EP #243: Andrew Small with First Class Cleaning FLA
May 22, 2024
Jeremy Wolf
Embark on a journey through the ins and outs of entrepreneurial success with Andrew Small, the innovative founder of First Class Cleaning FLA. I, Jeremy Wolf, had the pleasure of hosting Andrew on the Good Neighbor Podcast, where he divulged the story behind his leap from a sales and marketing graduate to pioneering a top-tier cleaning service perfect for the bustling professional. We uncovered the meticulous details of selecting the right cleaning agents and how Andrew's commitment to client-staff consistency has carved out a niche in the competitive South Florida and Tampa markets. His insights on industry challenges and the exceptional customer experience his business offers are not to be missed by anyone with an itch for the entrepreneurial adventure or a craving for a pristine living space.
Our conversation didn't stop at business blueprints; it wove through the tapestry of work-life balance, where Andrew and I shared our experiences juggling the demands of family and career, including my wife's fascinating medical malpractice law career. On a lighter note, we reflected on the importance of leisure, showcasing the surge in pickleball popularity as a testament to the joys of staying active. Tune in for this episode full of candid anecdotes and valuable takeaways for anyone navigating the hustle of building a business or searching for little pockets of leisure to enrich daily life.
Embark on a journey through the ins and outs of entrepreneurial success with Andrew Small, the innovative founder of First Class Cleaning FLA. I, Jeremy Wolf, had the pleasure of hosting Andrew on the Good Neighbor Podcast, where he divulged the story behind his leap from a sales and marketing graduate to pioneering a top-tier cleaning service perfect for the bustling professional. We uncovered the meticulous details of selecting the right cleaning agents and how Andrew's commitment to client-staff consistency has carved out a niche in the competitive South Florida and Tampa markets. His insights on industry challenges and the exceptional customer experience his business offers are not to be missed by anyone with an itch for the entrepreneurial adventure or a craving for a pristine living space.
Our conversation didn't stop at business blueprints; it wove through the tapestry of work-life balance, where Andrew and I shared our experiences juggling the demands of family and career, including my wife's fascinating medical malpractice law career. On a lighter note, we reflected on the importance of leisure, showcasing the surge in pickleball popularity as a testament to the joys of staying active. Tune in for this episode full of candid anecdotes and valuable takeaways for anyone navigating the hustle of building a business or searching for little pockets of leisure to enrich daily life.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolf.
Speaker 2:
Hello, hello, friends, family, our great community. Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, jeremy Wolf, and today I am joined by Andrew Small, and Andrew joins us from First Class Cleaning FLA. Andrew, how are you doing today, brother?
Speaker 3:
Doing great. Jeremy, Thanks so much for having me on.
Speaker 2:
It's our pleasure. I don't know, this meeting today, this interview today, might be serendipitous. As I look around my house after the construction that was done, it's quite disheveled and then somewhat of a mess here, so we're going to talk about cleaning services today.
Speaker 1:
First.
Speaker 2:
Class Cleaning FLA. Tell us a little bit about what you guys do over at First Class Cleaning FLA.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, jeremy, we are a cleaning company. We do residential office post-construction cleaning, as well as fumigation cleaning and vacation home cleaning, all throughout South Florida and the Tampa areas as well.
Speaker 2:
Very cool. So how long have you had this business? How did you get into this? Talk a little bit about the backstory behind First Class Cleaning, and then we'll go from there.
Speaker 3:
Sure, the company has been around for 10 years. I started off, I graduated from Lynn University up there in Boca Raton, and then after that I worked with a lot of different Fortune 500 companies. The reason for the company existing is that over time, I would have to have people come by to give an estimate. You know no square footage, no different things like that and I tried to find out something that would be a little bit easier for the busy professional that's on the go, that you can go online, book your cleaning in 30 seconds or less, and then you know get updates of when the staff is on its way, when it's arrived and when it's finished as well too.
Speaker 2:
Very cool. So is your background. What is your background? What did you study in college? Your background what is your background? What did you study in college? What led you to other than seeing a need for this type of service? What steered you into the direction towards opening up a cleaning service?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, no, I mean, I have a bachelor's degree in sales, sales and marketing. You know when I really first started. If you would have told me in college I was going to start a cleaning company, I would think you're crazy.
Speaker 2:
Oh, you mean. You mean you didn't go to college with the intention of starting a cleaning business?
Speaker 3:
No, no, no. I went to college and everything else and then started the cleaning business. My, my dad, you know, and my parents are used to being, you know, working in you know fortune 500 companies, so that was kind of their way of going and trying to go into business that way. So when I first came out I worked for different Fortune 500 companies doing sales marketing jobs, but then I found a niche finding with cleaning business.
Speaker 3:
To try to make it easier, because there's so many times where you just want to come over. You have a party, you know to try to make it easier Because there's so many times where you just want to, you know you come over, you have a party. You want to be able to have the place clean for the next day. You want to make it as simple as possible. You've got a lot of things on your plate. We just want to take one of those things off with the cleaning. So you know, I started a business with that, with the cleaning business and software as well, where you just put in how many bedrooms and bathrooms, what you need to have done for the house, how often you want the cleaning to be done, and you would obviously at that point can be able to book the cleaning in 30 seconds or less. Get it done. Something, one less thing to worry about with a busy professional's day.
Speaker 2:
I like it. I like it. So obviously there's quite a few cleaning cleaning businesses out there. You have more local businesses, more established businesses. What sets First Class Cleaning FLA apart from the rest of the competition out there?
Speaker 3:
Sure, jeremy. So I think a lot of times a lot of people have the misconception that all you need is Fabuloso and a sponge to be able to clean a house. So with First Class Cleaning FLA, we have different cleaning agents for all different types of surfaces. For wood, marble, laminate, you name it, we have a different type of cleaning agent for all different types of surfaces. And once you clean a house, you see how long that will go into your weekend or your free time. We just want to be able to get that free time back for you and make it as simple as possible for you where you can book online, like I said, 30 seconds or less, and make you know, make sure that you have a clean home, you know after you have different events or you have, you know, family coming in, different things like that.
Speaker 2:
Now are you generally sending? So let's say you get a new client that comes on board and you send somebody over to clean their house and everything goes well. Is that same tech, same cleaning technician coming back for future visits to keep that consistent? Or do you try it sounds like you try to customize it per client. So you want to make sure they're happy. So you ask for their feedback to see if they like the tech that came over and kind of assign them to that account. Moving forward, yeah, no.
Speaker 3:
Great question, jeremy. You know, I think we try to keep the same staff each and every time so the client will know the staff, the staff will know the client, and it just makes it a lot simpler. You know, nowadays a lot of people will have different people come to their house every time and they have to be able to tell the new staff each time what to do, try to get used to the house. We try to get the same staff with the same clients, to try to pair them together to make it as simple as possible so you can feel comfortable. We even go a step further where all of our staff are insured and bonded as well as background checked as well too, so you can feel comfortable for them coming into your home, because that's a very private area for you know, for anyone to let into their own home. You know you want to make sure that you have people that you can trust.
Speaker 2:
Makes sense. So, going back, graduated college, you said. You said you worked with some Fortune 500 companies in various, in various industries or spaces. What would you say was the most, first, the most challenging part about starting your own business and becoming an entrepreneur and then, on the other side of that, the most rewarding part of having started your own business?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so yeah. When I decided to make that step and start my own company, at that time I cashed out my 401k.
Speaker 2:
The leap of faith.
Speaker 3:
I had all my savings. I was like here I'm going to go full in and you know, if it doesn't work I can always go back to. You know the Fortune 500 companies. But I was like you know what. We always get a chance in life, so let me, let me try it. So you know just the amount of time that you need to put into it. You know people don't lie when they say it's like having another baby.
Speaker 3:
I have a young son, two and a half years old, and it's the same thing. You know you had to put a lot of time into it. But the rewarding factor with it is that you know I can set my hours. You know I can be able to put as much work in there and the amount of work I'm, you know, putting into it I'm receiving back. So it's, you know, for my company. But I will tell you, jeremy, I've been very blessed where we have some great staff, and you know they really make the company great. And for all the staff that we have we keep around for, you know, a good amount of time as well too. I would say about four to five years on average, because you know we want to reward them, because things not an easy type of business, but the amount of work and what they do, they make the company shine. So I'm very, very blessed in that regard.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, sure, so it's funny you said it's not an easy type of business. I think any business that you start from the ground, people don't think understand this. When you work at a nine to five and a job where you have a role that you go in and you experience every day and you know what's expected of you, I mean there's obviously pros and cons to both. But when you go out on your own and you start something from scratch, I mean you have to wear every single hat, you have to take on every role and I think, even if you're doing something that you truly love, it is very difficult to be successful in any business that you start just because it's a challenge.
Speaker 3:
It's tough, especially with COVID and different things that happen along the way. Um, you know the amount of work just to be able to keep up for small to you know medium-sized businesses. Um, you start to see that you know the people that you know. If you put the work into it, you will be able to get rewarded. But it's not easy as, hey, I'm just gonna start my own business and all of a sudden money comes in. You've got to work and you've got to knock on doors doing what you've got to do.
Speaker 3:
Knowing how I was in sales before, I always believe in any company you need to have sales. That's the first thing that you would need. But you learn so many things like you said before, jeremy, owning a business because you're doing so many different jobs and stuff like that. So you're learning more and more over time and I learned a lot even to today. You know there's new things that are popping up that you wouldn't think of, but it's been great. It's been great the time it gives me to spend with my son, my family. You know that's. That's a great thing as well.
Speaker 2:
Speaking of family, you mentioned two and a half year old son. Is that your only child?
Speaker 3:
It is, it is. Well, we have a little golden doodle as well. She's, she's four and she keeps, keeps us busy as well too. But our son keeps me, keeps me busy. He's up the first one up, you know, probably last one to sleep sometimes, so trying to, you know, do that, and he's just running around and you know, um, it's great with a great time.
Speaker 2:
so well, you got a fun road ahead of you. My brother, I have a 10 year old and a 12 year old daughter who thinks that she's 16. Oh wow, she's just finishing her first year in middle school. Yeah, I don't know, it's funny, because sometimes I have to. You know I, she's 16. Oh wow, she's just finishing her first year in middle school. Yeah, I don't know, it's funny, because sometimes I have to. You know, she's just still a child, she's 12 years old.
Speaker 2:
But when I think back to what I was doing when I was 12, I'm like whoa okay, wait a minute.
Speaker 3:
Totally different, right? They grow up very, very quickly.
Speaker 2:
They do. Yeah, it sounds cliche, but man it does fly for sure. Are you planning on having any more kids, or just the one?
Speaker 3:
Right now, the one is keeping us busy Keeping you on your toes. Yeah, keeping us on our toes. My wife is busy. She's a lawyer, no-transcript. Um, she does a medical malpractice law.
Speaker 2:
Medical malpractice. We got to get her on the podcast. I haven't interviewed a medical malpractice attorney.
Speaker 3:
So she handles more like client side and stuff like that. So always some interesting details with that as well too.
Speaker 2:
Medical malpractice. I actually had a surrogacy attorney on the podcast. Oh wow, A few months ago from Greenspoon Mater. I can't remember that Greenspoon Mater, I think, is the name of the firm. Oh wow, actually I had her husband on first. I forgot, I can't even remember what he did. But then he mentioned that she's a surrogacy. I said surrogacy attorney, interesting, let's get her on the show. Um, awesome. So when you're not out there busting your tail working with the business, what do you guys like to do for fun in your downtime?
Speaker 3:
yeah, we just if you even have any yeah.
Speaker 3:
No, we with a little, a little time, with a downtime we have, um, we just gotta pull their back. So we're taking advantage of that. Um, we just like to go to the park, run, run my son out and as well as the dog. So the more running and stuff like that, the more they're gonna, you know, knock out later at night. Um, so then just going out to like sporting events I play basketball, um, swimming, uh, tennis. You know, just try to keep myself busy. I run on the peloton. So, you know, try to keep myself busy and in shape as good as I can tennis noennis, no pickleball yet for you no pickleball.
Speaker 3:
I've heard great things. I saw a show the other day about pickleball and my wife was talking about it as well. It looks really cool. Have you played pickleball?
Speaker 2:
I have not played, but I've heard great things about it. It's only a matter of time, it's going to happen. A friend of mine that I or my brother-in-law should say we played ping pong a lot together and he said it's kind of like oversized ping pong, which I think is pretty cool. And he said he was pretty the first time he played. He picked it up pretty quickly because he's good at ping pong.
Speaker 3:
So it sounds like a cross between tennis and ping pong. I guess I love tennis and ping pong, so you're selling, let's get it.
Speaker 2:
Andrew, we're going to go out and play. Where do you live?
Speaker 3:
I live in the roads in Miami.
Speaker 2:
Oh, okay, so you're a little bit down the road, if you will.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, but I lived in Boca, lived in Fort Lauderdale and now we live in Miami. So the next place if I'm going further south would be the Keys.
Speaker 2:
So we'll see Good deal. So what would would be, before we wrap up here, sure, what would be if you had to pick one thing, just one. You get one thing, and or one thing. You'd like to leave our listeners with that.
Speaker 3:
You'd like for them to know about your business yeah, no, um, the one thing about cleaning is people say that cleaning is it is like very expensive, but really isn't, especially if you do recurring services, if you're doing it weekly, every other week, monthly. Also, it's really good for your health to get a lot of the pollens and stuff like that. Now that you know spring and summer is, you know, right, right upon us. You know, with the allergies, it's always good to be able to, you know, have a recurring service and that you know you can really save the amount of time as well as money in the future by having a recurring service because you're getting rid of all the allergens or different things that could happen or deteriorate your house that you're going to pay over time and you know just, you know, just you know how easy it is to book with us.
Speaker 3:
Go to our website, wwwfirstclasscleaningflacom, or you can call us at 305-517-5217. And that's our office. And then you know, after talking with you, I give out all my clients my cell phone that they can reach me at any time, 24-7 access, because we know different things happen throughout the day and you know we just make it as simplified as possible. We want you to come home to a nice, clean home, you know each time and don't have to worry about it. But put the weight on our shoulders and we'll be there to assist in any way.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely, and I know for me. Obviously I try to clean up after myself and keep everything tidy, but then after a long week of work, the last thing that I want to do on my weekend is spend two, three, four hours deep cleaning the house. And I know that when I do have a cleaning service come to clean the house, I feel so much better mentally, like when it's just done for me and I'm more productive in what I do, because I'm not. I don't clean for a living, right, I do other things.
Speaker 2:
So if I could, you know, lighten that load and take the burden off by getting somebody to come in and do that. It's always welcome on my end, for sure.
Speaker 3:
No, that's great, and yeah, it makes it. It makes it easier as well, as, if you're on the go, we can. You know, like we said before, all of our staff are insured and you weren't bothered at all. You know, have more people come over for your gatherings as well. Cleaning your house is always, you know, something that's easy to sell.
Speaker 2:
Love it. Love it, Andrew. We will, of course, link in the description to all of your contact information, so for anybody out there that's listening, that is glancing around their house and is just completely fed up with the mess that they have and they want to reach out to Andrew, you want to learn more. Please do so, Andrew. Thanks for joining us today, brother, it's a pleasure.
Speaker 3:
Jeremy, the pleasure was all mine. Really, thanks so much. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, of course, and thanks to our listeners for tuning in and we will catch everyone next time on the next episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Everyone, take care.
Speaker 1:
Have a blessed day. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, cooper. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, go to gnpcoopercitycom. That's gnpcoopercitycom, or call 954-231-3170.