/why-leadership-is-actually-the-key-to-employee-retention/   Learn more about our show: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/   BoC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boc_podcast/

Not talked about enough with business strategy is how you maintain data and cyber security, but it’s no less important than your sales, marketing, and services. What steps are you taking to make sure your business is safe? We sat down with Oliver Greive, an Experience Designer I - Research and Strategy for UPMC Health Plan. His experience spans from linguistics to human-computer interaction. Oliver helped us look at cyber security from the end user perspective and offer insight on easily implementable changes we make to increase the safe keeping of important data.   Learn more about our show: https://bit.ly/3tXRdAz Have questions or are interested in working with our show? Email us at marketing@doubleasolutions.net.

The difficulties of managing employee retention have only been highlighted more in the last few years as tolerance for undesirable work climates drops and employees demand more competitive compensation. Follow our conversation with Ben Walker on the Business of Cleaning podcast as we discuss the root causes of high turnover and how to combat them. Ben has been an educator, consultant, writer, and public speaker within the jan-san industry for nearly 20 years. As a writer, Ben is a columnist for Facility Cleaning Decisions magazine where he shares his observations and insights about issues facing professional cleaning operations. Additionally, he is a blogger and key opinion leader for CloroxPro. Learn more about our show here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/