Smart Cleaning School

 I asked my personal accountant Colette Melott (CMA, EA) to join the Smart Cleaning Tribe for an Expert Call to help cleaning company owners understand their numbers and who to hire in their specific case. Colette starts this interview with the accounting basics. 

Bookkeepers helps you track transactions with your money coming in and your money coming out. In most cases, a bookkeeper does not help you apply what those numbers mean to anything. They are putting your puzzle together, but they're not telling you what the picture on the puzzle is. There are not too many certifications for bookkeepers. However a Quickbooks Pro Advisor is a great designation to find especially if your business utilizes Quickbooks. These certified bookkeepers are proficient enough to adapt your business numbers appropriately and legally to Quickbooks.

Accountants puts it all together for you. Bookkeeping is a task of accounting, but they don't stop there. They take those numbers and apply meaning to them to help you make business and tax decisions. There are several designations of accounting professionals.

• General Accounting - This is an accountant with a Bachelor's Degree in accounting that operates UNDER a CPA or CMA licence. For example, Colette used to work in two corporate positions where the company held the certified accounting license and Colette worked under it. This is exactly how I operated as an engineer. GE held the Professional Engineer's license and I was a general engineer under this certification.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - This designation is granted at the state level. The accountant must pass a high-level exam to obtain their CPA license. Plus, they must maintain this high-level each year. There is a high standard. At the corporate level, they are qualified to take the numbers a publicly traded company provides and certify them to the public. They are on the company's external team. However, most CPAs operate out of smaller offices and work with small private companies. 
• Certified Management Accountant (CMA) - This is an international accounting designation. Therefore, their training must keep them familiar with domestic and international accounting standards. At the corporate level, they are qualified to be the comptroller or CFO to help the company compile the numbers to present to the public. They are on the company's internal team. The CMA must also pass a high-level initial and annual exam process to obtain and keep their license. There is a high standard.
• Enrolled Agent (EA) - The IRS has 3-part tax proficiency exam and certification process to enroll accountants in the IRS code. This allows them to prepare tax returns The Enrolled Agent is one of 3 designations that can legally represent you on an IRS audit. The other two designations that can do this for you are the CPA and the tax attorney.

Tax Attorneys are the only ones who can practice law. They help if you need representation in tax court. This is a high level professional that you need when you're in trouble! Therefore, study this episode and hire the right professional so you never NEED this pro!

That's part one of my interview with my accountant Colette. These are accounting designations I wised I knew 20 years ago. I hope that Colette helped you understand the landscape of accounting professionals. 

Would you like to connect with my accountant? You can find her at CMBA Solutions. 

 I was in Dallas with my son for a podcasting conference in August. It was a blast, especially hanging out with my son. We stayed at the downtown Sheraton, which afforded us the ability to walk the city a bit. I also had the opportunity to connect in person with two former guests of the Smart Cleaning School. I went to lunch with Greg Shepard from "Sail Around the World". We had a blast walking around the city and enjoying a quality Mexican meal. Greg is a friend and definitely a mentor. He stretches me big time. The day after lunch with Greg, I had a personal tour and breakfast with Debbie Sardone from "A Buffalo Charges the Storm". Debbie is highly regarded coach in the residential cleaning industry as well as a friend and mentor. Back to my son and walking Dallas. I really, really wanted to visit Dealey Plaza. As a kid, I was enamored with the movie "JFK" starring Kevin Costner. The movie makes a compelling case for a second gunman on the grassy knoll. I have seen the Zapruder film so many times, that I already felt like I've been there. I was wrong. Being there was different. Kenny and I walked into Dealey Plaza. I was in awe. He knew more about the Lincoln assassination than Kennedy, so I described it as best I could. That's when I noticed a guy with a bike helmet and bike showing the Zapruder film and explaining the details of the assassination. Kenny and I walked over to listen. We stood on Elm Street in front of the old Texas State Book Depository as he pointed to the 6th floor corner window. The window is half open with boxes arranged exactly as they were in crime scene photographs. He paused the video on his phone and pointed to the first large "X" on Elm Street. This is where JFK was struck the first time in the neck. He played the Zapruder film. We could see Kennedy grab his neck. It was too surreal. He kept the film running as JFK was struck with the kill shot. He pointed to the second "X" on Elm Street. "On November 22nd, 1963, that's where an American President was assassinated." Chilling. We thanked him for his history lesson and walked the plaza. We stood on the "X" and took a picture. We stood on the grassy knoll and took a picture. We stood where Abraham Zapruder took the movie and yep, we took a picture. It was much, much different in real life. Dealey Plaza is virtually unchanged in 59 years. History is powerful, especially when we can be there in person.  

There's a reason I shared this story. In the early 1960's, John F. Kennedy was beloved and respected. He was a member of the Democrat Party and generally regarded to have political views left of center. He considered himself a Liberal, yet he opposed Communism, supported the 2nd Amendment, and voted for tax cuts. Those were positions held by the Democrat Party then. Today, these same policy beliefs would be called Republican. Here's what I find interesting. If JFK were running for office right now, he would likely be a moderate Republican. This is not my opinion. You can search it online and read for yourself. That's not the point of this podcast. Here's the point. JFK didn't change. How could he. He's been dead for 59 years. What did change? Now we're asking the right question. It's called the Overton Window and I find it fascinating.

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website

 In March 2002, Teresa and I joined the Quixtar business as Independent Business Owners (IBOs). It was the first business we ever owned. I was excited. I was ambitious. I had discipline. I had it all, right? Nope. I didn't have a business owner's mindset. I did not think like an entrepreneur.  We started learning from Diamond IBOs. We saw the Diamond lifestyle of total freedom of time and money and we wanted it for our family. We heard this from our mentors, from CDs they gave us, and from Diamonds on stage. "You will be in 5 years based on the books you read and the people you associate." This was the starting point of our business owner's mindset. We were learning the fundamental truth that humans highly influence other humans. We are all creative miracles with immeasurable possibility. We all have the same brain and nervous system which the late, great Zig Ziglar said surpassed the world's best  supercomputer of his era. As I learned this stuff, I asked the question. Why are the poor, poor and the rich, rich? There are many factors, so please don't dig too deep into this. I starting reading success stories from the poorest of the poor ascending through the poverty to become wealthy and influencing millions. I also heard of trust fund kids with all the money in the world descending into drug addiction and losing it all. That quote became truth to me. "You will be in 5 years based on the books you read and the people you associate." As I read those stories of success, they all had this in common. Other successful people helped them change the way they thought so that they could get where they got. Does this make sense? I was learning that I had an incredible brain and potential. But I wasn't tapping into it. I needed to start associating with different people that thought differently. I needed to turn off Sportscenter and the news and start watching successful people that I admired. I needed to put down magazines and Dean Koontz books and read wealth mentality books. I'm not the same person I used to be. I've been reading books to grow my mind and success for over 20 years. I've been associating with mentors that stretch me in every area of my life. I'm still becoming the person that I want to be in 5 years. In today's language, I needed to find mentors on podcasts, social media, YouTube, and attend conferences. That's what this podcast episode is all about. If you are brand new to the cleaning industry, I hope you choose to follow this show and absorb the mindset so you can grow!  

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website

 This conversation with Crystal Hamm was wide-ranging in topics, but mainly focused on her past. In the present, Crystal runs a $3 million dollar residential cleaning company. Her team loves her and she loves them. She has build a company in the Raleigh Area that serves people greatly called the Go 2 Girls. I can't endorse this company enough if you live in Wake County, North Carolina.

Check out this interview with Crystal and listen to her story. She comes from rural America, climbing trees, and sliding into 3rd base for softball. She has come so far from her beginnings as the daughter of a coal miner to an employer of over 60 team members. She has a truly remarkable story. Here are a few quotes that I especially loved...

"That's my mentality. We never stop learning."

"My self worth was tied to that growth. So I felt that once I hit a million dollars then this small town girl was going to be good enough." 

 I am a listener to the Tim Ferriss Podcast and have been for years. I don't relate with every episode, but some of them really move me to action and inspire me. Here are some examples. Kelly Slater taught me to be humble. Hugh Jackman inspired me to utilize the rowing machine in my workouts! Chris Bosh showed me that my problems aren't that big! In this episode, Elizabeth Gilbert taught me the Art of the Simple No.

So many of us struggle with the two-letter word no. It's hard to say. We feel that we need to explain ourselves whenever we decide to use it. Statistically, 32% of all people tested with the DISC Profile are the S-Type for Steadiness. An S-Type person is very loyal, a great listener, easy to talk to, even keel, reliable, and generally tends to be a people-pleaser. Therefore, 1/3 of us out there already have a difficult time saying no. I once heard this and it floored me. "No is a complete sentence." This is exactly what Elizabeth Gilbert is talking about in this clip from the Tim Ferriss Show. The full show is linked in the show notes. I highly recommend the video version available on YouTube so you can see Elizabeth's body posture and gestures as she explains the Simple No. 

Here's my question. How can you implement this strategy into your life? Would it make your relationships strained? Would it give you more time as you'd be saying no more often? I pondered these questions myself and have been more intentional to place a higher value on my time. I hope you do too. 

Check out my interview with the CBF Founder, entitled "A Buffalo Charges the Storm with Debbie Sardone". Debbie is offering free consultations to listeners of this show through the Smart Cleaning School Resources Page  at smartcleaningschool.com/resources to see if CBF could be the right solution for you.

 This talk was originally given for Coach Josh. He runs a Facebook group called TwelveTwo, which exists to empower entrepreneurs to pursue excellence in their finances and relationships. I had been working on this exercise after attending the Growth Now Summit Live in Lititz, PA with Justin Schenck. During this conference, my friend and Movement Influencer Andre Young taught me a simple exercise to help board rooms narrow down their company values to core values. What does that mean? Andre runs "You Evolving Now" and explained that leadership teams can think of many words to explain what the organization believes in. However, this exercise helped the teams he has coached to force their long list of values down to the vital few that were truly core. They are the ones that capture the essence of WHY the company exists, HOW they operate, and WHAT they do. I just pulled in a little Golden Circle by Simon Sinek too. Anyway, I borrowed this exercise from Andre along with Simon's mindset and adapted it to creating better habits.  

I have been a student of habit-building for years. There are 4 books that are all foundational and well-worth the read. 

1. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
2. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
4. The Power of Habit  by Charles Duhigg

Each of these books takes a different angle, but have a common message. You can change your habits. And when you change your habits, you'll change your life. The Slight Edge and the Compound Effect teach us that small incremental changes made daily and consistently add up to mind-blowing changes down the road. Atomic Habits teaches that some habits inspire you to be stronger in others. They are called Keystone Habits. The Power of Habit was actually the first audio book I ever listened to on Audible. This book is for the ones who would like to understand the psychology and anatomy of a habit and how to create new ones. It's fascinating.

Once I built this workshop, I tested it on me, my wife, my friend John Schuchman on the plane to Podfest, the Smart Cleaning Tribe, and my Total Life Freedom Mastermind. I learned from each and found something out. People were choosing their health as the #1 thing they wanted to change in their life at a high rate. Coach Josh helped me add a major component to this talk on the grip FEAR has on us. Once we realize that we'll never be perfect and the only way to overcome fear is with action, we'll begin making the changes in our lives needed to become all that we desire to become. I recorded this talk for TwelveTwo and later adapted it to fit for the 2022 Maid Service Success Summit. 

Now, it's time for class! I want each and every one of you to complete this exercise. Please email me at ken@smartcleaningschool with the subject, "My #1 Change" and then share your #1. I will personally respond to each email with encouragement! Also, if you would like to collaborate with other cleaning companies nationally on your goals and habits.  Check out the Smart Cleaning Tribe. We are a family of cleaning company owners who connect every week via Zoom to brainstorm, solve problems, set goals, hold each other accountable, and support each other. 

This was episode 11 of this podcast, originally published on November 14, 2019 which was a tough month for me. We had successfully built and sold an optimized solo cleaning company in Upstate New York and moved back home to Philadelphia after nearly 20 years away. I desperately wanted to have a career where I could work from home and enjoy my kids growing up. I made an assumption that I'd be able to build up our online business of courses, memberships, and the proceeds of this podcast while living off the sale revenue from our NY cleaning company. I had just returned from the Total Life Freedom Gatlinburg Retreat with a new direction. I told my mastermind and my wife that I would continue to build the online business. However, I promised them that I would get back into the trenches of solo cleaning and prove to whoever was listening to the podcast that I could do it again. I built one solo cleaning company over 15 years to $60,000 profit cleaning just 2 days per week without employees.  I vowed to do it again and set SMART goals of $20,000 revenue goals for the upcoming year of 2020. I even called this goal - Vision 20/20! We all know that 2020 turned out differently, but that didn't stop us! We accomplished every goal in 2020 and shared every detail in the first 100 episodes of this podcast.

This November 2019 episode was very important as it taught a vital lesson in HOW I was able to raise prices and optimize a solo cleaning business so fast. If you're thinking to yourself, 'how, Ken?' The answer is in the title. Enjoy!

Check out my interview with the T-Bag Company Founder, entitled "Respectful, Reliable, Responsible with Damon Washington". You can purchase any of the T-Bag products at a 10% discount through the Smart Cleaning School Resources Page at smartcleaningschool.com/resources.

 The Solo Cleaning Elite and the ISO Model Course are the classes available to solo cleaners in the Smart Cleaning School. I am the original student and have honed the curriculum for any solo cleaner to create the profit, time, and freedom they are looking for without ever having to hire employees. I created the curriculum with our first solo cleaning business in New York as the model. We built an optimized solo cleaning company with 17 clients that created $60,000 annual profit on 2 cleaning days per week. It was awesome as I could be home with my family 5 days per week! This business sold for $80,000.  Over the past 5 years, I have coached dozens of solo cleaners through my ISO Model with success. I have also built a second solo business to $70,000 profit on 2 cleaning days per week and scaled this business to almost $200k in annual revenue and a team of employees. Why do I tell you all of that? Simple. One of the classes in the ISO Model is called the 3 S's of Solo Cleaning.  You can only optimize so far and every solo cleaner must make this decision at some point. Will I STAY a solo cleaner and continue to optimize to my ideal income and schedule, while turning down many prospects? Will I SELL my solo business to move on or enjoy retirement? Will I SCALE my solo business with a team of employees so we can grow to impact our community? I have done all 3 S's of solo cleaning. Therefore, I am a credible instructor for the ISO Model Course. 

The first stage of the Optimizer lessons is to complete an Optimizer's Workshop with me. Heather Parke had started her business in January 2021. She quickly Initialized (I), Stabilized (S), and was ready to start Optimizing (O). Heather was ready to get the green light from me. All she had to do was update her ISO Model Scorecard with me on a workshop. If her scores were high enough, she'd be in a fantastic place to start optimizing toward her freedom. She was positive that she was ready. I knew better. I knew any solo cleaner can build a company quickly and hit the financial metrics of an optimizer. I just had my doubts about the level of trust built. If you get a chance, go back and listen to the clip from my Optimizer's Workshop with Heather Parke. You'll see why she was graded at the Stabilizer Level. This helped her reformulate her goals and move on.

I recently completed another Optimizer's Workshop with Dave Reeks. Dave has been featured on this podcast recently as he is the one that asked about Keys to Solo Longevity I & II. Dave was in a similar position as Heather. He is 6 months into his business in Australia and doing amazing. He has been a great ISO Model student. I am truly humbled and honored that Dave and Heather were willing to submit the strategy of their solo cleaning business to my expertise. Thank you Dave for trusting me and giving me permission to share this clip from our workshop. 

During this workshop, Dave inspired a new training on the Trust Factor Metric. I taught the 3 C's for building trust. They are Character, Consistency, and Cleaning. When your clients trust all 3 C's in you as their cleaner, their Trust Factor increases.

If you're a solo cleaner at any level, you can enroll in the ISO Model Course or register for an Optimizer's Workshop to learn your solo business score!

 I hear this statement so much in the cleaning groups. It sounds like a great problem to have, but in reality, it's a defining statement. Let me give context to the people asking it. They are called solo cleaners. I was one for 16 years. A solo cleaner starts out super excited to make money for their family. They love cleaning and can do it as a side business. As they get better and their name gets passed around, they start adding more and more customers. But here's the problem. A solo cleaner has a limited number of customers they can work with. Even the most efficient solo cleaner even has a limit. For fun, let's create a solo cleaning robot named Bob. Bob doesn't sleep and is able to clean 3 houses Monday to Friday during the day and 4 offices each night and 8 on Saturday and Sunday. Bob is a machine, literally. He cleans 15 houses and 36 offices every week by himself. If each house and office is worth $150 per clean, Bob is creating just under $400,000 in annual revenue and approximately $350,000 per year in profit as he doesn't sleep or eat. All he needs are the supplies and insurances to do the work. This is absolutely ridiculous. No one can work like Bob. I just wanted to show you that a solo cleaning robot could earn $350,000 per year. But he couldn't earn any more. What if Bob was reprogrammed to need sleep? He would tap out around $175,000 or $200,000. The point is simple. There is always a limit in solo cleaning. Most solos out there are no where near Bob. Does that strike a chord? Are you working like crazy and have no more time to take on more customers. Congratulations! You've hit the wall. So what are you going to do about it?  

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website

I need to give credit to where credit is due for this episode. Thank you Vincent Pugliese for this mindset. If you don't know Vincent, check out "Content But Not Satisfied". Vincent has grown an online community called Total Life Freedom with over 100 strong in the past 4 years. The members inside this community have access to expert calls on various topics of online platform building, elite masterminds, internal courses, retreats, and of course, the extremely valuable connections between like-minded, freedom-seeking entrepreneurs. I have been a part of this community and mastermind since the first day. In fact, I am an original member and was there to help Vincent set up the foundation. I've had a unique perspective of watching Vincent build this community and raise up leaders from within it. I remember the hard times too, such as last summer. We stayed together in Nashville for Podcast Movement. When the masses went to the insane iHeart afterparty with drinking, we stuck around the hotel to mastermind. You see, Vincent had built a great community. But like any business, he had some parts and people that were higher maintenance than others. I showed him my 2 x 2 grid to map out the various aspects of his business. I talked about this in "Why I Fired My First Client", where I divided all of our clients into 4 groups - low-paying & high-drama, high-paying & low-drama, high-paying & high-drama, and  low-paying & low drama. When you hear these listed out, it's obvious that we want the high-paying & low-drama and don't want the low-paying & high-drama. It's the other two groups that cause us so much grief. I explained this to Vincent and he started getting excited. Then he asked if we could add a mid-range box and make it 3 x 3. That's when I got excited. We started mapping his various clients and income streams on this grid. It spoke so loud that we knew what he needed to do. I did the same exercise for us as well. By the way, this is vintage Ken & Vincent since we met at a Dave Ramsey, Seth Godin, Gary Vee conference in 2014. We mastermind so well together. When the drunkards returned from the iHeart party, we were chilling in the hotel restaurant with wings and our maps. We were so excited. Vincent pledged that he would raise the standards in his community to have 100 amazing people that were all low-drama. Some were low-paying and some were high, but no one brought drama. They would be an ultra generous community always looking out for others. This was the vision. This episode releases at the 1-year mark of that mapping meeting. Vincent's vision has come to fruition. TLF has leveled up more than I've ever seen it.  

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website