Automating a Cleaning Company
Do you want to be able to travel the world and build a business that you can run remotely that supports your dream lifestyle? They key is automation!
In today’s episode Mike coaches Chris Schwab from Think Maids (http://thinkmaids.com) on Automating a Cleaning Business.
BONUS TIP: The key to automating a cleaning company depends on systems and people.

Typically, the owner (that’s you), is the best employee. If they can’t do something they are usually the first person to go out and figure out how to do it and do it well.

You are generally always going to do the job to the best of your ability, not cut corners or intentionally slack off.

It would only make sense that you are the one setting the standard for how things are done in your company.

If you want to remove yourself from that position and start automating a cleaning business, the next step would be to hire a person that makes decisions similar to you or in the same way that you do.

The problem is people get sick, want more money or get hired away…not to mention they’re expensive!

It’s reasonable to assume that person will likely not be with your company forever.

It’s important to also be aware that a good general manager can take a lot of hands-on training and spooling up.

FUN FACT: It could take up to 6 months to a year to get a manger to where you want them to be and then they might leave a year or two later!

The key to automating a cleaning company is having really good systems. If you have really good systems, you don’t necessarily need above average employees.

So how do you create those systems? So glad you asked.

The three steps are:

Create a system for cleaning
Create a system for managing your cleaners
Create a system for hiring staff
Let’s go over each step in detail shall we?

KEY CONCEPT: The way to create systems is to work your way out of every job position you have.

In a cleaning company owner’s world, that means cleaning for a couple months and documenting everything you do.

Write down how you do it, where to start, what does work and what doesn’t. Make it as clear, detailed and efficient as possible.

Don’t neglect things like how you feel and where the trouble spots are. If you are exhausted after 7 hours and don’t want to work the next day, realise your employees are going to feel the same way. So build systems to make sure you aren’t overworking them.

Once you have created a good system from your notes on how you want your cleaning to be done, you are ready to turn it over to someone else to manage those employees.

Before hiring someone that hires people, you need to do all the hiring yourself and build those systems for somone else to follow.

Document everything about hiring your first employees. Just like the cleaning portion, write lots of notes and create a system from those notes.

When you’ve created the system for hiring people from your experiences of hiring people yourself, you’re ready to hire someone that hires people….wow that’s a like a nesting doll of hiring.

Ideally it won’t just be ‘one guy’, it will be 2 or 3 people, because if you are a continent away you want to have back up should that person quit, get sick or get fired.

One great way to accomplish that is to have 1 employee dedicated to hiring and managing employees and 2 or 3 others within your existing staff that are trustworthy and you have been grooming to promotion that you can call on in an emergency situation.

It’s important to know that you aren’t going to write a perfect system right off the bat. That’s ok! Part of the system is fine tuning and fixing the parts that don’t work.

BONUS TIP: Try to break the system as frequently and fast as possible. Because when you break the system that is when you get the solutions and you want to get the big breaks that require a lot of work while you are still in town and not happening when you are out of town.

Finally, its important that in your ‘planning to leave stage’, to create your systems to assume you cannot get back!

Planning for you to travel back to town in short notice isn’t going to serve you or your company well because things will happen and processes will break!

Chris gives back in the Lighting Round
Make sure to have limited liability insurance
Do everything mindfully
Posting later in the day when the competition is off