July 1, 2025 • 35 mins
Discover the strategy that took Correys Remote Cleaning business to doubling revenue in just 12 months.
In this episode , he breaks down exactly what he changed, why it worked, and how you can implement the same approach in your own business.
What you'll learn:
- How he went from doing everything myself to 90% hands-off operations
- The contractor model that eliminated employee headaches
- Why he stopped being scared to scale after my bankruptcy experience
- Specific systems that allowed him to expand
- How to build generational wealth while teaching your kids entrepreneurship
Whether you're a new entrepreneur or looking to break through a revenue plateau, this one change can transform your business growth.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
what's going on guys?
Welcome to another episode ofthe more than a side hustle
podcast.
We help nine-to-fives createmore impact, income and
influence, and today is nodifferent.
We got my main man, cory,founder of real men, get it done
cleaning services.
If you guys don't know, youcould.
He is a returning guest on theshow.
(00:32):
His episode actually wasrecorded back in april of 2023,
so we got a lot of catching upto do with him.
We're going to talk about someof his largest contracts that he
secured, but if you want to getthe full, foundational story of
Corey, you could go back andlisten to episode 74 on the
podcast.
And welcome on, corey, excitedto have you.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yes, sir, appreciate you and appreciate being here.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
No, appreciate you, man.
So let's go ahead and get itrocking.
So I know we recorded back in2023, but I do want to give the
people a little bit of overviewabout yourself you know who you
are and what you do in case theydon't go back to listen to that
amazing episode you did so.
Just give them a briefbackground about yourself and we
could get it started from there.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, I'm originally from Ohio, have been in
Louisiana close to what 2016 iswhen we moved to Louisiana.
So start the cleaning businessroughly 2019, I want to say, or
between 2019 2020, as Jeff, aoutlet for me and the cleaning
(01:38):
company actually started withthe brand.
So I guess to take a step back,I started the YouTube channel
first, which was called real manget it done, and in I really
just showcased life and part ofthat life was cleaning.
So I saw a dope Instagram postfrom Michelle Welch and she's
been on the podcast before, butshe's dope and she's out of
Florida and she was just showingwhat she did to make money
(02:01):
cleaning and she had like $600of just cleaning, like a moving
out clean, and I'm like I'malready cleaning my home.
I'm showcasing that.
I think I want to start acleaning business.
So, from that inspiration alone,started a big cleaning business
, still having a nine to fiveand just working in the evenings
for the cleaning business, andthen really wanted to scale and
kind of grow it.
After about a year and a half Iconnected and saw y'all on
(02:23):
Instagram and Facebook, chimedin on some of y'all lives, but I
was like I don't know if that'sthe route I want to go.
So I probably let it go,probably a half a year, even
close to a year later, and I waslike I think I'm ready and so I
think in 2022 is when Iactually got the course Cleaning
Business University and havejust taken off from there.
So transition myself to gettingout of the business from the
(02:45):
day-to-day cleaning and thengrowing to have up to I think we
have 18 contractors now and thebusiness just has been evolving
.
So the past three years being apart of CBU, I've grown
exponentially from when Istarted my first year and a half
.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Let's go so a few notes.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Let's go.
No, you're good.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So a few notes on that I want to things that I do
want to highlight.
So you also had your nine tofive and you were building a
cleaning business that night.
So you were leaving your nineto five and after hours going
out and doing move in, move outor late night cleanings.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And that's what made it abeautiful thing, because I knew
I had a nine to five and so myonly niche was moving out,
because I didn't have anydaytime and I used my few lives.
My family, my family, has beena big support with my kids,
putting them in the business towork.
My parents were here as well.
Everybody has helped supportingme with like this dream and
vision.
So after hours just made itmake the most sense, because
(03:59):
everyone that's doing movingcleans or moving out, they don't
care when you clean.
So that's why it was a perfectfit.
I would just kind of tellpeople during the day I'm like
sorry, we're booked, we don'thave any availability.
So, no, we couldn't do any likeregular kind of recurring
cleans and all of our businesswas just the evenings and with
the moving in or moving outcleans, and we were on the
weekends as well and we justwere doing amazing.
(04:19):
It was crazy how much it reallywas coming to fruition just by
jumping into the cleaningbusiness.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Okay, well, we got a little bit of Corey's backstory.
So it's been about two yearssince our last interview and
during that time, we talkedabout a few things.
We talked about potentiallyexpanding to different locations
.
We talked about you know yourbusiness growth, so give us a
little bit of a summary on let'sstart with the numbers, because
that's what people want to know.
So, back in 2023, when we lastinterviewed you, do you remember
(04:46):
what your revenue was for thatyear?
And then also, um, what are youprojecting in 2025?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I don't know exactly where I was, but I do remember
like after the first year beinga part of the dentistry
university.
So this is going on year numberagain three.
Um, the first year I know Ijust cracked six figures.
And then when I first crackedsix figures, that's when you
learn six figures isn't a lot ofmoney because you're like I did
(05:15):
it, I made it.
But it's not a lot of moneybecause when you think of what
people don't say is that yeah, Imade the six figures, but when
you're paying out for yourinsurances or your contractors
and stuff and that pie gets alittle smaller.
So that was a learningexperience.
So then year two coming in,which was this past year, did
better, did better.
I know it was well over the sixfigures.
I can't remember exactly, butdefinitely maybe, let's say,
(05:37):
20,000 more over the six figuremark First time I just made it.
Next year I surpassed a littlebit more.
This year at six months in I'malready at six figures.
Wow.
So that's six months in, yeah,that's six months into this year
.
Just with how I've grown,expanded the business into um,
(05:57):
going more on the commercialside also, adding carpet
cleaning, adding flooring, uh,waxing and stripping, so just
adding those pieces alone haskind of grown the business to be
able to be a one-stop shop.
So if someone has a moving outclean, yeah we can do the
carpets.
If someone is a commercial orwants some janitorial work,
we're always going to ask them.
You know your floors look kindof bad.
(06:18):
So jumping and adding thoseadd-ons in have just boosted and
grown business tremendously.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Congratulations have just boosted and grown business
tremendously Congratulations.
So your first year, firstcouple years, you were talking
about six figures and now you'rehalfway through the year and
you already have six figures.
So congratulations on that, man.
And you did mention just nowthat you were adding additional
services on.
So, coming from a nine to fivejob, knowing nothing about the
cleaning industry, and nowyou're at a point where you're
doing multiple six figures in ayear and you're adding services.
(06:45):
How are you adding thoseservices?
Are you learning more aboutthose type of things or are you
doing them yourselves?
Like we talk about strippingfloors?
I think that takes some type ofskills.
So are you doing that?
Are you going youtube like,talk to me about that?
Speaker 1 (06:57):
we are we, we are so for and this is why I say I
still I'm like 90 out ofbusiness because I don't do any
of the day-to-day cleaning, buton the commercial side, with the
flooring, that's where I still,um, definitely have an imprint
in my foot in there.
And what we've done is I'vebeen able to teach my son
because, like I said, all mykids are part of the business,
so I love being able to, theseyears, share entrepreneurship
(07:18):
with them.
Even my son, he has a goal thissummer because we've been
rocking and rolling he wants tobuy himself a car.
So he has a little bucket but,but.
But he wants to buy himself a.
He wants a car like he.
I mean his ideas.
You know, teenagers, he'scharger.
Or I want you know a coma or Iwant to yeah.
So again we gotta we gotta driveback some, but again he
(07:38):
definitely gonna help him out,of course.
But he definitely is buildinghis own bank account to be able
to have and get a car by timeschool year starts again.
So that has been my focus ofteaching him and then also still
being out of that.
So now that he's 17, he's aboutto transition to be a senior
for this summer probably 90% ofthe stripping and waxing he's
(07:59):
done.
So the past year me grinding itout with him and us learning it
together with YouTubeUniversity, teaching him the
method he can do most of thestripping and waxing and so I
kind of pass it off to him aswell.
So still out of business.
But sometimes he hates carpetcleaning.
Usually I'm doing the carpetcleaning.
That's the one area that hedoes he hates.
Like I told you, I had to go tosome carpets before I jumped on
(08:19):
this call.
But yeah, it's been beautifuljust even seeing him his growth
and development.
While I'm still at the nine tofive and he's offered a summer,
he can go knock out a strip andwax at 12 o'clock in the
afternoon.
So that's how we kind ofexpanded.
We evolved to really kind offocus on the residential.
All the contractors take careof the residential, still have
contractors taking care of thecommercial, but the flooring on
(08:40):
the commercial side we're doingit, or my son, specifically, is
the one doing it.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
So you got teams going out right now, you got
your son, you got the nine tofive.
So how are you managing the?
Well, what's your typical daylike when it comes to your
business or your life in general?
What's the typical day like?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, well, I do fortunately have an operations
manager, so that helps a lot interms of the day to day, I think
.
For me, when I first firstthing waking up, just a quick,
quick snapshot I'm at the gym,so working out, trying to get
some meditation devotion in onmy way to the gym, try to get a
mile running after that, andthen I'm showering and
(09:17):
transition right to my nine tofive.
So I usually am there maybe ahalf an hour to 45 minutes
before my actual job starts.
So I kind of use that time towork on the business.
Whatever may be needs to bedone.
And one thing my mentor told meyears ago was focus on
everything that's moneyproducing, your money producing
activities.
So for me what that means is ifa quote needs to be completed,
(09:38):
if a contract needs to be signed, I focus on everything that's
going to generate money.
Anything else social media, etcetera, social media, etc.
Etc.
That all can wait.
I focus on the money producingactivities and then throughout
the day, my job is flexibleenough a text here, a phone call
here, my operations manager,just to make sure things are
good.
And even when I have downtimelunch break, a 15 minute break I
(09:59):
can jump on and also managephones or manage things really
remotely, because a lot of ourbusiness um people necessarily
don't want to talk, they're goodwith texting back and forth.
So as long as I have my mac um,it's easy to shoot a text.
Even if I just have my phone,it's easy to communicate with
the clients, even give them aquick quote.
Right there be a text message,and that's how we just keep
things moving.
And then during the eveningagain, once I'm off work, I try
(10:22):
to reserve that for doing anycarpets, or if my son can't get
to a wax, I'll do a wax.
But it's all after work hoursand on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
That's good.
Oh, so the weekends as well?
So before work, you're working,after work, you're working.
So people talk about.
Tell me a little bit about whenpeople say I don't have the
time to build a business.
You got a family, you got anine-to-five, you got the
business, you got the brand.
How are you prioritizing theimportance of the task for you?
(10:50):
So I know you mentioned revenuegenerating activity, but, as
you know, as a father,something's gonna have to fall
to the wayside when it's alittle less family time or a
little less, little lessbusiness time.
What does that look like foryou?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
for me, I'm blessed to be at a position with and
even though I've been in thebusiness going on six years, my
kids have grown with me.
So for me I use that asopportunity to kind of be with
my kids and for us to kind ofgrow and develop.
In that regard, that's beenreally dope.
My wife actually works secondshift because she's a sheriff's
deputy, so in the evenings andstuff like it really doesn't
(11:25):
bother me, like she's off duringthe weekend, so I try to make
sure we carve out that time onthe weekends, but as I'm coming
home she's already at work.
So only ones I've had to worryabout over the past you know
what since 2016, since we movedto louisiana, is the kids, and
for me, again, I've been the dadto take them to the.
My job is more flexible.
I'm an educator by day, so Ihave had the flexibility to take
them to the.
My job is more flexible.
I'm an educator by day, so Ihave had the flexibility to take
(11:45):
them to dentist appointments,orthodontist appointments, take
them to practice, and I have waymore flexibility than my wife.
So I just had to make it workand oftentimes people would see
me.
They would know I have mylaptop everywhere.
So if my daughter has practiceor if he has a basketball game,
I'm the parent that's theredropping her off.
And while we're there, beforethe game starts, I'm conducting
business on my laptop.
(12:05):
The game is starting, I shut it.
Have time, open the laptop backup, get some work done, game,
then shut it.
So those are the kind of thingsthat, for me, is the commitment
to the business and wanting tosee it be, see it do well.
And so when people are sayingtime, you know, as an educator I
teach things about timemanagement skills of students
and leadership skills.
It's not that you don't haveenough time, you just aren't
(12:28):
managing your time well.
So that usually is always theissue you have enough time, you
just aren't managing it well.
Like, what are you doingthroughout the course of a day?
As I said, we have all thosedifferent random breaks.
If you're even working a nineto five, you have your two 15
minute breaks.
You have your hour lunch break.
That's time.
Right there you can be workingon the business.
You may not be a morning person.
You may have to go to bed earlyand force yourself to be a
(12:49):
morning person.
To get up when I'm as busy as Iam.
I just know you're just givingme excuses.
You can find time in a day, notif you're a busy mom, if you're
(13:14):
a busy dad, if you got kids.
You can find the time.
You just have to want to findthe time and you got to be
disciplined about it.
That's the biggest thing beingdisciplined about your business
and wanting it to be successful.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I find that to be disrespectful.
Sometimes, when people tell melike oh, I'm busy or I forgot or
I didn't have the time to getback to you.
I am super busy, you're superbusy, and I'm like we were going
back and forth in chat tofigure this out and I told you
know, like wait, let me just hopin here because this is taking
too long and I know I'm not toobusy to respond to him, I think
if he would text me you know howquickly I respond Like I don't
play so.
So when people say like I don'thave the time or I'm too busy
(13:50):
to me, that just means thatthere is something else.
You are choosing not to dosomething.
If you say that at that point,right, like I am choosing not to
respond to you, I am choosingnot to do this in my business.
So it's a choice we all have tomake.
So one thing that you said thata little while ago was a little
bit about your team structure,and I definitely want to go into
that because it's super amazingthat you were able to
(14:12):
essentially double your revenuein a year.
So if you did six figures lastyear and this year already
doubled, you already did sixfigures at this point in the
year, you don't attract todouble your revenue for this
year.
So talk to me a little bitabout your team structure.
So you mentioned your opsmanager.
Where did you find your opsmanager?
What give me?
Give me that breakdown.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Let's walk through that for a little bit okay, so I
don't know if I want to letthis out the bag because it's so
amazing say what you want tosay and don't say we hold it
nothing back here, okay yeah,yeah.
So I I would say a lot of peoplehave VAs and things.
I had a VA at one time and Iwas at a different location.
My VA worked wonders and wasamazing, rocked with me for
(14:54):
almost a full year.
But what I found is thatsometimes when you're hiring VAs
, it's overseas, the burnouthappens.
They're juggling multiplethings and then they can
eventually go shoot and thenfall to.
So when I was looking for anops manager, I really just
looked at my inner circle.
As I said, people are likepeople often saying like don't
work with your family, don'twork with friends, don't work
(15:15):
with.
But for me, like I said, Ilooked at my inner circle of who
do I trust, who are the peoplethat are around me, who are the
people that want me to besuccessful, and where do people
are OK with growing with me,with me.
So, even in my team, like, Ifound some awesome people that
(15:35):
are, you know, cleaners thatI've pretty much kind of
rewarded to say this is wherewe're going, this is what we're
trying to do.
A title is a lot for some people, like are you okay with having
this title of an ops manager?
Because, as we're doingbusiness, conducting business, I
want to be able to let peopleknow they have to go through you
before they can get to me.
So that was the conversationwith some of those cleaners.
So they're still 1099.
(15:56):
Again, didn't change them toany employees or anything, but
again they're paid for them,kind of doing a little bit above
and beyond.
And that may not be the perfectideal structure but again,
sometimes in this business,since it's so unregulated, we're
trying to make it happen untilwe can do what some of the
larger corporations are doingand putting people on full
salaries and whatnot.
And so they were open andwilling to rock with me to say
(16:17):
like, yes, I'm okay with havingthat title, knowing that I have
a little bit more responsibilitywith kind of connecting with
some of these, these, these, uhcontracts and kind of being the
buffer for you.
I've always been a buffer and Itell people all the time you
always have an assistant, it'syourself.
Never be the person in front ofyour business, because to me I
think that will burn you andthat's something I learned from
(16:38):
a mentor two years ago you neverbe the fore-facing person.
So when people connect with methey don't even know they're
dealing with the owner.
I use my middle name and that'swhat they're connecting with
the assistant for real men getit done cleaning services.
So that is a buffer that Icreated before I even had a
staff and have grown to whereI'm at.
And then, now that I have theoperations managers and I kind
of have like one and a half oneperson I'm really trying to push
(17:00):
even more.
So, uh, with another bigcontract we're looking to secure
, but kind of like one and ahalf operations managers
hopefully two here soon I'mpushing them to be that buffer
and they are the ones reallyworking with the contractors
directly because they'recleaners in the field as well
and they're being the buffer forme with all the contracts that
we have out in the area.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Okay, so you had one of your top cleaners and you're
like listen, this person isalready responsive.
They're not dropping the ball.
I can take them seriously.
They understand the businessand use us.
We just had a casualconversation like this is where
I want to go, this is what we'regoing to do you rocking with me
or not?
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Yep, and it's a beautiful thing seeing them grow
too, because I think the one ofthe things that I got into
business for was to createopportunities.
So for me, I think anotherreason why we've been blessed
I'm very adamant about no matterwhat faith background that
you're in, because even peoplewho don't believe in nothing,
they believe in giving orpouring out.
I'm a true believer of that.
(17:54):
That.
You have to pour out, believein people and pour out on people
like treat people right, doright by them.
So I'm always trying to do thatfor my contractors, like I will
take less money to make surethey're happy and they're
complete, happy and they'recomplete.
And so it's been a beautifulthing with the contractors and
even with the operationsmanagers, just being able to
level them up, to be like I wantyou to succeed, because if we
(18:14):
do well, if you do well, I do,we all do well.
And I know for sure, even withthe business model that you guys
have created, I don't thinknowhere people are making as
much money as they can.
Whatever split you do 50-50,60-40, 70-30.
When I looked at we were justhaving a quick conversation with
my operations manager yesterdaybecause I often like to look at
the competition and see whatthey're doing.
(18:35):
A very big company that's beenhere since the 60s has a
janitorial business.
I looked at their pay.
The highest of their pay was$12.
An hour $12.
I was making that back in 2011.
Exactly.
And then even talking to solocleaners who may have a little
(18:55):
teams, the highest I've seen inmy area was $15.
Our cleaners are easily.
Even when I have to go to thecommercial side and give them
only hourly and say 20, 25 anhour, we're still crushing all
the competition in terms of evenpaying and just doing right by
our people.
So I think that's also just apiece of our success that you
know we get good people andpeople that are interested,
(19:16):
because when it really comesdown to the crunching the
numbers, nowhere else are yougoing to be able to work here
and make as much money.
Even with my son, he got a jobreal quick at KFC, worked there
maybe two months and I made himget a job at KFC because he
wasn't appreciating working fordad and I was telling him you go
, you go do a floor and you'rethere for three hours and you
made a hundred dollars.
(19:36):
What job is you going to growwhere you're making over $25 an
hour?
So I made him go get a job atKFC and he came and turned back
around like, yeah, I don't wantto do this.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
He didn't want to smell like chicken anymore.
I don't want to do this anymore.
He don't want to smell likechicken anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Huh I don't want to work for somebody else.
And now he's I mean he'scrushing it this summer.
So yeah, he definitely got alittle bit of humble pie here,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
That's why I say this business model is a win-win-win
situation.
So it's a win for the businessowner, because you're now able
to build a team around what youeither knew how to do and didn't
want to do anymore, orsomething that you weren't
passionate about you couldoutsource.
It's a win for the clientbecause they wouldn't have
gotten in contact with anamazing cleaner or cleaning team
where that now they canactually find someone to
actually do the work, beresponsive, be on time and do
(20:19):
what they say they're going todo.
And then, lastly, it's a winfor the cleaning team, the
cleaning partner, because now,like you just said, they're
getting paid more than what theywould have done at a local
cleaning company.
They probably got more freedomand flexibility and the upward
mobility is absolutely amazingbecause it's a small, literally
a small mom and pop shop, whichis you, and they have the
ability to see every facet ofthe business.
(20:40):
They can decide to grow withyou or they can learn the
business structure and do theirown thing down the line.
So that's why I say it's a win,win, win for everyone all
around.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Totally so.
That's why I say it's a win,win, win for everyone all around
.
Totally agree.
Yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
So let's talk about a little bit.
About your last we spoke, youwere talking about some of the
fears you had when you werelaunching a business, so some of
the fears you had when you weretransitioning to out of the
actual cleaning.
How have you gotten over thosefears when now you seem like you
said you got how many teammembers?
18?
.
So what does that look liketoday and how has that fear
(21:13):
changed the business model foryou?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Again, I'm a risk taker so I don't mind taking the
risk, and I think we've spokenabout this before.
So for me the biggest challenge, honestly, was only thinking
about W-2 employees, the themodel of even just having 1099
and contractors was so mindblowing, because that's what I
feared.
It's like I don't want to betrying to match a payroll and
(21:38):
paying people on the clock andwe have no work.
So how can I do that and try togrow and level up the business?
And so I think when I even seenyou guys and listen to what you
were saying again, I guess itmay be even click and even seen
you guys and listen to what youwere saying again, I guess it
maybe didn't click.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
And then, of course that was the time probably you
know around, covid everybodynamed mama was doing courses.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I spent a waste of so much money during covid.
It was like not, it was likeone more thing I wasn't ready to
put no more money into hold on,hold on.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Let me pause for a second.
We just celebrated five yearsof of cleaning business
university.
If you go back, how many peopleare still sharing the
information of the somethingthat they started then right.
So I want to give us a shoutout.
Number one, but number two, yes, I totally agree with you.
So it was, um, it was a marketwhere everyone had more time,
(22:22):
everyone had more money thantime, and they're like, listen,
I'd rather just spend my moneyto learn and grow something, so
continue your story.
My bad, my bad, but I had toshout this out right quick.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
No, seriously, no, like for real.
That part was dope.
And so I think, since so manypeople were selling things and I
know I got and a lot of thingsI'll say this because I know
some people still have somereservations about the course in
the community, as I've been apart of a lot of communities and
whatnot you can find value inanything you pay money for.
(22:58):
But again, as we said earlier,you have to be willing to do the
work.
So it doesn't matter if you'rea part of a community, if you
buy a course on leadership ormarketing or how to run social
media.
As I told you, I also had aYouTube channel which helped me
actually create the cleaningbusiness.
Even then I got a coach.
I only did YouTube for so longand it was like levels to this,
so I had to get a coach tounderstand the platform to be as
successful as I can.
(23:18):
So if you're thinking aboutdoing anything and putting any
money behind anything likeoftentimes when people are
saying something isn't working,it's not really the program,
it's them.
So that is kind of just where Iwas at.
All the things I had put moneyinto, some things went very well
, but then you just learn likeOK, that may have not been for
me, so that's why I was kind ofnot side eyeing Clean Digital
University.
It just was the moment of likenot wanting to spend any more
(23:40):
money on any more products.
No-transcript.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
So you mentioned you mentioned a little bit about
systems, right?
You mentioned the operationsmanager.
How have your systems evolvedsince 2023 to where it is now?
Because I know around that timeyou were just starting, so you
got any SOPs, anything orsystematized that you could walk
us through in your businesswhere you're like this is
(24:20):
something that you need to havein your business um, for me it's
.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
It's almost the the, not the tangible piece of it,
because you can have all systemsin the world, yeah and that's
maybe not.
That's not.
That's going to help you.
The biggest thing that has beenthe game changer and I tell
people all the time when they'reready to listen is your
customer service.
For me that has been huge, likethat's a big part of my sop.
Of the contractors, even thoughthey aren't employees, like I
(24:47):
still give them a contractoragreement.
Like they have a contract thatthey signed but they have
another contract which is their,their subcontractor agreement,
which just gives a snapshot of,like, what you're actually doing
as a subcontractor and lettingthem still understand that you
are under my umbrella.
So it's not to to bind them byany means, but it's to just kind
of let them know which you goout as a subcontractor.
(25:09):
This is what the client isexpecting.
They're just expecting it to bedone the right way because they
see the reviews, they seepeople talking about it.
So I think I carry that on withthe contractors.
More like expectations, yeahexactly and even with the
clients.
Our reviews speak forthemselves.
We've been five-star rated fromday one.
May have a small blemish hereor there, but I've always done
(25:32):
my best to make it right.
If we've messed up Sometimesyou'll get those clients that
don't care, they just want youto you couldn't please them, no
matter what you did.
Yeah, exactly, but I always goout of my way to be able to make
sure that customer servicepiece is there and making sure
we ask them for the reviews,because oftentimes you think
it's just a no brainer People doreviews but people forget they
(25:52):
aren't paying attention to it,or this is a whole bunch of
reasons.
But even from day one, before Ieven joined the cleaning
business university and only hada Facebook page, I always
followed up with the client tosay please give me a review.
This is going to help me growmy business if we did a good job
and I've stuck to that.
You know these almost six yearslater and that's why we stay
five star rated and people kindof see that like, oh OK, they
(26:15):
are who they say they are.
When people look for us in ourarea for Google, we are always
usually in the top three.
We rotate, but we're usually inthat top three and to me that
says a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
So I want to transition a little bit and talk
about some of those big winsyou had recently, because that's
what queued this up for thisconversation that we're having
now, and I felt like it was timeto get you back on.
So you have just secured two ofthe largest contracts that you
had in your business.
So walk me through the numbersand then we'll talk about how
you found them or how they foundyou, but then also walk me
(26:52):
through some of thosetransitional changes you had to
make in your business.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
So let's start with the contracts and some of those
numbers.
Yes, so the first one, um is a,is a local um steel
manufacturer.
That steel manufacturer, uh, isone of the top leading ones in
the nation.
Uh, they, anytime you see metalroofing on Home Depot or a
casino or Lowe's, they're theones that pretty much probably
created because they're justthat big Employee owned.
(27:17):
They have one of their largestcenters, hubs here in the
Shreveport area, which is dope.
So we secured that contract.
And when you start getting intocontracts of that magnitude,
obviously your insurances haveto change.
So that shifted some things ofbuying some more industrial type
equipment, flooring equipmentand whatnot, and upping some of
(27:37):
those insurances.
And that one was signed on adotted line $55,000 plus floor
care, which, as I told you, isanother piece of our business.
So we couldn't add thatautomatically for the year, but
we've done strip and waxing forthe whole area.
We still are going totransition to some carpeting and
(27:57):
that's just the first time thisyear.
So then the goal is trying topush them to do it quarterly, so
once every three months or so,or at least twice out the year
year.
So that already boosts thatcontract up.
You know a little bit more thanthat 55, but that's what we
signed on.
The dotted line uh, for our,our cleaning um contractors to
take care of that monday throughfriday.
And then the second one, whichwe ain't gonna just skim past
(28:20):
that like oh okay, okay, justskim past that.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
So you just got number one congratulations, cory
, because we got to remember.
Where I say this all the timeis that when I, when I talk to
students and I and I get a lotof I get a lot of people who are
starting now, because that, tome, that's, that's a fun.
I am a starter, I'm a personthat's going to get something
done, get it launched Right, andI talked a lot of beginning
entrepreneurs and I think that'sthat's my passion and that's
(28:45):
where I spend a lot of time at,and now we can talk about scale
and growth and all that We'vedone multiple seven figures, but
a lot of times we kind of skimover those details because we
don't remember where we were.
And I got the proof, I got theevidence.
I got the last interview we didback in 2023.
So I want to just commend youfor securing a $55,000 plus
(29:07):
contract right and securing oneof the largest metal
distributors in the nation.
That is huge, man.
So I definitely want to commendyou and I want to congratulate
you on that and I want to giveyou your flowers, because this
is something you said you wantedto do.
You sorted it out and you gotit done.
Now, how did you get thecontract?
Give us the details on that,walk us through that, because
(29:27):
that's going to be a question.
Well, that's great, you didthat, but how can I do that?
Speaker 1 (29:32):
I already know the question.
Yeah, the first thing, eventaking it back, because we had
one big one last year as wellwhich is still ongoing.
We got that one for two years,the housing authority of Bossier
City.
So we cleaned all of theportable housing section for the
city of Bossier and evengetting to the commercial side.
If you're doing residentialcommercial will come again, but
(29:54):
it's levels to it because youmay get like we got.
For example, it was a couple ofyears ago on the 4th of July a
contractor was doing a Walmartremodel and they needed the
bathrooms clean.
They just call us out of theblue, would you do it?
I threw out any kind of number.
I throw out like $2,000, $1,000for each bathroom.
They're like got it?
Yes, because we were the onlyones willing to come on the 4th
of July.
We came the first thing in themorning Was that just Google, it
(30:18):
was Google.
Yeah, it was Google, it wasGoogle.
So you'll get things like thaton the residential side, which
will just be commercial andwhich will be dope.
But what I want to do, as wewere coming and seeing how the
economy was starting to be whereit was, I really wanted to grow
my commercial pro portfoliobecause I knew residential just
it's just knowing how the ebbsand flows of life If I'm
(30:42):
struggling to pay my bills, I'mgoing to cut cleaning services.
So I didn't want to be puttingall of my A's in one basket with
the residential side.
So that's what pushed me togrow commercial.
So I started looking into itagain.
I was on a look and listen tothe podcast.
I was on Instagram and foundsomebody somebody else that's
really big on Instagram coach.
I think it was John Austincoach.
(31:03):
He's out of Houston or whatnot.
We're talking about contractsand commercial contracts saying
this is what you need to do Findan Apex Accelerator, find your
SBA.
So I just started Googling.
I Googled from the SBA and Ifound what's called an Apex
Accelerator A-P-E-X Acceleratorand everyone has one in their
neck of the woods.
It is free.
It's usually paid for, kind ofmaybe through the SBA or your
(31:25):
local chamber of commerce, butthey are tasked with helping
business owners get ready forcontracting and that's the hard
work that I did to do thingslike a capability statement
that's your resume when you're acommercial cleaner to learn the
ins and outs.
I got certified to be acontractor for the government.
Everyone wants to be acontractor for the federal
(31:49):
government, so I did all thework to learn about contracting,
the capability statement, theins and outs reading For the
government.
When they send out contractsthey're like hundreds of pages,
taking the time to understandthe process and to apply for
government contracts.
Now I'll be honest, I appliedprobably for like 10 government
contracts.
Didn't win any of them, but youlearn through the process and
(32:11):
learning how to do contracts,the ebb and flow of it, how to
set them up, do them the rightway.
Working with my Apex Accelerator, again completely free, allowed
me to be comfortable with nowsubmitting contracts locally.
So that's how we were able towin the government contract,
which is through the city,through the housing authority
that we have here ShreveportBozer Housing Authority and then
(32:33):
it just made me comfortablewhen these bigger corporations
connected with us about doingservices.
I was already in the classroomof learning about contracts to
be able to do it.
So that was the groundwork laid, probably like a year before
all this happened.
Again, I've been in businesssix years.
About two years ago I was likeI want to switch to commercial
and I did the work Working withthe Apex Accelerator.
(32:54):
Learning about contracts andspending all the time to read
that stuff was a part of just mebeing in the hard knock life in
the classroom.
So that was initially got me ina place to be comfortable.
So when these things presentthemselves, I was okay with
doing it.
(33:15):
Make it a refinalist?
I believe he wouldn't say so.
The, the, the metal company.
Like I said they a lot of timeswith some of these folks like
they'll say that they gotinformation, someone told them
about you, but they won't namedrop.
So I think it was a combinationof someone mentioning us and
then also, obviously, theyGoogled us.
I could feel they Googled usbecause that's how they left the
message and found us.
So it was a mixture of that andit just was a conversation of
(33:36):
let's do a walkthrough and let'ssee if this can be a good fit.
And one of the biggest thingshe asked us after we did.
The walkthrough was do youthink you can handle this?
He was really adamant and meand my operation manager was
like yeah, like we can, if youhave an opportunity, we can and
we know we'll do better than thepeople you had before.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
So that was the first one that was a few gems few
gems on that one but the biggestgem that I got was stay ready
so that you don't have to getready.
You said you did the work ayear before you got the
opportunity.
Now, a lot of times we jumpinto these things and we're like
why is it not paying off today?
When is it going to pay off?
(34:13):
How is it going to pay off?
And we never know when theactual result will come.
So we have to put ourselves inposition so that when that
result comes, we are preparedfor it.
It's never just going to bethere when you are ready for it,
but when you make yourselfready, you don't have to get
ready.
So congratulations,congratulations on that.
Now, when they said when thegentleman looked you in the face
(34:34):
and said, can you handle this,did you take offense to that?
Or you were like he trying tosum me or something, or what?
Speaker 1 (34:40):
No, I didn't, Because , just being realistic, there
are tons of cleaners because theindustry is so unregulated, so
there's tons of cleaners, andthat's what happens usually.
Cleaners will take on somethingthat they cannot handle and
then be way well over theirheads.
And I learned that excuse me,with the government contracting,
because that's when I learnedhow cheap the government is.
(35:01):
They could care less about thequality of work, they just want
the person who's going to bidthe lowest on a bid.
And so, with the governmentcontracting, we have a
government base in our backyard.
I went to several governmentcontracting walkthroughs that
were on site here in my area.
what's going on guys?
Welcome to another episode ofthe more than a side hustle
podcast.
We help nine-to-fives createmore impact, income and
influence, and today is nodifferent.
We got my main man, cory,founder of real men, get it done
cleaning services.
If you guys don't know, youcould.
He is a returning guest on theshow.
(00:32):
His episode actually wasrecorded back in april of 2023,
so we got a lot of catching upto do with him.
We're going to talk about someof his largest contracts that he
secured, but if you want to getthe full, foundational story of
Corey, you could go back andlisten to episode 74 on the
podcast.
And welcome on, corey, excitedto have you.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yes, sir, appreciate you and appreciate being here.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
No, appreciate you, man.
So let's go ahead and get itrocking.
So I know we recorded back in2023, but I do want to give the
people a little bit of overviewabout yourself you know who you
are and what you do in case theydon't go back to listen to that
amazing episode you did so.
Just give them a briefbackground about yourself and we
could get it started from there.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, I'm originally from Ohio, have been in
Louisiana close to what 2016 iswhen we moved to Louisiana.
So start the cleaning businessroughly 2019, I want to say, or
between 2019 2020, as Jeff, aoutlet for me and the cleaning
(01:38):
company actually started withthe brand.
So I guess to take a step back,I started the YouTube channel
first, which was called real manget it done, and in I really
just showcased life and part ofthat life was cleaning.
So I saw a dope Instagram postfrom Michelle Welch and she's
been on the podcast before, butshe's dope and she's out of
Florida and she was just showingwhat she did to make money
(02:01):
cleaning and she had like $600of just cleaning, like a moving
out clean, and I'm like I'malready cleaning my home.
I'm showcasing that.
I think I want to start acleaning business.
So, from that inspiration alone,started a big cleaning business
, still having a nine to fiveand just working in the evenings
for the cleaning business, andthen really wanted to scale and
kind of grow it.
After about a year and a half Iconnected and saw y'all on
(02:23):
Instagram and Facebook, chimedin on some of y'all lives, but I
was like I don't know if that'sthe route I want to go.
So I probably let it go,probably a half a year, even
close to a year later, and I waslike I think I'm ready and so I
think in 2022 is when Iactually got the course Cleaning
Business University and havejust taken off from there.
So transition myself to gettingout of the business from the
(02:45):
day-to-day cleaning and thengrowing to have up to I think we
have 18 contractors now and thebusiness just has been evolving
.
So the past three years being apart of CBU, I've grown
exponentially from when Istarted my first year and a half
.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Let's go so a few notes.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Let's go.
No, you're good.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So a few notes on that I want to things that I do
want to highlight.
So you also had your nine tofive and you were building a
cleaning business that night.
So you were leaving your nineto five and after hours going
out and doing move in, move outor late night cleanings.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And that's what made it abeautiful thing, because I knew
I had a nine to five and so myonly niche was moving out,
because I didn't have anydaytime and I used my few lives.
My family, my family, has beena big support with my kids,
putting them in the business towork.
My parents were here as well.
Everybody has helped supportingme with like this dream and
vision.
So after hours just made itmake the most sense, because
(03:59):
everyone that's doing movingcleans or moving out, they don't
care when you clean.
So that's why it was a perfectfit.
I would just kind of tellpeople during the day I'm like
sorry, we're booked, we don'thave any availability.
So, no, we couldn't do any likeregular kind of recurring
cleans and all of our businesswas just the evenings and with
the moving in or moving outcleans, and we were on the
weekends as well and we justwere doing amazing.
(04:19):
It was crazy how much it reallywas coming to fruition just by
jumping into the cleaningbusiness.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Okay, well, we got a little bit of Corey's backstory.
So it's been about two yearssince our last interview and
during that time, we talkedabout a few things.
We talked about potentiallyexpanding to different locations
.
We talked about you know yourbusiness growth, so give us a
little bit of a summary on let'sstart with the numbers, because
that's what people want to know.
So, back in 2023, when we lastinterviewed you, do you remember
(04:46):
what your revenue was for thatyear?
And then also, um, what are youprojecting in 2025?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I don't know exactly where I was, but I do remember
like after the first year beinga part of the dentistry
university.
So this is going on year numberagain three.
Um, the first year I know Ijust cracked six figures.
And then when I first crackedsix figures, that's when you
learn six figures isn't a lot ofmoney because you're like I did
(05:15):
it, I made it.
But it's not a lot of moneybecause when you think of what
people don't say is that yeah, Imade the six figures, but when
you're paying out for yourinsurances or your contractors
and stuff and that pie gets alittle smaller.
So that was a learningexperience.
So then year two coming in,which was this past year, did
better, did better.
I know it was well over the sixfigures.
I can't remember exactly, butdefinitely maybe, let's say,
(05:37):
20,000 more over the six figuremark First time I just made it.
Next year I surpassed a littlebit more.
This year at six months in I'malready at six figures.
Wow.
So that's six months in, yeah,that's six months into this year
.
Just with how I've grown,expanded the business into um,
(05:57):
going more on the commercialside also, adding carpet
cleaning, adding flooring, uh,waxing and stripping, so just
adding those pieces alone haskind of grown the business to be
able to be a one-stop shop.
So if someone has a moving outclean, yeah we can do the
carpets.
If someone is a commercial orwants some janitorial work,
we're always going to ask them.
You know your floors look kindof bad.
(06:18):
So jumping and adding thoseadd-ons in have just boosted and
grown business tremendously.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Congratulations have just boosted and grown business
tremendously Congratulations.
So your first year, firstcouple years, you were talking
about six figures and now you'rehalfway through the year and
you already have six figures.
So congratulations on that, man.
And you did mention just nowthat you were adding additional
services on.
So, coming from a nine to fivejob, knowing nothing about the
cleaning industry, and nowyou're at a point where you're
doing multiple six figures in ayear and you're adding services.
(06:45):
How are you adding thoseservices?
Are you learning more aboutthose type of things or are you
doing them yourselves?
Like we talk about strippingfloors?
I think that takes some type ofskills.
So are you doing that?
Are you going youtube like,talk to me about that?
Speaker 1 (06:57):
we are we, we are so for and this is why I say I
still I'm like 90 out ofbusiness because I don't do any
of the day-to-day cleaning, buton the commercial side, with the
flooring, that's where I still,um, definitely have an imprint
in my foot in there.
And what we've done is I'vebeen able to teach my son
because, like I said, all mykids are part of the business,
so I love being able to, theseyears, share entrepreneurship
(07:18):
with them.
Even my son, he has a goal thissummer because we've been
rocking and rolling he wants tobuy himself a car.
So he has a little bucket but,but.
But he wants to buy himself a.
He wants a car like he.
I mean his ideas.
You know, teenagers, he'scharger.
Or I want you know a coma or Iwant to yeah.
So again we gotta we gotta driveback some, but again he
(07:38):
definitely gonna help him out,of course.
But he definitely is buildinghis own bank account to be able
to have and get a car by timeschool year starts again.
So that has been my focus ofteaching him and then also still
being out of that.
So now that he's 17, he's aboutto transition to be a senior
for this summer probably 90% ofthe stripping and waxing he's
(07:59):
done.
So the past year me grinding itout with him and us learning it
together with YouTubeUniversity, teaching him the
method he can do most of thestripping and waxing and so I
kind of pass it off to him aswell.
So still out of business.
But sometimes he hates carpetcleaning.
Usually I'm doing the carpetcleaning.
That's the one area that hedoes he hates.
Like I told you, I had to go tosome carpets before I jumped on
(08:19):
this call.
But yeah, it's been beautifuljust even seeing him his growth
and development.
While I'm still at the nine tofive and he's offered a summer,
he can go knock out a strip andwax at 12 o'clock in the
afternoon.
So that's how we kind ofexpanded.
We evolved to really kind offocus on the residential.
All the contractors take careof the residential, still have
contractors taking care of thecommercial, but the flooring on
(08:40):
the commercial side we're doingit, or my son, specifically, is
the one doing it.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
So you got teams going out right now, you got
your son, you got the nine tofive.
So how are you managing the?
Well, what's your typical daylike when it comes to your
business or your life in general?
What's the typical day like?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, well, I do fortunately have an operations
manager, so that helps a lot interms of the day to day, I think
.
For me, when I first firstthing waking up, just a quick,
quick snapshot I'm at the gym,so working out, trying to get
some meditation devotion in onmy way to the gym, try to get a
mile running after that, andthen I'm showering and
(09:17):
transition right to my nine tofive.
So I usually am there maybe ahalf an hour to 45 minutes
before my actual job starts.
So I kind of use that time towork on the business.
Whatever may be needs to bedone.
And one thing my mentor told meyears ago was focus on
everything that's moneyproducing, your money producing
activities.
So for me what that means is ifa quote needs to be completed,
(09:38):
if a contract needs to be signed, I focus on everything that's
going to generate money.
Anything else social media, etcetera, social media, etc.
Etc.
That all can wait.
I focus on the money producingactivities and then throughout
the day, my job is flexibleenough a text here, a phone call
here, my operations manager,just to make sure things are
good.
And even when I have downtimelunch break, a 15 minute break I
(09:59):
can jump on and also managephones or manage things really
remotely, because a lot of ourbusiness um people necessarily
don't want to talk, they're goodwith texting back and forth.
So as long as I have my mac um,it's easy to shoot a text.
Even if I just have my phone,it's easy to communicate with
the clients, even give them aquick quote.
Right there be a text message,and that's how we just keep
things moving.
And then during the eveningagain, once I'm off work, I try
(10:22):
to reserve that for doing anycarpets, or if my son can't get
to a wax, I'll do a wax.
But it's all after work hoursand on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
That's good.
Oh, so the weekends as well?
So before work, you're working,after work, you're working.
So people talk about.
Tell me a little bit about whenpeople say I don't have the
time to build a business.
You got a family, you got anine-to-five, you got the
business, you got the brand.
How are you prioritizing theimportance of the task for you?
(10:50):
So I know you mentioned revenuegenerating activity, but, as
you know, as a father,something's gonna have to fall
to the wayside when it's alittle less family time or a
little less, little lessbusiness time.
What does that look like foryou?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
for me, I'm blessed to be at a position with and
even though I've been in thebusiness going on six years, my
kids have grown with me.
So for me I use that asopportunity to kind of be with
my kids and for us to kind ofgrow and develop.
In that regard, that's beenreally dope.
My wife actually works secondshift because she's a sheriff's
deputy, so in the evenings andstuff like it really doesn't
(11:25):
bother me, like she's off duringthe weekend, so I try to make
sure we carve out that time onthe weekends, but as I'm coming
home she's already at work.
So only ones I've had to worryabout over the past you know
what since 2016, since we movedto louisiana, is the kids, and
for me, again, I've been the dadto take them to the.
My job is more flexible.
I'm an educator by day, so Ihave had the flexibility to take
them to the.
My job is more flexible.
I'm an educator by day, so Ihave had the flexibility to take
(11:45):
them to dentist appointments,orthodontist appointments, take
them to practice, and I have waymore flexibility than my wife.
So I just had to make it workand oftentimes people would see
me.
They would know I have mylaptop everywhere.
So if my daughter has practiceor if he has a basketball game,
I'm the parent that's theredropping her off.
And while we're there, beforethe game starts, I'm conducting
business on my laptop.
(12:05):
The game is starting, I shut it.
Have time, open the laptop backup, get some work done, game,
then shut it.
So those are the kind of thingsthat, for me, is the commitment
to the business and wanting tosee it be, see it do well.
And so when people are sayingtime, you know, as an educator I
teach things about timemanagement skills of students
and leadership skills.
It's not that you don't haveenough time, you just aren't
(12:28):
managing your time well.
So that usually is always theissue you have enough time, you
just aren't managing it well.
Like, what are you doingthroughout the course of a day?
As I said, we have all thosedifferent random breaks.
If you're even working a nineto five, you have your two 15
minute breaks.
You have your hour lunch break.
That's time.
Right there you can be workingon the business.
You may not be a morning person.
You may have to go to bed earlyand force yourself to be a
(12:49):
morning person.
To get up when I'm as busy as Iam.
I just know you're just givingme excuses.
You can find time in a day, notif you're a busy mom, if you're
(13:14):
a busy dad, if you got kids.
You can find the time.
You just have to want to findthe time and you got to be
disciplined about it.
That's the biggest thing beingdisciplined about your business
and wanting it to be successful.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I find that to be disrespectful.
Sometimes, when people tell melike oh, I'm busy or I forgot or
I didn't have the time to getback to you.
I am super busy, you're superbusy, and I'm like we were going
back and forth in chat tofigure this out and I told you
know, like wait, let me just hopin here because this is taking
too long and I know I'm not toobusy to respond to him, I think
if he would text me you know howquickly I respond Like I don't
play so.
So when people say like I don'thave the time or I'm too busy
(13:50):
to me, that just means thatthere is something else.
You are choosing not to dosomething.
If you say that at that point,right, like I am choosing not to
respond to you, I am choosingnot to do this in my business.
So it's a choice we all have tomake.
So one thing that you said thata little while ago was a little
bit about your team structure,and I definitely want to go into
that because it's super amazingthat you were able to
(14:12):
essentially double your revenuein a year.
So if you did six figures lastyear and this year already
doubled, you already did sixfigures at this point in the
year, you don't attract todouble your revenue for this
year.
So talk to me a little bitabout your team structure.
So you mentioned your opsmanager.
Where did you find your opsmanager?
What give me?
Give me that breakdown.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Let's walk through that for a little bit okay, so I
don't know if I want to letthis out the bag because it's so
amazing say what you want tosay and don't say we hold it
nothing back here, okay yeah,yeah.
So I I would say a lot of peoplehave VAs and things.
I had a VA at one time and Iwas at a different location.
My VA worked wonders and wasamazing, rocked with me for
(14:54):
almost a full year.
But what I found is thatsometimes when you're hiring VAs
, it's overseas, the burnouthappens.
They're juggling multiplethings and then they can
eventually go shoot and thenfall to.
So when I was looking for anops manager, I really just
looked at my inner circle.
As I said, people are likepeople often saying like don't
work with your family, don'twork with friends, don't work
(15:15):
with.
But for me, like I said, Ilooked at my inner circle of who
do I trust, who are the peoplethat are around me, who are the
people that want me to besuccessful, and where do people
are OK with growing with me,with me.
So, even in my team, like, Ifound some awesome people that
(15:35):
are, you know, cleaners thatI've pretty much kind of
rewarded to say this is wherewe're going, this is what we're
trying to do.
A title is a lot for some people, like are you okay with having
this title of an ops manager?
Because, as we're doingbusiness, conducting business, I
want to be able to let peopleknow they have to go through you
before they can get to me.
So that was the conversationwith some of those cleaners.
So they're still 1099.
(15:56):
Again, didn't change them toany employees or anything, but
again they're paid for them,kind of doing a little bit above
and beyond.
And that may not be the perfectideal structure but again,
sometimes in this business,since it's so unregulated, we're
trying to make it happen untilwe can do what some of the
larger corporations are doingand putting people on full
salaries and whatnot.
And so they were open andwilling to rock with me to say
(16:17):
like, yes, I'm okay with havingthat title, knowing that I have
a little bit more responsibilitywith kind of connecting with
some of these, these, these, uhcontracts and kind of being the
buffer for you.
I've always been a buffer and Itell people all the time you
always have an assistant, it'syourself.
Never be the person in front ofyour business, because to me I
think that will burn you andthat's something I learned from
(16:38):
a mentor two years ago you neverbe the fore-facing person.
So when people connect with methey don't even know they're
dealing with the owner.
I use my middle name and that'swhat they're connecting with
the assistant for real men getit done cleaning services.
So that is a buffer that Icreated before I even had a
staff and have grown to whereI'm at.
And then, now that I have theoperations managers and I kind
of have like one and a half oneperson I'm really trying to push
(17:00):
even more.
So, uh, with another bigcontract we're looking to secure
, but kind of like one and ahalf operations managers
hopefully two here soon I'mpushing them to be that buffer
and they are the ones reallyworking with the contractors
directly because they'recleaners in the field as well
and they're being the buffer forme with all the contracts that
we have out in the area.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Okay, so you had one of your top cleaners and you're
like listen, this person isalready responsive.
They're not dropping the ball.
I can take them seriously.
They understand the businessand use us.
We just had a casualconversation like this is where
I want to go, this is what we'regoing to do you rocking with me
or not?
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Yep, and it's a beautiful thing seeing them grow
too, because I think the one ofthe things that I got into
business for was to createopportunities.
So for me, I think anotherreason why we've been blessed
I'm very adamant about no matterwhat faith background that
you're in, because even peoplewho don't believe in nothing,
they believe in giving orpouring out.
I'm a true believer of that.
(17:54):
That.
You have to pour out, believein people and pour out on people
like treat people right, doright by them.
So I'm always trying to do thatfor my contractors, like I will
take less money to make surethey're happy and they're
complete, happy and they'recomplete.
And so it's been a beautifulthing with the contractors and
even with the operationsmanagers, just being able to
level them up, to be like I wantyou to succeed, because if we
(18:14):
do well, if you do well, I do,we all do well.
And I know for sure, even withthe business model that you guys
have created, I don't thinknowhere people are making as
much money as they can.
Whatever split you do 50-50,60-40, 70-30.
When I looked at we were justhaving a quick conversation with
my operations manager yesterdaybecause I often like to look at
the competition and see whatthey're doing.
(18:35):
A very big company that's beenhere since the 60s has a
janitorial business.
I looked at their pay.
The highest of their pay was$12.
An hour $12.
I was making that back in 2011.
Exactly.
And then even talking to solocleaners who may have a little
(18:55):
teams, the highest I've seen inmy area was $15.
Our cleaners are easily.
Even when I have to go to thecommercial side and give them
only hourly and say 20, 25 anhour, we're still crushing all
the competition in terms of evenpaying and just doing right by
our people.
So I think that's also just apiece of our success that you
know we get good people andpeople that are interested,
(19:16):
because when it really comesdown to the crunching the
numbers, nowhere else are yougoing to be able to work here
and make as much money.
Even with my son, he got a jobreal quick at KFC, worked there
maybe two months and I made himget a job at KFC because he
wasn't appreciating working fordad and I was telling him you go
, you go do a floor and you'rethere for three hours and you
made a hundred dollars.
(19:36):
What job is you going to growwhere you're making over $25 an
hour?
So I made him go get a job atKFC and he came and turned back
around like, yeah, I don't wantto do this.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
He didn't want to smell like chicken anymore.
I don't want to do this anymore.
He don't want to smell likechicken anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Huh I don't want to work for somebody else.
And now he's I mean he'scrushing it this summer.
So yeah, he definitely got alittle bit of humble pie here,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
That's why I say this business model is a win-win-win
situation.
So it's a win for the businessowner, because you're now able
to build a team around what youeither knew how to do and didn't
want to do anymore, orsomething that you weren't
passionate about you couldoutsource.
It's a win for the clientbecause they wouldn't have
gotten in contact with anamazing cleaner or cleaning team
where that now they canactually find someone to
actually do the work, beresponsive, be on time and do
(20:19):
what they say they're going todo.
And then, lastly, it's a winfor the cleaning team, the
cleaning partner, because now,like you just said, they're
getting paid more than what theywould have done at a local
cleaning company.
They probably got more freedomand flexibility and the upward
mobility is absolutely amazingbecause it's a small, literally
a small mom and pop shop, whichis you, and they have the
ability to see every facet ofthe business.
(20:40):
They can decide to grow withyou or they can learn the
business structure and do theirown thing down the line.
So that's why I say it's a win,win, win for everyone all
around.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Totally so.
That's why I say it's a win,win, win for everyone all around
.
Totally agree.
Yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
So let's talk about a little bit.
About your last we spoke, youwere talking about some of the
fears you had when you werelaunching a business, so some of
the fears you had when you weretransitioning to out of the
actual cleaning.
How have you gotten over thosefears when now you seem like you
said you got how many teammembers?
18?
.
So what does that look liketoday and how has that fear
(21:13):
changed the business model foryou?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Again, I'm a risk taker so I don't mind taking the
risk, and I think we've spokenabout this before.
So for me the biggest challenge, honestly, was only thinking
about W-2 employees, the themodel of even just having 1099
and contractors was so mindblowing, because that's what I
feared.
It's like I don't want to betrying to match a payroll and
(21:38):
paying people on the clock andwe have no work.
So how can I do that and try togrow and level up the business?
And so I think when I even seenyou guys and listen to what you
were saying again, I guess itmay be even click and even seen
you guys and listen to what youwere saying again, I guess it
maybe didn't click.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
And then, of course that was the time probably you
know around, covid everybodynamed mama was doing courses.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I spent a waste of so much money during covid.
It was like not, it was likeone more thing I wasn't ready to
put no more money into hold on,hold on.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Let me pause for a second.
We just celebrated five yearsof of cleaning business
university.
If you go back, how many peopleare still sharing the
information of the somethingthat they started then right.
So I want to give us a shoutout.
Number one, but number two, yes, I totally agree with you.
So it was, um, it was a marketwhere everyone had more time,
(22:22):
everyone had more money thantime, and they're like, listen,
I'd rather just spend my moneyto learn and grow something, so
continue your story.
My bad, my bad, but I had toshout this out right quick.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
No, seriously, no, like for real.
That part was dope.
And so I think, since so manypeople were selling things and I
know I got and a lot of thingsI'll say this because I know
some people still have somereservations about the course in
the community, as I've been apart of a lot of communities and
whatnot you can find value inanything you pay money for.
(22:58):
But again, as we said earlier,you have to be willing to do the
work.
So it doesn't matter if you'rea part of a community, if you
buy a course on leadership ormarketing or how to run social
media.
As I told you, I also had aYouTube channel which helped me
actually create the cleaningbusiness.
Even then I got a coach.
I only did YouTube for so longand it was like levels to this,
so I had to get a coach tounderstand the platform to be as
successful as I can.
(23:18):
So if you're thinking aboutdoing anything and putting any
money behind anything likeoftentimes when people are
saying something isn't working,it's not really the program,
it's them.
So that is kind of just where Iwas at.
All the things I had put moneyinto, some things went very well
, but then you just learn likeOK, that may have not been for
me, so that's why I was kind ofnot side eyeing Clean Digital
University.
It just was the moment of likenot wanting to spend any more
(23:40):
money on any more products.
No-transcript.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
So you mentioned you mentioned a little bit about
systems, right?
You mentioned the operationsmanager.
How have your systems evolvedsince 2023 to where it is now?
Because I know around that timeyou were just starting, so you
got any SOPs, anything orsystematized that you could walk
us through in your businesswhere you're like this is
(24:20):
something that you need to havein your business um, for me it's
.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
It's almost the the, not the tangible piece of it,
because you can have all systemsin the world, yeah and that's
maybe not.
That's not.
That's going to help you.
The biggest thing that has beenthe game changer and I tell
people all the time when they'reready to listen is your
customer service.
For me that has been huge, likethat's a big part of my sop.
Of the contractors, even thoughthey aren't employees, like I
(24:47):
still give them a contractoragreement.
Like they have a contract thatthey signed but they have
another contract which is their,their subcontractor agreement,
which just gives a snapshot of,like, what you're actually doing
as a subcontractor and lettingthem still understand that you
are under my umbrella.
So it's not to to bind them byany means, but it's to just kind
of let them know which you goout as a subcontractor.
(25:09):
This is what the client isexpecting.
They're just expecting it to bedone the right way because they
see the reviews, they seepeople talking about it.
So I think I carry that on withthe contractors.
More like expectations, yeahexactly and even with the
clients.
Our reviews speak forthemselves.
We've been five-star rated fromday one.
May have a small blemish hereor there, but I've always done
(25:32):
my best to make it right.
If we've messed up Sometimesyou'll get those clients that
don't care, they just want youto you couldn't please them, no
matter what you did.
Yeah, exactly, but I always goout of my way to be able to make
sure that customer servicepiece is there and making sure
we ask them for the reviews,because oftentimes you think
it's just a no brainer People doreviews but people forget they
(25:52):
aren't paying attention to it,or this is a whole bunch of
reasons.
But even from day one, before Ieven joined the cleaning
business university and only hada Facebook page, I always
followed up with the client tosay please give me a review.
This is going to help me growmy business if we did a good job
and I've stuck to that.
You know these almost six yearslater and that's why we stay
five star rated and people kindof see that like, oh OK, they
(26:15):
are who they say they are.
When people look for us in ourarea for Google, we are always
usually in the top three.
We rotate, but we're usually inthat top three and to me that
says a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
So I want to transition a little bit and talk
about some of those big winsyou had recently, because that's
what queued this up for thisconversation that we're having
now, and I felt like it was timeto get you back on.
So you have just secured two ofthe largest contracts that you
had in your business.
So walk me through the numbersand then we'll talk about how
you found them or how they foundyou, but then also walk me
(26:52):
through some of thosetransitional changes you had to
make in your business.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
So let's start with the contracts and some of those
numbers.
Yes, so the first one, um is a,is a local um steel
manufacturer.
That steel manufacturer, uh, isone of the top leading ones in
the nation.
Uh, they, anytime you see metalroofing on Home Depot or a
casino or Lowe's, they're theones that pretty much probably
created because they're justthat big Employee owned.
(27:17):
They have one of their largestcenters, hubs here in the
Shreveport area, which is dope.
So we secured that contract.
And when you start getting intocontracts of that magnitude,
obviously your insurances haveto change.
So that shifted some things ofbuying some more industrial type
equipment, flooring equipmentand whatnot, and upping some of
(27:37):
those insurances.
And that one was signed on adotted line $55,000 plus floor
care, which, as I told you, isanother piece of our business.
So we couldn't add thatautomatically for the year, but
we've done strip and waxing forthe whole area.
We still are going totransition to some carpeting and
(27:57):
that's just the first time thisyear.
So then the goal is trying topush them to do it quarterly, so
once every three months or so,or at least twice out the year
year.
So that already boosts thatcontract up.
You know a little bit more thanthat 55, but that's what we
signed on.
The dotted line uh, for our,our cleaning um contractors to
take care of that monday throughfriday.
And then the second one, whichwe ain't gonna just skim past
(28:20):
that like oh okay, okay, justskim past that.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
So you just got number one congratulations, cory
, because we got to remember.
Where I say this all the timeis that when I, when I talk to
students and I and I get a lotof I get a lot of people who are
starting now, because that, tome, that's, that's a fun.
I am a starter, I'm a personthat's going to get something
done, get it launched Right, andI talked a lot of beginning
entrepreneurs and I think that'sthat's my passion and that's
(28:45):
where I spend a lot of time at,and now we can talk about scale
and growth and all that We'vedone multiple seven figures, but
a lot of times we kind of skimover those details because we
don't remember where we were.
And I got the proof, I got theevidence.
I got the last interview we didback in 2023.
So I want to just commend youfor securing a $55,000 plus
(29:07):
contract right and securing oneof the largest metal
distributors in the nation.
That is huge, man.
So I definitely want to commendyou and I want to congratulate
you on that and I want to giveyou your flowers, because this
is something you said you wantedto do.
You sorted it out and you gotit done.
Now, how did you get thecontract?
Give us the details on that,walk us through that, because
(29:27):
that's going to be a question.
Well, that's great, you didthat, but how can I do that?
Speaker 1 (29:32):
I already know the question.
Yeah, the first thing, eventaking it back, because we had
one big one last year as wellwhich is still ongoing.
We got that one for two years,the housing authority of Bossier
City.
So we cleaned all of theportable housing section for the
city of Bossier and evengetting to the commercial side.
If you're doing residentialcommercial will come again, but
(29:54):
it's levels to it because youmay get like we got.
For example, it was a couple ofyears ago on the 4th of July a
contractor was doing a Walmartremodel and they needed the
bathrooms clean.
They just call us out of theblue, would you do it?
I threw out any kind of number.
I throw out like $2,000, $1,000for each bathroom.
They're like got it?
Yes, because we were the onlyones willing to come on the 4th
of July.
We came the first thing in themorning Was that just Google, it
(30:18):
was Google.
Yeah, it was Google, it wasGoogle.
So you'll get things like thaton the residential side, which
will just be commercial andwhich will be dope.
But what I want to do, as wewere coming and seeing how the
economy was starting to be whereit was, I really wanted to grow
my commercial pro portfoliobecause I knew residential just
it's just knowing how the ebbsand flows of life If I'm
(30:42):
struggling to pay my bills, I'mgoing to cut cleaning services.
So I didn't want to be puttingall of my A's in one basket with
the residential side.
So that's what pushed me togrow commercial.
So I started looking into itagain.
I was on a look and listen tothe podcast.
I was on Instagram and foundsomebody somebody else that's
really big on Instagram coach.
I think it was John Austincoach.
(31:03):
He's out of Houston or whatnot.
We're talking about contractsand commercial contracts saying
this is what you need to do Findan Apex Accelerator, find your
SBA.
So I just started Googling.
I Googled from the SBA and Ifound what's called an Apex
Accelerator A-P-E-X Acceleratorand everyone has one in their
neck of the woods.
It is free.
It's usually paid for, kind ofmaybe through the SBA or your
(31:25):
local chamber of commerce, butthey are tasked with helping
business owners get ready forcontracting and that's the hard
work that I did to do thingslike a capability statement
that's your resume when you're acommercial cleaner to learn the
ins and outs.
I got certified to be acontractor for the government.
Everyone wants to be acontractor for the federal
(31:49):
government, so I did all thework to learn about contracting,
the capability statement, theins and outs reading For the
government.
When they send out contractsthey're like hundreds of pages,
taking the time to understandthe process and to apply for
government contracts.
Now I'll be honest, I appliedprobably for like 10 government
contracts.
Didn't win any of them, but youlearn through the process and
(32:11):
learning how to do contracts,the ebb and flow of it, how to
set them up, do them the rightway.
Working with my Apex Accelerator, again completely free, allowed
me to be comfortable with nowsubmitting contracts locally.
So that's how we were able towin the government contract,
which is through the city,through the housing authority
that we have here ShreveportBozer Housing Authority and then
(32:33):
it just made me comfortablewhen these bigger corporations
connected with us about doingservices.
I was already in the classroomof learning about contracts to
be able to do it.
So that was the groundwork laid, probably like a year before
all this happened.
Again, I've been in businesssix years.
About two years ago I was likeI want to switch to commercial
and I did the work Working withthe Apex Accelerator.
(32:54):
Learning about contracts andspending all the time to read
that stuff was a part of just mebeing in the hard knock life in
the classroom.
So that was initially got me ina place to be comfortable.
So when these things presentthemselves, I was okay with
doing it.
(33:15):
Make it a refinalist?
I believe he wouldn't say so.
The, the, the metal company.
Like I said they a lot of timeswith some of these folks like
they'll say that they gotinformation, someone told them
about you, but they won't namedrop.
So I think it was a combinationof someone mentioning us and
then also, obviously, theyGoogled us.
I could feel they Googled usbecause that's how they left the
message and found us.
So it was a mixture of that andit just was a conversation of
(33:36):
let's do a walkthrough and let'ssee if this can be a good fit.
And one of the biggest thingshe asked us after we did.
The walkthrough was do youthink you can handle this?
He was really adamant and meand my operation manager was
like yeah, like we can, if youhave an opportunity, we can and
we know we'll do better than thepeople you had before.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
So that was the first one that was a few gems few
gems on that one but the biggestgem that I got was stay ready
so that you don't have to getready.
You said you did the work ayear before you got the
opportunity.
Now, a lot of times we jumpinto these things and we're like
why is it not paying off today?
When is it going to pay off?
(34:13):
How is it going to pay off?
And we never know when theactual result will come.
So we have to put ourselves inposition so that when that
result comes, we are preparedfor it.
It's never just going to bethere when you are ready for it,
but when you make yourselfready, you don't have to get
ready.
So congratulations,congratulations on that.
Now, when they said when thegentleman looked you in the face
(34:34):
and said, can you handle this,did you take offense to that?
Or you were like he trying tosum me or something, or what?
Speaker 1 (34:40):
No, I didn't, Because , just being realistic, there
are tons of cleaners because theindustry is so unregulated, so
there's tons of cleaners, andthat's what happens usually.
Cleaners will take on somethingthat they cannot handle and
then be way well over theirheads.
And I learned that excuse me,with the government contracting,
because that's when I learnedhow cheap the government is.
(35:01):
They could care less about thequality of work, they just want
the person who's going to bidthe lowest on a bid.
And so, with the governmentcontracting, we have a
government base in our backyard.
I went to several governmentcontracting walkthroughs that
were on site here in my area.
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