Shows
The Profitable CleanerThe #1 Mistake Killing Cleaning Businesses | Polishing Profits Ep. 17Think you’re pricing your janitorial contracts right? Think again. In this hard-hitting episode of Polishing Profits, co-hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down the most common — and costly — blind spots that cleaning and facility service companies face.From missed labor hours to over-reliance on bidding software to mob pricing disasters, this episode is a must-listen if you're serious about protecting your margins and staying in business.💡 What You’ll Learn:Why 99% of janitorial profit problems start at the bidThe risk of relying too much on software...
2025-10-0224 min
The Profitable CleanerHow Janitorial Companies Can Fix Cash Flow & Grow with Confidence| Polishing Profits Ep. 15If you're a commercial cleaning or janitorial business owner struggling with cash flow - or just tired of waiting 60+ days to get paid - this episode is your wake-up call.Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down real strategies to improve your cash position, avoid the most dangerous traps, and put cash back into your control. From smart invoicing and early billing to reducing unnecessary expenses and understanding the dangers of factoring, this is the financial reality check your company needs.🔑 What You’ll Learn:✅ Why cas...
2025-09-0221 min
The Profitable CleanerWhy Cash Flow Will Make or Break Your Cleaning Business | Polishing Profits Ep. 14If you’ve ever asked, “Where did all my profit go?” — this episode is for you.Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down the cash flow traps that cripple growing cleaning companies. From AR buckets and vendor terms to the 1.5 rule for new accounts, you’ll learn how to manage your money before it manages you.💸 Because being profitable on paper means nothing if you can’t make payroll.🔑 What You’ll Learn:✅ Profit on your P&L is not cash in the bank. ✅ What the 1.5 Rule is and...
2025-08-2622 min
The Profitable CleanerStart-Up Secrets to Profit Fast in Commercial Cleaning | Polishing Profits Ep. 13Launching a new contract or starting your cleaning business? This episode is a MUST.Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down real-world startup systems that can either make you profitable fast—or bury you in losses. Whether you're bidding your first building or onboarding a 50,000 sq ft facility, the principles in this episode are universal.From staffing and supply planning to the critical “first night checklist,” you'll hear the brutal lessons and genius strategies only 100+ years of industry experience can provide.🔑 What You’ll Le...
2025-08-1423 minThe Profitable CleanerHow to Turn Cleaning Business Failures into Profit | Polishing Profits Ep. 12If you've ever lost a contract, underbid a job, or made a costly mistake in your cleaning business — this episode is for you.In Episode #12 of Polishing Profits, industry veterans Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow reveal their most painful failures and exactly how they turned those lessons into long-term success. From ruined French doors to $1.5M in debt — nothing is off-limits.🔑 What You’ll Learn:✅How to bounce back after losing a major contract✅How to turn a cleaning disaster into a long-term win✅The hidden cost of poor su...
2025-08-0533 minThe Profitable CleanerHow to Fix Employee Turnover in Your Cleaning Business | Polishing Profits Ep. 11Lets talk about “Guerrilla Management”: How to Think Differently and Win in BusinessIn this eye-opening episode, your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow, dive into the mindset behind Guerrilla Management — the art of solving business problems by stepping outside traditional systems and building smarter, more flexible teams.From empowering front-line supervisors to pivoting your org structure, you’ll hear real stories of unconventional decision-making that led to higher profits, lower turnover, and better service.💥 Expect plenty of laughs, wisdom, and 140+ years of combined experience talking shop....
2025-07-2529 min
The Profitable CleanerAre Restaurants Good Customers for Cleaning Companies? | Polishing Profits Ep. 10Restaurant Cleaning: Hidden Profits or Guaranteed Headaches?Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow tackle one of the most controversial topics in commercial cleaning: Should you take on restaurant cleaning contracts?In this episode of Polishing Profits, the team shares real stories and hard lessons from decades cleaning everything from greasy spoons to 5-star hotel kitchens.You’ll discover: ✅ Why restaurants are the easiest accounts to land—and the hardest to keep profitable ✅ The dirty secrets behind restaurant cleaning margins ✅...
2025-07-1914 min
The Profitable CleanerWhy Your Cleaning Business Needs SOPs—Even If You're Small | Polishing Profits Ep. 9Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow dive into operational efficiency and process improvement in this episode of Polishing Profits.If you think standard operating procedures (SOPs) are only for big companies, think again. Whether you’re a solo operator or managing 100 people, clear, documented workflows are the backbone of quality, consistency, and growth.From onboarding and training to inspections and customer follow-ups, SOPs are what keep your company out of the horror stories - and off the client chopping block.🧠 What You’ll Learn:✅ Why...
2025-07-1011 min
The Profitable CleanerHow to Hire the Right Manager for Your Cleaning Business (Without Losing Control) | Polishing Profits Ep. 8Your 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 yo...
2025-07-0125 min
The Profitable CleanerMaster Your Janitorial Finances: Simple Steps to Big Profits | Polishing Profits Ep. 7 (Part 4 of 4)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 epis...
2025-06-2419 min
The Profitable CleanerMastering Service Delivery for Growth | Polishing Profits Ep. 6 (Part 3 of 4)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 everythin...
2025-06-1724 min
The Profitable CleanerHow to Build a Janitorial Marketing & Sale Plan That Works | Polishing Profits Ep. 5 (Part 2 of 4)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...
2025-06-1025 min
The Profitable CleanerSimple Business Planning That Actually Works | Polishing Profits Ep. 4 (Part 1 of 4)In this first episode of our 3-part series “Simplify Planning & Boost Results,” hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down how to create a realistic business plan that helps janitorial companies grow with clarity.No 50-page plans. No MBA jargon. Just a practical planning framework anyone can use — whether you’re running a $500K or $10M operation.From goal-setting to budgeting, team capacity to execution, this episode walks you through a simple yet powerful wheel you can use to plan each quarter (and actually stick to it).💥 What...
2025-06-0319 min
The Profitable CleanerHow to Master Customer Feedback for Faster Janitorial Growth | Polishing Profits Ep. 3In this episode of Polishing Profits, hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, CBSE, and Ed Selkow dig into one of the most critical — and underused — tools in the janitorial world: structured customer feedback.If your only customer communication happens when something goes wrong… you’re playing defense. This episode will show you how to switch to offense — by creating a feedback system that actually improves service, builds trust, and sets you apart from competitors.From simple walk-throughs and inspection logs to Net Promoter Scores and CRM tools — this is your guide to collecting, responding to, and acting on...
2025-05-2725 minThe Profitable CleanerHow to Set a Clear Vision for Janitorial Business Growth | Polishing Profits Ep. 2In Episode 2 of Polishing Profits, hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, CBSE, and Ed Selkow tackle one of the most common problems in the cleaning industry: growing without a plan.Most business owners start by reacting — putting out fires, chasing every opportunity, and hoping to “figure it out” along the way. But growth without strategy is rarely sustainable.This episode shows you how to stop winging it and start building with intention — even if you’re running lean.Whether you're a solo operator or a multi-million-dollar company, strategic planning is your competitive edge....
2025-05-2014 min
The Business of CleaningSteps to Selling Your Cleaning Company the Right Way with Sharon CowanIn this month’s episode of The Business of Cleaning, we sit down with Sharon Cowan, CBSE, owner of Cleaning Business Consulting Group to discuss the steps you need to follow to sell your commercial cleaning company. Sharon is a seasoned entrepreneur, educator, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in the residential and commercial cleaning industry. As Chairman and President of Cleaning Business Consulting Group, she provides personalized coaching and strategic guidance to help individuals launch or grow profitable cleaning businesses. Sharon is widely recognized as an industry expert, combining her background in corporate leadership, marketing, operations, and bu...
2025-05-1441 min
The Profitable CleanerHow to Create Janitorial Customers For Life | Polishing Profits Ep. 1🎧 This is the first official episode of Polishing Profits under The Profitable Cleaner Network — hosted by Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan - CBSE, and Ed Selkow.With over 140+ years of combined success running, scaling, and advising janitorial companies, these three industry veterans share real stories, strategies, and lessons that are tested, proven, and highly profitable.In this episode, they explore one of the most overlooked ways to scale your janitorial company: client experience.Learn how create value beyond the scope of work, implement upsell systems that actually help clients, and turn account managers into strat...
2025-05-1324 minThe Profitable Cleaner#188 Introducing Polishing Profits: 140+ Years of Janitorial Wisdom — Now on The Profitable Cleaner🚨 Polishing Profits Is Now Produced by The Profitable CleanerThis episode marks a major milestone in the Profitable Cleaner journey. Your host James Harper announces that Polishing Profits — the podcast hosted by janitorial OGs Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan - CBSE, and Ed Selkow — is officially joining our network.With over 140+ years of combined experience in growing, scaling, and selling cleaning companies, this new collaboration brings unmatched insight, strategy, and leadership to our community.💥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ Why we’re partnering with Polishing Profit...
2025-05-0811 min
Smart Business MovesAdding Commercial Cleaning to your company as a strategy for increasing revenue in 2024"Sharon L. Cowan, CBSE is a 32 year veteran of the industry and the former CEO of a multimillion dollar regional commercial and residential cleaning company. Sharon grew her company using her background in business development, strategic planning, national corporate leadership and education. Sharon sold her company in 2000 to pursue coaching and consulting globally. Her coaching process includes customized programs for each business owner so they receive personalized training designed specifically for their business needs. She has been a guest speaker and seminar leader for ISSA, BSCAI, CMI and ARCSI industry trade groups and twice won marketing awards from t...
2024-01-2559 min
Polishing ProfitsEP17 - Delegation: The Key to Growing Your Cleaning BusinessSend us a textDelegation: The Key to Growing Your Business Hosts: Mark Anderson Sharon Cowan CBSEDelegation is one of the most important skills for any business owner or leader to master. It's the ability to give up control over certain tasks and responsibilities and trust others to get them done. When done effectively, delegation can free up your time so you can focus on the most important aspects of your business, such as strategy, growth, and customer relationships.In this video, we discuss the importance of delegation for growing yo...
2023-10-1923 min
Polishing ProfitsEP15 - How to Know What Your TIme is Really WorthSend us a textHosts 🎙️ Mark Anderson Sharon Cowan CBSE Ed Selkow In this episode, we talk about how to understand your time's worth, delegate tasks, and invest in your future.⏰💰We also discuss how to control distractions and be on the lookout for opportunities to grow your business and increase your profits.📈If you want to learn how to get more out of your time and grow your cleaning business, then this episode is for you.✨Listen to the new episode now on YouTube, Apple Musi...
2023-10-0524 min
Polishing ProfitsEP14 - How to Get More Out of Your TimeSend us a textHosts 🎙️ Mark Anderson Ed Selkow Sharon Cowan CBSEDo you feel like you're always running out of time? Do you have a hard time keeping up with all the demands of your cleaning business?In this episode, we talk about how to get more out of your time so you can focus on what's important and grow your business.We cover topics such as:-How to prioritize your tasks-How to delegate effectively-How to avoid distractions-How to creat...
2023-09-2824 min
Polishing ProfitsEP13 - Monetizing inspections: The ultimate guideSend us a textHosts: Mark Anderson Ed SelkowSharon Cowan CBSEIn this episode of the Polishing Profits podcast, we'll cover everything you need to know about how to monetize your inspections and turn them into a profitable business.Ed tells the story of a large account where they had a dedicated inspector who was able to sell additional services to the customer while she was doing her inspections. She made six or seven times her salary, and it was a win-win for everyone involved.Ed believes that th...
2023-09-2117 min
Polishing ProfitsEP12 - The Gift of Customer ComplaintsSend us a textHosts 🎙️ Mark AndersonSharon Cowan CBSE Ed Selkow Our latest episode of the Polishing Profits podcast is all about how to turn customer complaints into positive outcomes. We'll discuss how to respond to customer complaints quickly and effectively, how to use customer complaints to improve your services, and how to prevent customer complaints from happening again.In this episode, we'll cover:How to listen to customer complaints with empathyHow to apologize for the inconvenienceHow to take action to resolve the issueHow to follow up with the cust...
2023-09-1523 min
Polishing ProfitsEP11 - The Importance of Quality in a Competitive MarketSend us a textHosts: Mark AndersonSharon Cowan CBSEEd SelkowIn this episode of the podcast, we discuss what a quality management system (QMS) is and why it's important for businesses of all sizes. We also talk about the different components of a QMS, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). We'll also share some tips for creating and implementing a successful QMS in your own business.Here are some of the benefits of having a QMS in place:Improved quality of products and services
2023-09-0714 min
Polishing ProfitsEP-10 QMS: A Step-by-Step GuideSend us a textHosts 🎙️:Mark Anderson Sharon Cowan CBSEEd Selkow Join us on this episode as we delve into the world of Quality Management Systems (QMS). Discover how implementing a QMS can ensure your cleaning services not only meet but surpass customer expectations.We'll explore essential topics such as:🧼 What exactly is a QMS? 🌟 The undeniable benefits of a QMS 🔍 The step-by-step process of QMS implementation 📊 Measuring the effectiveness of your QMSMark your calendar for Thursday, September 1st, when this insightful episode drops.#Quali...
2023-08-3123 min
Polishing ProfitsEP9 - The Customer's Definition of QualitySend us a textHosts🎙️ Mark Anderson Sharon Cowan CBSE Ed SelkowIn this episode, we discuss the customer's definition of quality and how businesses can meet or exceed those expectations. Topics on the agenda: 🔹 Understanding what customers genuinely desire 🔹 Mastering the art of fulfilling their needs 🔹 Recognizing the pivotal role of effective communication 📣This episode is a must-listen, as it unveils the roadmap to providing an unparalleled quality experience that will keep your customers coming back for more. #CustomerExperience #CustomerS...
2023-08-2420 min
Polishing ProfitsEP7 - Increasing ProductivitySend us a text🎙️Hosts: Mark Anderson Sharon Cowan CBSE Ed Selkow In this insightful episode, we're delving into a critical topic that every business owner needs to master. We'll explore strategies to boost efficiency, improve team performance, and streamline operations, all while maintaining high-quality standards. 💡📊🔥 Join us as we discuss the art of training and retraining employees, setting clear performance expectations, and making crucial decisions when employees struggle to meet productivity demands. We'll guide you through finding the balance between supporting your team's growth and ensuring your business remains competitive. 📚🏋️♂...
2023-08-1021 min
Polishing ProfitsEP5 - Employee EngagementSend us a textPolishing Profits Podcast 🎙️💼Hosts: Mark AndersonSharon Cowan CBSE Ed Selkow. On today's Episode we will explore the art of creating a workplace where employees feel drawn closer to the management team, cared for, and valued. Witness how this transformative culture can unlock your team's full potential, resulting in remarkable business results. 🌟✨Tune in on YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify to gain essential insights that can elevate your approach to employee engagement. 🎥🎧Subscribe to @polishingprofits for regular updates. Share your thoughts on employee engagement...
2023-07-2718 min
Polishing ProfitsEP4 - Exit Strategies with Dylan McGrathSend us a textPolishing Profits Podcast 🎙️💼Hosts: Mark AndersonSharon Cowan CBSE Ed Selkow. Special Guest: Dylan McGrathBusiness Sales Advisor760.780.9204 | Dylan@sdbiz.com In this episode, we delve into the crucial topic of planning your business's future and preparing for an exit. Our special guest, Dylan McGrath, brings a wealth of knowledge in business sales and acquisitions, offering invaluable insights that you won't want to miss! 💼💪🔑 Don't procrastinate if you're considering selling your business. Dylan's expert advice highlights the...
2023-07-2034 minPolishing ProfitsWelcome to Polishing ProfitsSend us a textHello and Welcome to Polishing Profits Podcast! In each episode, industry veterans Mark Anderson, Ed Selkow, and Sharon Cowan CBSE, share their wealth of knowledge, gained from 120 years of experience. From staffing challenges to profitability strategies, we've got you covered with actionable ideas that will make a significant impact on your business.Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube to catch every episode of this game-changing podcast. Don't miss out on the opportunity to gain the competitive edge and join our community of growth-minded professionals.
2023-06-2600 min
Networker for Business Women with Lourdes WelhavenPodcast Episode 15 – Growing Your Business with Sharon Cowan, CBSESharon Cowan, CBSE
I interviewed Sharon Cowan in this episode. Sharon is all business and we have a lot that we can learn from her. She purchased a small local cleaning company in order to grow it and position it for sale. The company had 4 employees when she purchased it and she grew it to over 120 employees serving 4 counties.
This is someone who knows how to create the systems and the structure to make a business grow – not because she read about it in a book but because she has done it herself and helped count...
2013-05-1058 min