The Business of Cleaning

Recessions can be extremely difficult, especially on cleaning companies as orders for budget cuts usually mean a decrease in service requests. We got to the bottom of how one company managed to turn things around after 2008 and is weathering the storm of the pandemic. Guy Harris works for Certified Maintenance Service (CMS) and is the Creative and Executive Director for Max Defense, a company created by CMS following the 2008 economic recession. Max Defense consists of a five-step process, a training program, certification in Max Defense, and marketing materials to promote the service. We sat down with Guy to discuss how his company approached economic hardship and pivoted to find new business 11 years ago and why companies might become a service provider to something like Max Defense in order to aid their own company recover and grow. Learn more about the podcast and our episode here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ If you have any questions about today's content or would like to ask about being a guest email us at Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net. Don't forget to follow us and leave a review!

You’ve probably heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder,” but how often do you have a good example of what that means, especially in cleaning? We sat down with someone who’s had to work out how to employ that very principle and is doing so successfully. Kathy Riley is the Vice President at Professional Maintenance in Lubbock, Texas. Professional Maintenance has been in business since 1994 and specializes in commercial and medical cleaning. Because they pride themselves on providing quality services, Kathy and her team had to rethink some of their processes when it came to new budget cuts and shifting expectations at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in America. We sat down to talk to Kathy about how she and her team managed the shift and high quality of service they deliver with these new challenges in front of them. The answer was simpler than you might think: work smarter, not harder. In our episode, we broke down exactly how they employed those principals while keeping everyone employed during a time of cutbacks. Learn more about this episode and our podcast here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ Don't forget to follow and leave us a review! We'll take direct question at Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net.

Shifting times create a need for an internal shift at one point or another. In this episode, we break down how to do it successfully no matter if your team is large in size or only a few people. Brandon Baswell is the Campus Services Manager at Michigan State University and has been in that position for over 16 years. He’s been with the university for over 31 years, meaning he has been there to see many changes and also been part of instigating a major overhaul of how his team operates. We sat down with Brandon to discuss how to implement a large process change, especially within the cleaning space. It’s not unsurprising that your team or company needs to make changes to keep up with the times, but if that’s a large-scale shift to your processes, it may seem impossible at the start. Don’t worry though, Brandon breaks down the whole change cycle in easy to understand bites. Want to learn more about this episode and our podcast? Click here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ Don't forget to follow us and leave a review containing topics that you'd love to see in our episodes! You can share any ideas about the content or being a guest through our email Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net.

Employee retention, job quality, and customer happiness are high priorities in businesses striving for growth and success, especially in the cleaning industry, but did you know that most of that comes back to company culture? Jason Johnson is the owner of Premier Janitorial Services in Wasilla, Alaska. Premier Janitorial Services specializes in cleaning facilities within the medical industry. A few years ago Jason and his wife noticed that the company’s growth had plateaued and it had even gotten to a point where they didn’t want to take on more business. A cultural shift was necessary and so, with the help of a great coach, they began that shift. Not only did they see growth again, but they saw an improvement in the quality of work being done and the satisfaction of their customers. Fast forward to 2020 and they’re weathering the pandemic with relative ease due to an extraordinary team built around the values they established. Learn more about this episode and our podcast here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ Don't forget to follow and leave us a review so we can continue to build our content that you love! We'll take any inquiries about content or this episode at Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net.

In order for businesses to survive during the pandemic, at times they have had to find new avenues of business. For 2-SCALE this meant working with hospitals, schools, and other businesses to create a product to increase health and safety in their facilities. Aaron Churchill is the president of 2-Scale who leads a team of artists, engineers, craftspeople, builders, and coordinators to create dimensional installations that feature a client’s brand and/or story. Now, 2-SCALE is specialized in creating customized plexiglass dividers for just about any space. Learn more about this episode and our podcast here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ Also, don't forget to follow us and leave a review so that we continuously get better at what we do! Direct inquiries about this content and being a guest can be sent to Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net.

It’s not just about increased demand as everyone shifts into overdrawing because of the pandemic. It’s about the difficulty of acquiring supplies from the suppliers and how to communicate effective use of the products they can get to clients. Tina Saunders is the Director of Marketing and eCommerce at Nichols Paper and Supply. The company has dealt with providing solutions to clean a healthy facility and the safe shipment of products. They’ve worked in many industries, most notably at the moment being businesses, health care, and schools. Tina led the initiative to switch from product-centered marketing to education content and resources, focusing on quick and effective communication knowing that the demand would naturally be there and the supply would not quite meet it. We discussed the Better Together program that her team runs, how they educated and prepared schools, as well as the thought process behind the large shifts in strategy that they’ve made. Visit the Better Together Page here: https://www.enichols.com/bettertogether  You can also learn more about this episode and our podcast by visiting here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/ Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe! We'll take direct questions at Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net.

Employee retention is the keyword in Recruitment and Hiring, but what can companies actually do to improve their process and keep good employees around longer? Troy Hopkins is an Area Developer and Coach for Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services working with around 27 owners in Alabama, Tennessee, and in the Carolinas. Troy makes a  point to help drive success in the Commercial Cleaning Industry. He has even released a book called Making Cents of a Dirty Business, where he dives into the top seven challenges faced in the industry after conducting his own research and then he offers you step-by-step solutions. In this episode of The Business of Cleaning, Troy talks about how specifically to increase employee retention by improving your hiring process. The truth? It’s cheaper to hire right first and keep the best for longer. Troy's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Cents-Dirty-Business-Commercial/dp/164204802X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Making+Cents+of+a+Dirty+Business&qid=1600703329&sr=8-1  Keep up with our content but subscribing and leave us a review to help us continue to deliver the best listening experience we can! You can also follow us on social media by looking up Janitorial Manager! To learn more about this episode and the podcast: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/how-to-increase-employee-retention-through-your-hiring-process/ Have questions or want to be a guest? Email us at Marketing@DoubleASolutions.net

With the fall school season having slipped in, there is a large concern for how schools and their custodial teams are responding and preparing for COVID-19 this time around.  We talk with Mervin Brewer, the Assistant Custodial Supervisor for the Salt Lake City School District about their amazing ability to manage the situation and even how they use and maintain sustainable products.  More information about this episode: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/how-to-manage-school-custodial-care-in-a-changing-environment/ View more about the podcast: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/  We also invite you to subscribe and don't forget to leave a review! They help us continue to create content that fits your needs!  Any direct inquiries about this week's content or about appearing on the show can be sent to marketing@doubleasolutions.net.

Milo George is the CEO of TurfTecs. Their primary business is cleaning, maintaining, repairing, and doing safety testing of artificial turf fields. With 15 years of experience in a field hit hard by demanding, and sometimes confusing COVID-19 restrictions, Milo is just the person to talk to about satisfying customer needs while maintaining a business. In this episode, we also dive into sanitation versus using an enzyme cleaner on high contact surfaces like turf and playground equipment. Read more about this interview:https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/how-to-handle-the-changing-needs-of-customers/ Find out more about the podcast and this episode here: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/  You can view the TurfTecs website here: https://turftecs.com/  Please leave a review and subscribe when you're done listening. We'll take questions directly at marketing@doubelasolutions.net!

Cleaning industry expert, Ron Segura, breaks down how to change the vital role of internal communication to not just help a business survive COVID-19, but to also build a stronger business and team in the process. Ron is the president at Segura and Associates, a leading consulting company within the cleaning industry. Read more about this interview: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/blog/changing-internal-communication-to-build-a-stronger-business/ Find information regarding the podcast and this week's episode on our landing page: https://www.janitorialmanager.com/the-business-of-cleaning-podcast/  Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review for the podcast. We'll also be taking questions directly through marketing@doubleasolutions.net.