The Cleaning Journey

Build systems before you build a bigger business.

In Part 1 of this conversation, Misael Avalos sits down with Adam Povlitz, CEO of Anago Cleaning Systems, to discuss the mindset and systems every cleaning business owner needs to stop being the bottleneck.

Too many entrepreneurs spend their days putting out fires instead of building a business that can grow without them. Adam shares practical strategies for shifting from working in your business to working on it, including how to prioritize high-value activities, create simple operating systems, and lay the foundation for long-term growth.

✅ The CEO mindset every business owner needs ✅ Why systems matter more than talent alone ✅ How to identify your highest-value activities ✅ The Eisenhower Matrix for better decision-making ✅ Why "tithing your time" creates more freedom ✅ The first SOPs every cleaning business should build ✅ How to use customer feedback to improve your business ✅ Why tracking your numbers is essential for growth ✅ Simple systems you can implement today

Whether you're just starting your cleaning company or managing a growing team, this episode will help you build a stronger foundation before you scale.

🎙 Guest: Adam Povlitz CEO & President, Anago Cleaning Systems

Subscribe for more conversations with the top minds in the cleaning industry.

👍 Like the video if you found value. 💬 Leave a comment with the biggest system you've implemented in your business.

#CleaningBusiness #BusinessSystems #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness

Subscribe for more conversations with the top minds in the cleaning industry.

👍 Like the video if you found value.

💬 Leave a comment with the biggest system you've implemented in your business.

#CleaningBusiness #BusinessSystems #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

Victor Mijangos built The Mighty Maids into one of San Diego's highest-rated residential cleaning companies with more than 800 five-star reviews. But getting there required much more than working harder.

In this episode, Victor shares how hiring virtual assistants, building repeatable sales systems, focusing on customer experience, and investing in leadership helped transform his business from a stressful job into a scalable company.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything yourself, this conversation will show you what needs to change.

Topics include:

• Hiring your first VA • Delegating sales and follow-ups • Customer experience strategies • Building recurring revenue • Leadership and company culture • Follow-up systems that convert more clients • Creating freedom through systems

Connect with Victor

Instagram: @themightymaids

Website: https://themightymaidssandiego.com/

👇 Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments!

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

What separates the cleaning companies people remember from the ones they forget?

In Part 2 of our conversation, Lisa Macqueen shares why branding, leadership, and marketing have become just as important as delivering a great cleaning service.

Lisa explains how she intentionally positioned Clean Corp away from every other cleaning company in the market by changing the company's messaging, website, photography, and overall customer experience. She also shares lessons from business failures, building company culture, creating authentic content, and why she believes every business owner should embrace a media mindset.

If Part 1 focused on building systems, Part 2 is about building a brand.

• Thinking like a media company
• Standing out in a crowded industry
• Building a memorable brand
• Leadership and company culture
• Learning from business failures
• Authentic marketing and storytelling
• Personal branding
• Content creation that builds trust
• Rapid-fire business advice

No matter what stage your cleaning business is in, this episode will help you think differently about growth and long-term success.

👇 Connect with Lisa Macqueen

LinkedIn:

/ lisamacqueen

Clean Corp:

https://www.cleancorp.com

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-aval...

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS...

What happens when you stop running your cleaning company like a cleaning company—and start running it like a business?

In Part 1 of this conversation, Lisa Macqueen shares how she helped transform Clean Corp from a $700,000 business into a multi-million-dollar commercial cleaning company by focusing on marketing, systems, automation, and brand positioning.

Lisa discusses why relying solely on referrals limits growth, how implementing a CRM became one of the biggest turning points for the business, and why creating repeatable systems allowed the company to scale without adding unnecessary overhead.

You'll also hear why your website should do more than list your services—it should build trust, tell your story, and help potential clients immediately understand why your company is different.

In this episode:

• Breaking through the $700K revenue plateau
• Growing to over $2 million
• Why marketing creates predictable growth
• Implementing a CRM that scales with your business
• Building automated operational systems
• Creating a website that converts
• Using branding to stand out in a crowded market
• Why people buy from people

If you're looking to build a cleaning business that can scale beyond referrals and operate like a real company, this episode is full of actionable advice you can apply immediately.

👇 Connect with Lisa Macqueen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamacqueen/

Clean Corp: https://www.cleancorp.com

🎧 Enjoying the show?

Subscribe for weekly conversations with cleaning business owners, operators, and industry leaders sharing real-world lessons from the front lines.

Interested in growing your cleaning business?

Book a free 45-minute strategy call:

https://www.misaelavalos.com

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-aval...

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS...

In Episode #36 of The Cleaning Journey, Misael Avalos speaks with Marcelo Matos, owner of Prime Cleaning Services in Columbus, Ohio.

Marcelo shares his remarkable journey from immigrating to the United States in 2015 to building a cleaning company that now performs approximately 2,000 cleanings per month with a team of 54 employees and 16 vehicles.

The conversation covers the challenges of losing more than 90% of clients during the pandemic, making the decision to go "all in" on the business, acquiring a larger company while facing significant financial pressure, and working through one of the most demanding periods of entrepreneurship imaginable.

Marcelo also discusses the systems, leadership structure, customer service standards, and operational processes that have helped Prime Cleaning scale while reducing owner dependency.

This episode is packed with lessons on resilience, risk, growth, and what it really takes to build a sustainable cleaning company.

Topics discussed:

• Immigrating to the United States and starting a cleaning business • Surviving COVID-related client loss • Business acquisitions • Cash flow challenges • Scaling operations • Building management teams • Systems and process development • Customer experience and retention • Long-term business growth

Interested in growing your cleaning business?

Book a free 45-minute strategy call:

https://www.misaelavalos.com

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

Episode Summary

Finding clients isn't the hardest part of running a cleaning company.

Finding and keeping great cleaners is.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Victoria Westcott shares the hiring systems, employee retention strategies, recurring revenue model, and leadership lessons that helped her build a successful residential cleaning business.

Victoria explains why many cleaning business owners focus on the wrong bottleneck, how to attract and retain experienced cleaners, and why recurring clients create a stronger and more profitable company than constantly chasing one-time jobs. She also discusses the importance of systems, boundaries, and building a business that can grow without creating chaos.

Whether you're starting a cleaning company, managing a maid service, or scaling a residential cleaning business, this episode offers practical insights on hiring, retention, recurring revenue, and sustainable growth.

What You'll Learn

• Victoria's step-by-step hiring process

• How to attract experienced cleaners

• Why hiring should never be emotional

• Employee retention strategies for cleaning businesses

• Daily pay versus traditional payroll

• Building recurring revenue through recurring clients

• Creating healthy client boundaries

• How recurring customers increase profitability

• The difference between growth and chaos

• Why systems matter more than hustle

• Leadership lessons learned from high employee turnover

Guest

Victoria Westcott

Key Topics

• Cleaning business hiring

• Employee retention

• Recruiting cleaners

• Residential cleaning companies

• Maid service growth

• Recurring revenue

• Recurring cleaning clients

• Leadership

• Business systems

• Cleaning company operations

• Scaling a cleaning business

• Team culture

Notable Quotes

"The real problem isn't clients. It's finding cleaners."

"Recurring revenue creates stability."

"Systems matter more than hustle."

We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, client communication, and recurring services all in one place.

🚀 Start your free trial and get 20% off for 6 months:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

Connect With The Cleaning Journey

🎥 Subscribe: @misaavalos

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

🎙️ Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast

📞 Free 45-Minute Discovery Call:

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want To Be A Guest?

Apply to be on The Cleaning Journey Podcast:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Cleaning Journey Podcast, Victoria Westcott explains why she believes the traditional cleaning company sales process is outdated and how modern cleaning businesses can grow faster through online booking, transparent pricing, automation, and customer-focused systems.

Victoria shares her approach to running a residential cleaning business that prioritizes customer convenience, recurring clients, and operational efficiency. She discusses how online booking can improve conversions, why today's customers expect instant pricing, and how cleaning business owners can build systems that scale without adding unnecessary complexity.

Whether you own a house cleaning company, maid service, residential cleaning business, or home service company, this episode offers practical insights on attracting better clients, improving the customer experience, and creating a more efficient business.

What You'll Learn

• Why customers expect transparent pricing
• The benefits of online booking for cleaning businesses
• How automation improves customer experience
• Building scalable systems for a cleaning company
• How to attract and retain ideal clients
• Why simplifying the buying process increases conversions

Guest

Victoria Westcott

Key Topics

• Cleaning business growth
• Online booking systems
• Transparent pricing
• Customer experience
• Residential cleaning companies
• Cleaning company systems
• Client acquisition
• Business automation
• Recurring cleaning clients
• Service business operations

Notable Quotes

"Customers want their problem solved."

"Online booking changes everything."

"Focus on your ideal customer."

Victoria's Cleaning Company - https://www.instagram.com/oakbayclean/

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools. We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here:

https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: @misaavalos For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney

📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇

https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

Misael Avalos sits down with Shania Gladwell, founder of Beskar Cleaning, to discuss the early years of building a cleaning company during COVID and the reality of scaling too quickly.

Shania shares how she went from working in government recruitment to managing more than 80 employees while raising a newborn and trying to keep her business afloat during one of the most chaotic periods in recent history.

This episode covers:

✅ Early growth in the cleaning industry ✅ Wearing every hat in the business ✅ Cleaning while hiring and training staff ✅ The mental toll of scaling too fast ✅ Burnout and becoming the operational bottleneck ✅ Virtual assistants and delegation ✅ Instant quoting systems and automation ✅ Why systems create freedom ✅ Leadership lessons from staying on the tools

If you're currently overwhelmed in your cleaning business or struggling to remove yourself from operations, this episode will give you practical systems and mindset shifts to scale more sustainably.

🎧 Part 2 dives deeper into recurring revenue, luxury clients, hiring systems, retention, and building a premium scalable brand.

📺 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ShaniaGladwell

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venturementors?lang=en

📘 Free eBook — Uncompromising Success https://www.venturementors.com.au/resources/uncompromising-success

🧼 Beskar Cleaning https://www.facebook.com/beskarcleaning

🤖 Cornerstone AI https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572908942078

📈 Venture Mentors https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567442694090

🛠️ Beskar Tiling https://www.facebook.com/BeskarTiling

👤 Shania Gladwell https://www.facebook.com/shania.gladwell/

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

For YouTube and Spotify:

🎥Subscribe: ‪@misaavalos‬ For more cleaning tips videos!

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney 📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

🎙️Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast On Spotify

📞1-on-1 Call (45-FREE Minutes to talk about your business, CRAZYY, I know): 👇 https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be in the podcast? Please fill out this form, and we will contact you. Your journey matters! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

Shania Gladwell is the founder of Beskar Investments Group which includes Beskar Cleaning across 19 locations in Australia, Beskar Tiling, Cornerstone AI, and Venture Mentors.

She helps service-based business owners scale through automation systems, leadership, hiring infrastructure, smart websites, CRM systems, and strategic growth consulting.

Starting in the cleaning industry before expanding Australia-wide, Shania built and scaled her company into an award-winning business before transitioning into helping entrepreneurs globally create businesses that run without constant owner involvement.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Misael Avalos sits down again with Shania Gladwell, founder of Beskar Cleaning, to dive deeper into the systems and strategies that helped her build a premium recurring cleaning company operating across multiple locations in Australia.

This episode focuses on recurring revenue, premium clients, hiring systems, automation, retention, and building a business that runs without the owner being involved in every task.

Shania shares how she transitioned from everyday residential cleaning into luxury recurring services while building stronger systems, better client retention, and long-term operational freedom.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅ Turning one-time customers into recurring clients ✅ Builder partnerships and referral systems ✅ Email automations and follow-up campaigns ✅ Selling recurring cleaning the right way ✅ Why wealthy customers buy differently ✅ How to attract premium luxury clients ✅ Networking and referral strategies ✅ Maintaining quality while scaling ✅ Leadership development and employee education ✅ Staff retention systems that actually work ✅ Building a sellable business asset ✅ Long-term entrepreneurial mindset

If you want to build a recurring cleaning business with stronger systems, better clients, and long-term scalability, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHANIA GLADWELL ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📺 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ShaniaGladwell

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venturementors?lang=en

📘 Free eBook — Uncompromising Success https://www.venturementors.com.au/resources/uncompromising-success

🧼 Beskar Cleaning https://www.facebook.com/beskarcleaning

🤖 Cornerstone AI https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572908942078

📈 Venture Mentors https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567442694090

🛠️ Beskar Tiling https://www.facebook.com/BeskarTiling

👤 Shania Gladwell https://www.facebook.com/shania.gladwell/

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 💼 JOBBER — FREE TRIAL + 20% OFF ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, you need the right tools.

We recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial and get 20% off for 6 months here: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎙️ THE CLEANING JOURNEY ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎥 Subscribe: ‪@misaavalos‬ for more cleaning business content

📲 Instagram: @cleaningjourney 📲 Instagram: @misa.avalos

🎙️ Spotify: The Cleaning Journey Podcast

📞 1-on-1 Call (45 FREE Minutes to talk about your business 👇) https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want to be on the podcast? Your journey matters. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧠 ABOUT SHANIA GLADWELL ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Shania Gladwell is the founder of Beskar Investments Group, which includes Beskar Cleaning across 19 locations in Australia, Beskar Tiling, Cornerstone AI, and Venture Mentors.

She helps service-based business owners scale through automation systems, leadership, hiring infrastructure, smart websites, CRM systems, and strategic growth consulting.

Starting in the cleaning industry before expanding Australia-wide, Shania built and scaled her company into an award-winning business before transitioning into helping entrepreneurs globally create businesses that run without constant owner involvement.

#cleaningbusiness #recurringrevenue #luxuryclients #entrepreneurship #businesssystems #automation #leadership #premiumclients #servicebusiness #cleaningjourney

How do you schedule 150+ homes per day without chaos?

In Part 2 of this episode, Holly Moore breaks down the systems, scheduling strategies, hiring mindset, and company culture that helped her scale Maids & More into a massive residential cleaning operation.

In This Episode We Cover: • Why most cleaning companies schedule the wrong way • How map-based scheduling changed everything • The software Holly built to run 150+ cleanings per day • Why sales should drive hiring — NOT the other way around • Handling call-outs and last-minute schedule changes at scale • Employee retention systems that actually work • Building culture inside a growing company • Review strategies that increase retention and motivate employees

Guest: Holly Moore Founder of Maids & More Founder of The Cleaning Software Founder of MyCleanCon

Follow Holly & The Cleaning Software: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553738314858

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecleaningsoftware/

Recommended Software: If you're serious about building systems that remove you as the bottleneck, we recommend Jobber to manage scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and client communication all in one place.

Start your 2-week free trial + get 20% off for 6 months: https://go.getjobber.com/misael

Follow The Cleaning Journey: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleaningjourney/

Misael Avalos: https://www.instagram.com/misa.avalos/

Free 45-Minute Business Call: https://scheduler.zoom.us/misael-avalos/free-discovery-call

Want To Be Featured On The Podcast? https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10RsS2J2CzQjW8ttbljx2LfebK9sMtmSz9AG0ipMAlx8/edit