Best Solo Cleaner Podcasts (2025)

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Best Of - When a Solo Should Scale 18:46

13h ago18:46

18:46

I am excited to share this clip from the Solo Elite Membership! A few weeks ago, I ran my first Zoom call for the members to meet each other, dive into a topic, and ask questions. It was a great call. Afterwards, I pondered the idea of sharing a portion of the call with my podcast audience. It's a 16 minute clip from a 90 minute call, where I share…

1
EPISODE 5: The Cost of Founder Indecision 5:31

7d ago5:31

5:31

It’s not always the wrong decisions that stall your startup. Sometimes it’s the ones you don’t make. In this episode of HR Decoded, I’m talking directly to the overwhelmed, overextended founder who keeps pushing decisions to “next week.” You’ll learn why indecision is one of the most expensive leadership habits — and how to break it with clarity, c…

1
Best Of - Stay, Scale, or Sell 35:06

8d ago35:06

35:06

The summer is finally here! This is both literal and figurative. We just celebrated Memorial Day as the weather is heating up. Just like the 4 seasons of nature, my business is entering a new season. After selling my 1st solo business in 2018, we moved to our hometown and stayed indoors. I tried everything in my power to build my coaching and consu…

1
EPISODE 4: Why SOPs Fail — and How to Fix Them 5:24

14d ago5:24

5:24

You wrote the SOP. You documented the steps. So why does the system still break? In this episode of HR Decoded, I’m digging into the real reasons most SOPs don’t work — and how to create systems that actually get followed. Whether your team is ignoring documentation, constantly asking the same questions, or stuck reinventing the wheel, this episode…

1
Best Of - You Need Quality Control 10:03

15d ago10:03

10:03

Let's continue the Control Series! My first episode was "You Must Let Go of Your Control", where I shared a few major breakthroughs in my recent ability to let go and trust others. It was an important therapy session. I continued this recently with another breakthrough about your business is not you and viewing trust and control like a rope. Check …

1
EPISODE 1: Why Clarity Beats Headcount in Early-Stage Teams 5:10

21d ago5:10

5:10

Too many founders throw bodies at bandwidth problems. But most early-stage teams don’t need more people — they need more clarity. In this episode of HR Decoded, I break down the costly trap of scaling before you’ve defined the work — and how hiring without clarity leads to bloat, burnout, and broken systems. You’ll learn: Why adding headcount often…

1
EPISODE 3: My 3-Step System to Find Operational Bottlenecks 5:22

21d ago5:22

5:22

If your team is moving — but everything still feels slow, repetitive, or blocked — it’s probably not a people issue. It’s a bottleneck issue. In this episode of HR Decoded, I’m walking you through the exact 3-step system I use with founders to uncover what’s really slowing their team down — and how to fix it without hiring or adding more tools. You…

1
EPISODE 2: Stop Hiring Before You’ve Defined the Job 5:06

21d ago5:06

5:06

Most founders think hiring is the next logical step when they're overwhelmed. But if you haven’t defined the role — clearly, specifically, and strategically — you're not solving a problem. You're creating a new one. In this episode of HR Decoded, I’m breaking down why role clarity must come before headcount — and how to scope a role that actually m…

1
Best Of - Scope Creep 22:47

22d ago22:47

22:47

This week started with content batching. Batching is an optimizer's tool for ultra productivity. Every month, I create blogs, podcasts, and videos for Carfagno Cleaning and Solo Cleaning School. It takes a ton of time to do each week. I used batching in my cleaning business and in other areas of business over the years. When Teresa's mom was availa…

1
EPISODE 0: Welcome to HR Decoded - What This Show Is — and Isn’t 2:41

25d ago2:41

2:41

Welcome to HR Decoded — the podcast for startup founders, executive leaders, and operators who are scaling fast but feeling stuck when it comes to their people, processes, or culture. I’m your host, Annekah Hall — Fractional COO and People Ops Strategist — and in this short trailer episode, I’m sharing what this show is about, who it’s for, and wha…

1
Best Of - The Stuff I've Broken 24:18

29d ago24:18

24:18

I've broken a lot over 15 years, but it's all relative. I have two mindsets to discuss before I share my cleaning misdeeds. Your auto insurance company keeps actuarial tables and knows exactly how much an accident costs on average. These numbers are taken into account when you get and pay your annual insurance premium. In fact, it is designed to be…

1
Best Of - Safeguard Your Clients 21:06

1M ago21:06

21:06

I've been cleaning homes since 2006 and have noticed a dramatic increase in home security as technology improves. Alarms have gone from wired to wireless. Cameras surveil various angles and locations of the home. Garages have keypads. Families are more secure than ever and they can do so at an expense less than it used to cost. This happens so pred…

1
Best Of - Train Your Clients 18:54

1M ago18:54

18:54

I host an accountability & mastermind call every Monday for the SMART Cleaning Tribe. We are a family of cleaning service owners with teams (that used to be solo). I'm the architect of this group of amazing people, always looking for the 1% that desires to set monthly SMART goals and be held accountable to their achievement. Check out the episode "…

1
Best Of - The Time I Fired Myself 16:13

2M ago16:13

16:13

In 15 years of solo cleaning, over 75 families have hired me to clean for them. However, I sold my business with 17. What happened to the others? It's simple. This is a seasonal service for some and a lifetime for others. I never tried to figure that out. I just served. I have lots of experience getting "let go", "moved on", "fired", etc. Some let …

1
Best Of - Lifetime Value of a Client 17:30

2M ago17:30

17:30

This is a story that will cost a cleaning supplier a lot of money. First of all, I hope you all know me by now. I am not vindictive. I did not have a bad experience with the company I'm going to mention. However, I chose to do my 3-stars out of 5 review to the world because it will illustrate a vital lesson on the lifetime value of a client. I purc…

1
Best Of - Keys to Solo Longevity II 22:05

2M ago22:05

22:05

In "Keys to Solo Longevity I", I established a few foundational principles. First of all, there is a clear difference in a Ford and a Honda. I prefer my cleaning machine to operate more like a Honda. They last longer and require less maintenance... and I shared this from my experience having owned 4 Fords and 8 Hondas in 30 years. Secondly, we deco…

1
Best Of - Keys to Solo Longevity I 25:54

2M ago25:54

25:54

This 2-part podcast was inspired by a Solo Cleaning School Elite member, Dave Reeks. Dave started implementing the ISO Model in early 2022, operating The Finest Clean in South Wales, Australia. I am so proud of his diligence and commitment. Dave has grown from an Initializer to the Stabilizer phase of the ISO Model in 6 months. I recently did an Op…

1
Best Of - Basic Safety for the Solo 24:31

3M ago24:31

24:31

Last week I kicked off a 11-part Retention Series for the Smart Cleaning School Here’s the basic question. What good is it to only teach you GET great customers if you can’t KEEP them?! It makes no sense at all. You’re right! That’s why I’m compiling these episodes for you over the next few months. I highly encourage you to study these and implemen…

1
3 Reasons Customers Cancel 13:12

3M ago13:12

13:12

I have discovered through losing dozens of clients over the years that they cancel service for 3 reasons. Would you like to know what they are? Here’s the summary. Quality - Whether you fail to meet your expectations or theirs, they will perceive you are not a good cleaner and fire you. Character - This prevents the customer from building trust wit…

1
Build Your Company Profile 14:37

3M ago14:37

14:37

Do you want prospects to find you and ask you for help or would you rather hunt for them and try to sell them? The first option is called a relational approach and the second is a transactional one. I created the original ISO Model Course in 2017 when I was in the hunt of optimizing my first solo cleaning company in Upstate New York. At this time, …

1
Best Of - January 2022 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 36:00

3M ago36:00

36:00

This month's Freedom Report starts with a clip from a call with Coach Josh. I had accomplished a lot in December as you heard in the last report, adding 5 new buildings and 1 new team member. The 5 buildings added $3,800 per month of new revenue and brought us to 13 buildings and 5 houses to delegate. The new team member would take 3 of the buildin…

1
Best Of - December 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 38:51

4M ago38:51

38:51

I ended the November Freedom Report with peace. We had brought our plan to go to Florida to God and asked Him to show us the way. We had over 20 job applications come in with no new hires. I personally connected and made initial connection to 240 local office cleaning prospects and followed up with close to 100 phone calls to find out if they had a…

1
Best Of - November 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 21:34

4M ago21:34

21:34

I recorded "A New Freedom Vision" in May, just 6 months ago. It was a bold proclamation. I could not go to Florida for a month, while scheduled to clean 2 days per week. I had to grow a team. I interviewed Josh Melton for my podcast in June ("The Cleaning Road to Nineveh with Josh Melton") and immediately asked him to coach me. I was ready for the …

1
Best Of - October 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 32:50

4M ago32:50

32:50

In my last Freedom Report, I humbled myself with the reality of my situation. I'm striving for this New Freedom Vision, but two glaring blind spots were holding me back. Another month has gone by. How is it going? Short answer. Not good! I am going to share my update exactly as it happened and end with a clip from Coach Josh at the end of October w…

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Best Of - September 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 33:22

4M ago33:22

33:22

September is in the books. It's time for another business update. Afterward, I'll share a clip from our final coaching call from September to close out the summer. Now that October is here, it's time to crank it down! I have 4 months left to build and delegate my cleaning company before my self-imposed deadline of February 1, 2022. I'm going to com…

1
Best Of - August 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 32:59

4M ago32:59

32:59

There is so much to dig into for this month's update of my personal cleaning company. If you're new to this show, here's the quick version. I've been a solo house and office cleaner for most of my 16 years in business. I have a system that initializes, stabilizes, and optimizes solo cleaning companies to create over $50k profit per year on a few da…

1
Best Of - July 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 26:08

5M ago26:08

26:08

July was a crazy month. As a family, we had a ton going on. We had Kid's Camp and Youth Camp at retreat camp centers for 4 of our 5 kids for 5 days each. During one of those camps, Teresa and I slipped away for 4 days to the beach. I had a 5-day father / son camping trip with my son to the Adirondacks that I do with each son. This was with my 8-ye…

1
Best Of - June 2021 Freedom Report with Coach Josh 33:31

5M ago33:31

33:31

I shared in my last Carfagno Cleaning update, "Stay, Scale or Sell " that the seasons are shifting from Spring to Summer. As promised, I'm departing from my weekly business updates to allow space for other impactful episodes like my interview, "The Cleaning Journey to Nineveh with Josh Melton". I will continue bringing you updates, but during this …

1
Best Of - The Clutterbug Story with Cassandra Aarssen 21:26

5M ago21:26

21:26

I am excited to introduce my friend and YouTube superstar, Cassandra Aarssen to Solo Cleaning School. I invited her to be an expert guest in the SMART Cleaning Tribe that I lead for team cleaning companies needing accountability around goals. Cassandra was a busy mom of two small kids when she started her home organizing business. At the time, she …

1
Best Of - My Goal is to Create Peace for My Family with Andrea McCoy 10:50

5M ago10:50

10:50

In this episode, I spotlight my first solo cleaner. Andrea McCoy runs Peachy Clean in St. George, UT. She is a mom of 6! She explains why she started her solo cleaning business and the various mind shifts she has made over her 3 years in business with my help to increase her hourly rate from $25 to $65! We also talk about the power of keeping your …

1
Best Of - Powerful Networking Tips with Alonzo Adams 26:11

6M ago26:11

26:11

This episode is a clip from an Expert Call I facilitated in the Smart Cleaning Tribe last December with my friend Alonzo Adams of Busy Bee Cleaning Company in West Chester, PA. Alonzo is a serial entrepreneur with one of the best business & financial mindsets I've ever had the opportunity to learn from. His cleaning company is top rated in Southeas…

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Best Of - My Business is Not My Identity with Crystal Hamm 1:12:01

6M ago1:12:01

1:12:01

This conversation with Crystal Hamm was wide-ranging in topics, but mainly focused on her past. In the present, Crystal runs a $3 million dollar residential cleaning company. Her team loves her and she loves them. She has build a company in the Raleigh Area that serves people greatly called the Go 2 Girls. I can't endorse this company enough if you…

1
Best Of - Content But Not Satisfied with Vincent Pugliese 1:19:15

6M ago1:19:15

1:19:15

Vincent is first and foremost, a husband, father, and homeschooler. Vincent and Elizabeth live in Bradenton, Florida with their 3 sons Andrew, Nolan, and Dylan. They are active in their community and church. Vincent is a friend to many and certainly to me! We go way back. You'll hear that story in this interview. Professionally, Vincent spent 22 ye…

1
Best Of - Readers are Leaders with Liz Trotter 58:10

6M ago58:10

58:10

Liz Trotter has been a leader in the cleaning industry for decades. She is the owner of American Maid in Olympia, WA, a business coach with Mastermind Accountability, where she helps every level of cleaning service grow to reach their dreams! This interview is full of so many nuggets and you will gain so much insight into the power of self-developm…

1
Books Changed Me 16:39

7M ago16:39

16:39

I have been an avid reader for over 20 years. That was not always the case. I used to hate reading. What changed? Did the books change? No. I changed. Every book that I read moved the needle a little bit closer to a winner’s mindset, a success mindset. I used to mock things like that until I understood. In this episode, I speak from the heart about…

1
Relationships Trump Transactions 22:49

7M ago22:49

22:49

Coach Josh and I use Marco Polo to communicate during the week. He allows me to send questions as I have them. He listens and responds when he gets the chance. I'm very grateful to have Josh Melton in my corner as we grow C3 to the next level in 2023, which is to add the second building block and earn over $100,000 income from the cleaning business…

1
Need Trumps Want 19:37

7M ago19:37

19:37

I was in a 4-person mastermind breakout group that I mentioned in "Confidence Creates Success", where we each helped the others grow the next level. One of the members was Matt Peet. Matt has become a good friend and is a conference videographer extraordinaire! He does all the video work for one of my favorite conferences, Podcast Movement. You've …

1
Art Trumps Science 32:04

7M ago32:04

32:04

Let's start this Carfagno Cleaning solo business with a WIN! Last week, I got 5 referrals through my local network (listen to Play Powerball with your Business). The lead from my friend and carpet cleaner, James Hardy, converted to a new office cleaning client! Since this new client is a school, I had to jump through a few more hoops. First of all,…

1
Best Of - Future of the Cleaning Industry with Ed Selkow 51:05

8M ago51:05

51:05

In part 1 of this 2-hour interview, "Conspiracies in the Cleaning Industry with Ed Selkow", Ed shared an incredible 50-year career in our industry. He shares so many great stories and lessons that will help you in your business. Ed also shared some incredible criminal stories that I called "conspiracies" that are a must listen! In this episode, we …

1
Best Of - Conspiracies in the Cleaning Industry with Ed Selkow 55:13

8M ago55:13

55:13

I sat down with cleaning industry legend Ed Selkow for a 2-hour interview. We covered so much ground that I had to break it into 2 parts. In this first part, you'll learn about Ed's 50 years in the cleaning industry which includes owning 4 janitorial companies and working as an employee for a few of the largest janitorial firms in the country. He w…

1
Best Of - Are you Keeping Up with Trends? 12:51

8M ago12:51

12:51

Before you listen to this article, please check out my Carfagno Cleaning article, "Home Trends that Intersect with Cleaning". I credit my friend Mary Ann Alig of Fox & Roach Berkshire Hathaway Realtors for the content that drove this article and this podcast episode. Mary Ann shared 8 home trends that realtors are seeing for this new decade. Trends…

1
Best Of - The Overton Window and the Cleaning Industry 21:01

8M ago21:01

21:01

I was in Dallas with my son for a podcasting conference in August. It was a blast, especially hanging out with my son. We stayed at the downtown Sheraton, which afforded us the ability to walk the city a bit. I also had the opportunity to connect in person with two former guests of the Smart Cleaning School. I went to lunch with Greg Shepard from "…

1
Best Of - The Cleaning Industry is Exploding 19:06

8M ago19:06

19:06

I discussed the Presidential Election in the last episode and how important it is for us as cleaning service providers to focus on building trust with our clients right now. There is turmoil. There is fear. There is change happening. Let’s not add to it by changing our service, our schedule, or our prices. This podcast just celebrated its 5th anniv…

1
Advice During Election Season 5:44

9M ago5:44

5:44

This podcast episode was released just 4 weeks prior to the 2024 Presidential Election. You might be asking. “Why does that matter Ken?” I hope you do. I have been around this industry for nearly 20 years and have talked to many industry leaders. We need to be wise and discerning of the mindsets and emotional meters of our clientele. We need to rec…

1
Make a Decision and Stop Undeciding 7:18

9M ago7:18

7:18

I had an opportunity to coach a young man last week. He is operating as a solo commercial cleaner and doing quite well. He's got a great attitude. He's growing. However, he is getting close to a full schedule. That is scary for most solo cleaners. Do you know why? Once their schedule is full, they can't clean anymore. This is the point of panic for…

1
What is Your Cancellation Rate? 27:44

9M ago27:44

27:44

It’s imperative to know your numbers and coordinates, so you always know where your business is on the map of your dreams. In a recent Solo Elite Membership Call, I explained a few vital signs that solo business owners need to track to ensure their business remains healthy and vibrant. Afterward, I dive into a topic which is infrequently discussed …

1
Success Reimagined: The Optimized Solo Cleaner 31:13

9M ago31:13

31:13

There is a prevailing mindset in the cleaning industry that the only way to be successful is to scale with a team. This is simply not true. Have you ever heard of the Optimized Solo Cleaner? I am the voice in the industry shouting out that scaling is amazing, but there is another way. In a recent Solo Elite Membership Call, I encouraged the members…

1
Why Small Commercial is Ideal for House Cleaners 21:24

10M ago21:24

21:24

I have noticed a lot of interest recently by residential cleaning companies to seek more commercial opportunities. I have been in the industry for nearly 2 decades and have cleaned both the entire time. I know residential and I know commercial. I also stay connected with the top influencers in both residential and commercial cleaning. This gives me…

1
Accounting Basics III - Keep Clean Records 33:11

10M ago33:11

33:11

Colette is my personal accountant and she closes out a 3-part interview series we did on the Smart Cleaning Tribe. Colette gets into the nitty gritty of what a valuable accountant can do for you. First of all, she dives into business budgeting and how the business owner and accountant partner to help the business grow and plan for the unexpected. I…

1
Accounting Basics II - Hire Professionals on Day One 18:15

10M ago18:15

18:15

In part two of this 3-part interview with my accountant Colette on the Smart Cleaning Tribe, she dives deeper into the role of the accountant. In one question, she explains the benefits of hiring an all-in-one bookkeeper and accountant to help the business with tax planning and prep way before tax day. In another question, Colette surprised us all.…

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