Smart Cleaning School

 I teased this episode in the previous one, so here it is! Did you know that your good name can be good marketing? I want you to think about this. How many companies do you buy from on the name alone? Have you ever hired a babysitter or other service provider in your home because they come from a good family name? How many times have you done the opposite when the company or person in question has...

 This was one of my favorite episodes to create. It gave me a chance to research more of my family lineage and share one of my favorite bible verses. This teaching is foundational in my home and I wanted you to all hear it. This replay is intentional. The next episode takes the good name to another level. Did you know your good name is good marketing? You will. Re-listen to this one first! 

 ​I shared this exact post in a free Facebook cleaning group and thought it valuable enough to include on the podcast. Here's the post. I'm new to this group but not to cleaning. I love this industry and helping newbies. I see pricing posts all the time and wanted to share some insights that I just shared with another member on her private question. The question goes something like this....

 I have a heart to help everyone who wants to start a cleaning business and optimize as a solo. I have found this to be a great strength and weakness. In two recent scenarios, I have learned that while helping one I'm hurting another. I'm going to teach the destructive mindset in each of my two recent scenarios.   Scenario #1: A lady found my podcast, loved it, and emailed me some questi...

 If you've been following this podcast for any duration of time, you should have noticed a major shift in how I am teaching. I have organized my content for helping side hustlers, startups, and solos around 4 basic fundamentals of success: Financial, Mindset, Strategic, and People. I highly recommend that you check out the previous episode to gain the perspective I've learned on why so m...

 I recorded this training for the 2023 Maid Service Success Summit Fundamental #1: Financial Start with the Stats! 90% don't know their numbers (Life After Sale YT) 98% don't know the value of their business (cnbc.com) 72% don't know their credit score (smallbiztrends.com) 73.6% of all statistics are made up (businessinsider.com)   Notes from the Talk! Me – I knew my numbers and opt...

 I have a friend, whom will remain anonymous. I won't share their full story, just the high level. Let's call her Jill. Jill ran a very successful and profitable solo cleaning business in Florida. Hurricane Ian pummeled her area and completely wiped out everything Jill had. Thankfully, her family was okay. But not her house. Not her vehicles. Not her business. Jill invested years to buil...

 I recently revealed the " The 4 ISO Model Fundamentals " as Financial, Strategic, Mindset, and People. It doesn't matter whether you own a solo cleaning business or a catering company. If you want to grow your company to create the life you've dreamed of, you'll need to master these fundamentals. I am not a caterer... obviously. I can't coach caterers. I can't c...

Pricing questions are one of the most commonly-asked in Facebook cleaning groups. The post usually goes like this. There's an image of a house or details of the house or office. It is followed by "How much should I charge for this?" The only question I have seen more often in the last 7 years on Facebook is this one. "How do you clean this?" and there's a picture of s...

 My sister Jenna is doing amazing in her career so far. She just finished a few rotations as a traveling nurse and is currently working on her Nurse Practitioner license. She just got back from a 2 week trip to Europe and has saved a ton of money. I'm such a proud big bro. She visited our family in Sarasota, FL this February when we were escaping the cold Northeast winter along with my mom an...

 I used to watch the show, "Cheers" as a high-schooler. I didn't much care about the bar scene. I just loved the stories and the camaraderie and collection of people. They were all so different, yet they bonded every night after work.  Sam the Bartender, Coach the Bartender, Woody the Bartender, Carla the Waitress, Diane the Academic, Norm the Accountant, Cliff the Mailman, Frasier...

 I've been teaching the ISO Model for optimizing your solo cleaning business for years now. I'm noticing a theme emerging from the countless coaching calls, hang-ups and challenges of my students, and keys to success. What causes the winners to win and whiners to whine? In this episode, I will introduce the 4 ISO Model Fundamentals to prepare the soil. Over time, I'll follow-up with...

 I've been looking forward to doing this sales pitch episode for WHY you need to start a solo cleaning company. I have no idea where you are right now as you listen to this episode of the Smart Cleaning School.    You may be sucking wind in your current solo cleaning business and not feeling like this business is fun or exciting. You're feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, underpaid, a...

 James Harper was the host of "Two Cents Worth" and Angel Sandoval was the host of the "Sales Rehab" show. The two shows focused on sales and personal development and actually competed against each other in a productive way. James invited Angel to be a guest on his show and a friendship was formed. They decided to join forces under the common belief that 'Sales Saved My Li...

 I am an active member in my local Chamber of Commerce and have been since joining in October 2019. Check out one of my first episodes from Dec 2019 called, " I'm the Only Cleaner ", where I shared my initial impression of joining my first-ever chamber in 15 years in business at that point. Also check out the episode, " Get a Name for Doing ", where I was mentored by fello...

 I used to be such a sucker for the vending machine. My weakness was the potato chips, peanut butter crackers, and always Fritos! The vending machine is an interesting machine. It's simple. You choose what you want, check the price, insert your payment, push the corresponding button, and your treat spirals out of its holder to the slot below. You now own your treat and can enjoy it.  There ar...

 I don't proclaim to know all the answers. My M.O. is to listen more than I talk for two reasons. For one, I can learn from anyone. Secondly, I am emotionally sensitive and want to hear others speak so I can try to relate to them or possibly find a way to help them. This is my nature. Why did you just say all of that Ken?  Recently, I was perusing the posts, questions, and problems of residen...

 Ken continues his interview with Debbie in this surprise episode, where Debbie shares insider teaching from Cleaning Business Fundamentals and brings on 3 CBF success stories. Let's start with a summary of the 6 components of CBF proven success system. If you don't do ALL 6, the system doesn't work. 1.      Owner's Role – You can't clean and do 90-day mop-free formula 2. ...

 It was an honor to interview residential cleaning industry legend Debbie Sardone a second time. At the time of this recording, Debbie's first interview " A Buffalo Charges the Storm " was the third most-downloaded interview of the Smart Cleaning School's 45 published interviews. Debbie really barred all and shared personal stories she's never shared. It was a powerful epi...

Are you a person that flies by the seat of your pants? Do you fly like Maverick in Top Gun where your instincts dominate? This is absolutely cool in the movies, but it kills pilots in real life and the ones that kills are the amateurs and the experienced professionals. It's called spatial disorientation. First, let me give you a definition. Spatial disorientation – It's the inability of...

  I want you to stop what you're doing. And I want you to really listen as this could be the most important podcast you have ever heard. Do I have your attention yet? ​ I have a vital question for you. What would you say if everything you said came exactly true as you said it? Keep your mouth closed, listen, and think. What words would you allow to come out of your mouth if you knew that ever...

 Amar Ghose is known around the cleaning industry as a digital nomad, world traveler, SaaS Founder of ZenMaid . His name came up on the interview with Courtney Wisely (" People are Inspired by Honesty "). Here are some highlights and quotes from Amar on this interview.  "Your dream is your dream and your rich life is your rich life."  "The Wifi leads the way for the nomads...

 There are so many reasons why I decided to start and build a cleaning company. I want to talk about an internal motivation that's always been beneath the surface. And I suspect it's in you as well. What does your name mean to you? I want to inspire you to desire a good name. This is called legacy.  First, I want to read you a quote from King Solomon. Now who is King Solomon? Let me buil...

I attended my first ever commercial cleaning conference last month in Washington DC. The event was called Cleaning & Cocktails Live , the Interactive Playbook Edition. It was hosted by Michael Brown of Swept Technologies " I Wish You Would Have Told Me " and Ricky Regalado of Route/Rozalado Services " You Still Need the Grit and Blue-Collar ". I was the event MC. That was s...

I remember this season of life like it was yesterday. I was overwhelmed with cleaning work, cleaning all the time, and we had no money either! The business that was supposed to be my way out of the nine-to-five had turned into a nightmare. Yes, I loved serving people. Yes, I had flexibility to go later or move appointments around. But I was a slave to our house cleaning business. I was solo, and I...