February 18, 2025 • 48 mins
Shandrell's journey from debt to financial freedom with her cleaning business is a testament to resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.
She shares her initial fears, the steps she took to establish her business, and the profound impact it has had on her life and those around her.
• Overcoming skepticism and doubt from family and friends
• Turning fear into motivation to succeed
• Transitioning from residential to commercial cleaning
• The importance of support systems in entrepreneurship
• Leveraging local resources for growth and opportunity
• Paying off significant debt through business profits
• Creating opportunities for her community and family members
• Embracing the challenges and complexities of owning a business
• Recognizing the personal and financial rewards of entrepreneurship
• Inspiring others to pursue their business dreams despite fears
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey y'all we made over $400,000 with our cleaning
business starting in 2022.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to another episode of the More Than A Side
Hustle podcast, where we helpnon-involved create more impact,
income and influence outsidetheir jobs.
My name is Anthony and I'mJanoka and welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thanks for coming.
I know we haven't been asconsistent, but we are here
today and we are here with aguest and we are excited to have
a great conversation.
Provide more information to youguys about Cleveland Business
University.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Absolutely absolutely .
Speaker 1 (00:49):
So, before we get started, just tell us a little
bit about yourself, who you areand what you're doing, and we'll
dive right in.
Hello everyone, my name isShandrell and I run a cleaning
business that serves the Dallasand Fort Worth area.
Primarily, our business doescommercial and construction
cleaning.
We started with residential andthen later on shifted the
business to better suit mylifestyle, our family and I also
work full time.
I'm a mom and a soon to be wife.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Soon to be wife, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, and what has been your success?
Like, what are the numbers?
That's what people always wantto hear right away.
Oh, you want to talk aboutmoney.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
They want to count your pockets, of course, but
anyway honestly, I should havelooked at it again before I came
.
The last numbers that I senty'all may have been 340 from
like sometime last year, sowe're probably at 400 something
right now and that's a year todate, starting in uh.
The first customer we saw wasJanuary 27, 2022.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Okay, so three years later.
So when you say $300,.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's $300?
, $400?
.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Because what I'm?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
going to do?
Is that's going to be the titleof the episode.
And they're going to be likewhoa and that's going to make
them click.
So if they, listen to thisright now.
That's what they want.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Okay, so let me try this again.
I want to hit it what they want, so okay.
So let me try this again you'regood.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I want to hit it with the hey y'all.
We made over four hundredthousand dollars with our
cleaning business starting in2022 and you just so it's your
anniversary, that just passed.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yes, so we I opened the business, I got all the
stuff together in 2021.
We saw our first customer in2022.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yes, got it.
Got it okay.
Well, congrats on, because wejust passed january 27th, so
three years into the businesscongratulations, so crazy so
what made you say let me goahead and start a cleaning
business oh, um.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
So I initially thought about it a couple years
before and I was thinking ofcleaning houses myself, just
because, naturally, that's justsomething I do to like relieve
stress or just zone out.
You know, it doesn't require alot of thinking, you can just
work, and I was looking to makeextra money because I had
started, following Dave Ramsey,moved out of our apartment,
(02:57):
moved in with our parents, so wewere trying to find other ways
to pay down our debt.
So, um, that was one of myideas, and when I brought it up
to a couple of people,everyone's like what You're
going to clean houses, are yougoing to go in somebody's house?
You know, just giving me allthese like negative feedback,
you know, so just kind ofkilling the baby before it was
(03:17):
really born.
But I'm grateful for that,because I didn't know that I
could do it the way that you alltaught.
So that was kind of how itinitially started.
How did I end up finding y'allthough?
Yeah, that's the question.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
We were so maybe because our journey started when
, on social media, we weresharing our debt payoff and we
shared that we did go throughDave Ramsey's program.
He read Dave Ramsey's book andso maybe that's how you started
following us.
I don't know the debt payoffpart of it.
And then we transition totalking more about the cleaning
business.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
so by the time I saw y'all story, y'all had already
done all the promo for debtpayoff and y'all had the
cleaning business.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
The course was out y'all were full blown talking
about it, so I think I must haveseen y'all on a podcast maybe
probably so, the podcast,whatever podcast it was yeah you
heard someone this cleaningbusiness, like, oh, that's
something else that I could dothat I was thinking about doing.
So what made you say, all right, this is the route I'm gonna go
.
So, as people see it and like,they're a little worried,
they're a little nervous, sowhat made you say this is
(04:15):
something I could do um,honestly, I didn't know that I
could do it first.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I heard y'all and I believed y'all.
But you know, naturally, likeI'm just a very um, uh, I don't
want to say apprehensive, butkind of like I have to think
through it.
I've got to marinate on it.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I've got to know everything before I start.
Yes, got to ask a thousandquestions.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I got to sit on it, I got to pray on it, sleep on it.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You don't know how many times I had to pray on it.
I was like, let me pray withyou, hello you got to pray on
things.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
sometimes I mean you do, but you know what does the
Bible say about you?
Got to put some work with it.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It ain't just all just asking and praying.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So yeah, sorry I lost my train of thought, but I
didn't immediately act on it.
So I think I followed y'all.
And then I think I it wasduring, like when everybody was
buying courses.
You know, trump was giving outthose tea daddy checks.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Stimmy's.
What's it called?
Tea daddy checks, stimmy's.
I know the.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Stimmy's, so you know .
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I was like buying courses left and right and I
think I was.
Well, I almost told y'all before, but I had already kind of
started something else that Iwas ready to get out of, so it
ended up being a good time forme to venture into something new
.
So I bought the course, didn'timmediately do anything with it
and then, um, just told myselflook, by the end of the year you
(05:37):
got to make something shake,like enough is enough, do it.
My grandmother had passed thatyear from COVID, so I was like
in honor of her, like, do itlike.
So that had passed that yearfrom COVID.
So I was like in honor of her,like, do it Like.
So that really pushed me to buy, get up the website stuff that
you are, go through the courseand do all of the steps of job.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
And so, what were you doing before, before you
started the cleaning business?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, what was I not doing before?
I was doing all kinds of stuffI call myself doing like resume
writing.
I called myself flipping mobilehomes.
I called myself what was Idoing?
I forgot I had printed out abunch of like flyers for stuff,
just anything.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
You was hustling, Kind of like what Dave Ramsey
said you're trying to pay offthat debt.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
You're trying to get all those jobs Okay.
And any of those things likelessons from the stuff that you
started did you bring into thecleaning business or, I think,
one of the things.
If I had not done the mobilehome stuff, I don't know that I
would have taken a chance withthe cleaning business, because
with that I had to just forcemyself to just do it.
(06:40):
Like it takes me three years tomake a decision, like I don't
know how I just like I wasbuying stuff, like I'm like it
takes me three years to make adecision Like I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I just like.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I was buying stuff like buying stuff I shouldn't
have been buying.
You know, overspending money,buying houses that weren't worth
nothing, just trying to forcemyself out of my pattern of just
like well, take it long.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yes yes.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So if I had not have done that, I wouldn't have
started the cleaning business.
So what I took from that wasyou got to act like.
You have your fears.
That's normal.
That's natural.
But how much are you going tolet your fear hold you back from
taking action, especially ifyou need to pay this debt off?
You need to.
You know you got to.
I was.
We were buying a house at thetime, so we needed to get things
rolling, so yeah, yeah, withfear, that's a big one and I see
it all the time.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
People call fear false evidence appearing real
because we're thinking aboutsomething that hasn't even
occurred yet.
Most people are like I'm scaredto do this because of what
somebody else told me, or whatmy mama did, or what my
grandfather did.
And now we got all theseexpectations from other people
because we're afraid of whatthey went through, what I heard
about.
Expectations from other peoplebecause we're afraid of what
they went through, what I heardabout.
(07:46):
So, with the mobile homes andyou taking action that forced
you to get out your comfort zonea little bit, I'm like I'm
going to do this and even if itdoesn't work, I'm going to keep
progressing forward.
So you took that same mindsetfrom the mobile homes into the
cleaning business and you leftthe mobile homes completely.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
You're saying I had to.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It wasn't for me.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
It wasn't for me showing up chasing down
contractors and too like I didnot follow the guidelines that
they gave us for the mobile homeso.
I took that with me when I cameto y'all's course.
I did not skip and go outsideof the lines at all.
Versus when I got into themobile home I was like, well, I
can do it this way and I canjust forget that step.
So I ended up losing moneydoing that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Like so I end up losing money doing that stuff?
Like it was ridiculous.
Why do you feel like you skipsteps?
If somebody gives you ablueprint and they say there's a
puddle right there, I'm going.
I stepped in that puddle.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I'm going to show you how to jump over it?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
why would you still say you know what?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I'm going to try to walk around the puddle when I
tell you, like there's multipleanswers to that, she's like it's
in the therapy session.
I ain't gonna go we gotta goback to my upbringing naturally
I'm very rebellious I don't knowwhy, and I think it's because
there's parts of myself where Idon't have like the full, the
(08:56):
any place where their fear showsup.
I'm questioning my ability, butwhen it comes to like.
Yes, when it comes to certainareas, though, I'm like man.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
I know what I'm doing .
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I got this, you know.
So it's that trying to findthat balance between are you
apprehensive and taking yourtime with the right things and
are you overconfident in thewrong things, Like trying to
balance those two things out.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So yeah, I was just and you said you lost money.
Do you mind sharing how muchyou lost?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Oh probably it.
And you said you lost money.
Do you mind sharing how muchyou lost?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
oh, probably, it was at least probably 15 000 okay 15
000 and then you decided to goon to do another business.
If I was your husband, I'vebeen like hey, hold on for a
minute.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Wait a minute let's take a step back, pay this.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Let's recalibrate a little bit.
So was it just a matter of likeyou saying like, yeah, we need
to pay this, so, so I'm going tomake this thing work?
Or like, what made you continueafter you had, you know, lost
this money with this otherbusiness?
I?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
think honestly.
So I had taken out a personalloan to do that and there were
some of the things I did right,so I did make money.
I think it's just overallbalance sheet.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
So it was by the time I got everything settled I
looked and I still owed money onthe loan and I was like, oh, so
I lost money.
Got it so, granted, at thattime, you know, we weren't
married or nothing.
So my financial problems weremy problems.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
It wasn't really.
You know his problem.
To have to manage.
He's like do what you want to.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I don't even think he knew how much I had gotten
myself into.
I don't think he had a clue.
He's kind of just like she's.
You know, she's smart, She'llfigure it out.
She got it, Got it.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
How supportive has he been throughout this journey
and he Fiance, yes, your fianceyeah.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh my gosh, I think I don't know how people do it
without a support system.
Support system especially ifyou work full-time like me, like
I have a job, so and I we have.
At that time we only had mydaughter.
So if I'm out shopping homes orfor the mobile homes or I'm out
doing something like either hewas coming with me or he was
staying back to watch ourdaughter make sure she got
(10:55):
picked up from school.
So I don't, I just couldn'timagine doing it without him.
You know, uh, just supportingme.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
It's not always that the person is in the business
with you, but it's how theysupport you in different ways to
allow you to excel in thebusiness.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yes, because anytime as a family unit, if somebody's
stepping out to do something,that means there's a deficit
where you're not there right.
So you need your partner tocome up and pick up the slack
for you if you're trying toventure out and kind of step out
and do something new.
So I appreciate him so, so much.
I had my mom, my grandmotherthis is back when I was um doing
(11:35):
the mobile home stuff and evennow in the cleaning business my
grandmother has cleaned, mybrothers have cleaned, my
sister-in-law, my uncles, my umjust a lot of people have
supported me oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let's's start that part of the journey.
So mobile homes is done, yougot.
You got our program Clean andBusy University.
What helped you to to getstarted immediately in the
program?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So I think from the time I bought the course, it
probably took me about a monthor two before I opened it and
got started, but it was supereasy to follow, very elementary
steps.
Not saying that this isn't um,I guess I'm trying to say it
wasn't overly complicated.
You guys made it simple, youmade it like to where a third
(12:17):
grader could understand and, um,once I got going with it, I
just was able to kind of, justokay, you said, do this step.
Okay, pause, I'm gonna go andsign up for this and get this
part done.
Come back, sign up and get that.
So by the time I finished, ofcourse, the whole thing was done
okay, sorry, that's a texasbabysitter oh I was letting you
Speaker 2 (12:40):
go.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
No, I know, but the babysitter was texting me, okay.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
So walk me through some of those first couple
months, because that's part ofthe fear, Like okay, now we
start going through startingthis business.
Most of our listeners, peoplewho join our program they're
brand new to entrepreneurshipfor the most part.
Brand new to business, and then90% of them are brand new to
cleaning.
So they're thinking I got to goout buy cleaning supplies, get
(13:05):
a mop and a broom, leave my nineto five job.
And so what was your experiencein those first?
I want to say the first, likesix months.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
So I think those are like the most crucial months for
people.
Yeah, I was very blessed to bein like a low competition area
so when I turned it on it waslike fast and furious because
I'm not directly, my businessisn't directly in the city of
Dallas, but we're more like kindof supporting the outskirts of
Dallas.
So the first day, once Ifinished the course, I turned on
(13:40):
Google local services.
I think it's called somethingelse now, but I turned it on, I
started getting calls.
Immediately, like immediately,my phone started ringing.
So I got a clean the cleaner.
Oh, I almost missed this part.
I want to make sure I sharethis Getting the cleaners.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Start there.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yeah, what I did was people were leaving business
cards on our doorstep in ourneighborhood so I would collect
those business cards and then Iwas just starting to use those
people to clean my house.
So over time I can see, okay,this cleaner did good, that you
know.
Whatever, once I had a ladythat I had used her consistently
.
I went to her and say, hey,like I have a business, here's
(14:20):
what I charge.
Would you be willing to take?
You know this much if I'mwilling to get all the bookings,
handle all that stuff.
She said yes.
So once I turned on GoogleLocal Services and I booked a
customer, she took it.
You called her up.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yep, you called her up.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
And then I was stuck because my phone rang again and
somebody else wanted a cleaning.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
And you're like you started with one cleaner.
I started with one, okay, andthe only reason I point that out
because that's always thequestion.
Well, a question we get isshould I get the cleaner first
or get the jobs first?
And I always say, well, if youdon't plan to go out and clean,
you need the cleaner.
But then also if you have oneor two cleaners and I think it
just depends on the person'savailability- and things like
that.
And for you, you said, a phonestarted ringing right away.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yes, so I didn't expect it right so I'm thinking,
okay, I'm gonna turn everythingon, and then we gonna let it
work out, we'll just see, but no.
So I had to kind of move quickly.
So I sent my cleaner for thatjob.
I still remember that lady.
Um, I don't clean for her nomore, but we, I remember her.
And then the the next call thatcame in, I was like, well, I
(15:23):
don't have anybody else, I guessI gotta go it.
So I got my sister-in-law.
We ran to the store, got acouple of supplies and we went
to go clean the house.
Yeah, we went to go do it and,honestly, that's probably not
ideal, but I was grateful forthose times because that was
never the end goal to always bein it.
But I'm the type of personwhether I'm on my job or whether
I'm in my business, I want toknow how things work.
(15:44):
I want to know what to expect.
Okay, how is it when you arriveto a stranger's home and how is
it when you're going throughtheir things?
You know just all that stuff.
You typically clean your ownhouse, but it's different when
you're in the home of someone.
How is it when they're there?
How is it when they're notthere?
You know All those things canhappen.
So, yeah, the second house Icleaned and then, yeah, from
(16:05):
there it just was rocking androlling.
I think that was at the veryend.
I said January the 27th or so Ithink in that last week we did
like $700 in January.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Just that quick.
Do you remember how manycleanings you've actually
cleaned for yourself that youdid yourself?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Ooh, I would say less than 10.
Less than 10, yeah Well yes,for residential, I would say
definitely less than 10.
Less than 10.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
And then you just started getting more people,
hiring more contractors to workwith you.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yes, things like that Going in Facebook groups, local
Facebook groups for our area,anytime somebody says hey,
anybody, have any cleaners.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And everybody drop the information Screenshots.
I didn't have any cleaners andeverybody dropped the
information Easily just startedmessaging people.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Some people were like I've gotten people that were
pissed.
You know like I'm like just ifyou don't want it just don't
want to make the money, it'sfine.
And then I've gotten some, yeah,really good cleaners from doing
that.
I've gotten a good amount fromIndeed and I've never paid for
any recruiting services oranything like that out from
Indeed and I've never paid forany recruiting services or
anything like that.
So, yeah, from there I juststarted going through that
(17:08):
process and I was able to bringon at least three or four more,
and then, of course, thecleaners have aunts and cousins,
and so that ends up being.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Once they start getting that income and seeing
that the person they're workingwith is nice and things are
flowing, they're like I gotsomebody, I got somebody else
that can help us do this.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So grateful for them, so, so grateful for my early
cleaners.
Most of all of them still workwith me to this day oh, even the
first person that you firstlady she just had a baby.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, that's exciting that's a scene for us.
I think our people that's beenaround, our people that we
brought on.
They're still here.
I think it's like a been aroundthe long.
Our people that we brought on.
They're still here.
I think it's like a core oflike five of them that from year
two up to year seven and a halfthey're still with us.
Some of them went on andthey're like all right.
(17:56):
Left came back.
Left came back, move Familycame back.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
So what do?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
you feel like attracted people earlier on to
your business, whether it's thecleaners or the clients.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I think, for the clients.
I don't think there wasanything in particular.
We had a Google page.
You know we had, we putpictures up, we put, we had
reviews up, so that was helpful.
And then for in the fact thatwe answered the phone.
I think that was really, reallya lot, because, you will
realize, most people don'tanswer the phone so that's
(18:30):
probably the biggest thing, andyou get some people that you
can't capture because of pricingright like because we're using
a contractor, we can't charge ahundred dollars we have to be a
more premium service, so that Ithink, created some division
between us and the competitionwhen it came to that.
(18:52):
When it came to the cleaners, Iwould say I, we just vibe Like
we were able to once they camein, so I will have them come and
clean my house first and youcan kind of tell from someone's
energy like you know they likethem, they seem very they
understand enough about businessto know that there's a contract
(19:15):
or we can talk about insurance,if that, if we're going to do
that, or you know they, they'reasking the right questions so
they don't just seem lost, youknow, and, uh, they show up with
their own products.
So that was helpful.
But I think what made them sayat the beginning I was paying,
like I think I was paying everyday, if I'm not mistaken, at the
end of every day I was doingsome kind of like girl before
the money came in.
(19:36):
Well, you know, you charge themright the same day.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
You charge the customer yeah, but don't hit
your account is what I'm sayingoh, it's been a while since
we've done that.
Takes a few.
It got to go through a processI had to distinguish myself in
the market.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
That's a different take.
I'm not saying you can't do it,but that's a different way of
doing stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Yeah, telling somebody you're going to get
paid every day is like too, justnot knowing like I think what
ends up in my mind, like notrealizing I'm.
This is mutually beneficial.
It's so easy to see it as abecause I own the business.
You're doing something for me,but I'm paying you.
(20:14):
So you know I'm sending you morework, so we are mutually
helping each other.
So once I kind of got my mindwrapped around that, like this
isn't just the fluke, I'm outhere, I do have a business, we
do have consistent customers andit is too much to do this every
day.
You know, we went ahead andmade that change.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
To pay them every day .
Yeah, just move to Friday.
Yeah, just looking to them aslike partners.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, you know kind of working together in that way.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Now business started booming.
Do you know how much you madethe first year?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Ooh, I would say 150.
Okay, I think the first year,that's really good.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
And was that all residential?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
No, no, I did residential solid, I think for
the first six months, but it washard on me, like it just
doesn't fit my temperament, likeI was dreading answering the
phone like money's calling andI'm like I don't want to talk to
nobody on the phone I'm tiredlike then you know you have to
do the follow-up because youwant to know how did the service
(21:11):
go and I was dreading doingthose calls and then you know
you did with the complaints andit just yeah, it was hard.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
It could be emotionally taxing sometimes,
yes, and I'm just one of thosepeople like.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I think this is one of those fear things that kept
me from starting is I just wantto do a good job, but I'm not in
control of what the cleanerdoes when they're right there.
You know I do my best to vetthem and find the right people
and you know talk to them about.
You know if they have issuesand a customer complaints.
But at the end of the dayYou're taking a risk because my
reputation as a business lieswith somebody else.
(21:43):
So that was really hard on me.
So what?
Um, I ended up getting acontract with a construction
company, and so once I saw thatit was more fitting to my
schedule my temperament, youknow and it w it worked better
with the cleaners that I had, Iended up giving my residential
customers to the cleaners andjust completely leaving it alone
(22:05):
.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
And completely going all in in commercial.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
In construction and before we go to the commercial.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I did want to ask how were you marketing yourself
when it came to the residentialside?
Was it just Google LocalServices, or were you doing
other things?
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I did SEO from early on.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I got a SEO guy and he's been with me and he's still
with you, he's still with me,uh, he helped build out my
website and add all my uhservice pages and things like
that, so that was helpful.
Uh, I tried yelp.
Hated it still to this day.
Yelp, you can count your days.
Don't call me yup mafia, do notcall my phone again and I tried
(22:45):
Google ads, so extra running ads, and that was, and I had Google
experts set it up.
That was just a waste.
So Google local services was mygo to my money maker.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
So once you saw, you got this commercial.
And how did the commercialperson find you Google, google.
So do you think that you couldhave started?
So once you saw it, you gotthis commercial.
And how did the commercialperson find you Google, google.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Okay.
So do you think that you couldhave started the business and
jumped in commercial from dayone, or do you feel like the
residential gave you a goodfooting and understanding of the
business model?
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I think honestly you probably could start either way
Because I think, as the type ofperson that I am, I know at the
beginning, beginning, I'm gonnabe hands-on and I'm gonna be
figuring it out anyway.
So I don't think that there'sthere's a that you have to start
with either one on.
But I would say if you aresomeone who is never going to
(23:39):
enter the space, then it'sprobably easier to start with
residential because the pricing,like you all, help set up
everything so well that you canjust jump into residential
straight from the course fromwhen the time that I took it and
everything was set up and goodto go.
Commercials a little bitdifferent, like how to figure
out pricing how to do it bidsand all that stuff.
So I mean not to say youcouldn't figure it out yeah, you
(24:01):
could google it.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
But yeah, I get what you're saying.
So you would say it justdepends on.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I would say, sometimes I think it depends on
the person I would agree if theycan jump into commercial right
away or not but.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
I like you said, you know your personality, that you
were able to handle that.
But I think it depends on theperson.
I would put most peopleprobably straight into
residential first and then kindof transition.
So I think it's more.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I think it's more baby steps.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You don't got to jump all.
I think when you get a firstcommercial, our first commercial
job, I was like I got to leavemy office, I got to go code this
I had to walk a Samsungbuilding that was like 10,000,
20,000 square feet and I have noidea.
I had to find cleaners and Iwas like we didn't even get the
bin.
I was like, oh wow they neveropened up.
They never opened up thefacility or something.
(24:45):
I was like wow, but at least Igot to do it.
But I had to do all these bigthings.
So yeah, that's a good point,that was you're gonna go and I'm
like, yeah, I'm gonna see whatit's like.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I'm in the area, are you?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I was gonna go, it could have been 30, 40, 50 miles
out, I would have still went.
But yeah, it definitely.
I don't want to sayoverwhelming, but it was
definitely like wow, this is alot.
This is serious, a lot tomanage if we would have got that
.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, that's a really good point, because with
residential, let's say, if Iwant to know and I think you all
recommend this in the coursetoo you want to know what to
charge, just start Go to otherpeople's websites.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
See what they're charging.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
You know, go to call another company, Commercials
like you can't do that becausethey need to so many nuances
they have to come out and see inorder to give you some kind of
price.
Their pricing is not online,you know, so that makes it a
little bit difficult too.
And then staffing like you gotto know.
It's not like I'm going to justsend a cleaner out and they're
done Like some of them wantsomebody on site 24, seven, yeah
(25:40):
, supervisors, and they have allthese different quality and all
this stuff, this type of stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
So you got the first call but you took it because we
know we've seen some studentslike, oh, commercial, somebody
from commercial call me and I'mnot taking it because I don't
know what to do.
But you took it and do youremember how much that that job
was?
Speaker 1 (25:56):
So, okay, this one the first office that we had.
I don't remember.
Okay, but when we started onthe construction side which made
me leave the residential it waswith a construction company
that was building an apartmentcomplex.
Okay so they needed us theremultiple times a week for at
least I think we were there overa year, I think.
(26:17):
So just imagine, wow, and itwasn't like they needed a
staffed, like somebody needs tobe here between these hours, but
it's like as we develop, weneed cleaners to come and as we
develop, we need cleaners tocome.
So um, I had no idea what I wasdoing.
I priced it like I would do ifwe did a construction clean for
a residential home with a littlebit more on it and I think that
(26:40):
contract was over a hundredthousand.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
And that was for a year.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
It was.
It didn't have a date on it.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
So the way it goes is you show up.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We're going to start the work at this time.
We need you until the work isdone.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah, Until the project's complete.
And once the project was over ahundred thousand, that's great.
And they had found you fromGoogle too or did you tell?
Speaker 1 (27:02):
me from google, there we go.
But I always say like that'snothing but god, because one
construction industry doesn'twork like that, right?
No, they have a uh behind thescene like bidding list or
bidders list or subcontractorlist that you have to
pre-qualify to get on, and thenfrom there they reach out to
those people.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Those people submit bids and then they decide it's
different.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So for someone to pick up the phone and say I
looked you up on google, yeah,that's not typical and the
reason that happened is becausethey had a young guy.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I was gonna say it probably was an assistant, like
I don't know where to findnobody.
Let me check google.
I mean, that's what I'mthinking.
That's what I'm thinking,that's the old guys in the
industry.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
You know they have a certain way to do it but this
young guy ain't.
Not long after we won the bidhe was gone, so literally.
You just see how God will opendoors and set up situations.
I didn't think we were going toget it, because I'm like I
don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
I don't know what I submitted to you.
He's like this is great, he'sprobably going to check with
nobody else.
He got to answer.
I said Lord, have mercy, he'sgoing to prove.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
But yeah, and we made mistakes.
Yeah, got over there, we mademistakes.
I didn't realize that I wasalso responsible for, like,
exterior window cleaning and Ionly had bid out for interior
windows, just all those littlethings.
So and you were able to add onLike cost-wise, were you able to
add on to say I think some, atsome points I either ate it or
we just were like, hey, we don'tdo that, okay, and it was like
(28:19):
so what you gonna do?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
yeah, you already had us here for seven months.
Yeah, we don't, we not doing it?
Speaker 1 (28:23):
yeah um so we did it where it mattered, but yeah,
that was um, that was a big one.
I was able to, uh, hire myuncle on, who had recently been
released from prison.
He was looking for work.
So the timing of how everythingcame together like he was
pretty much like my second handon site helping me to complete
the project, because you needsomebody there to kind of just
(28:44):
kind of or keep everythingorganized and moving along.
Um yeah, that that was was here.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I know you mentioned having other family members in
the business, but was he thefirst hire in the business?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
so he was contracted as well.
But my grandmother, who's 70something years old, has cleaned
residential with me and shecleaned commercial with me.
She's cleaned construction withme everything.
My soon-to-be husband we wereout there late at night almost
got arrested trying to do somecleaning in the middle of the
night.
Like crazy stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
By any means necessary.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Just before I.
I don't know how that's goingto play out, so let me make sure
I give all the love details forthis.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
You wonder why you see that one clip.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
It be like okay, so we communicated to the folks on
site hey, we weren't able tofinish.
We'll be back tonight to finishup the rest of the work.
They didn't communicate that tosecurity.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
So we get there to gates locked, so we hopped the
gate.
Yeah, not the gates locked, sowe hopped the gate.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Yeah, not you hopped the gate, I'm like we couldn't
get in.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
We hopped the gate.
We couldn't get in.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
We hopped the gate and got inside and went in and
started cleaning.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Right now she's scaring some people away.
Like ain't no way I'm doingthis, but they're like you don't
the gate.
No, no, no, this you having funwith this.
That's hilarious.
You turn this into a mini movie.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I mean again, it's my reputation if I say I'm gonna
be somewhere and we're gonna dosomething I just don't want to.
You know, let my customer downso we get there, we're cleaning.
We can see the security guyposted up.
We think he sees us.
So we're like okay, cool, we'recleaning windows outside
windows before.
I know he pulls up, know it, hepulls up.
(30:22):
Like he comes around, pulls uphey, what are y'all doing?
I'm like hey, you know he'slike, I gotta call my boss.
He goes and he's literally gothis hand on something.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I don't know if it was a taser.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
if it was a BB gun, it was something.
We're like what the heck?
So they're calling security,they're calling the cops, and
all to find out.
They're like oh, you know soand so, okay, y'all are fine.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Well, we're lucky it ended that way.
That that's how it went we were.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
We were brown people in a, in a different kind of
different area.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Okay and so you mentioned family.
What has your kind of outsideof your fiance, what has your
family felt about this?
Or they've been involved, soyou've been yes you mentioned
sister, grandmother, uncle,everybody involved.
What do?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
they say about it I mean they ain't involved for
free besides him, he free but Iand not that my family wouldn't
do it for free, I'm just I workfull-time so I'm not dependent
on this to survive, so I'm likeanytime somebody.
Cleaning is hard work, it's soif you step out to come help me,
I'm going to make sure I payyou, but they have been really
(31:25):
supportive.
If they couldn't come with me,then they're taking one of the
kids to help me so that I can gomake sure things get done well.
So, yeah, my family has beenamazing.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's good, that's really good.
Like you said, I think that'spart of the process of maybe
it's not directly in thebusiness, but other ways um, and
some people don't like workingwith family, so it's what's your
thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (31:44):
we see that a lot where in this space people.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
She's like, I'm like I wouldn't hire people as me
family and friends.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Yeah, what should I mean?
That's I want to.
I don't know if that's theblack community only, but a lot
of us are like, well, don't,don't handle, don't bring family
in, and I'm always of the mindto like give them a shot.
Why not?
Worst case scenario doesn'twork.
Because now, if it doesn't workand you take it personal, it
messes up that personalrelationship.
So what's your thoughts on that.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I think it hasn't impacted you at all.
Uh, it hasn't impacted me anydisagreements with family
members or no, and I thinkhonestly not because they
couldn't have happened, morebecause of I keep saying
temperament, because of mytemperament.
So, let's say my uncle.
My uncle came in.
It was more so about like hey,he's in a program to kind of
(32:26):
reenter society.
Is he needs to be able to showthat he's working consistently.
You know he's showing.
You know to be released fromhis program that he was in.
My uncle's done.
Wear glasses, you know doesn'twear glasses.
You know he missing stuff whenwe clean.
I'm coming behind him.
But in my mind there was abigger picture that I was going
after with it, one I needed look, if all I do is come behind you
(32:50):
and just do, do, do, do, do.
And you know that was better forme, so that didn't turn into an
issue.
I would notice, though, likenot everybody's got the like,
the drive to do it.
You know people are going tojump in to help, so you can't
over abuse if people are justhelping you.
I haven't had to hire anybodydirectly, but I try to.
(33:12):
You know, when it comes to myfamily, make sure they get paid,
make sure I let them know whatI need, but not make it a
consistent thing, like even myuncle.
He's done, he don't work withme no more.
You know he helped me with thatproject and now he's done.
He's like I don't want to cleanno more.
That's fine, my, I would seewhere I would have a shortcoming
with it if I tried to hiresomebody is I'm not as like with
(33:37):
family, you, you can't handlethem with the soft gloves, like
you know you gotta you're tryingto manage not messing up the
relationship.
So that's, that's my part ofthe family and friends.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Not bringing out that I don't think they can do it.
It's just that I don't want, ifanything goes wrong, to mess up
the relationship now we pissfor life because of this thing
that we could have potentiallyavoided.
That's only my thought.
But, like you said, you said itwas-based, so you didn't feel,
I guess, so much obligation orthat it would turn to that and
some of what you so commercialis where you could have
(34:08):
continued on.
You're still in commercial andonly doing commercials.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
So right now, most of our customers are commercial
customers.
We are still open forconstruction, oh construction,
sorry yes but construction isproject-based construction.
Oh, construction, yes, but uh,construction is project based.
So, um, you get with somebody.
The project may run for acouple months, it may be a
one-time thing and it's doneyeah, they may not have nothing
else for you for a while okay,so in the meantime, we keep our
(34:31):
commercial because commercial.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Find you on google and post construction.
You're in on a different site,or how?
Speaker 1 (34:37):
does that work?
So commercial finds me fromgoogle and seo construction I
have went to the ones that havefound me has also been on google
.
I have also some relationshipsin the industry, so we've gotten
work from that but, going onthose lists.
I've done that and I haven'tseen much fruit from it yet, but
(35:01):
I think it requires it requiresa lot more like diligence,
staying in front of thatcustomer, reaching out like
nurturing what's the list?
Speaker 3 (35:09):
can you break down what the list is like?
So when you pay for the list,uh, no.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
so when you want to work for if it's just a mom and
pop construction company, youprobably don't have to worry
about it, but somebody that'slike doing large scale projects
skyscrapers, schools, hebs,whatever apartment complexes you
have to go through apre-qualification process.
So they want your financials,they want your insurance, they
want your certifications, theywant all this stuff, and then
(35:35):
once you submit that, then theyvet you and they may give you a
score of like whether you arehigh risk, low risk and whether
you know, then they may want toreach out to your references,
all of this stuff, just to say,ok, great, now we'll put you in
the pool of everybody else who'sdone that same thing.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
And if we have a job that comes up, we can reach out
to you and let you know what thejob is, and y'all can pretty
much duke it out over thepricing, pricing.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Yeah, okay, so I was going back to the job and
managing the businesses.
How do the business?
How has that been from the verybeginning to where it is now?
How are you juggling andmanaging both?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
so when I was doing residential it was really tough
because I work full-time andresidential is a lot of phone
calls.
People are constantly calling.
You can have your website setup, people, there will be people
who will go to your site.
Thank God for those people, butmost people they want to talk
to somebody, they want to askquestions, you know.
So that was difficult for me tomanage, which was also causing
me anxiety because I'm in ameeting but money's calling on
(36:31):
the other phone.
But this is money on this phonetoo.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
So it's like trying to balance.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
It was really tough.
So I was grateful to come outof residential, because
commercial is mostly email.
They're going to start with anemail.
They may call you and say, hey,can you come and do a bid, but
everything else is via email.
Same thing with constructionlies via email.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
So you kind of make it around your schedule.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I can make it around my schedule.
Wait, I forgot what was thequestion you asked me, balancing
.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Oh, okay, so now it's easier.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I work from home, so if I need to go do a bit I can
schedule during my lunch run todo a bid and come back.
So that's not a problem.
And once we win a bid and thatcontract is set up, my cleaners
come and go.
They the supplies.
You know that the supplies areprobably their own site.
They don't really need to talkto me about anything unless
something goes wrong, you know.
(37:19):
So it's a lot more hands offnow that I'm um shifted into the
commercial and constructionside.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Okay, and do you still?
Are you running everything onyour own?
Do you have a virtual assistant, or how are?
Speaker 1 (37:33):
you, just me, just you, would you ever get a
virtual?
Assistant I think if thebusiness was more consistent,
meaning not the commercial stuffbut my construction stuff.
Because if that was moreconsistent meaning not the
commercial stuff but myconstruction stuff.
Because if that was moreconsistent I would yeah, I would
need to get some help.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
OK, and how is there a way that you could make it?
Would you say that you'restopping yourself from making it
more consistent?
Yes, ok, ok, you're having thebusiness for the life that you
want.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Yes, yes, my goal.
When I started like, Iinitially thought I was like man
, I'm gonna just grow, like itwas so much about grow, grow,
grow, grow, grow, and then notrealizing that, like you gotta
like, things aren't justmagically growing like yeah,
obviously God is presenting youwith opportunities and I thank
God for his grace where he wasable to lessen my like
(38:15):
responsibilities at work at thetime when I was the busiest.
But outside of that you got tobe grinding on this commercial
and construction journey and I'mbusy at work right now, so I'm
just not there.
So I appreciate the flexibilityof having this kind of business
because if I want to get outthere and grow it, I just need
(38:35):
to turn the knob and turn up thevolume some, but if I don't, I
can allow it to kind of just runitself.
We don't make as much money,that's fine, but that's what
works for me, what works for you.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
How has your life changed since you started the
business?
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Oh, my goodness.
Oh my goodness, so um I'm.
I'm no longer in debt,hallelujah.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Ooh, congratulations, $15,000 gone.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Yes and plus so.
Student loans uh,50,000 goneyes and plus so.
Student loans $10,000 gone, anytype of.
Did I have any other?
Did I have any credit card debt?
I don't think so.
It was just that personal loanand the student loans gone.
I've been able to take my momon vacation.
We went to Costa Rica.
I've been able to do things.
Just from different familymembers, the people who've
helped me.
I've been able to pay peopleLike my uncle, getting out of
that program and working andhaving consistent income.
(39:24):
Like that just doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
People get out of prison and they get offered, so
you couldn't hire your uncle atyour job.
What you talking about?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
No, One once you have a record like your chances out,
here are slim.
It's slim pickings.
And then, once somebody willgive you an opportunity, he was
being offered one day a week,two days a week, minimum wage.
So you can't make a living fromthat.
How are you supposed to proveyourself in society when
(39:53):
nobody's really giving you areal chance?
So my uncle is self-sufficientnow.
He's coming to my wedding inVegas.
That's amazing.
Yes, he's living his life oh,within what was?
that three years yeah, no, short, quick.
So those things to me mean somuch.
I've got cleaners who boughtcars you know they've had babies
.
Like not only my life haschanged by this, but people
(40:17):
close to me have been impactedby me starting this business
like I can't even put that intowords what that means to me yeah
, that's.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
I don't even know where I want to go with that one
, because I think there were somany different pieces to unpack.
You got the uncle.
You're going on a vacation withthe family.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Yes, vacations that pay off, helping people in the
family, helping the people thatyou work with, for them to
continue to grow and do theirown thing as well.
So, yeah, so it's beenimpactful, to say the least.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Yeah, oh gosh, y'all have no idea, and that's all.
That's the only good stuff Ican remember right now at the
top of my head.
I'm sure there's more.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
And so for those that are watching, that are afraid
to start, or what would you sayto them?
What advice would you give tosomeone that's like I'm not sure
this is for me or I'm not surethey're legit, because we get
those too Like you guys could bescammers.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
I get called a scammer.
He does Maybe me more than you,because my face is like
everywhere and I'm like let mebe a scammer because I know I'm
not.
She's okay with being a scammer, I am.
It's not many hard drugs outthere.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
This is my name out here, there's not many black
hard drugs out here, so that'sfair.
But either way, I know I'm notdoing that, so to me I like rub
it off.
That's what I'll say.
But people say those type ofthings, but it's scammers and
those that are questioning ifit's for them or if they should
do it.
What advice could you give themthroughout your time?
Speaker 1 (41:39):
in the business.
I will say, like, having fearis normal.
Like to an extent you don'twant crippling fear, but being a
little anxious or nervous tokind of put yourself out there,
that's a normal thing.
But you have to get to acertain point where you have
something that you're doing itfor.
Like I had to pay that debt offor else I was going to be
(42:01):
paying $800 a month out of mypocket to pay it back.
I had to um, we were trying tobuy house.
I had reasons that I needed toget this thing going to push me
past my fear.
If I don't think, if I, like Isaid, if I hadn't really taken
risks before or if I didn't havethat stuff, I probably would
have still be sitting backconcerned and scared and
(42:21):
thinking what if?
And what?
What if?
That there's nobody in thisworld who's gonna do something
the first time and just do it,100 perfect.
What do you really have to lose?
Okay, if you open it and okay,you, you get the website or
whatever, you spend a couplehundred dollars.
If you don't have that to risk,then you probably are not ready
to start the business.
You know, just kind of thinkingthrough all of those things and
(42:42):
then looking at your life,looking at, do you have capacity
mentally, physically,emotionally, and is this
something that really God isputting on your heart to do?
Because I will tell you, if youdon't have like his grace kind
of helping you through when,those moments where you want to
quit, when things are gettingreally tough, you it's almost
(43:05):
impossible, it can beoverwhelming.
So there's a lot to consider.
Speaker 3 (43:09):
Yeah, all that, all those things.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Think through it.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
Think through it.
Anything else, I guess or Idon't know if you had anything
before, Anything else that wedidn't cover that you would want
to make sure that someone knowsabout the business, about the
program or anything coming in.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I would say the program can help you start.
Honestly, it can help you startany subcontracting type
business.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
We used to call this service sixfigure service-based
business course.
That's what it used to becalled, because we're like you
could do this for lawn windowanything, anything.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
I got a testimonial.
This guy did what was it?
10k with mobile massages.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
I was like I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
He was like my wife was a masseuse and they started
the cleaning business Like wait,this could work for this and he
was like yeah, we started amobile and people did it with
carpet.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
Some people did it with daycare, Daycare, yeah.
Just hiring people to work foryou.
Literally, essentially, butyeah, literally.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
So you could.
That's one thing.
Maybe, if cleaning's not yourthing per se, like you said, you
got mobile car detail, you gotwindow washing, you've got lawn,
anything where you need to hirea subcontractor to perform the
work and you are responsible fordoing the marketing, the
customer outreach, the phonecost, whatever.
You could apply this sametemplate to that uh business.
(44:31):
Um, what else I will say?
I was telling them before, likewe even cleaned hotels, which
is like something you wouldn'teven think of yeah because they
have um, they hire housekeeping,but they outsource that too.
So if you just never know thatsome of it is completely.
Speaker 3 (44:49):
Some people think it's like oh, you're a big
company, so you're just gonna gowith, yeah, whoever you hire,
or whatever but no, yeah, how'dthey?
Speaker 2 (44:55):
let's get into how they find you like google wow
yep, they reached out to me.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
It was a family owned company.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
They were like a boutique hotel.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
And it was great for us because it was a small unit.
They're not your standard likebig room.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
But boutique hotels cost a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
They're not like the regular rate.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
And so they had a little bit more to be able to
spend.
You come in, all of thesupplies are there, you don't
need to bring nothing.
You know they have a um, theyhave a template of kind of how
they want things done.
So, as long as you're up tospeed on their processing
procedures, you just need toplug somebody in the laundry's
done everything.
All you do is we came in, uh,had somebody get trained up on
(45:34):
and it took like 20 minutes tounderstand what was what and we
was in there, flipping themrooms, turning them around keep
in mind, it's still a bed, ashower, a toilet.
It's nothing different than whatit's, just understanding what
that customer is looking for.
How do you want the pillows tobe laid?
Just a little bit of thedetails, but yeah, it paid well.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
Was that a contract?
Was that a timeline?
Speaker 1 (45:54):
no, they used us as a like, as needed.
So they would call hey, wedon't have anybody, can y'all?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
come and guess what, if you call?
Speaker 1 (46:01):
me, let me in.
You gotta add something to it.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
You have to add something to it.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Yeah, it's a little bit more expensive.
Like, yeah, we coming.
Come on, granny, we'll be there.
Yes, that's good.
Speaker 3 (46:14):
I don't think I had any other questions.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
We just wanted again for coming.
I say again because we didrecord this about two three
months ago.
Speaker 3 (46:23):
We didn't let you guys know.
We recorded this about two,three months ago and we had some
issues, some technical issues,so we had to run it back.
So we appreciate you spendingsome more time with us to share
your story with our students,letting people know what's
possible and uh.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
So we're gonna represent with your award from
cleaning business universityUniversity doing over $300,000
in your cleaning business Woowoo, woo, thank you, thank you.
We're going to update that to$400,000 now yeah, we ain't
giving awards every $100,000.
Now, that was a customized one.
That's what I mean.
When you hit $500,000, we'llgive you the medium sized one,
(46:58):
and then you'll get the bigplatinum one.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Ooh, okay we'll give you the medium size one and then
you get the big platinum one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, but no, we reallyappreciate you just coming out
and telling your story.
It really goes a long way forpeople who's just wondering if
it's possible, can I do it?
Can I work in my city?
Can you know all those thingsyou kind of hear.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
So and it helps people show that this is real,
it's you're I'm a real person,that you're a real person, but
then also the impact that youhave created for family members
and friends and cleaners.
You know that's a real thing.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
That's it for More Than Side Hustle podcast this
week.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Yes.
So please, guys, I want tothank you.
We want to appreciate let youguys know we appreciate you guys
listening to every singleepisode, leaving us five-star
reviews.
We want to get up to 400five-star reviews by the end of
this year.
That's a very ambitious goalYear or month.
I was going to say end of theyear.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Oh, okay, okay, that's good.
That's what I was about to say.
That's a good goal.
It's fine.
In the stories you tell us itwas a five-star review.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
If you feel time, have a good one, bye, bye.
Hey y'all we made over $400,000 with our cleaning
business starting in 2022.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to another episode of the More Than A Side
Hustle podcast, where we helpnon-involved create more impact,
income and influence outsidetheir jobs.
My name is Anthony and I'mJanoka and welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thanks for coming.
I know we haven't been asconsistent, but we are here
today and we are here with aguest and we are excited to have
a great conversation.
Provide more information to youguys about Cleveland Business
University.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Absolutely absolutely .
Speaker 1 (00:49):
So, before we get started, just tell us a little
bit about yourself, who you areand what you're doing, and we'll
dive right in.
Hello everyone, my name isShandrell and I run a cleaning
business that serves the Dallasand Fort Worth area.
Primarily, our business doescommercial and construction
cleaning.
We started with residential andthen later on shifted the
business to better suit mylifestyle, our family and I also
work full time.
I'm a mom and a soon to be wife.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Soon to be wife, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, and what has been your success?
Like, what are the numbers?
That's what people always wantto hear right away.
Oh, you want to talk aboutmoney.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
They want to count your pockets, of course, but
anyway honestly, I should havelooked at it again before I came
.
The last numbers that I senty'all may have been 340 from
like sometime last year, sowe're probably at 400 something
right now and that's a year todate, starting in uh.
The first customer we saw wasJanuary 27, 2022.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Okay, so three years later.
So when you say $300,.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's $300?
, $400?
.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Because what I'm?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
going to do?
Is that's going to be the titleof the episode.
And they're going to be likewhoa and that's going to make
them click.
So if they, listen to thisright now.
That's what they want.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Okay, so let me try this again.
I want to hit it what they want, so okay.
So let me try this again you'regood.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I want to hit it with the hey y'all.
We made over four hundredthousand dollars with our
cleaning business starting in2022 and you just so it's your
anniversary, that just passed.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yes, so we I opened the business, I got all the
stuff together in 2021.
We saw our first customer in2022.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yes, got it.
Got it okay.
Well, congrats on, because wejust passed january 27th, so
three years into the businesscongratulations, so crazy so
what made you say let me goahead and start a cleaning
business oh, um.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
So I initially thought about it a couple years
before and I was thinking ofcleaning houses myself, just
because, naturally, that's justsomething I do to like relieve
stress or just zone out.
You know, it doesn't require alot of thinking, you can just
work, and I was looking to makeextra money because I had
started, following Dave Ramsey,moved out of our apartment,
(02:57):
moved in with our parents, so wewere trying to find other ways
to pay down our debt.
So, um, that was one of myideas, and when I brought it up
to a couple of people,everyone's like what You're
going to clean houses, are yougoing to go in somebody's house?
You know, just giving me allthese like negative feedback,
you know, so just kind ofkilling the baby before it was
(03:17):
really born.
But I'm grateful for that,because I didn't know that I
could do it the way that you alltaught.
So that was kind of how itinitially started.
How did I end up finding y'allthough?
Yeah, that's the question.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
We were so maybe because our journey started when
, on social media, we weresharing our debt payoff and we
shared that we did go throughDave Ramsey's program.
He read Dave Ramsey's book andso maybe that's how you started
following us.
I don't know the debt payoffpart of it.
And then we transition totalking more about the cleaning
business.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
so by the time I saw y'all story, y'all had already
done all the promo for debtpayoff and y'all had the
cleaning business.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
The course was out y'all were full blown talking
about it, so I think I must haveseen y'all on a podcast maybe
probably so, the podcast,whatever podcast it was yeah you
heard someone this cleaningbusiness, like, oh, that's
something else that I could dothat I was thinking about doing.
So what made you say, all right, this is the route I'm gonna go
.
So, as people see it and like,they're a little worried,
they're a little nervous, sowhat made you say this is
(04:15):
something I could do um,honestly, I didn't know that I
could do it first.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I heard y'all and I believed y'all.
But you know, naturally, likeI'm just a very um, uh, I don't
want to say apprehensive, butkind of like I have to think
through it.
I've got to marinate on it.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I've got to know everything before I start.
Yes, got to ask a thousandquestions.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I got to sit on it, I got to pray on it, sleep on it.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You don't know how many times I had to pray on it.
I was like, let me pray withyou, hello you got to pray on
things.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
sometimes I mean you do, but you know what does the
Bible say about you?
Got to put some work with it.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It ain't just all just asking and praying.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So yeah, sorry I lost my train of thought, but I
didn't immediately act on it.
So I think I followed y'all.
And then I think I it wasduring, like when everybody was
buying courses.
You know, trump was giving outthose tea daddy checks.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Stimmy's.
What's it called?
Tea daddy checks, stimmy's.
I know the.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Stimmy's, so you know .
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I was like buying courses left and right and I
think I was.
Well, I almost told y'all before, but I had already kind of
started something else that Iwas ready to get out of, so it
ended up being a good time forme to venture into something new
.
So I bought the course, didn'timmediately do anything with it
and then, um, just told myselflook, by the end of the year you
(05:37):
got to make something shake,like enough is enough, do it.
My grandmother had passed thatyear from COVID, so I was like
in honor of her, like, do itlike.
So that had passed that yearfrom COVID.
So I was like in honor of her,like, do it Like.
So that really pushed me to buy, get up the website stuff that
you are, go through the courseand do all of the steps of job.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
And so, what were you doing before, before you
started the cleaning business?
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, what was I not doing before?
I was doing all kinds of stuffI call myself doing like resume
writing.
I called myself flipping mobilehomes.
I called myself what was Idoing?
I forgot I had printed out abunch of like flyers for stuff,
just anything.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
You was hustling, Kind of like what Dave Ramsey
said you're trying to pay offthat debt.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
You're trying to get all those jobs Okay.
And any of those things likelessons from the stuff that you
started did you bring into thecleaning business or, I think,
one of the things.
If I had not done the mobilehome stuff, I don't know that I
would have taken a chance withthe cleaning business, because
with that I had to just forcemyself to just do it.
(06:40):
Like it takes me three years tomake a decision, like I don't
know how I just like I wasbuying stuff, like I'm like it
takes me three years to make adecision Like I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I just like.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I was buying stuff like buying stuff I shouldn't
have been buying.
You know, overspending money,buying houses that weren't worth
nothing, just trying to forcemyself out of my pattern of just
like well, take it long.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yes yes.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So if I had not have done that, I wouldn't have
started the cleaning business.
So what I took from that wasyou got to act like.
You have your fears.
That's normal.
That's natural.
But how much are you going tolet your fear hold you back from
taking action, especially ifyou need to pay this debt off?
You need to.
You know you got to.
I was.
We were buying a house at thetime, so we needed to get things
rolling, so yeah, yeah, withfear, that's a big one and I see
it all the time.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
People call fear false evidence appearing real
because we're thinking aboutsomething that hasn't even
occurred yet.
Most people are like I'm scaredto do this because of what
somebody else told me, or whatmy mama did, or what my
grandfather did.
And now we got all theseexpectations from other people
because we're afraid of whatthey went through, what I heard
about.
Expectations from other peoplebecause we're afraid of what
they went through, what I heardabout.
(07:46):
So, with the mobile homes andyou taking action that forced
you to get out your comfort zonea little bit, I'm like I'm
going to do this and even if itdoesn't work, I'm going to keep
progressing forward.
So you took that same mindsetfrom the mobile homes into the
cleaning business and you leftthe mobile homes completely.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
You're saying I had to.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It wasn't for me.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
It wasn't for me showing up chasing down
contractors and too like I didnot follow the guidelines that
they gave us for the mobile homeso.
I took that with me when I cameto y'all's course.
I did not skip and go outsideof the lines at all.
Versus when I got into themobile home I was like, well, I
can do it this way and I canjust forget that step.
So I ended up losing moneydoing that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Like so I end up losing money doing that stuff?
Like it was ridiculous.
Why do you feel like you skipsteps?
If somebody gives you ablueprint and they say there's a
puddle right there, I'm going.
I stepped in that puddle.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I'm going to show you how to jump over it?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
why would you still say you know what?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I'm going to try to walk around the puddle when I
tell you, like there's multipleanswers to that, she's like it's
in the therapy session.
I ain't gonna go we gotta goback to my upbringing naturally
I'm very rebellious I don't knowwhy, and I think it's because
there's parts of myself where Idon't have like the full, the
(08:56):
any place where their fear showsup.
I'm questioning my ability, butwhen it comes to like.
Yes, when it comes to certainareas, though, I'm like man.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
I know what I'm doing .
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I got this, you know.
So it's that trying to findthat balance between are you
apprehensive and taking yourtime with the right things and
are you overconfident in thewrong things, Like trying to
balance those two things out.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So yeah, I was just and you said you lost money.
Do you mind sharing how muchyou lost?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Oh probably it.
And you said you lost money.
Do you mind sharing how muchyou lost?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
oh, probably, it was at least probably 15 000 okay 15
000 and then you decided to goon to do another business.
If I was your husband, I'vebeen like hey, hold on for a
minute.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Wait a minute let's take a step back, pay this.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Let's recalibrate a little bit.
So was it just a matter of likeyou saying like, yeah, we need
to pay this, so, so I'm going tomake this thing work?
Or like, what made you continueafter you had, you know, lost
this money with this otherbusiness?
I?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
think honestly.
So I had taken out a personalloan to do that and there were
some of the things I did right,so I did make money.
I think it's just overallbalance sheet.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
So it was by the time I got everything settled I
looked and I still owed money onthe loan and I was like, oh, so
I lost money.
Got it so, granted, at thattime, you know, we weren't
married or nothing.
So my financial problems weremy problems.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
It wasn't really.
You know his problem.
To have to manage.
He's like do what you want to.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
I don't even think he knew how much I had gotten
myself into.
I don't think he had a clue.
He's kind of just like she's.
You know, she's smart, She'llfigure it out.
She got it, Got it.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
How supportive has he been throughout this journey
and he Fiance, yes, your fianceyeah.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh my gosh, I think I don't know how people do it
without a support system.
Support system especially ifyou work full-time like me, like
I have a job, so and I we have.
At that time we only had mydaughter.
So if I'm out shopping homes orfor the mobile homes or I'm out
doing something like either hewas coming with me or he was
staying back to watch ourdaughter make sure she got
(10:55):
picked up from school.
So I don't, I just couldn'timagine doing it without him.
You know, uh, just supportingme.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
It's not always that the person is in the business
with you, but it's how theysupport you in different ways to
allow you to excel in thebusiness.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yes, because anytime as a family unit, if somebody's
stepping out to do something,that means there's a deficit
where you're not there right.
So you need your partner tocome up and pick up the slack
for you if you're trying toventure out and kind of step out
and do something new.
So I appreciate him so, so much.
I had my mom, my grandmotherthis is back when I was um doing
(11:35):
the mobile home stuff and evennow in the cleaning business my
grandmother has cleaned, mybrothers have cleaned, my
sister-in-law, my uncles, my umjust a lot of people have
supported me oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let's's start that part of the journey.
So mobile homes is done, yougot.
You got our program Clean andBusy University.
What helped you to to getstarted immediately in the
program?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So I think from the time I bought the course, it
probably took me about a monthor two before I opened it and
got started, but it was supereasy to follow, very elementary
steps.
Not saying that this isn't um,I guess I'm trying to say it
wasn't overly complicated.
You guys made it simple, youmade it like to where a third
(12:17):
grader could understand and, um,once I got going with it, I
just was able to kind of, justokay, you said, do this step.
Okay, pause, I'm gonna go andsign up for this and get this
part done.
Come back, sign up and get that.
So by the time I finished, ofcourse, the whole thing was done
okay, sorry, that's a texasbabysitter oh I was letting you
Speaker 2 (12:40):
go.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
No, I know, but the babysitter was texting me, okay.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
So walk me through some of those first couple
months, because that's part ofthe fear, Like okay, now we
start going through startingthis business.
Most of our listeners, peoplewho join our program they're
brand new to entrepreneurshipfor the most part.
Brand new to business, and then90% of them are brand new to
cleaning.
So they're thinking I got to goout buy cleaning supplies, get
(13:05):
a mop and a broom, leave my nineto five job.
And so what was your experiencein those first?
I want to say the first, likesix months.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
So I think those are like the most crucial months for
people.
Yeah, I was very blessed to bein like a low competition area
so when I turned it on it waslike fast and furious because
I'm not directly, my businessisn't directly in the city of
Dallas, but we're more like kindof supporting the outskirts of
Dallas.
So the first day, once Ifinished the course, I turned on
(13:40):
Google local services.
I think it's called somethingelse now, but I turned it on, I
started getting calls.
Immediately, like immediately,my phone started ringing.
So I got a clean the cleaner.
Oh, I almost missed this part.
I want to make sure I sharethis Getting the cleaners.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Start there.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yeah, what I did was people were leaving business
cards on our doorstep in ourneighborhood so I would collect
those business cards and then Iwas just starting to use those
people to clean my house.
So over time I can see, okay,this cleaner did good, that you
know.
Whatever, once I had a ladythat I had used her consistently
.
I went to her and say, hey,like I have a business, here's
(14:20):
what I charge.
Would you be willing to take?
You know this much if I'mwilling to get all the bookings,
handle all that stuff.
She said yes.
So once I turned on GoogleLocal Services and I booked a
customer, she took it.
You called her up.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yep, you called her up.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
And then I was stuck because my phone rang again and
somebody else wanted a cleaning.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
And you're like you started with one cleaner.
I started with one, okay, andthe only reason I point that out
because that's always thequestion.
Well, a question we get isshould I get the cleaner first
or get the jobs first?
And I always say, well, if youdon't plan to go out and clean,
you need the cleaner.
But then also if you have oneor two cleaners and I think it
just depends on the person'savailability- and things like
that.
And for you, you said, a phonestarted ringing right away.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yes, so I didn't expect it right so I'm thinking,
okay, I'm gonna turn everythingon, and then we gonna let it
work out, we'll just see, but no.
So I had to kind of move quickly.
So I sent my cleaner for thatjob.
I still remember that lady.
Um, I don't clean for her nomore, but we, I remember her.
And then the the next call thatcame in, I was like, well, I
(15:23):
don't have anybody else, I guessI gotta go it.
So I got my sister-in-law.
We ran to the store, got acouple of supplies and we went
to go clean the house.
Yeah, we went to go do it and,honestly, that's probably not
ideal, but I was grateful forthose times because that was
never the end goal to always bein it.
But I'm the type of personwhether I'm on my job or whether
I'm in my business, I want toknow how things work.
(15:44):
I want to know what to expect.
Okay, how is it when you arriveto a stranger's home and how is
it when you're going throughtheir things?
You know just all that stuff.
You typically clean your ownhouse, but it's different when
you're in the home of someone.
How is it when they're there?
How is it when they're notthere?
You know All those things canhappen.
So, yeah, the second house Icleaned and then, yeah, from
(16:05):
there it just was rocking androlling.
I think that was at the veryend.
I said January the 27th or so Ithink in that last week we did
like $700 in January.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Just that quick.
Do you remember how manycleanings you've actually
cleaned for yourself that youdid yourself?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Ooh, I would say less than 10.
Less than 10, yeah Well yes,for residential, I would say
definitely less than 10.
Less than 10.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
And then you just started getting more people,
hiring more contractors to workwith you.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yes, things like that Going in Facebook groups, local
Facebook groups for our area,anytime somebody says hey,
anybody, have any cleaners.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And everybody drop the information Screenshots.
I didn't have any cleaners andeverybody dropped the
information Easily just startedmessaging people.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Some people were like I've gotten people that were
pissed.
You know like I'm like just ifyou don't want it just don't
want to make the money, it'sfine.
And then I've gotten some, yeah,really good cleaners from doing
that.
I've gotten a good amount fromIndeed and I've never paid for
any recruiting services oranything like that out from
Indeed and I've never paid forany recruiting services or
anything like that.
So, yeah, from there I juststarted going through that
(17:08):
process and I was able to bringon at least three or four more,
and then, of course, thecleaners have aunts and cousins,
and so that ends up being.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Once they start getting that income and seeing
that the person they're workingwith is nice and things are
flowing, they're like I gotsomebody, I got somebody else
that can help us do this.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So grateful for them, so, so grateful for my early
cleaners.
Most of all of them still workwith me to this day oh, even the
first person that you firstlady she just had a baby.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, that's exciting that's a scene for us.
I think our people that's beenaround, our people that we
brought on.
They're still here.
I think it's like a been aroundthe long.
Our people that we brought on.
They're still here.
I think it's like a core oflike five of them that from year
two up to year seven and a halfthey're still with us.
Some of them went on andthey're like all right.
(17:56):
Left came back.
Left came back, move Familycame back.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
So what do?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
you feel like attracted people earlier on to
your business, whether it's thecleaners or the clients.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I think, for the clients.
I don't think there wasanything in particular.
We had a Google page.
You know we had, we putpictures up, we put, we had
reviews up, so that was helpful.
And then for in the fact thatwe answered the phone.
I think that was really, reallya lot, because, you will
realize, most people don'tanswer the phone so that's
(18:30):
probably the biggest thing, andyou get some people that you
can't capture because of pricingright like because we're using
a contractor, we can't charge ahundred dollars we have to be a
more premium service, so that Ithink, created some division
between us and the competitionwhen it came to that.
(18:52):
When it came to the cleaners, Iwould say I, we just vibe Like
we were able to once they camein, so I will have them come and
clean my house first and youcan kind of tell from someone's
energy like you know they likethem, they seem very they
understand enough about businessto know that there's a contract
(19:15):
or we can talk about insurance,if that, if we're going to do
that, or you know they, they'reasking the right questions so
they don't just seem lost, youknow, and, uh, they show up with
their own products.
So that was helpful.
But I think what made them sayat the beginning I was paying,
like I think I was paying everyday, if I'm not mistaken, at the
end of every day I was doingsome kind of like girl before
the money came in.
(19:36):
Well, you know, you charge themright the same day.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
You charge the customer yeah, but don't hit
your account is what I'm sayingoh, it's been a while since
we've done that.
Takes a few.
It got to go through a processI had to distinguish myself in
the market.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
That's a different take.
I'm not saying you can't do it,but that's a different way of
doing stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Yeah, telling somebody you're going to get
paid every day is like too, justnot knowing like I think what
ends up in my mind, like notrealizing I'm.
This is mutually beneficial.
It's so easy to see it as abecause I own the business.
You're doing something for me,but I'm paying you.
(20:14):
So you know I'm sending you morework, so we are mutually
helping each other.
So once I kind of got my mindwrapped around that, like this
isn't just the fluke, I'm outhere, I do have a business, we
do have consistent customers andit is too much to do this every
day.
You know, we went ahead andmade that change.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
To pay them every day .
Yeah, just move to Friday.
Yeah, just looking to them aslike partners.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, you know kind of working together in that way.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Now business started booming.
Do you know how much you madethe first year?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Ooh, I would say 150.
Okay, I think the first year,that's really good.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
And was that all residential?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
No, no, I did residential solid, I think for
the first six months, but it washard on me, like it just
doesn't fit my temperament, likeI was dreading answering the
phone like money's calling andI'm like I don't want to talk to
nobody on the phone I'm tiredlike then you know you have to
do the follow-up because youwant to know how did the service
(21:11):
go and I was dreading doingthose calls and then you know
you did with the complaints andit just yeah, it was hard.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
It could be emotionally taxing sometimes,
yes, and I'm just one of thosepeople like.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I think this is one of those fear things that kept
me from starting is I just wantto do a good job, but I'm not in
control of what the cleanerdoes when they're right there.
You know I do my best to vetthem and find the right people
and you know talk to them about.
You know if they have issuesand a customer complaints.
But at the end of the dayYou're taking a risk because my
reputation as a business lieswith somebody else.
(21:43):
So that was really hard on me.
So what?
Um, I ended up getting acontract with a construction
company, and so once I saw thatit was more fitting to my
schedule my temperament, youknow and it w it worked better
with the cleaners that I had, Iended up giving my residential
customers to the cleaners andjust completely leaving it alone
(22:05):
.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
And completely going all in in commercial.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
In construction and before we go to the commercial.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I did want to ask how were you marketing yourself
when it came to the residentialside?
Was it just Google LocalServices, or were you doing
other things?
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I did SEO from early on.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I got a SEO guy and he's been with me and he's still
with you, he's still with me,uh, he helped build out my
website and add all my uhservice pages and things like
that, so that was helpful.
Uh, I tried yelp.
Hated it still to this day.
Yelp, you can count your days.
Don't call me yup mafia, do notcall my phone again and I tried
(22:45):
Google ads, so extra running ads, and that was, and I had Google
experts set it up.
That was just a waste.
So Google local services was mygo to my money maker.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
So once you saw, you got this commercial.
And how did the commercialperson find you Google, google.
So do you think that you couldhave started?
So once you saw it, you gotthis commercial.
And how did the commercialperson find you Google, google.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Okay.
So do you think that you couldhave started the business and
jumped in commercial from dayone, or do you feel like the
residential gave you a goodfooting and understanding of the
business model?
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I think honestly you probably could start either way
Because I think, as the type ofperson that I am, I know at the
beginning, beginning, I'm gonnabe hands-on and I'm gonna be
figuring it out anyway.
So I don't think that there'sthere's a that you have to start
with either one on.
But I would say if you aresomeone who is never going to
(23:39):
enter the space, then it'sprobably easier to start with
residential because the pricing,like you all, help set up
everything so well that you canjust jump into residential
straight from the course fromwhen the time that I took it and
everything was set up and goodto go.
Commercials a little bitdifferent, like how to figure
out pricing how to do it bidsand all that stuff.
So I mean not to say youcouldn't figure it out yeah, you
(24:01):
could google it.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
But yeah, I get what you're saying.
So you would say it justdepends on.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I would say, sometimes I think it depends on
the person I would agree if theycan jump into commercial right
away or not but.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
I like you said, you know your personality, that you
were able to handle that.
But I think it depends on theperson.
I would put most peopleprobably straight into
residential first and then kindof transition.
So I think it's more.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I think it's more baby steps.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You don't got to jump all.
I think when you get a firstcommercial, our first commercial
job, I was like I got to leavemy office, I got to go code this
I had to walk a Samsungbuilding that was like 10,000,
20,000 square feet and I have noidea.
I had to find cleaners and Iwas like we didn't even get the
bin.
I was like, oh wow they neveropened up.
They never opened up thefacility or something.
(24:45):
I was like wow, but at least Igot to do it.
But I had to do all these bigthings.
So yeah, that's a good point,that was you're gonna go and I'm
like, yeah, I'm gonna see whatit's like.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I'm in the area, are you?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I was gonna go, it could have been 30, 40, 50 miles
out, I would have still went.
But yeah, it definitely.
I don't want to sayoverwhelming, but it was
definitely like wow, this is alot.
This is serious, a lot tomanage if we would have got that
.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, that's a really good point, because with
residential, let's say, if Iwant to know and I think you all
recommend this in the coursetoo you want to know what to
charge, just start Go to otherpeople's websites.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
See what they're charging.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
You know, go to call another company, Commercials
like you can't do that becausethey need to so many nuances
they have to come out and see inorder to give you some kind of
price.
Their pricing is not online,you know, so that makes it a
little bit difficult too.
And then staffing like you gotto know.
It's not like I'm going to justsend a cleaner out and they're
done Like some of them wantsomebody on site 24, seven, yeah
(25:40):
, supervisors, and they have allthese different quality and all
this stuff, this type of stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
So you got the first call but you took it because we
know we've seen some studentslike, oh, commercial, somebody
from commercial call me and I'mnot taking it because I don't
know what to do.
But you took it and do youremember how much that that job
was?
Speaker 1 (25:56):
So, okay, this one the first office that we had.
I don't remember.
Okay, but when we started onthe construction side which made
me leave the residential it waswith a construction company
that was building an apartmentcomplex.
Okay so they needed us theremultiple times a week for at
least I think we were there overa year, I think.
(26:17):
So just imagine, wow, and itwasn't like they needed a
staffed, like somebody needs tobe here between these hours, but
it's like as we develop, weneed cleaners to come and as we
develop, we need cleaners tocome.
So um, I had no idea what I wasdoing.
I priced it like I would do ifwe did a construction clean for
a residential home with a littlebit more on it and I think that
(26:40):
contract was over a hundredthousand.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
And that was for a year.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
It was.
It didn't have a date on it.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
So the way it goes is you show up.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
We're going to start the work at this time.
We need you until the work isdone.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah, Until the project's complete.
And once the project was over ahundred thousand, that's great.
And they had found you fromGoogle too or did you tell?
Speaker 1 (27:02):
me from google, there we go.
But I always say like that'snothing but god, because one
construction industry doesn'twork like that, right?
No, they have a uh behind thescene like bidding list or
bidders list or subcontractorlist that you have to
pre-qualify to get on, and thenfrom there they reach out to
those people.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Those people submit bids and then they decide it's
different.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So for someone to pick up the phone and say I
looked you up on google, yeah,that's not typical and the
reason that happened is becausethey had a young guy.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I was gonna say it probably was an assistant, like
I don't know where to findnobody.
Let me check google.
I mean, that's what I'mthinking.
That's what I'm thinking,that's the old guys in the
industry.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
You know they have a certain way to do it but this
young guy ain't.
Not long after we won the bidhe was gone, so literally.
You just see how God will opendoors and set up situations.
I didn't think we were going toget it, because I'm like I
don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
I don't know what I submitted to you.
He's like this is great, he'sprobably going to check with
nobody else.
He got to answer.
I said Lord, have mercy, he'sgoing to prove.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
But yeah, and we made mistakes.
Yeah, got over there, we mademistakes.
I didn't realize that I wasalso responsible for, like,
exterior window cleaning and Ionly had bid out for interior
windows, just all those littlethings.
So and you were able to add onLike cost-wise, were you able to
add on to say I think some, atsome points I either ate it or
we just were like, hey, we don'tdo that, okay, and it was like
(28:19):
so what you gonna do?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
yeah, you already had us here for seven months.
Yeah, we don't, we not doing it?
Speaker 1 (28:23):
yeah um so we did it where it mattered, but yeah,
that was um, that was a big one.
I was able to, uh, hire myuncle on, who had recently been
released from prison.
He was looking for work.
So the timing of how everythingcame together like he was
pretty much like my second handon site helping me to complete
the project, because you needsomebody there to kind of just
(28:44):
kind of or keep everythingorganized and moving along.
Um yeah, that that was was here.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I know you mentioned having other family members in
the business, but was he thefirst hire in the business?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
so he was contracted as well.
But my grandmother, who's 70something years old, has cleaned
residential with me and shecleaned commercial with me.
She's cleaned construction withme everything.
My soon-to-be husband we wereout there late at night almost
got arrested trying to do somecleaning in the middle of the
night.
Like crazy stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
By any means necessary.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Just before I.
I don't know how that's goingto play out, so let me make sure
I give all the love details forthis.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
You wonder why you see that one clip.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
It be like okay, so we communicated to the folks on
site hey, we weren't able tofinish.
We'll be back tonight to finishup the rest of the work.
They didn't communicate that tosecurity.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
So we get there to gates locked, so we hopped the
gate.
Yeah, not the gates locked, sowe hopped the gate.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Yeah, not you hopped the gate, I'm like we couldn't
get in.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
We hopped the gate.
We couldn't get in.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
We hopped the gate and got inside and went in and
started cleaning.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Right now she's scaring some people away.
Like ain't no way I'm doingthis, but they're like you don't
the gate.
No, no, no, this you having funwith this.
That's hilarious.
You turn this into a mini movie.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I mean again, it's my reputation if I say I'm gonna
be somewhere and we're gonna dosomething I just don't want to.
You know, let my customer downso we get there, we're cleaning.
We can see the security guyposted up.
We think he sees us.
So we're like okay, cool, we'recleaning windows outside
windows before.
I know he pulls up, know it, hepulls up.
(30:22):
Like he comes around, pulls uphey, what are y'all doing?
I'm like hey, you know he'slike, I gotta call my boss.
He goes and he's literally gothis hand on something.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I don't know if it was a taser.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
if it was a BB gun, it was something.
We're like what the heck?
So they're calling security,they're calling the cops, and
all to find out.
They're like oh, you know soand so, okay, y'all are fine.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Well, we're lucky it ended that way.
That that's how it went we were.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
We were brown people in a, in a different kind of
different area.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Okay and so you mentioned family.
What has your kind of outsideof your fiance, what has your
family felt about this?
Or they've been involved, soyou've been yes you mentioned
sister, grandmother, uncle,everybody involved.
What do?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
they say about it I mean they ain't involved for
free besides him, he free but Iand not that my family wouldn't
do it for free, I'm just I workfull-time so I'm not dependent
on this to survive, so I'm likeanytime somebody.
Cleaning is hard work, it's soif you step out to come help me,
I'm going to make sure I payyou, but they have been really
(31:25):
supportive.
If they couldn't come with me,then they're taking one of the
kids to help me so that I can gomake sure things get done well.
So, yeah, my family has beenamazing.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's good, that's really good.
Like you said, I think that'spart of the process of maybe
it's not directly in thebusiness, but other ways um, and
some people don't like workingwith family, so it's what's your
thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (31:44):
we see that a lot where in this space people.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
She's like, I'm like I wouldn't hire people as me
family and friends.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Yeah, what should I mean?
That's I want to.
I don't know if that's theblack community only, but a lot
of us are like, well, don't,don't handle, don't bring family
in, and I'm always of the mindto like give them a shot.
Why not?
Worst case scenario doesn'twork.
Because now, if it doesn't workand you take it personal, it
messes up that personalrelationship.
So what's your thoughts on that.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I think it hasn't impacted you at all.
Uh, it hasn't impacted me anydisagreements with family
members or no, and I thinkhonestly not because they
couldn't have happened, morebecause of I keep saying
temperament, because of mytemperament.
So, let's say my uncle.
My uncle came in.
It was more so about like hey,he's in a program to kind of
(32:26):
reenter society.
Is he needs to be able to showthat he's working consistently.
You know he's showing.
You know to be released fromhis program that he was in.
My uncle's done.
Wear glasses, you know doesn'twear glasses.
You know he missing stuff whenwe clean.
I'm coming behind him.
But in my mind there was abigger picture that I was going
after with it, one I needed look, if all I do is come behind you
(32:50):
and just do, do, do, do, do.
And you know that was better forme, so that didn't turn into an
issue.
I would notice, though, likenot everybody's got the like,
the drive to do it.
You know people are going tojump in to help, so you can't
over abuse if people are justhelping you.
I haven't had to hire anybodydirectly, but I try to.
(33:12):
You know, when it comes to myfamily, make sure they get paid,
make sure I let them know whatI need, but not make it a
consistent thing, like even myuncle.
He's done, he don't work withme no more.
You know he helped me with thatproject and now he's done.
He's like I don't want to cleanno more.
That's fine, my, I would seewhere I would have a shortcoming
with it if I tried to hiresomebody is I'm not as like with
(33:37):
family, you, you can't handlethem with the soft gloves, like
you know you gotta you're tryingto manage not messing up the
relationship.
So that's, that's my part ofthe family and friends.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Not bringing out that I don't think they can do it.
It's just that I don't want, ifanything goes wrong, to mess up
the relationship now we pissfor life because of this thing
that we could have potentiallyavoided.
That's only my thought.
But, like you said, you said itwas-based, so you didn't feel,
I guess, so much obligation orthat it would turn to that and
some of what you so commercialis where you could have
(34:08):
continued on.
You're still in commercial andonly doing commercials.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
So right now, most of our customers are commercial
customers.
We are still open forconstruction, oh construction,
sorry yes but construction isproject-based construction.
Oh, construction, yes, but uh,construction is project based.
So, um, you get with somebody.
The project may run for acouple months, it may be a
one-time thing and it's doneyeah, they may not have nothing
else for you for a while okay,so in the meantime, we keep our
(34:31):
commercial because commercial.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Find you on google and post construction.
You're in on a different site,or how?
Speaker 1 (34:37):
does that work?
So commercial finds me fromgoogle and seo construction I
have went to the ones that havefound me has also been on google
.
I have also some relationshipsin the industry, so we've gotten
work from that but, going onthose lists.
I've done that and I haven'tseen much fruit from it yet, but
(35:01):
I think it requires it requiresa lot more like diligence,
staying in front of thatcustomer, reaching out like
nurturing what's the list?
Speaker 3 (35:09):
can you break down what the list is like?
So when you pay for the list,uh, no.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
so when you want to work for if it's just a mom and
pop construction company, youprobably don't have to worry
about it, but somebody that'slike doing large scale projects
skyscrapers, schools, hebs,whatever apartment complexes you
have to go through apre-qualification process.
So they want your financials,they want your insurance, they
want your certifications, theywant all this stuff, and then
(35:35):
once you submit that, then theyvet you and they may give you a
score of like whether you arehigh risk, low risk and whether
you know, then they may want toreach out to your references,
all of this stuff, just to say,ok, great, now we'll put you in
the pool of everybody else who'sdone that same thing.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
Got it.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
And if we have a job that comes up, we can reach out
to you and let you know what thejob is, and y'all can pretty
much duke it out over thepricing, pricing.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Yeah, okay, so I was going back to the job and
managing the businesses.
How do the business?
How has that been from the verybeginning to where it is now?
How are you juggling andmanaging both?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
so when I was doing residential it was really tough
because I work full-time andresidential is a lot of phone
calls.
People are constantly calling.
You can have your website setup, people, there will be people
who will go to your site.
Thank God for those people, butmost people they want to talk
to somebody, they want to askquestions, you know.
So that was difficult for me tomanage, which was also causing
me anxiety because I'm in ameeting but money's calling on
(36:31):
the other phone.
But this is money on this phonetoo.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
So it's like trying to balance.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
It was really tough.
So I was grateful to come outof residential, because
commercial is mostly email.
They're going to start with anemail.
They may call you and say, hey,can you come and do a bid, but
everything else is via email.
Same thing with constructionlies via email.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
So you kind of make it around your schedule.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I can make it around my schedule.
Wait, I forgot what was thequestion you asked me, balancing
.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Oh, okay, so now it's easier.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I work from home, so if I need to go do a bit I can
schedule during my lunch run todo a bid and come back.
So that's not a problem.
And once we win a bid and thatcontract is set up, my cleaners
come and go.
They the supplies.
You know that the supplies areprobably their own site.
They don't really need to talkto me about anything unless
something goes wrong, you know.
(37:19):
So it's a lot more hands offnow that I'm um shifted into the
commercial and constructionside.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Okay, and do you still?
Are you running everything onyour own?
Do you have a virtual assistant, or how are?
Speaker 1 (37:33):
you, just me, just you, would you ever get a
virtual?
Assistant I think if thebusiness was more consistent,
meaning not the commercial stuffbut my construction stuff.
Because if that was moreconsistent meaning not the
commercial stuff but myconstruction stuff.
Because if that was moreconsistent I would yeah, I would
need to get some help.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
OK, and how is there a way that you could make it?
Would you say that you'restopping yourself from making it
more consistent?
Yes, ok, ok, you're having thebusiness for the life that you
want.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Yes, yes, my goal.
When I started like, Iinitially thought I was like man
, I'm gonna just grow, like itwas so much about grow, grow,
grow, grow, grow, and then notrealizing that, like you gotta
like, things aren't justmagically growing like yeah,
obviously God is presenting youwith opportunities and I thank
God for his grace where he wasable to lessen my like
(38:15):
responsibilities at work at thetime when I was the busiest.
But outside of that you got tobe grinding on this commercial
and construction journey and I'mbusy at work right now, so I'm
just not there.
So I appreciate the flexibilityof having this kind of business
because if I want to get outthere and grow it, I just need
(38:35):
to turn the knob and turn up thevolume some, but if I don't, I
can allow it to kind of just runitself.
We don't make as much money,that's fine, but that's what
works for me, what works for you.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
How has your life changed since you started the
business?
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Oh, my goodness.
Oh my goodness, so um I'm.
I'm no longer in debt,hallelujah.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Ooh, congratulations, $15,000 gone.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Yes and plus so.
Student loans uh,50,000 goneyes and plus so.
Student loans $10,000 gone, anytype of.
Did I have any other?
Did I have any credit card debt?
I don't think so.
It was just that personal loanand the student loans gone.
I've been able to take my momon vacation.
We went to Costa Rica.
I've been able to do things.
Just from different familymembers, the people who've
helped me.
I've been able to pay peopleLike my uncle, getting out of
that program and working andhaving consistent income.
(39:24):
Like that just doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
People get out of prison and they get offered, so
you couldn't hire your uncle atyour job.
What you talking about?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
No, One once you have a record like your chances out,
here are slim.
It's slim pickings.
And then, once somebody willgive you an opportunity, he was
being offered one day a week,two days a week, minimum wage.
So you can't make a living fromthat.
How are you supposed to proveyourself in society when
(39:53):
nobody's really giving you areal chance?
So my uncle is self-sufficientnow.
He's coming to my wedding inVegas.
That's amazing.
Yes, he's living his life oh,within what was?
that three years yeah, no, short, quick.
So those things to me mean somuch.
I've got cleaners who boughtcars you know they've had babies
.
Like not only my life haschanged by this, but people
(40:17):
close to me have been impactedby me starting this business
like I can't even put that intowords what that means to me yeah
, that's.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
I don't even know where I want to go with that one
, because I think there were somany different pieces to unpack.
You got the uncle.
You're going on a vacation withthe family.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Yes, vacations that pay off, helping people in the
family, helping the people thatyou work with, for them to
continue to grow and do theirown thing as well.
So, yeah, so it's beenimpactful, to say the least.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Yeah, oh gosh, y'all have no idea, and that's all.
That's the only good stuff Ican remember right now at the
top of my head.
I'm sure there's more.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
And so for those that are watching, that are afraid
to start, or what would you sayto them?
What advice would you give tosomeone that's like I'm not sure
this is for me or I'm not surethey're legit, because we get
those too Like you guys could bescammers.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
I get called a scammer.
He does Maybe me more than you,because my face is like
everywhere and I'm like let mebe a scammer because I know I'm
not.
She's okay with being a scammer, I am.
It's not many hard drugs outthere.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
This is my name out here, there's not many black
hard drugs out here, so that'sfair.
But either way, I know I'm notdoing that, so to me I like rub
it off.
That's what I'll say.
But people say those type ofthings, but it's scammers and
those that are questioning ifit's for them or if they should
do it.
What advice could you give themthroughout your time?
Speaker 1 (41:39):
in the business.
I will say, like, having fearis normal.
Like to an extent you don'twant crippling fear, but being a
little anxious or nervous tokind of put yourself out there,
that's a normal thing.
But you have to get to acertain point where you have
something that you're doing itfor.
Like I had to pay that debt offor else I was going to be
(42:01):
paying $800 a month out of mypocket to pay it back.
I had to um, we were trying tobuy house.
I had reasons that I needed toget this thing going to push me
past my fear.
If I don't think, if I, like Isaid, if I hadn't really taken
risks before or if I didn't havethat stuff, I probably would
have still be sitting backconcerned and scared and
(42:21):
thinking what if?
And what?
What if?
That there's nobody in thisworld who's gonna do something
the first time and just do it,100 perfect.
What do you really have to lose?
Okay, if you open it and okay,you, you get the website or
whatever, you spend a couplehundred dollars.
If you don't have that to risk,then you probably are not ready
to start the business.
You know, just kind of thinkingthrough all of those things and
(42:42):
then looking at your life,looking at, do you have capacity
mentally, physically,emotionally, and is this
something that really God isputting on your heart to do?
Because I will tell you, if youdon't have like his grace kind
of helping you through when,those moments where you want to
quit, when things are gettingreally tough, you it's almost
(43:05):
impossible, it can beoverwhelming.
So there's a lot to consider.
Speaker 3 (43:09):
Yeah, all that, all those things.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Think through it.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
Think through it.
Anything else, I guess or Idon't know if you had anything
before, Anything else that wedidn't cover that you would want
to make sure that someone knowsabout the business, about the
program or anything coming in.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I would say the program can help you start.
Honestly, it can help you startany subcontracting type
business.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
We used to call this service sixfigure service-based
business course.
That's what it used to becalled, because we're like you
could do this for lawn windowanything, anything.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
I got a testimonial.
This guy did what was it?
10k with mobile massages.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
I was like I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
He was like my wife was a masseuse and they started
the cleaning business Like wait,this could work for this and he
was like yeah, we started amobile and people did it with
carpet.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
Some people did it with daycare, Daycare, yeah.
Just hiring people to work foryou.
Literally, essentially, butyeah, literally.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
So you could.
That's one thing.
Maybe, if cleaning's not yourthing per se, like you said, you
got mobile car detail, you gotwindow washing, you've got lawn,
anything where you need to hirea subcontractor to perform the
work and you are responsible fordoing the marketing, the
customer outreach, the phonecost, whatever.
You could apply this sametemplate to that uh business.
(44:31):
Um, what else I will say?
I was telling them before, likewe even cleaned hotels, which
is like something you wouldn'teven think of yeah because they
have um, they hire housekeeping,but they outsource that too.
So if you just never know thatsome of it is completely.
Speaker 3 (44:49):
Some people think it's like oh, you're a big
company, so you're just gonna gowith, yeah, whoever you hire,
or whatever but no, yeah, how'dthey?
Speaker 2 (44:55):
let's get into how they find you like google wow
yep, they reached out to me.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
It was a family owned company.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
They were like a boutique hotel.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
And it was great for us because it was a small unit.
They're not your standard likebig room.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
But boutique hotels cost a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
They're not like the regular rate.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
And so they had a little bit more to be able to
spend.
You come in, all of thesupplies are there, you don't
need to bring nothing.
You know they have a um, theyhave a template of kind of how
they want things done.
So, as long as you're up tospeed on their processing
procedures, you just need toplug somebody in the laundry's
done everything.
All you do is we came in, uh,had somebody get trained up on
(45:34):
and it took like 20 minutes tounderstand what was what and we
was in there, flipping themrooms, turning them around keep
in mind, it's still a bed, ashower, a toilet.
It's nothing different than whatit's, just understanding what
that customer is looking for.
How do you want the pillows tobe laid?
Just a little bit of thedetails, but yeah, it paid well.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
Was that a contract?
Was that a timeline?
Speaker 1 (45:54):
no, they used us as a like, as needed.
So they would call hey, wedon't have anybody, can y'all?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
come and guess what, if you call?
Speaker 1 (46:01):
me, let me in.
You gotta add something to it.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
You have to add something to it.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Yeah, it's a little bit more expensive.
Like, yeah, we coming.
Come on, granny, we'll be there.
Yes, that's good.
Speaker 3 (46:14):
I don't think I had any other questions.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
We just wanted again for coming.
I say again because we didrecord this about two three
months ago.
Speaker 3 (46:23):
We didn't let you guys know.
We recorded this about two,three months ago and we had some
issues, some technical issues,so we had to run it back.
So we appreciate you spendingsome more time with us to share
your story with our students,letting people know what's
possible and uh.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
So we're gonna represent with your award from
cleaning business universityUniversity doing over $300,000
in your cleaning business Woowoo, woo, thank you, thank you.
We're going to update that to$400,000 now yeah, we ain't
giving awards every $100,000.
Now, that was a customized one.
That's what I mean.
When you hit $500,000, we'llgive you the medium sized one,
(46:58):
and then you'll get the bigplatinum one.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Ooh, okay we'll give you the medium size one and then
you get the big platinum one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, but no, we reallyappreciate you just coming out
and telling your story.
It really goes a long way forpeople who's just wondering if
it's possible, can I do it?
Can I work in my city?
Can you know all those thingsyou kind of hear.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
So and it helps people show that this is real,
it's you're I'm a real person,that you're a real person, but
then also the impact that youhave created for family members
and friends and cleaners.
You know that's a real thing.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
That's it for More Than Side Hustle podcast this
week.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Yes.
So please, guys, I want tothank you.
We want to appreciate let youguys know we appreciate you guys
listening to every singleepisode, leaving us five-star
reviews.
We want to get up to 400five-star reviews by the end of
this year.
That's a very ambitious goalYear or month.
I was going to say end of theyear.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Oh, okay, okay, that's good.
That's what I was about to say.
That's a good goal.
It's fine.
In the stories you tell us itwas a five-star review.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
If you feel time, have a good one, bye, bye.
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