Should I Start a Podcast?

Let's get back into the driver's seat of my own solo cleaning business, Carfagno Cleaning. I have kept my promise from the introduction to this podcast. I will continue updating you every week with progress from my own solo company. 2020 has been a great year as I've hit several growth goals. Carfagno Cleaning is cranking as a solo cleaning company. My brand and reputation is established. I'm known my many in my community as the cleaning and disinfecting expert. I'm known as a presentation cleaning expert and that my prices reflect that. My marketing machine is fully operational with Google My Business, local networking, an interactive optimizer's website, and a proven sales strategy. I'm finalizing my 2020 desired cleaning schedule of all-day Saturday offices and 3 houses per day, every other Thursday and Friday. I'm getting close to this goal, which will give me a great schedule and over $90,000 in revenue

This update is different. I am combining multiple weeks that all seem to mesh together. I got back from the TLF Mastermind Retreat in Pittsburgh on October 9th with big ideas to close out 2020 and beyond. But my life took another track. In late October, my Pop-Pop went into the ER for a life-saving procedure. He's been in the ICU ever since. I'm the family point of contact and have been fielding doctor calls daily and updating the family. I've been making difficult decisions on his potential end-of-life care. I've had my phone on loud ringer 24/7, never knowing when I'd get a call and got many in the middle of the night. I've coordinated his care and taken the lead in the family. I'm exhausted. 

I'm so thankful that I put in the work this year for my cleaning company to be where it is. I can simply show up to all scheduled cleanings and collect money. We are profiting over $5,000 per month from cleaning alone on a few days per week. New leads come in each week that are filtered out or in by my "Optimizer's Website". I'm attending all local networking that I can attend. I'm setting up new estimates and taking on new 1-time jobs as they are available. This has given me the freedom to take care of my family and Pop-Pop, while in the hospital. Does this motivate you? Would you like a solo cleaning business that's fully operational, optimized, and automated? Make sure to check out this podcast form the beginning to see how I did it!

I'd like to share a few updates from the past few weeks in business and in life. The first update is a win from my website. Becky was a lead from my wife. She purchased a table off my wife, Teresa from Facebook Marketplace. When she discovered we owned a cleaning business, she mentioned that she was interested in cleaning. Teresa asked me what to say to her. I told her to link to my article on how much my cleaning services cost and why. Becky loved the article and how in-depth my website was. She filtered herself in and we set up an estimate. They were a lovely family. Becky invited me to sit on the back porch to discuss the cleaning in an interview format. Be prepared for that as some families will expect it. To date, I've done it around 10 times in 15 years. After our conversation, we walked around the house for me to ask questions and take notes. I promised cleaning options and prices in a proposal by the beginning of the following week and met that promise. Unfortunately, Becky and her husband had to say no because of price. She indicated that she really, really wanted to hire me, but the cost was too high. This has happened dozens of times and in some situations, they call back months later. I asked Becky if I could add her to my mailing list. She was excited to get bimonthly cleaning tips! 

Matt and Laura couldn't handle cleaning by themselves anymore with both working full time and raising a little one. They googled "house cleaning" and found my company highly rated (thanks Google My Business). Matt checked out my profile and called me right away. While on the call, I promoted my website for many of the questions he had. Matt pulled up my site as we were talking and was amazed at the quality and content. After a few minutes and me sharing my prices, he scheduled an estimate. 

I took my daughter to a follow-up podiatrist appointment and was able to see Dr. Kalyan again. She is the one that gave me the idea to write a cleaning newsletter on killing the plantar wart virus. She loved the article and showed it to her practice. I also told our chamber director about the article to promote this local business. This is an example of being a Go-Giver to claim future business. My wife and I slipped away for 5 days to Amish Country, Pennsylvania too. Even though I was taking doctor phone calls multiple times daily, this was a wonderful break for my wife and I to recharge. We stayed a lovely bed & breakfast called "The Barn at Strasburg". The owner, Gina, was an amazing hostess with extravagant breakfasts daily, a fully stocked refrigerator and coffee bar, and super helpful in planning fun things to do. We got to finally see "Esther" at Sight & Sound, which was literally 10 times better than a Broadway play! We toured Amish Country, ate amazing home cooked meals, found historic covered bridges and farms, and geeked out in antique stores. I love antique books. My big find was a 1880's Charles Dickens hardback of "Christmas Carol". 

The final update for this podcast is also the title. I've shared multiple times on my weekly networking group, the MCBA. I am now the co-education chair and was asked to do a presentation on podcasting. The presentation was a huge hit as I inspired local business owners to consider starting their own podcast. I will include part of my presentation as I recorded it. The question I would like you to ask yourself is this. Should I start a podcast? Don't dismiss it. It has done a lot for me in my local solo cleaning business and it would for you as well. If you love speaking and have a lot to share and / or teach, a podcast could be a great idea for you.