I’m talking about equipment you thought you needed but ended up barely using, replacing, or realizing wasn’t worth the money.
For those who’ve been in commercial cleaning for a while, what would you skip if you were starting over?
I’m trying to simplify the number of products I carry.
What all-purpose cleaner do you use most often for everyday commercial cleaning?
I have a team of around 100 people and I’m planning an appreciation luncheon for the holidays.
We’ll already have food and recognition, but I’d like to give everyone something useful without spending a fortune or handing out cheap company swag.
For anyone who’s done this with a larger team, what gift actually went over well?
I won a contract that could potentially double my revenue, but I don’t have the staff in place yet. I don’t want to hire too early and carry payroll, but I also don’t want to wait and end up scrambling when the account starts.
For anyone who’s been through this, did you hire ahead, use part-time help, or cover some of the work yourself at first? What would you do differently now?
How do you handle someone who has more years of experience, but never wanted a leadership role until recently?
They’re knowledgeable and capable, but they tend to take over, try to do everything themselves, and sometimes seem more focused on proving their value than working as part of the team.
How do you give someone like that room to contribute without letting them undermine your role or create competition over who gets the credit?
One thing I’ve found difficult as responsibilities grow is handing off work I’m used to doing myself. You want the same standard, but constantly checking behind someone defeats the purpose of delegating.
For those who’ve gotten better at this, what actually worked? Clear expectations? Checklists? Spot checks? Training upfront and then backing off? How do you maintain a high standard without turning delegation into another full-time job?
A lot of people focus on getting more leads, but I think plenty of deals are lost after the lead comes in.
For those winning commercial accounts, where do you think most deals fall apart?
You don’t need a huge equipment budget or a full crew before finding your first client.
What matters more early on is learning how to find the right prospects, conduct a walkthrough, price the work, follow up, and actually deliver what you promised.
A lot of beginners spend months preparing when they could be talking to potential clients.
For those already operating, What’s one thing you think new commercial cleaning owners spend too much time or money on before landing their first contract?
(I also made my beginner commercial cleaning book free on Kindle for a few days if anyone starting out wants it.)
I’ve been thinking about this because cleaning quality seems like only part of what keeps a commercial account.
A company can do decent work and still lose the client because the crew becomes inconsistent, communication gets slow, small complaints aren’t handled quickly, inspections stop happening, or little scope issues keep piling up.
Sometimes I think the bigger problem is that the owner only communicates with the client when something goes wrong. Months can go by with no real check-in, and by the time the client starts looking at other companies, the relationship is already weak.
Then there’s the opposite situation: the cleaning itself may not be perfect every night, but the company communicates well, fixes problems quickly, stays organized, and the client trusts them.
For those who have managed commercial accounts, what have you actually seen cause a cleaning company to lose a good client?
Was it usually cleaning quality itself, or something happening around the cleaning?
You submit a proposal and then find out you’re competing against several other companies.
At that point, the price is already on the table. What have people actually done afterward that helped them win the business without immediately offering a discount.
Did you follow up and reinforce something from the original conversation? Offer another meeting? Clarify the scope? Provide additional proof that you could deliver? Or just give the prospect space to make the decision?
I think there’s a tendency to assume that if multiple companies are bidding, lowering the price gives you a better chance. But I’m not convinced that’s always the best move.
For those selling B2B services, what has actually helped you better position yourself **after the proposal was already submitted?**
You submit a proposal and then find out you’re competing against several other companies.
At that point, the price is already on the table. What have people actually done afterward that helped them win the business without immediately offering a discount.
Did you follow up and reinforce something from the original conversation? Offer another meeting? Clarify the scope? Provide additional proof that you could deliver? Or just give the prospect space to make the decision?
I think there’s a tendency to assume that if multiple companies are bidding, lowering the price gives you a better chance. But I’m not convinced that’s always the best move.
For those selling B2B services, what has actually helped you better position yourself after the proposal was already submitted?
For those using 18” flat mop systems regularly, what microfiber pads have held up the best for you?
I’ve seen a lot of options that look nearly identical online, but I’m more interested in what happens after repeated commercial use and washing.
Which brands are you getting the most life out of, and what usually goes bad first on the cheaper pads, the backing, stitching, shrinking/curling, absorption, or just overall cleaning performance?
Trying to figure out which ones are actually worth buying instead of just going with the cheapest pack.
Everyone talks about million dollar ideas, but I’m curious about the smaller investments that created outsized returns. It could be software, equipment, a course, a book, a tool, or anything else that made your business more efficient or profitable. What’s one purchase under $500 that you would buy again without hesitation, and why?
I’m always interested in the small investments that end up making the biggest difference. Maybe it was a piece of equipment, software, a course, a printer, a standing desk, or even something simple that saved time or prevented costly mistakes. Sometimes the best investments aren’t the most expensive, they’re the ones that improve how you operate every day.
Looking back, what’s one purchase under $500 that paid for itself many times over?
I’m starting to think failure is only useful when it changes the way a business operates. A lost customer, bad hire, missed sale, or unprofitable project should expose something that needs to improve. Maybe communication was too slow, the work was priced incorrectly, one person had too much responsibility, or there was no process for catching the problem early.
The mistake itself usually isn’t what causes the most damage. The bigger problem is allowing it to happen again because nothing changed afterward. The strongest businesses probably aren’t the ones that avoid failure. They’re the ones that turn failure into a better system. What mistake taught you the most about running your business?
I’ve started thinking that many small businesses are only one unexpected problem away from a major disruption. Maybe one customer represents most of the revenue. One employee knows how everything works. One platform generates nearly every lead. Or the entire business depends on the owner being available every day.
None of those things are automatically bad, but they become dangerous when there’s no backup plan. Small businesses spend a lot of time thinking about growth. I’m starting to think resilience deserves just as much attention. What’s the biggest dependency in your business right now, and what are you doing to reduce the risk?
Routine restroom cleaning covers toilets, sinks, floors, trash, touchpoints, and restocking. Blood, vomit, feces, urine, or used needles are different. Those situations should be treated as safety and risk-management issues.
The first step should be closing the area so customers and untrained employees do not walk through it. From there, the business needs to decide whether trained staff can handle the incident or whether a specialized cleanup company is needed.
The area should be cleaned before it is disinfected, proper PPE should be used, disinfectant contact times should be followed, and sharps or contaminated waste must be handled safely. The incident should also be documented.
The biggest mistake is waiting until something happens to decide who is responsible. Every facility should already know who closes the restroom, who is trained to respond, where the spill supplies are stored, and when the situation must be escalated to a specialist.
How does your company handle biological incidents in public restrooms?
My first commercial cleaning client didn’t come from an ad, a lead service, or cold outreach.
My doctor was relocating to a new medical office, and I asked whether he needed someone to handle the cleaning. Because we already had a relationship, the trust barrier was much lower. Once we discussed the scope and completed the walkthrough, the opportunity moved quickly.
That experience changed how I thought about finding early customers. Before spending heavily on marketing, it may be worth looking at the people already in your network and asking who is going through a change, opening a location, or experiencing a problem you can solve.
How did you land your first paying customer?
When people start a business, the first instinct is often to spend money on advertising or lead generation services.
My first commercial cleaning client came through an existing relationship. My doctor was moving into a new medical office, and I spoke with him about handling the cleaning.
The trust was already there, so after discussing the scope and completing a walkthrough, the opportunity moved quickly.
It made me realize that the best first lead may already know you. One client can then help you earn experience, reviews, referrals, and credibility.
Did your first customer come through marketing, cold outreach, or someone already in your network?
My first commercial cleaning client came through someone I already knew.
My doctor was relocating to a new medical office, and I asked whether he needed someone to handle the cleaning. Because the relationship and trust were already there, the opportunity moved fairly quickly once we discussed the scope and completed the walkthrough.
There was no lead fee, referral service, or complicated marketing campaign. The first opportunity was already in my network.
It reminded me that your first client may come from someone who already knows and trusts you.
Where did your first commercial cleaning client come from?