This episode is proof that mindset, hustle, and heart can take you farther than any résumé.

In this deeply personal and powerful conversation, James sits down with Jay — a successful entrepreneur, relationship-driven barber, and now cleaning company owner — to unpack how he went from cutting hair in his basement to securing a $300,000 commercial cleaning contract.

Whether you're building your janitorial business from the ground up, looking to break into larger contracts, or trying to balance business with family life, this episode will speak to your core.

Jay opens up about:

• Starting with nothing but clippers and a vision
• The importance of humility and human connection
• Why mastering relationships beats mastering sales tactics
• How Cleaning Prophets changed everything
• The real mindset that separates dreamers from doers
  
  

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ How to scale from zero to $300K without prior experience
• ✅ Why relationships beat marketing in service businesses
• ✅ How to outgrow legacy clients without losing momentum
• ✅ What it actually takes to build trust and loyalty
• ✅ The real reason consistency trumps hard work

⏱️ Episode Breakdown:

• (00:00) – From the Barber Chair to the Boardroom
• (06:10) – Growing Up Different, Leading With Grit
• (13:45) – Starting With Nothing, Building Something Real
• (21:00) – Why Relationships Will Always Outperform Marketing
• (28:30) – The $300K Cleaning Contract Nobody Saw Coming
• (37:40) – What Most New Cleaning Business Owners Get Wrong
• (44:20) – Leveling Up as a Leader, Father, and Man
  

💼 Brought to You By Our Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry – Start Free Trial
• ✅ Campos Law: Legal partner for cleaning companies – Book a Call
• ✅ Team Engine: Hire, communicate, and manage your workforce – Learn More
• ✅ Swept: Janitorial software that scales with you – Check it Out
  
  
  

👥 Join The Profitable Cleaner Community

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablecleaner/
• Join to be a member to our Profit Advisory Board (Business Growth Community): https://advisoryboard.profitablecleaner.com/

📲 Follow Us:

• 📸 Instagram → @profitablecleaner
• 💼 LinkedIn → The Profitable Cleaner
• 📘 Facebook → The Profitable Cleaner

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Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow dive into the final area of the business planning wheel: Finance. This episode closes out the planning series with clear, actionable insights into how to run your janitorial business by the numbers—without getting overwhelmed.

From understanding cash flow and labor costs to learning how to job cost and forecast smarter, this episode will help you get a grip on your numbers—without needing an accounting degree.

If you're ready to build a more profitable, cash-flow-conscious cleaning company, this is the episode to bookmark.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ The 3–5 Critical Success Factors that drive your bottom line
• ✅ Why every business owner needs a simple financial review routine
• ✅ The difference between plan vs. actual vs. last year’s numbers
• ✅ What to do when clients aren’t paying—and how to track it
• ✅ Why “when” money comes in is just as important as how much
• ✅ How to job cost and price accurately using real-time data
• ✅ The importance of treating your budget like a living document

⏱️ Episode Breakdown (Chapters):

• 00:00 Introduction and context
• 02:57 Understanding financial health
• 06:01 The importance of numbers in business
• 09:09 Critical success factors in finance
• 12:01 Job costing and pricing strategy
• 14:58 Budgeting as a living document
• 18:01 Final thoughts and key takeaways
  
  
  

📌 Resources:

• ➡️ Catch up on Part 1: Business Planning Simplified - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDwpXwJHIOw
• ➡️ Watch Part 2: Sales & Marketing Planning That Works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsrWO8sk2Fo
• ➡️ Watch Part 3: Mastering Service Delivery for Growth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vleZIr4jfFw
• ➡️ Subscribe to The Profitable Cleaner to never miss an episode!

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

• Sharon Cowan, CBSE – LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
• Mark Anderson – LinkedIn | Facebook
• Ed Selkow – Facebook

About Polishing Profits

Polishing Profits is hosted by three of the most respected and experienced leaders in the janitorial industry: Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow.

With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve built and scaled commercial cleaning companies, coached hundreds of owners, and helped countless teams go from stuck to thriving.

Each episode brings you real stories, real strategies, and practical tools to build a cleaning business that actually works.

Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network.

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

If you're a cleaning business owner or blue-collar service pro trying to stand out online, this episode is for you.

James sits down with Jeremiah Dalesio, founder of INCITE Productions, to break down how content marketing actually works in B2B and how blue-collar and “non-sexy” industries can create authentic, consistent content that actually drives trust, revenue, and brand awareness.

He shares the real reason most marketing fails, how to build content that fits your brand, and the lessons from youth sports that translate into stronger teams, better leadership, and long-term growth.

They dive deep into:

• Why most companies are just blending ingredients instead of plating the full meal
• How to create content that actually lands with your clients
• Why consistency and clarity win in content
• The biggest mistake blue-collar companies make with social media
• What it really means to be authentic in your branding

Plus — special shoutout to Jay, who’s now leading podcast production for The Profitable Cleaner. If you’ve noticed our content leveling up… now you know why.

Whether you're spending hours in Canva, burning out trying to go viral, or stuck wondering why your content gets no engagement — this one gives you the roadmap.

🎯 In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• ✅ How to create brand content that actually drives new contracts
• ✅ How to simplify your content and amplify your impact
• ✅Why most companies get video content wrong (and how to fix it)
• ✅ What makes a “non-sexy” brand connect with real buyers
• ✅The content strategy every facility service provider should be using in 2025
• ✅How to stand out in a crowded market using consistency and clarity
• ✅The mindset shift that unlocks better marketing results with less effort
• ✅ How Jay helped grow 8-figure companies through storytelling

🔗 Connect with Jeremiah Dalesio:

• Website: https://www.weincite.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-dalesio-8ab5b15/

💼 Brought to You By Our Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry – Start Free Trial
• ✅ Campos Law: Legal partner for cleaning companies – Book a Call
• ✅ Team Engine: Hire, communicate, and manage your workforce – Learn More
• ✅ Swept: Janitorial software that scales with you – Check it Out
  
  

👥 Join The Profitable Cleaner Community

• Join our Facebook Group here
• Join to be a member to our Profit Advisory Board (Business Growth Community) here

📲 Follow Us:

• 📸 Instagram → @profitablecleaner
• 💼 LinkedIn → The Profitable Cleaner
• 📘 Facebook → The Profitable Cleaner

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show