March 12, 2025 • 22 mins
Meet Chris Eckstein, a combat medic turned entrepreneur who's transforming the window cleaning industry in Northern Kentucky. After eight years of military service including two tours in Iraq, Chris discovered an unexpected passion that would become Freedom Window Cleaning.
The spark for his business came from disappointment. When hiring professionals to clean windows at his previous workplace, Chris was let down by streaky results and leftover tape. Taking matters into his own hands with just a bucket and squeegee, he discovered not only a natural talent but a genuine passion. Neighboring businesses started requesting his services, and a lightbulb moment occurred – this could be his calling.
What sets Freedom Window Cleaning apart isn't just technical expertise, but Chris's comprehensive approach to service. While many competitors focus solely on glass, he delivers a "full service package" including interior and exterior windows, tracks, screens, and frames. Using a specialized three-stage filtration system, he removes oxidation that causes windows to dirty quickly after rain. This attention to detail reflects the discipline and thoroughness instilled during his military service.
Beyond the business itself, we get to know Chris as a devoted family man married to Katie for nearly 19 years, and father to Wyatt and Reagan. His family story – from confidently telling his friend "I'm going to marry that girl" across a room to their enduring partnership – reveals the character behind the company. It's this same genuine care and commitment that customers experience when hiring Freedom Window Cleaning.
For those considering professional window cleaning, Chris offers valuable advice: stop spraying your windows with a hose (it causes hard water stains!), and please stay off ladders for your safety. Ready to experience the Freedom Window Cleaning difference? Contact Chris at 832-681-6489 or visit freedomwindowcleaning.net – and discover what truly clean windows can do for your home and view.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Mike Murphy.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you for that introduction, charlie.
Yes, I am Mike Murphy, host ofthe Good Neighbor Podcast.
We are a podcast thatintroduces local business owners
and influencers to residents ofNorthern Kentucky.
We want residents to know ourlocal business owners as humans,
as opposed to just a logo on abusiness car or the side of a
(00:35):
truck.
And so the human I have with metoday he lives here in Triple
Crown in Union, not too far fromme, good friend of mine as of
about a month ago, chrisEckstein, owner of Freedom
Window Cleaning here in Union.
So, without further ado, chris,let the people know what they
(00:57):
need to know about you.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Of course, thanks for having me.
I really appreciate it and it'sgood to be here.
So, yep, as he said, I am thehuman of the day, chris Eckstein
, owner and operator of FreedomWindow Cleaning, based right
here out of Union, and primarilywhat I do is I clean windows.
Right.
If you've got dirty windows,I'm your guy.
That is my specialty, it's whatI love to do.
(01:20):
I also do pressure washing, andwe'll be adding more services
as time goes on.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Okay, Well, that's good to know.
I know it had to be kind ofrough just starting a window
cleaning company and then boom,right away, winter, and nobody's
cleaning their windows inwinter, and they're not calling
you to clean them either.
So the good news, though, isit's a beautiful, sunny day.
Spring seems to have sprung.
Yes.
And that means you're going tobe a very, very busy person.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
The next few months, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yep, absolutely.
Yeah, so far, so good.
I mean, I started this back inJuly and left my full-time
career in the middle of January,and then, yeah, we had three or
four weeks of snow on theground.
I was still out there gettingafter it, though, believe it or
not, I will work until I cannotfeel my fingertips anymore, so
(02:12):
don't let the weather bother you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know Well, you're no stranger to hard work, I
mean you're.
You have a military background,correct?
Yes, sir, okay, so how longwere you in the military?
When was that?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I was eight years, so that was 2005 to 2013.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Okay, and what did you do in the military?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I was a combat medic, all right.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Interesting.
Where were you?
Where were you based?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
So my first duty station was Fort Lewis,
washington.
I spent a few years there, didtwo deployments to Iraq out of
there, with the same company,same platoon, actually, so same
guys.
On both deployments was pretty,pretty special and unique, I'd
say.
Um really bonded with thoseguys over over, you know, two
deployments overseas, uh.
(02:52):
And then from there we um mywife was with me the whole time,
by the way, um except for iniraq, obviously, she, she did
not, they're not allowed to goover there, right, uh.
But then next duty station, wewent went to Camp Darby, italy.
So my wife and I spent threeyears over there exploring all
of Europe.
I was incredible.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, yeah, that's very cool.
Wow, we could do an entirepodcast just on your military
experience alone.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well, maybe we will someday, but I think that
military background, kind of I'dsay everything we do serves us
well for the next chapter,whatever that might be 100%.
So you pull everything forwardand it just makes you a better
husband, a better business owner, a better father, a better
(03:42):
whatever, a better neighbor,right.
So, and you know, thank you foryour service too.
Thank you, I don't have amilitary background, so I'm
always appreciative of thosethat you know took the time to
protect all of us for sure.
Yeah, well, that's um, that's achapter that um has brought you
(04:08):
to today.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
And, uh, window cleaning is a whole different
experience from that militarylife you know it is, but there's
, there's bits and pieces of it,you know that.
That, that that correlate.
So I mean, a big part of why Iwas a medic is, uh, I, I like
helping people, you know, andthat in that realm I had the
(04:31):
opportunity to help people whoyou know, who were injured or
had trauma.
Um, they had a a physical need,right, they needed help in some
way, shape or form.
So I, I got the opportunity tohelp people that way, and then,
when you flip that over towindow cleaning, I mean this is
a, this is a service that Iprovide for people who either
(04:51):
want or need it, and so I couldkind of tie those together.
That way I'm still helpingpeople at the end of the day,
and that's what that makes mefeel good, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Well, we've talked before about your approach to
the business, and I know thatyou you you've had an experience
in your past that got you tostart thinking about this
business.
So tell us briefly what wasthat?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
For sure.
I mean, first of all, I'vealways wanted to do my quote
unquote own thing right.
I've always wanted to have myown business and never really
knew what it was going to be.
Tried so many things, includingselling solar panels, and I've
just tried a lot of things overthe years.
But I was in multi-unit foreight years with a furniture
(05:34):
company and during that timethere were several times where I
hired window cleaners.
But specifically at thebeginning of 2024, I hired a
window cleaning service and wasreally intrigued by what they
were doing.
I was just watching them, I wasexcited to see the before and
after and and, quite frankly, Iwas just disappointed with the
(05:56):
results.
There was streaks on thewindows tape tape left up there.
So I ended up just going toHome Depot getting a mop bucket
and a squeegee and and doing itmyself right, and uh, yeah, I
mean I I somehow ended up beingreally good at it and spent a
lot of time practicing.
The neighboring businesses tothat store started calling me
(06:17):
asking if I would do theirs, andthat's kind of when the light
bulb went off and you know doingevery job as though it were
your own home.
Hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Yeah, absolutely yeah .
Treating every client likethey're your mother or father,
brother, sister, whatever,absolutely, it's a good way to
approach it.
So, one thing that we talkedabout before we started
recording this was you're notjust out there washing the
outsides of the windows, you arealso getting the window tracks.
(06:47):
You're cleaning the interiorsas well.
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
getting the window tracks, you're cleaning the
interiors as well, is thatcorrect?
Yes, sir, yep, um, do interior,exterior track screens, you
know, and you know whichevercombination of those that you
want.
But, um, yeah, what I call thethe full service package is is
the interior, exterior tracksand screens.
That's what you want.
To deep clean and a hard reset,get your windows looking good.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, that's the way to go now somebody's going to
pay to have their windows clean.
You want them clean I know you,you want to almost uh, not be
able to tell that there's glass.
You know that you.
You just want to, you want tosee outside when you look
outside.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
So oh yeah, absolutely, especially with this
good weather coming and all Imean.
We have beautiful sunrises andsunsets in kentucky, and why not
enjoy it, you know?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, absolutely so.
When you roll up to a house andyou're going to clean the X
number of windows I don't knowwhat the average number of
windows per home is around here,but I think some people assume
you're just going to be up anddown on a ladder.
But that's not the case, is it?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Right?
Nope, Not the case.
And in most cases I actually donot need to use a ladder.
I mean, obviously, if you'vegot a gigantic house and you
know, I mean that's going tohappen.
But no, I use a three-stagefiltration system with a water
fed pole for exteriors most ofthe time.
Right, Occasionally I won't usethat if it doesn't make sense.
(08:10):
But that system is pretty,pretty incredible, Leaves the
windows spotless, and benefit tothe customer.
With using a water fed pole isnot only are you getting your
windows clean, but I clean theframes.
That's where you get.
Especially on the sides of thehouse that are sitting in the
sun all day.
You get a lot of oxidation onthe frames and if I clean your
(08:31):
windows and then it rains,you're going to have dirty
windows pretty soon.
But with that water fed poleset up it, it just does an
incredible job Scrub thoseframes, get all the oxidation
off, so that way you can enjoythe clean windows for a lot
longer.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So the typical job, if there is such a thing, would
take how long?
There is no such thing as atypical job if there is such a
thing would take how long.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
There is no such thing as a typical job, you're
correct in that.
But I mean I've had jobs gofrom anywhere to, you know, to
an hour and a half to.
I mean I've had some that took10 hours at one house.
It just really depends on youknow, on the level of service
that you want, right, and howmany windows you have.
You know that's really what itboils down to.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
So how do you quote your jobs?
Is it per window, Like what?
How do you approach that?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, so I try not to overcomplicate it too much
because I don't want to confusepeople.
But yeah, most window cleanerswill count the number of panes
and then do our math from there.
That's typically how I do it,and then you know there's lots
of factors that could go into it.
But what I will say is that youknow my pricing is extremely
fair as far as industrystandards.
(09:39):
Given all my research andexperience with it that I have
done, I would say I'm on the lowend of the industry standard as
far as pricing, and that'ssimply just because it's fair.
Right, I'm making money, You'regetting a great service and I
feel like it's just the rightthing to do.
(09:59):
I don't feel like there's anyreason to overcharge people or
take advantage of people.
That's not what I'm in it for.
I want to make a good livingand I want to take care of the
people in my community.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Well, you're doing good work, high-quality work,
and you're a good guy.
That equals usually good wordof mouth.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yep so far, so good.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So I got to imagine with every job you're kind of
producing almost a, a billboardbrochure or whatever for people
to showcase your talents andrefer you to their neighbor next
door or to their friends.
So I'm looking forward tohiring you to clean my windows
(10:48):
because you got it.
I'm going to let you in on alittle secret.
We've been in this house forfour years and I've never Our
windows get cleaned by the rain.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, but if I look outside, I see cobwebs in the
corner, I see leaves in thetracks.
So I'm looking forward to thatbefore and after effect.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Oh yeah, I did one yesterday.
They've been in that home for22 years and never, never, had
the windows professionallycleaned.
Shout out to you.
You know who you are.
I'm not mentioning names, butthey said that they typically
would just rinse the windows offof the hose.
Don't do that.
That's how you get hard waterstains on your glass, so that
(11:34):
doesn't really get the resultyou're looking for.
If you hire me to come out,I'll give you some trade secrets
while I'm there, okay.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Good to know.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Got to leave a little bit up to the imagination.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Well, my wife won't allow me to get up on a ladder,
so I'm just putting the hose onhigh pressure and just spraying
my windows down, and that's whatI call it.
Yes, I'm doing that.
Yeah, so I mean, as you'resaying that I'm like, oh geez,
that's what I do.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
So okay.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
That's good to know.
That's all right.
So let's take a littledeparture from business and talk
about family.
So I believe your wife's nameis Katie correct, correct?
Yes, okay.
So how did your wife's name isKatie correct, correct?
Yeah, okay.
So how did you and Katie meet?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So we actually met after I got done with basic
training.
I was heading to do my advancedindividual training, which is
where I learned to become amedic.
I met her at actually at aparty at my house.
She came with some friends andyou know, we talked a little bit
and then, a few months later,after graduating that I was
(12:41):
getting ready to head to myfirst duty station and she, she
was at a party at my bestfriend's house and I just I saw
her from across the room, hadn'teven approached her yet.
I was nervous, you know, and Iwas like I told my buddy, sean,
I was like you see that girl,I'm going to marry that girl.
He's like whatever you know andit's kind of funny because you
(13:01):
know it didn't I went over there, I approached her, I was
showing her all these picturesshe's going to laugh when she
sees this but I was showing herthese pictures of these vehicles
I was going to be in.
You know, I was brand new.
You know, setting uh, justreeling her in a little bit, and
uh, and the rest is history.
(13:21):
I mean, we've been married foralmost, almost 19 years and
November will be 19 years.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
So so how long was it from the time you told Sean and
the girl to you actually toldKatie that you said that?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Yeah, so not long.
I mean, we we dated for, youknow, for less than a year
before we decided that we weregoing to get married, and most
of that was long distance.
At that time she was still backhome in Texas and I was
stationed at Fort LouisWashington, living in the
barracks and we were talkingthrough Skype on our laptops,
(13:59):
you know.
And yes, I saved up every pennyI possibly could bought her a
ring.
You know, I flew her out toWashington, showed her Seattle
and, you know, just showed heraround Awesome time, you know,
three-course dinner in the spaceneedle, nice hotel, all that
stuff, and and yeah, and then,uh, we got married and she's
(14:24):
been by my side ever since.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
She's my rock, I could not function without her
wow, well, I've not, I've nothad the pleasure of meeting her
yet, but now I have to.
Yeah, I can't wait to see thisgirl.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
She's awesome.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
She's the best From the get go that you were going
to be Love you, babe, lookingforward to meeting you, katie.
So do you have kids?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
I do.
I've got two kids, my son Wyattand daughter Reagan, okay, and
my son's 10 and my daughter'salmost nine, okay.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Well, that's cool.
Where do they go to school at?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
They both go to New Haven.
Okay, yep, so right down theroad.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I imagine you've got to be proud of your kids.
I mean, you're a quality dude,and quality dudes usually
produce quality kids.
So what are they into?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
You know, I think a lot of those genes come from my
wife, but yes, they at least gother brains, so she's super
smart.
But yeah, wyatt, he's a greatstudent.
He's in the Gifted and Talentedprogram, he's on the academic
team and that's been a lot offun for him.
(15:33):
He's a super competitive person.
Hates to lose, but I guessdon't we all in one way shape or
form, but he is also they'reboth in jujitsu.
And then my daughter is also onthe competition dance team
through Bella Dance and theythey have a fantastic program
there and she's been dancingwith them since she was two
years old.
So you know there's definitelysome competition in the in the
(15:57):
family as far as those things go.
So it's it's a lot of fun tosee super proud of those kids.
Well, that's good and they'rethey're really well behaved too.
You know you sometimes, um nooffense to anybody listening but
sometimes you know people'skids are just crazy and
rambunctious and out of control.
Don't listen.
Like my kids, they say yeah,too much.
You know I'd like them to sayyes, sir and yes, ma'am, but um,
(16:18):
choose your battles.
You know they're super goodkids, really respectful Um, and
that they they like to help.
You know they like to.
My son's gone with me on acouple of window cleaning jobs.
He a couple of weeks ago wecleaned um his grandparents'
house, you know, just wanted tohelp them out and get their
windows looking good for themand and yeah, he was a big help
(16:40):
on that job.
He, he's really interested.
I think he's going to be a.
He's going to be super, supersuccessful and so is my daughter
, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well, you sound like a great father, so kids are
lucky to have you.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
That's right.
You know I there's alwaysthings that I can work on as
well, of course.
You know I, I find so manytimes I find myself giving them
advice, especially when it's infront of my wife.
I'm like giving them advice onsomething and and I like I walk
away and talking to Kate, like Ishould really take my own
advice on that, you know, causethat was solid advice, I need to
(17:11):
take it I I do that a lot.
So, yeah, I'm a work inprogress too.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
We all are.
Yeah, I'm 62 and I'm stilllearning stuff Right, and you
know making a lot of the samemistakes over and over, so I
don't know if that ever reallygoes away.
That's all right.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
You know, if you stop learning stuff, then what's the
point?
You know?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
this is no longer a business podcast.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
This is a life coaches here.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
All right, so back to the business part of things.
If there was one thing that youwant anybody listening to this
to know about you and yourbusiness, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Man.
Well, that would just be that.
I, I care, you know.
You know, that's the big thingfor me.
You know, obviously I'mproviding a service, but I
genuinely am passionate about it.
Right, I love it.
I feel like I've searched mywhole life for that one thing.
You always hear people say youknow, once you find that one
(18:11):
thing you really enjoy doing,find a way to turn it into a
career, and you'll be great.
Right, I truly feel like Ifound that thing.
You is a big part of why it'scalled freedom window cleaning.
I'm a super patriotic person aswell, but I feel like this is
my freedom, this is what I think.
(18:38):
This is what I was meant to do.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So you're having fun doing it.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I'm having a blast.
I love every moment of it.
It's fun meeting new people,having awesome interactions,
seeing their reaction when theygo from having, you know, dirty
windows to clean windows.
I know it sounds like such asimple thing, right, and I guess
it is, but you know, versuslike a corporate job or career
(19:01):
where you've got you know goalsand you know all these different
quotas you have to meet and anddoing all these things right,
like I, to get your results.
You have to, you know, pushreally hard to drive those
results.
I get to make the resultsimmediately in front of your
eyes.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
So, to that point, if you're going to do a good job
that ties to the properequipment, is there anything
that was a surprise to you interms of investments that you
had to make into the business tobe able to do the type of job
you want to do for your clients?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Oh yeah, I mean it's, there's a lot.
There's a lot to it for sure.
I mean, I've got thousands ofdollars of equipment.
At this point it's actuallyfortunate enough that Waterfed
poll we talked about earlier Iwon on a contest from one of the
window cleaning websites.
They had a three day contestand I won this.
You know, $4,000 piece ofequipment, and if that's not a
(20:00):
sign from God, I don't know whatit is.
That was like the final push.
It's like just go do this thing.
You know.
And yeah, I guess short answerto that question is there's no
substitute for a fresh squeegee,you know.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
If you got an old one .
Speaker 3 (20:10):
just ditch that thing , Put a brand new one on.
It makes a big difference.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, and we talked about ladders earlier, and I'm
talking to all the, especiallythe dads out there Do not go
climbing on ladders to wash yourown windows.
If you can help it, stay offthe ladders.
Stay off your roofs, if you canhelp it.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Hire to have that done by a professional.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Absolutely, I'll take care of you.
Let's keep you grounded.
Yeah, call Chris.
All right?
So if somebody wants to hireyou, how do they reach you?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
All right, so a few different ways.
My cell phone is the samenumber I had since I was 14.
So it's still a Texas area code.
Don't be freaked out by theout-of-state area code.
I grew up in Texas.
That's where I'm keeping thatnumber forever.
So that's 832-681-6489.
You can also visit my Facebookpage.
It's Freedom Window CleaningLLC.
(21:00):
Or just go tofreedomwindowcleaningnet.
So freedomwindowcleaningnet ismy website, built by somebody in
this community, by the way aswell.
It's a fantastic website.
I feel like they did an awesomejob.
Shout out to N2.
And you can reach me throughany of those.
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yep, all right.
Well, we've covered a lot todayGosh, it always goes quick, for
sure and we touched on asubject the military background
that really has me intrigued.
There's a lot of story thereand we'll meet up again and
we'll talk about that.
But, chris, you're a great guy.
You're somebody who I'm glad wegot to meet, I'm glad we got to
(21:43):
sit down today and I'm glad Iget to introduce you to the
community at large.
So I expect to see you allaround the neighborhood.
I'll do all that I can tosupport you.
I just won't go out there andclean windows with you.
I'm sorry yeah, no worries noworries.
I've got my own stuff to worryabout, but that's exactly why
(22:04):
I'm going to hire you.
So there you go.
All right, brother.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
Everybody out there, be good toyour neighbor.
All right, brother.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Everybody out there, be good to your neighbor and
until next time see everybodyBye-bye.
Thanks for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast Union.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPUnioncom.
That's GNPUnioncom.
Or call us at 859-651-8330.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Mike Murphy.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you for that introduction, charlie.
Yes, I am Mike Murphy, host ofthe Good Neighbor Podcast.
We are a podcast thatintroduces local business owners
and influencers to residents ofNorthern Kentucky.
We want residents to know ourlocal business owners as humans,
as opposed to just a logo on abusiness car or the side of a
(00:35):
truck.
And so the human I have with metoday he lives here in Triple
Crown in Union, not too far fromme, good friend of mine as of
about a month ago, chrisEckstein, owner of Freedom
Window Cleaning here in Union.
So, without further ado, chris,let the people know what they
(00:57):
need to know about you.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Of course, thanks for having me.
I really appreciate it and it'sgood to be here.
So, yep, as he said, I am thehuman of the day, chris Eckstein
, owner and operator of FreedomWindow Cleaning, based right
here out of Union, and primarilywhat I do is I clean windows.
Right.
If you've got dirty windows,I'm your guy.
That is my specialty, it's whatI love to do.
(01:20):
I also do pressure washing, andwe'll be adding more services
as time goes on.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Okay, Well, that's good to know.
I know it had to be kind ofrough just starting a window
cleaning company and then boom,right away, winter, and nobody's
cleaning their windows inwinter, and they're not calling
you to clean them either.
So the good news, though, isit's a beautiful, sunny day.
Spring seems to have sprung.
Yes.
And that means you're going tobe a very, very busy person.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
The next few months, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yep, absolutely.
Yeah, so far, so good.
I mean, I started this back inJuly and left my full-time
career in the middle of January,and then, yeah, we had three or
four weeks of snow on theground.
I was still out there gettingafter it, though, believe it or
not, I will work until I cannotfeel my fingertips anymore, so
(02:12):
don't let the weather bother you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know Well, you're no stranger to hard work, I
mean you're.
You have a military background,correct?
Yes, sir, okay, so how longwere you in the military?
When was that?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I was eight years, so that was 2005 to 2013.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Okay, and what did you do in the military?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I was a combat medic, all right.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Interesting.
Where were you?
Where were you based?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
So my first duty station was Fort Lewis,
washington.
I spent a few years there, didtwo deployments to Iraq out of
there, with the same company,same platoon, actually, so same
guys.
On both deployments was pretty,pretty special and unique, I'd
say.
Um really bonded with thoseguys over over, you know, two
deployments overseas, uh.
(02:52):
And then from there we um mywife was with me the whole time,
by the way, um except for iniraq, obviously, she, she did
not, they're not allowed to goover there, right, uh.
But then next duty station, wewent went to Camp Darby, italy.
So my wife and I spent threeyears over there exploring all
of Europe.
I was incredible.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, yeah, that's very cool.
Wow, we could do an entirepodcast just on your military
experience alone.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well, maybe we will someday, but I think that
military background, kind of I'dsay everything we do serves us
well for the next chapter,whatever that might be 100%.
So you pull everything forwardand it just makes you a better
husband, a better business owner, a better father, a better
(03:42):
whatever, a better neighbor,right.
So, and you know, thank you foryour service too.
Thank you, I don't have amilitary background, so I'm
always appreciative of thosethat you know took the time to
protect all of us for sure.
Yeah, well, that's um, that's achapter that um has brought you
(04:08):
to today.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
And, uh, window cleaning is a whole different
experience from that militarylife you know it is, but there's
, there's bits and pieces of it,you know that.
That, that that correlate.
So I mean, a big part of why Iwas a medic is, uh, I, I like
helping people, you know, andthat in that realm I had the
(04:31):
opportunity to help people whoyou know, who were injured or
had trauma.
Um, they had a a physical need,right, they needed help in some
way, shape or form.
So I, I got the opportunity tohelp people that way, and then,
when you flip that over towindow cleaning, I mean this is
a, this is a service that Iprovide for people who either
(04:51):
want or need it, and so I couldkind of tie those together.
That way I'm still helpingpeople at the end of the day,
and that's what that makes mefeel good, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Well, we've talked before about your approach to
the business, and I know thatyou you you've had an experience
in your past that got you tostart thinking about this
business.
So tell us briefly what wasthat?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
For sure.
I mean, first of all, I'vealways wanted to do my quote
unquote own thing right.
I've always wanted to have myown business and never really
knew what it was going to be.
Tried so many things, includingselling solar panels, and I've
just tried a lot of things overthe years.
But I was in multi-unit foreight years with a furniture
(05:34):
company and during that timethere were several times where I
hired window cleaners.
But specifically at thebeginning of 2024, I hired a
window cleaning service and wasreally intrigued by what they
were doing.
I was just watching them, I wasexcited to see the before and
after and and, quite frankly, Iwas just disappointed with the
(05:56):
results.
There was streaks on thewindows tape tape left up there.
So I ended up just going toHome Depot getting a mop bucket
and a squeegee and and doing itmyself right, and uh, yeah, I
mean I I somehow ended up beingreally good at it and spent a
lot of time practicing.
The neighboring businesses tothat store started calling me
(06:17):
asking if I would do theirs, andthat's kind of when the light
bulb went off and you know doingevery job as though it were
your own home.
Hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Yeah, absolutely yeah .
Treating every client likethey're your mother or father,
brother, sister, whatever,absolutely, it's a good way to
approach it.
So, one thing that we talkedabout before we started
recording this was you're notjust out there washing the
outsides of the windows, you arealso getting the window tracks.
(06:47):
You're cleaning the interiorsas well.
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
getting the window tracks, you're cleaning the
interiors as well, is thatcorrect?
Yes, sir, yep, um, do interior,exterior track screens, you
know, and you know whichevercombination of those that you
want.
But, um, yeah, what I call thethe full service package is is
the interior, exterior tracksand screens.
That's what you want.
To deep clean and a hard reset,get your windows looking good.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, that's the way to go now somebody's going to
pay to have their windows clean.
You want them clean I know you,you want to almost uh, not be
able to tell that there's glass.
You know that you.
You just want to, you want tosee outside when you look
outside.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
So oh yeah, absolutely, especially with this
good weather coming and all Imean.
We have beautiful sunrises andsunsets in kentucky, and why not
enjoy it, you know?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, absolutely so.
When you roll up to a house andyou're going to clean the X
number of windows I don't knowwhat the average number of
windows per home is around here,but I think some people assume
you're just going to be up anddown on a ladder.
But that's not the case, is it?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Right?
Nope, Not the case.
And in most cases I actually donot need to use a ladder.
I mean, obviously, if you'vegot a gigantic house and you
know, I mean that's going tohappen.
But no, I use a three-stagefiltration system with a water
fed pole for exteriors most ofthe time.
Right, Occasionally I won't usethat if it doesn't make sense.
(08:10):
But that system is pretty,pretty incredible, Leaves the
windows spotless, and benefit tothe customer.
With using a water fed pole isnot only are you getting your
windows clean, but I clean theframes.
That's where you get.
Especially on the sides of thehouse that are sitting in the
sun all day.
You get a lot of oxidation onthe frames and if I clean your
(08:31):
windows and then it rains,you're going to have dirty
windows pretty soon.
But with that water fed poleset up it, it just does an
incredible job Scrub thoseframes, get all the oxidation
off, so that way you can enjoythe clean windows for a lot
longer.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
So the typical job, if there is such a thing, would
take how long?
There is no such thing as atypical job if there is such a
thing would take how long.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
There is no such thing as a typical job, you're
correct in that.
But I mean I've had jobs gofrom anywhere to, you know, to
an hour and a half to.
I mean I've had some that took10 hours at one house.
It just really depends on youknow, on the level of service
that you want, right, and howmany windows you have.
You know that's really what itboils down to.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
So how do you quote your jobs?
Is it per window, Like what?
How do you approach that?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, so I try not to overcomplicate it too much
because I don't want to confusepeople.
But yeah, most window cleanerswill count the number of panes
and then do our math from there.
That's typically how I do it,and then you know there's lots
of factors that could go into it.
But what I will say is that youknow my pricing is extremely
fair as far as industrystandards.
(09:39):
Given all my research andexperience with it that I have
done, I would say I'm on the lowend of the industry standard as
far as pricing, and that'ssimply just because it's fair.
Right, I'm making money, You'regetting a great service and I
feel like it's just the rightthing to do.
(09:59):
I don't feel like there's anyreason to overcharge people or
take advantage of people.
That's not what I'm in it for.
I want to make a good livingand I want to take care of the
people in my community.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Well, you're doing good work, high-quality work,
and you're a good guy.
That equals usually good wordof mouth.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yep so far, so good.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So I got to imagine with every job you're kind of
producing almost a, a billboardbrochure or whatever for people
to showcase your talents andrefer you to their neighbor next
door or to their friends.
So I'm looking forward tohiring you to clean my windows
(10:48):
because you got it.
I'm going to let you in on alittle secret.
We've been in this house forfour years and I've never Our
windows get cleaned by the rain.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, but if I look outside, I see cobwebs in the
corner, I see leaves in thetracks.
So I'm looking forward to thatbefore and after effect.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Oh yeah, I did one yesterday.
They've been in that home for22 years and never, never, had
the windows professionallycleaned.
Shout out to you.
You know who you are.
I'm not mentioning names, butthey said that they typically
would just rinse the windows offof the hose.
Don't do that.
That's how you get hard waterstains on your glass, so that
(11:34):
doesn't really get the resultyou're looking for.
If you hire me to come out,I'll give you some trade secrets
while I'm there, okay.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Good to know.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Got to leave a little bit up to the imagination.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Well, my wife won't allow me to get up on a ladder,
so I'm just putting the hose onhigh pressure and just spraying
my windows down, and that's whatI call it.
Yes, I'm doing that.
Yeah, so I mean, as you'resaying that I'm like, oh geez,
that's what I do.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
So okay.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
That's good to know.
That's all right.
So let's take a littledeparture from business and talk
about family.
So I believe your wife's nameis Katie correct, correct?
Yes, okay.
So how did your wife's name isKatie correct, correct?
Yeah, okay.
So how did you and Katie meet?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So we actually met after I got done with basic
training.
I was heading to do my advancedindividual training, which is
where I learned to become amedic.
I met her at actually at aparty at my house.
She came with some friends andyou know, we talked a little bit
and then, a few months later,after graduating that I was
(12:41):
getting ready to head to myfirst duty station and she, she
was at a party at my bestfriend's house and I just I saw
her from across the room, hadn'teven approached her yet.
I was nervous, you know, and Iwas like I told my buddy, sean,
I was like you see that girl,I'm going to marry that girl.
He's like whatever you know andit's kind of funny because you
(13:01):
know it didn't I went over there, I approached her, I was
showing her all these picturesshe's going to laugh when she
sees this but I was showing herthese pictures of these vehicles
I was going to be in.
You know, I was brand new.
You know, setting uh, justreeling her in a little bit, and
uh, and the rest is history.
(13:21):
I mean, we've been married foralmost, almost 19 years and
November will be 19 years.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
So so how long was it from the time you told Sean and
the girl to you actually toldKatie that you said that?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Yeah, so not long.
I mean, we we dated for, youknow, for less than a year
before we decided that we weregoing to get married, and most
of that was long distance.
At that time she was still backhome in Texas and I was
stationed at Fort LouisWashington, living in the
barracks and we were talkingthrough Skype on our laptops,
(13:59):
you know.
And yes, I saved up every pennyI possibly could bought her a
ring.
You know, I flew her out toWashington, showed her Seattle
and, you know, just showed heraround Awesome time, you know,
three-course dinner in the spaceneedle, nice hotel, all that
stuff, and and yeah, and then,uh, we got married and she's
(14:24):
been by my side ever since.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
She's my rock, I could not function without her
wow, well, I've not, I've nothad the pleasure of meeting her
yet, but now I have to.
Yeah, I can't wait to see thisgirl.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
She's awesome.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
She's the best From the get go that you were going
to be Love you, babe, lookingforward to meeting you, katie.
So do you have kids?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
I do.
I've got two kids, my son Wyattand daughter Reagan, okay, and
my son's 10 and my daughter'salmost nine, okay.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Well, that's cool.
Where do they go to school at?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
They both go to New Haven.
Okay, yep, so right down theroad.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I imagine you've got to be proud of your kids.
I mean, you're a quality dude,and quality dudes usually
produce quality kids.
So what are they into?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
You know, I think a lot of those genes come from my
wife, but yes, they at least gother brains, so she's super
smart.
But yeah, wyatt, he's a greatstudent.
He's in the Gifted and Talentedprogram, he's on the academic
team and that's been a lot offun for him.
(15:33):
He's a super competitive person.
Hates to lose, but I guessdon't we all in one way shape or
form, but he is also they'reboth in jujitsu.
And then my daughter is also onthe competition dance team
through Bella Dance and theythey have a fantastic program
there and she's been dancingwith them since she was two
years old.
So you know there's definitelysome competition in the in the
(15:57):
family as far as those things go.
So it's it's a lot of fun tosee super proud of those kids.
Well, that's good and they'rethey're really well behaved too.
You know you sometimes, um nooffense to anybody listening but
sometimes you know people'skids are just crazy and
rambunctious and out of control.
Don't listen.
Like my kids, they say yeah,too much.
You know I'd like them to sayyes, sir and yes, ma'am, but um,
(16:18):
choose your battles.
You know they're super goodkids, really respectful Um, and
that they they like to help.
You know they like to.
My son's gone with me on acouple of window cleaning jobs.
He a couple of weeks ago wecleaned um his grandparents'
house, you know, just wanted tohelp them out and get their
windows looking good for themand and yeah, he was a big help
(16:40):
on that job.
He, he's really interested.
I think he's going to be a.
He's going to be super, supersuccessful and so is my daughter
, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well, you sound like a great father, so kids are
lucky to have you.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
That's right.
You know I there's alwaysthings that I can work on as
well, of course.
You know I, I find so manytimes I find myself giving them
advice, especially when it's infront of my wife.
I'm like giving them advice onsomething and and I like I walk
away and talking to Kate, like Ishould really take my own
advice on that, you know, causethat was solid advice, I need to
(17:11):
take it I I do that a lot.
So, yeah, I'm a work inprogress too.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
We all are.
Yeah, I'm 62 and I'm stilllearning stuff Right, and you
know making a lot of the samemistakes over and over, so I
don't know if that ever reallygoes away.
That's all right.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
You know, if you stop learning stuff, then what's the
point?
You know?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
this is no longer a business podcast.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
This is a life coaches here.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
All right, so back to the business part of things.
If there was one thing that youwant anybody listening to this
to know about you and yourbusiness, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Man.
Well, that would just be that.
I, I care, you know.
You know, that's the big thingfor me.
You know, obviously I'mproviding a service, but I
genuinely am passionate about it.
Right, I love it.
I feel like I've searched mywhole life for that one thing.
You always hear people say youknow, once you find that one
(18:11):
thing you really enjoy doing,find a way to turn it into a
career, and you'll be great.
Right, I truly feel like Ifound that thing.
You is a big part of why it'scalled freedom window cleaning.
I'm a super patriotic person aswell, but I feel like this is
my freedom, this is what I think.
(18:38):
This is what I was meant to do.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So you're having fun doing it.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
I'm having a blast.
I love every moment of it.
It's fun meeting new people,having awesome interactions,
seeing their reaction when theygo from having, you know, dirty
windows to clean windows.
I know it sounds like such asimple thing, right, and I guess
it is, but you know, versuslike a corporate job or career
(19:01):
where you've got you know goalsand you know all these different
quotas you have to meet and anddoing all these things right,
like I, to get your results.
You have to, you know, pushreally hard to drive those
results.
I get to make the resultsimmediately in front of your
eyes.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
So, to that point, if you're going to do a good job
that ties to the properequipment, is there anything
that was a surprise to you interms of investments that you
had to make into the business tobe able to do the type of job
you want to do for your clients?
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Oh yeah, I mean it's, there's a lot.
There's a lot to it for sure.
I mean, I've got thousands ofdollars of equipment.
At this point it's actuallyfortunate enough that Waterfed
poll we talked about earlier Iwon on a contest from one of the
window cleaning websites.
They had a three day contestand I won this.
You know, $4,000 piece ofequipment, and if that's not a
(20:00):
sign from God, I don't know whatit is.
That was like the final push.
It's like just go do this thing.
You know.
And yeah, I guess short answerto that question is there's no
substitute for a fresh squeegee,you know.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
If you got an old one .
Speaker 3 (20:10):
just ditch that thing , Put a brand new one on.
It makes a big difference.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, and we talked about ladders earlier, and I'm
talking to all the, especiallythe dads out there Do not go
climbing on ladders to wash yourown windows.
If you can help it, stay offthe ladders.
Stay off your roofs, if you canhelp it.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Hire to have that done by a professional.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Absolutely, I'll take care of you.
Let's keep you grounded.
Yeah, call Chris.
All right?
So if somebody wants to hireyou, how do they reach you?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
All right, so a few different ways.
My cell phone is the samenumber I had since I was 14.
So it's still a Texas area code.
Don't be freaked out by theout-of-state area code.
I grew up in Texas.
That's where I'm keeping thatnumber forever.
So that's 832-681-6489.
You can also visit my Facebookpage.
It's Freedom Window CleaningLLC.
(21:00):
Or just go tofreedomwindowcleaningnet.
So freedomwindowcleaningnet ismy website, built by somebody in
this community, by the way aswell.
It's a fantastic website.
I feel like they did an awesomejob.
Shout out to N2.
And you can reach me throughany of those.
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yep, all right.
Well, we've covered a lot todayGosh, it always goes quick, for
sure and we touched on asubject the military background
that really has me intrigued.
There's a lot of story thereand we'll meet up again and
we'll talk about that.
But, chris, you're a great guy.
You're somebody who I'm glad wegot to meet, I'm glad we got to
(21:43):
sit down today and I'm glad Iget to introduce you to the
community at large.
So I expect to see you allaround the neighborhood.
I'll do all that I can tosupport you.
I just won't go out there andclean windows with you.
I'm sorry yeah, no worries noworries.
I've got my own stuff to worryabout, but that's exactly why
(22:04):
I'm going to hire you.
So there you go.
All right, brother.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
Everybody out there, be good toyour neighbor.
All right, brother.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Everybody out there, be good to your neighbor and
until next time see everybodyBye-bye.
Thanks for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast Union.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPUnioncom.
That's GNPUnioncom.
Or call us at 859-651-8330.
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