Profit Cleaners: Grow Your Cleaning Company and Redefine Profit

Hosted by Brandon Schoen | Brandon Condrey

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Episodes

205

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Welcome to the Profit Cleaners Podcast, the only place where you can learn from the top 1% of cleaning business owners. Focused on redefining profit, each episode is designed to give you practical tips and advice so that you can grow your own business, whether you’re just getting started or have been in the industry for decades. Discover the most intelligent ways to make more profit per customer, increase customer retention, improve your work culture, and create sustainable systems that actually give you more time back. Roll up your sleeves and get to work with your hosts Brandon Schoen and Brandon Condrey, owners of one of the most successful cleaning businesses in the Southwest.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 20, 202646 min

Cleaning Business Wins and Q&A Part 2: Overcoming Hiring and Operational Challenges

How do you grow a cleaning business when you’re still doing the cleaning yourself? In this episode of The Profit Cleaners Podcast , Brandon Schoen and Brandon Condrey are joined by Claudia to answer real questions from cleaning business owners about hiring, scheduling, labor costs, and daily operations. Through community wins and practical examples, they explore what it takes to build a cleaning business that can operate beyond the owner. The conversation covers preparing for your first employee, building a pipeline of potential hires, and documenting cleaning processes to make training more consistent. A community member also shares her experience transitioning contractors to employees and how that change has supported reliability, quality, and recruitment. Whether you’re preparing to hire your first cleaner or strengthening an established team, this episode offers practical insights into managing growth, improving efficiency, and using AI to support operations while preserving personal customer service. Ready to build a cleaning business that gives you more time and room to grow? Listen to the full episode, then visit profitcleaners.com for show notes, training, and free resources to help you strengthen your systems and build your team. Highlights: (01:38) Documenting pre-existing damage to protect your business and clarify customer concerns (04:41) Evaluating high labor costs through pricing, cleaning times, and team efficiency (06:26) Building a hiring pipeline before you need additional cleaners (07:34) Moving from solo cleaning to a team and preparing for the financial transition (10:28) A business owner’s experience transitioning contractors to employees (20:33) Improving a solo cleaner’s schedule by pairing longer cleans with shorter jobs (23:07) Documenting your cleaning process to train others and reduce dependence on you (24:04) Navigating first-hire concerns and identifying coachable candidates (27:15) Planning payroll reserves and considering a part-time first hire (32:31) Using AI for recurring administrative tasks while maintaining human involvement in customer service Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/

October 10, 202638 min

Cleaning Business Wins and Q&A: Overcoming Hiring and Operational Challenges

August 26, 202647 min

Hire Fast, Fire Faster: Building a Stronger Cleaning Team

Building a successful cleaning company requires more than bringing in new customers. You also need the right people to serve them. In this episode of the Profit Cleaners Podcast, Brandon Condrey and Claudia Knight McGrory discuss one of the most persistent challenges in the cleaning industry: building and retaining a reliable team. From employees who interview well but quickly prove to be the wrong fit to strong cleaners who may still create problems for the culture, they explain why owners need a better way to evaluate performance. JR Robles shares his 4Q framework, which evaluates cleaners based on quality, efficiency, communication, and reliability. The conversation also covers when to coach versus when to let someone go, why ongoing audits matter even after responsibilities have been delegated, and how consistent training can help good employees improve and stay longer. Ryan Serafin also shares his experience of hiring several cleaners who struggled with reliability, following directions, and appropriate behavior inside customers' homes. His situation opens up an important conversation about an often-overlooked part of leadership: you can't always assume employees know what professional behavior looks like. Sometimes expectations that seem obvious to an owner still need to be clearly taught, reinforced, and coached. They also discuss employee referrals, hands-on training, positive reinforcement, and the systems that allow teams to perform without constant owner involvement. Because at some point, growth isn't just about getting more customers. It's about building the team that builds the business. If hiring feels like a revolving door and managing employees is taking more of your time than expected, this episode offers practical strategies for hiring better, addressing behavior issues, developing your people, and building a stronger, more dependable team. Listen now! For more show notes, trainings, updates, and free resources, visit ProfitCleaners.com . Highlights: (02:43) Why the challenges of entrepreneurship are part of building a stronger business. (08:30) What rapid growth can reveal about employees in leadership positions. (12:48) Why delegating responsibilities doesn't eliminate the need for regular audits. (17:30) How to approach employee terminations with better documentation and safeguards. (19:21) Why hiring, firing, and training are essential skills for cleaning business owners. (20:00) The 4Q framework for evaluating quality, efficiency, communication, and reliability. (22:58) What to examine when new hires repeatedly fail to work out. (26:41) How practice houses can help prepare cleaners before working independently. (28:21) Why developing leadership skills across your team can make future promotions easier. (33:09) Why employee training should continue long after onboarding. (37:16) How public recognition and private correction can strengthen team morale. (40:10) Why employee referrals can produce some of your longest-lasting hires. (44:49) Why strong systems reduce micromanagement and dependence on individual employees. (45:37) How hands-on training helps new cleaners learn and consistently meet company standards. Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Download the “We Broke Something” leave-behind: profitcleaners.com/leavebehind

August 14, 202629 min

Your First Clean Is a Sales Call: Why the Customer Experience Doesn’t End With the Clean

Winning a new customer doesn’t end when the first cleaning is booked. In this episode of The Profit Cleaners Podcast, the Brandons discuss how losing customers after their first or second clean can quietly make your entire customer acquisition process less efficient. They explain why cleaning business owners should look closely at their retention data, identify where customers are dropping off, and determine whether the first-clean experience may be contributing to unnecessary churn. They also share practical ways to create a stronger customer experience, including handwritten notes, thoughtful leave-behinds, proactive follow-up, and small details that keep your company top of mind between visits. More importantly, they explain why the way you respond when something goes wrong can have just as much impact as getting everything right in the first place. Through real stories from their cleaning businesses, the Brandons show how honest communication, accountability, and a willingness to make things right helped them preserve customer relationships even after mistakes were made. A broken item doesn’t necessarily have to mean a lost customer. How your company responds can determine whether that mistake becomes a cancellation or a story the customer tells their neighbors for all the right reasons. If you are successfully bringing new customers through the door but struggling to keep them, this episode will help you rethink the first clean as more than a service appointment. It’s an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate value, and create an experience customers want to continue. Listen now! Download the “We Broke Something” leave-behind to help your team communicate clearly with customers when something gets damaged during a clean. Click here: profitcleaners.com/leavebehind Highlights: (01:23) Why the first clean should be treated as an audition for recurring business. (03:16) How losing customers early can make customer acquisition significantly more expensive. (05:13) Why customer retention and lifetime value matter to the long-term health of your business. (07:06) How to use your business data to identify first-clean and early customer churn. (10:25) Simple ways to make the first-clean experience more personal and memorable. (12:11) How thoughtful leave-behinds can keep your cleaning company top of mind. (14:12) How to respond professionally when a customer is unhappy with a clean. (15:39) Why proactive follow-up can uncover concerns before they become cancellations. (18:36) How honest communication after breaking a customer's item strengthened the relationship. (21:38) Why taking responsibility for a costly mistake helped preserve a long-term customer. (24:09) How going above and beyond to correct a problem can become part of your referral story. (25:51) Why every customer interaction should be handled with your reputation in mind. (26:59) Why customers are ultimately buying more than a clean. Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Download the “We Broke Something” leave-behind: profitcleaners.com/leavebehind Download the “We Broke Something” leave-behind: profitcleaners.com/leavebehind

July 31, 202626 min

The $10,300 Ghost: Why Cleaning Hiring Is Broken in 2026 and How to Fix It.

In this episode of The Profit Cleaners Podcast, Brandon Schoen and Brandon Condrey tackle one of the most expensive problems hiding inside cleaning businesses: employee turnover. While many owners assume they are dealing with a labor shortage, the Brandons explain why the bigger issue may actually be retention and why constantly replacing cleaners can quietly drain thousands of dollars from a business. They break down the true cost of losing a cleaner, including recruiting expenses, training, lost productivity, owner time, and revenue lost when routes cannot operate at full capacity. Using a hypothetical $10,300 cost per lost employee, they show how a cleaning company with 20 employees and 200% annual turnover could be looking at roughly $412,000 a year in turnover-related costs. Suddenly, that employee who disappeared after a week is a very expensive ghost. The Brandons also explore the changing labor market, including rising service-industry wages, increased competition for workers, and why cleaning businesses need to prepare for higher labor costs. They discuss the importance of responding quickly to applicants, offering more predictable schedules, using technology to simplify day-to-day work, and creating an employee experience that makes great cleaners actually want to stay. Finally, they explain why better retention goes far beyond hiring. Strong culture, ongoing training, reliable systems, employee recognition, and consistent leadership can turn your existing team into one of your best recruiting tools. Instead of endlessly pouring new hires into a leaky bucket, the goal is to fix the leaks, understand the numbers, and build a business where both employees and customers want to stick around. Listen now! Highlights: (01:42) Why cleaning businesses are facing a retention crisis, not just a labor shortage. (04:12) The hidden $10,300 cost of losing and replacing a cleaner. (07:58) How rising wages and a shrinking labor pool are affecting cleaning businesses. (12:13) Why responding quickly to job applicants can improve hiring success. (14:24) How predictable schedules and better systems can help retain employees. (16:08) Why a strong company culture plays an important role in employee retention. (18:32) The importance of tracking hiring, training, and turnover costs. (19:33) Why ongoing training helps build stronger, more committed teams. (22:10) How happy employees can become one of your best recruiting tools. (23:42) How auditing your hiring process can uncover costly gaps and improve retention. Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean

July 24, 202624 min

Las Cruces Revamp Update

In this episode of The Profit Cleaners Podcast, Brandon Schoen and Brandon Condrey share a candid one-year update on their Las Cruces expansion, offering an honest look at the challenges, setbacks, and lessons that came with launching a second location. While the opportunity showed early promise, unexpected operational and marketing obstacles forced them to rethink their approach and rebuild from the ground up. The Brandons discuss how a suspended Google Business Profile significantly impacted customer acquisition, the complexities of managing a business remotely, and the importance of establishing reliable systems and leadership before expanding into a new market. They also explain how seemingly minor administrative issues, including business verification and address discrepancies, created larger operational challenges than anticipated. Throughout the conversation, they reflect on the risks of pursuing multiple growth initiatives simultaneously and why they ultimately decided to pause their franchising plans to focus on strengthening their existing operations. By improving financial visibility, refining key performance indicators, and making more data-driven decisions, they have developed a clearer strategy for sustainable growth. Whether you are considering opening a second location or looking to improve the performance of your current business, this episode provides practical insights on resilience, operational discipline, and why long-term success is built through consistent execution rather than rapid expansion. Listen now! Highlights: (00:50) Brandon and Brandon provide a one-year update on the Las Cruces expansion and discuss the realities of launching a second cleaning business location. (03:34) How a suspended Google Business Profile disrupted customer acquisition and the lessons they learned while rebuilding their online presence. (05:43) The operational challenges of managing a remote location, hiring local leadership, and maintaining consistency across multiple markets. (10:32) Why they chose to pause their franchising plans and refocus on strengthening existing operations before pursuing further expansion. (13:28) How improved financial reporting, KPI tracking, and operational data are helping them make more informed business decisions. (17:58) Why they decided to continue investing in the Las Cruces location instead of walking away, and how a few strategic improvements can restore profitability. (20:23) The importance of resilience, continuous improvement, and maintaining long-term focus when navigating setbacks in business. Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai

July 11, 202619 min

Rev Calc (Revenue Calculator): Discover How Much Revenue Is Slipping Through the Cracks in Your Cleaning Business

Every missed call is more than a missed opportunity—it could be the start of a long-term customer relationship that never happens. In this episode, Brandon Schoen breaks down one of the most overlooked profit leaks in the cleaning industry: unanswered phone calls. After reviewing the call logs from his own multi-million-dollar cleaning company, he uncovered a startling amount of lost revenue that had been quietly slipping away year after year. Brandon walks through the simple math behind calculating your own hidden revenue loss, explains why missed calls cost far more than a single cleaning appointment, and shares why fixing your revenue capture process can often generate bigger returns than spending more on marketing. He also introduces a free calculator designed to help cleaning business owners estimate how much revenue they're losing—and discusses practical options for capturing more leads without adding unnecessary complexity to their business. Use the free Revenue Calculator at https://calculator.noctave.ai/ to estimate your hidden revenue leak, then explore the full training to learn practical strategies for capturing more calls, booking more jobs, and growing your cleaning business without simply spending more on marketing. Listen now! Highlights: 00:00 – Why a Single Missed Call Could Cost Thousands in Future Revenue 02:04 – The $130,000 Revenue Leak Hidden Inside a Successful Cleaning Business 04:56 – The Simple Formula to Calculate Your Own Missed Revenue 07:43 – Why the First Cleaning Isn't the Real Value of a New Customer 09:02 – A Free Calculator That Reveals Your Hidden Revenue Leak in Seconds 11:40 – Why Most Cleaning Companies Don't Have a Lead Problem 12:57 – Four Ways to Stop Losing Customers After They Call 15:35 – How AI Can Capture Calls, Book Jobs, and Support Your Office Team 16:57 – Why Recovering Existing Opportunities Is Easier Than Finding New Ones 18:15 – The Cost of Ignoring Missed Calls as Your Business Grows Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Register for the free live training — Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai

July 6, 20267 min

Webinar Is Tomorrow — Here's Exactly What I'm Going to Show You

Tomorrow is the day. Brandon Schoen is going live Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain for a free training he has been building toward for almost a year. In this quick episode he breaks down exactly what he is going to cover, who it is for, and why his mentor Tony Cruz is joining live with something that has never been offered before. This one is short. If you own a cleaning business — just listen and then go register. See you tomorrow. Register here — it takes 30 seconds: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Highlights: (00:29) Why one missed phone call could be the silent revenue leak costing your cleaning business thousands. (01:53) Why most cleaning businesses don't actually have a lead problem—they have a follow-up problem. (02:28) Real data from a $5 million cleaning business showing how Voice AI is increasing bookings and capturing lost revenue. (03:10) Meet Tony Cruz—the Voice AI pioneer who's been using this technology long before most business owners knew it existed. (04:28) How combining paid ads with Voice AI can dramatically improve conversions instead of wasting marketing dollars. (05:47) Who should (and shouldn't) attend the webinar—and how to know if your business is leaving money on the table. (06:28) What to expect during the live training, including an exclusive bonus available only to attendees Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Register for the free live training — Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai

July 5, 202613 min

Behind the Scenes — Tony Cruz Teaching Voice AI to Our Mastermind (Exclusive Clip)

This week we are pulling back the curtain. Inside our Noctave AI Cohort 1 mastermind we brought in a very special guest — Tony Cruz, a cleaning business owner of 15-plus years and one of the most knowledgeable people in the home services industry on the topic of voice AI. In this episode, Brandon introduces Tony and then plays an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from our live Zoom training where Tony shares his story, his background, and his perspective on where the cleaning industry is headed. This is the first 10 minutes of a much longer session Tony led for our paid cohort members. We wanted to give our podcast audience a taste of who Tony is and what he brings to the conversation before he joins us live on July 7th. Tony Cruz will be joining Brandon live on the July 7th webinar with a special bonus offer for Cohort 2 that he will only reveal on the call. Register for the free live training — Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction 00:28 – Meet Tony Cruz: The Cleaning Business Owner Behind the AI Success Stories 06:21 – The Biggest Mistake That Nearly Cost a Family Cleaning Business 07:48 – The Mindset Shift That Changes How You Sell Premium Cleaning Services 08:36 – Why Cold Audiences Don't Care About Your Awards or Reviews 09:14 – The Real Reason Customers Will Pay More for Your Cleaning Service 10:50 – How Paid Ads and AI Work Better Together 11:52 – Where to Learn More About Implementing AI in Your Business Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Register for the free live training — Tuesday, July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai

July 2, 202630 min

The $136,000 Mistake I Almost Didn't Catch

Most cleaning business owners have no idea how much revenue is leaking out of their business every single week. Not from bad marketing. Not from bad service. Just from missed calls. In this episode Brandon Schoen — co-founder of Sandia Green Clean, one of the largest residential cleaning companies in New Mexico — walks through the exact call report discovery that changed how he thinks about his business forever. He breaks down the math live, shows you how to calculate your own number in five minutes, and shares what he built to fix it. If you own a cleaning business and your phones go unanswered at night or on weekends — this episode is for you. Brandon is also hosting a free live training on Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain to walk through this in real time. Details at the end of the episode and in the show notes. Register for the free live training — Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – The Missed Opportunity You Didn't Know Was Costing You 04:45 – How to Calculate Your Hidden Revenue Leak 08:40 – Why More Marketing Isn't the Answer 10:00 – Why Hiring More Phone Reps Didn't Solve the Problem 11:15 – The AI Solution That Answers Every Missed Call 15:30 - Short Demo of Noctave AI 20:00 – How Noctiv AI Helps Recover Lost Revenue 21:30 – Combining AI With Paid Ads for Better Conversions 24:15 – Live Demo, Webinar, and Next Steps Links/Resources Mentioned: Profit Cleaners Website Watch the FREE Masterclass: https://profitcleaners.com/masterclass ) Join the FREE Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitcleaners/ Visit profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean to stay updated on everything coming next from Profit Cleaners. profitcleaners.com/cleanerclean Register for the free live training — Tuesday July 7th at noon Mountain: profitcleaners.com/voiceai Learn more about Noctave AI: noctave.ai

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