The Profitable Cleaner

Success in business isn’t just about tactics—it’s about perspective, resilience, and the mindset you build when everything is on the line.

In this episode, James sits down with Danny Keels—janitorial sales leader, Army veteran, and seasoned entrepreneur—to unpack an incredible journey from combat zones in Somalia to closing multi-million dollar contracts in the cleaning industry.

Danny shares:

• The life-changing lessons he learned serving in Somalia
• How military discipline shaped his approach to sales
• The power of persistence when clients say “no”
• Why authentic relationships—not the cheapest bid—win in the long run
• The mindset that keeps him grounded as a father, husband, and professional

If you’re in janitorial sales, leadership, or just trying to build a business that lasts, this episode is packed with hard-won insights you won’t hear anywhere else.

Whether you’re scaling past $5M or still landing your first big accounts, this one’s for those who refuse to quit.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ The unexpected link between military service and business success
• ✅ How to stay consistent when deals take 6–18 months
• ✅ The right (and wrong) ways to approach big RFPs
• ✅ Simple daily habits that build unshakable focus
• ✅ Why “cheaper isn’t better”—and how to prove your value

⏱️ Episode Breakdown:

(00:00) – What Clients Really Want (Hint: Not Just Price)
(04:00) – Danny’s Story: From Somalia to Sales
(10:00) – Mindset Shifts That Change Everything
(18:00) – Why Adversity Creates Better Leaders
(25:00) – Building Trust Over Years (Not Weeks)
(35:00) – Overcoming Rejection & Staying Persistent
(45:00) – The Real Definition of Success
(50:00) – Closing Reflections and Final Advice

💼 Our Trusted Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry – Start Free Trial
• ✅ Team Engine: Hire, communicate, and manage your workforce – Learn More
• ✅ Swept: Janitorial software that scales with you – Check It Out

🙌🏼 Join Our Community:

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

📲 Follow Us:

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

Text Our Community JOIN today

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Most entrepreneurs measure themselves by how much they earn, what they own, or how much they invest. But what happens when your biggest investment goes bad—and you lose almost everything?

In this episode, James sits down with Ben Kennedy—a successful personal injury attorney, father, cancer survivor, and business owner—to talk about the mindset it takes to build a fulfilling life that goes beyond dollars.

Ben shares powerful lessons on:

• Losing nearly $100K to fraud (and why he doesn’t let it define him)
• Navigating cancer as a teenager and finding purpose through adversity
• Building trust and transparency in a traditionally “stiff” industry
• Why chasing more money can sabotage your joy (and how he let go)
• The real difference between success and fulfillment

If you’ve ever struggled with tying your identity to your income, this conversation will hit home.

Whether you’re leading a multimillion-dollar cleaning company or just trying to build something that matters, this episode is packed with stories and mindset shifts you won’t forget.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

•  ✅ How Ben overcame cancer at 15 and used adversity to fuel purpose
•  ✅ The mindset shift that helped him detach self-worth from net worth
•  ✅ How to protect yourself from fraud (and recover from bad investments)
•  ✅ Why humility and communication are the real superpowers in business
•  ✅ The art of negotiation and building trust in any industry

⏱️ Episode Breakdown:
 (00:00) – Why Net Worth Doesn’t Define You
 (02:00) – Ben’s Early Career & Losing His Job in the Financial Crisis
 (06:30) – Becoming a Lawyer After Cancer
 (12:00) – Life Lessons From the Courtroom
 (18:00) – Negotiation & Handling Difficult Clients
 (26:00) – The $80K Investment That Went Bad
 (35:00) – Processing Failure Without Losing Yourself
 (42:00) – Detaching Success From Your Bank Account
 (50:00) – Final Takeaways & Life Advice

💼 Want to Connect With Ben?

•  🔗 Website → https://kennedyinjurylawyers.com/ 
•  🔗 Connect on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/btkennedy/ 

💼 Brought to You By Our Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry  – Start Free Trial 
• ✅ 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)

📲 Follow Us:

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

Text Our Community JOIN today

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Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow tackle one of the hardest parts of scaling a cleaning company: finding and developing the right manager who truly has your back.

Whether you’re doing $700K or crossing $3 million in revenue, you’ll eventually hit the wall where your existing team just can’t take you to the next level. This episode breaks down when to bring in outside leadership, what it really costs, and how to avoid the expensive mistakes so many owners make.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

•  ✅ Why your first operations or general manager can make or break your growth
•  ✅ How to decide if you should promote from within or hire from outside
•  ✅ What you should expect to pay top talent—and why skimping costs you more
•  ✅ Why a detailed job description is non-negotiable
•  ✅ How to avoid the “empty promises on paper” trap when hiring
•  ✅ The difference between ROI, ROT, and ROO—and why time is your real currency

📌 This Episode Is For:
 ✔️ Cleaning business owners stuck wearing all the hats
 ✔️ Companies between $1M–$5M looking to scale
 ✔️ Leaders frustrated by loyal but underperforming staff
 ✔️ Anyone who’s lost time and money on the wrong hire

🕒 Episode Breakdown:

• 00:00 – Introduction and why this topic matters
• 01:59 – Why your current team may not grow with you
• 04:38 – When (and how) to hire your first real operations leader
• 11:57 – Promoting vs. hiring externally
• 14:22 – Funding your next key hire and setting expectations
• 23:37 – ROI vs. ROO: What your investment really buys you
• 27:07 – Final thoughts on leadership and growth

📌 Resources:

 ➡️ Catch up on our full Planning Series:

• Part 1 - Simplify Business Planning
• Part 2 - Sales & Marketing Planning
• Part 3 - Mastering Service Delivery 
• Part 4 - Master Your Janitorial Finances 

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

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

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

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

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

Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, CBSE, and Ed Selkow dive into the third pillar of your Business Planning Strategy—Service Delivery—in this high-impact episode of our 4-part series, “Simplify Planning & Boost Results.”

If you’ve ever lost a client over a small mistake, this one’s for you.

We're breaking down customer satisfaction, employee retention, training systems, quality control, and the one-liner that sums up the entire service game:

“One Oh Sh*t erases three Attaboys.”

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅Why perception is everything in customer service
  ✅The two key questions to measure service health
• ✅How to track customer churn and employee turnover
• ✅The link between operational efficiency and client retention
• ✅What to fix (and how fast) using the Red-Yellow-Green planning method
• ✅How to set realistic goals for long-term success—and get them in writing
  
  

📌 This Episode Is For:

• Janitorial companies struggling with inconsistent sales
• Owners outsourcing marketing without understanding the numbers
• Operators who want more control and clarity in their sales funnel
• Anyone building a marketing plan for the new year or next quarter

🕒 Episode Breakdown:

03:00 – What is service delivery (and why it drives growth)
05:00 – How to track customer satisfaction (and what not to assume)
08:00 – “One oh sh*t = 3 attaboys” and the power of perception
10:30 – Why employee turnover kills retention—and what to do about it
14:00 – Training, supervision, and operational efficiency: a retention game
17:00 – Planning your future vision: short-term vs. long-term
24:00 – Goal setting: how to actually move the needle
27:00 – Why “writing it down” is your business advantage

📌 Resources:

• ➡️ Catch up on Part 1: Business Planning Simplified 
• ➡️ Watch Part 2: Sales & Marketing Planning That Works 
• ➡️ Subscribe to The Profitable Cleaner to never miss an episode!

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

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

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

Success in sales isn’t just about strategy — it’s about mindset, discipline, and staying grounded in what actually matters.

In this episode, James sits down with Brian Reimer, Regional Sales Director in the cybersecurity space (Cato Networks) and long-time enterprise closer, to break down what it really takes to win million-dollar deals without losing yourself in the process.

Brian opens up about:

• His approach to enterprise sales cycles
• How his faith and family keep him anchored
• Why he chose people and purpose over prestige
• What most reps get wrong about long-term follow-up
• And the real reason your energy matters more than your pitch

If you're trying to close bigger commercial cleaning contracts, stay patient through long sales cycles, or balance personal growth with business pressure — this episode will hit home.

Whether you run a $500K company or manage a team of 200, this one’s for the leaders playing the long game.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ How to show up when deals take 12–36 months to close
• ✅Why most people quit right before the breakthrough
• ✅How faith, family, and energy play into long-term success
• ✅Why relational equity outperforms short-term tactics
• ✅The mental edge that separates 6-figure from 7-figure closers

⏱️ Episode Breakdown:

(00:00) – Meet Brian Reimer
 (01:00) – Redefining Success Through Faith & Gratitude
 (04:50) – Finding Joy in Work (Even in Sales)
 (06:30) – How Sales Found Him + Learning From His Mom
 (10:45) – Selling Cybersecurity & Long Enterprise Sales Cycles
 (14:00) – Staying Engaged Without Burning Out
 (17:50) – Why Relationships Trump Sales Scripts
 (20:30) – Making the Leap: Leaving a Dream Job for the Right One
 (24:30) – The Right Sales Habits = The Right Outcomes
 (27:00) – Personal Growth, Energy, and How to Prepare
 (30:55) – What Most Sales Reps Forget
 (33:00) – Personal Routines That Power Professional Results
 (36:00) – Teaching His Kids Faith, Hustle, and Sales
 (41:15) – Why You Have to Outlast Everyone Else
 (44:00) – Closing Thoughts on Life, Leadership, and Legacy

💼 Want to Work With Brian?

• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn →https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancreimer/ 
•  📍 Based in Denver, CO –https://www.catonetworks.com/ 

💼 Our Trusted 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 Our Community:

• 🚀 Private Facebook Group: The Profitable Cleaner Community 
• 📈 Profit Advisory Board: Business Growth Community 

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4-part series: “Simplify Planning & Boost Results.”

In this episode, we tackle the two most critical drivers of janitorial growth: marketing and sales. 

Hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down how to use the Planning Wheel framework to evaluate your current efforts, cut what’s not working, and strategically plan for more predictable revenue.

No more crossing your fingers with marketing or relying on luck for leads. Learn how to take control of your growth engine — and stop outsourcing results you don’t understand or can’t measure.

💥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• ✅ How to assess where your marketing & sales efforts truly stand
• ✅ Why outsourcing lead gen without oversight is a huge red flag
• ✅ What metrics to track to predictably grow revenue
• ✅ How to use the Planning Wheel to improve your close rate and funnel
• ✅ Why your funnel health determines whether you’ll keep growing
• ✅ A red-light / green-light method to cut waste and optimize fast
• ✅ Real talk on healthy account size % and chasing the right clients

📌 This Episode Is For:

• Janitorial companies struggling with inconsistent sales
• Owners outsourcing marketing without understanding the numbers
• Operators who want more control and clarity in their sales funnel
• Anyone building a marketing plan for the new year or next quarter

🧭 Episode Breakdown:

(01:00) – The planning wheel recap: where are you, how did you get here?
(03:00) – How to evaluate your marketing honestly (and objectively)
(05:00) – Why outsourcing blindly is like “hiring a $200 date”
(07:00) – What to track when running ads or managing an outside firm
(10:00) – Red-light / green-light method: cut, improve, replace
(12:30) – Sales funnel math: how to plan backwards from your close rate
(16:00) – Why most owners overestimate growth goals without a path
(20:00) – What percentage of revenue should one account be?

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

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

About Polishing Profits

Hosted by Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow — three of the most experienced operators in the commercial cleaning industry — Polishing Profits delivers no-fluff strategies that actually work. With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve helped countless companies scale, win, and systematize their success.

Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

In this deeply honest episode, James sits down with commercial and fashion photographer John S. Miller, whose work has appeared in publications like 303 Magazine and Mile High Sports. From leading worship for nearly two decades to launching his own creative business, John opens up about his transition, his faith, and how being a father to a daughter with special needs transformed his entire outlook on work and life.

A creative entrepreneur, and former worship pastor who’s built a career and life around service, humility, and family. More than tactics or tools, this episode is about the deeper things we rarely talk about in business — identity, ego, burnout, faith, and showing up fully for the people who matter most.

Whether you're running a $500K cleaning company or managing a team of 200, this is your reminder to build something that works for your life, not the other way around.

🔥 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ How to balance your business without sacrificing family
• ✅ Why ego is the silent killer of leadership
• ✅ How to transition careers without losing your identity
• ✅ What business owners can learn from faith and humility
• ✅ Why burnout is a signal, not a badge of honor
• ✅ The power of creative presence in a high-stress world

📚 Episode Breakdown:

(00:00) – The Cold Water Moment: Ego & Vulnerability
(05:30) – Life Before Photography: Ministry, Music & Leadership
(11:00) – Raising a Child with Special Needs While Growing a Business
(17:00) – Why Grounded Entrepreneurs Lead Better Teams
(22:00) – Transitioning Careers Without Burning Out
(29:00) – The Role of Faith in Business & Balance
(36:00) – Personal Growth, Partnerships, and the Power of Saying No
(42:00) – Reflections on Legacy, Parenting, and Purpose

👤 Guest: John S. Miller

• 📸 Commercial, Fashion & Portrait Photographer
•  🗺️ Based in Denver, CO
• 🌐 https://www.johnsmiller.com/ 
• Follow his work on Instagram

Clients include Wrangler, ARTA Tequila, Mile High Sports Magazine, and dozens more.

🙌🏼 Join Our Community:

• 🚀 Private Facebook Group: The Profitable Cleaner Community 
• 📈 Profit Advisory Board: Business Growth Community 

💼 Our Trusted 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 

📢 Follow Us for More Insights:

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

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show