How to Hire the Right Manager for Your Cleaning Business (Without Losing Control) | Polishing Profits Ep. 8

Your 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 your first operations or general manager can make or break your growth ✅ How to decide if you should promote from within or hire from outside ✅ What you should expect to pay top talent—and why skimping costs you more ✅ Why a detailed job description is non-negotiable ✅ How to avoid the “empty promises on paper” trap when hiring ✅ The difference between ROI, ROT, and ROO—and why time is your real currency 📌 This Episode Is For:  ✔️ Cleaning business owners stuck wearing all the hats  ✔️ Companies between $1M–$5M looking to scale  ✔️ Leaders frustrated by loyal but underperforming staff  ✔️ Anyone who’s lost time and money on the wrong hire 🕒 Episode Breakdown:00:00 – Introduction and why this topic matters01:59 – Why your current team may not grow with you04:38 – When (and how) to hire your first real operations leader11:57 – Promoting vs. hiring externally14:22 – Funding your next key hire and setting expectations23:37 – ROI vs. ROO: What your investment really buys you27:07 – Final thoughts on leadership and growth 📌 Resources:  ➡️ Catch up on our full Planning Series:Part 1 - Simplify Business PlanningPart 2 - Sales & Marketing PlanningPart 3 - Mastering Service Delivery Part 4 - Master Your Janitorial Finances  🔗 Where to Find Your HostsSharon Cowan, CBSE – LinkedIn | Facebook | InstagramMark Anderson – LinkedInEd Selkow – Facebook About Polishing Profits Polishing Profits is hosted by three of the most respected and experienced leaders in the janitorial industry: Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow. With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve built and scaled commercial cleaning companies, coached hundreds of owners, and helped countless teams go from stuck to thriving.  Each episode brings you real stories, real strategies, and practical tools to build a cleaning business that actually works. Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network. Text Our Community JOIN today Support the show