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Innovation After Hours: Edwin Eaton on Building iPro & Coaching Entrepreneurs | Networked Podcast Ep. 2

• NCW Tech • Season 1 • Episode 2

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Episode 2: Edwin Eaton | iPro Cleaning Services

How do you grow a janitorial company into one of the fastest-growing businesses in the Northwest — and still find time to coach others, build software, and launch a podcast?

In this episode of Networked, host David Mabee sits down with Edwin Eaton, founder of iPro Building Services, a two-time Inc. 5000 honoree serving Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Edwin shares how he scaled his company with purpose, why he’s passionate about mentoring other entrepreneurs, and how his tech tool, Cinch Software, is helping modernize the commercial cleaning industry.

We also dive into his newest venture, Built After Hours, a podcast he kicked off with his son — and what legacy means to a founder who leads with heart.

Unknown:

Thank you.

David Mabee:

Welcome back to Network, the podcast that brings you real talk to inspire, invest, and empower right here in North Central Washington. I'm your host, David Mabee, Marketing Director at the NTW Tech Alliance. Today's guest is someone who has built more than a business. He's built a legacy of leadership, innovation, and impact, and one of the most essential industries out there, commercial cleaning. We're talking with Edwin Eaton, founder of iPro Building Services, which serves clients across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and has landed not once, but twice on the Inc's 5,000 list of fastest growing companies. Edwin isn't just a CEO. He's a coach, a software developer, and a podcast host, and a proud dad. And today, we're diving into how he's leading with purpose, scaling with intention, and helping others grow along the way. Edwin, how are you doing today? I'm good. I'm good, David. How are you? I'm doing fantastic, man. Thank you for joining me. We were just talking before we came on, podcasting, you got to love it. There's a Little things happening here and there in the background all the time. So thank you for being patient with me and we'll get rolling with today's podcast.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, it was quite the introduction. I appreciate that.

David Mabee:

Hey, no problem. Hey, you've been in the janitorial service now for over 18 years. Take us back. What was the first thing that drew you into this line of work? And was this like a childhood dream or how did this all happen?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, you know, I didn't raise my hand on career day telling the teacher that I wanted to be in janitorial services. But no, it was back in college, University of Washington. Go Dawgs. You know, we were sitting on the couch, myself and my college roommate, and he got a call from his uncle who owned a pretty decent sized commercial cleaning company in Seattle up and down the I-5 corridor. And he called and he asked if we could cover and Take care of it. It's like, yes, absolutely. We'll do it, you know. And so that's really how I got into the industry. And it was just basically for a month, you know, and we were thrown into it. He said, you know, I'll send somebody down. They'll give you the keys, the alarm codes, and you guys just mop, take out trash, whatever. And that's what we did. And, you know, and I like to say we never got one complaint and I'm not the best cleaner in the world. But I mean, that's literally how I got into this industry.

David Mabee:

My parents owned a 10 bedroom in, so I was a housekeeper for them for my college time. So cleaning and I have flashbacks of that as well. What was the early moment where you kind of realized like, I could make this a business or what was that leap from going from college to starting your own business?

Unknown:

Yeah.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, you know, I've always wanted to start my own business, just didn't know what I wanted to do. And so I went to school for hospitality management. I was working in hotels. Long story short, I'm an only child and my parents had health issues. So I had to move back from Seattle to Wenatchee. And back when I moved back, there weren't really hotels that could pay me the salary that I was making in the Seattle area. And so I thought, what could I do? I want to start my own business. What could I do? And so I reached out to my college roommate's uncle and I thought, what about janitorial services? I did it for a month. We didn't get any complaints. So let's give it a shot and see what can happen. And him and I talked and he said, I have enough money that I can pay you a salary and support you for one month. And if you can make that salary back in a month, Then let's move forward with this. And so I'm big into sports. I'm competitive. So I took that as a challenge. And, you know, I told my wife, I said, I think I want to do this. So I dove in head first. And after that first month, I actually made my salary back and then some. And it just kind of progressed. It just progressed from there.

David Mabee:

That's cool. What were some of the biggest challenges in those in those early, early years? I mean, how did you overcome them?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, not knowing the industry. That was the biggest thing, you know, and not knowing how to price jobs. And, you know, with their company in Seattle, there wasn't a lot of support. So I was really on my own. And I mean, I had sales experience. I had customer service experience. And that actually goes a long way in this industry because it's a relationship type industry. And so that kind of helped me. And we got, you know, our first few accounts. And so it was a lot of cleaning at night and then no sleep. getting up and selling again, again, I'm competitive. So I was like nonstop on the grind is, you know, as quickly as I could grow the company for him. And that's really, I mean, those were a lot of the pain points and a lot of struggles in the beginning, you know, your price is too high or, you know, you have to offer these services and, you know, it's just, it was just a learning experience throughout the, you know, really the first couple of years of being in this industry.

David Mabee:

Right. Yeah. I mean, I've run my own business and undersold myself a few times where you're doing jobs and it's basically you're not even getting paid. You're just doing them for free. So totally respect that and get that. So your passion clearly goes beyond cleaning. I see it's about people and growth and kind of leadership. Where does that drive come from and what pushes you to that?

Edwin Eaton:

Well, kind of back what we were talking about, you know, those were the pain points and the struggles for me in the beginning. And I didn't know where to go. And granted, you know, I had the big company I was working for that could kind of help me, but not that much support. So I had to figure out what to do. Eventually, we butted heads and I parted ways and I started iPro. And again, it was just kind of I'm on my own now. So what am I going to do? And I found a mentor and I found somebody who took the time and invested, you know, I invested money in him, but he invested his time with me as well and kind of showed me the ropes, what to do and what not to do and put me on the right path. And for somebody to, to do that, granted, I was paying him, but you know, we're good friends now, but he kind of took the reins with me and kind of showed me the direction that I should go. And because of that, it kind of inspired me that, you know, I always said, if I got to a point in business where I, I was good and I could help other businesses grow, I would want to do that opportunity and kind of pay it back. And so I'm doing that now.

David Mabee:

Nice. That's awesome. So... Um, so as we get rolling here with, with iPro, how'd you, how'd you come up with the name iPro and, and what kind of sparked the name there? Is there, is there a good story there? Let me know. Well, I

Edwin Eaton:

mean, you can see the, the, you know, the neon green here and then you've got it in your background there. That's pretty cool. Um, but no, when I started iPro, you know, coming up with a name is usually, it's kind of the hardest thing to do, but at the time, you know, it was, it was 2011, 2012 and, you know, there were iPads, iPhones, those were kind of the, the, the thing at the time. And I thought, well let's just jump on that bandwagon let's put a little eye and You know, professional cleaners, let's put it together. And so that's how iPro was made. Now you can see we've got the house that's on there because in the beginning, I was taking on anything and everything I could do. And so it was residential, it was commercial. And now we've gotten rid of residential and we're strictly commercial now. But I call it the OG logo. I've had some designers try to redesign a logo for me. But for some reason, I just can't get away from the logo that we have.

David Mabee:

Right. I mean, it becomes part of you, right? Like that's your journey. I mean, that's a great story because that's part of your journey. Even if you aren't doing it now, the residential still played a part in who you became.

Edwin Eaton:

Absolutely.

David Mabee:

So speaking of that, as you guys keep growing, you're now on the Inc. 5000 list twice. And that's huge. Congratulations. Thank you. What does that recognition mean for you and your team? Is that a big thing in your team? Does that drive your team at all? Or is this something for you?

Edwin Eaton:

You know, I don't know that everybody on the team really understands, you know, what it is and what it has done for our business. But, you know, Inc. 5000, it's not Forbes. It's like a step down. But, you know, it's being one of the 5000 fastest growing privately held businesses in the nation. And so the first time we got it, I mean, it just blew me away that we did. We have that award. And I had the opportunity to go down to the conference and receive our award. And I was literally shaking hands with millionaires and billionaires. And, you know, I'm the little guy in the totem pole at this conference. But I had an opportunity to kind of rub elbows and network with some of the who's who in the business world. And I got to pick their brains on what works and what doesn't. And, you know, they gave me action items. And I put those to work into my company. And so we're not just here and went at you. And I think a lot of people think that, you know, they see us here in town. This is just where our main office is. But we're throughout the Pacific Northwest and, you know, we're growing in multiple states. And so eventually we're going to get over to the East Coast and, you know, we'll make it nationwide. My wife will tell you that I just need to stop and just concentrate on what we're doing. But, you know, I mean, the award itself is healthy. you know, propel us and has given us other opportunities where if we didn't have that and we weren't in that limelight, we wouldn't have got some of the opportunities that we currently have now.

David Mabee:

Yeah. I mean, obviously that doesn't happen by accident. So what kind of mindsets have helped you scale that successfully? I know you said you talked to the mentors and you rubbed elbows. I mean, is that what helped you scale is just seeing other people kind of like you being able to do it or what shifted that mindset in your mind?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, I think a little bit of that. And then just knowing that, you know, it's my business and it's me on the line. And so if I want to create a life that I want, I've really got to bust it out there. I got to grind and I got to really got to work at it. And that's just kind of my work ethic. And again, I mentioned it before, you know, I'm competitive. I've been playing sports my whole life. And I just, if I see somebody doing something and they're at a level that I want to be at, I'm going to follow that person. I'm going to get to know them. I'm And I'm going to find somebody else. And then what I've learned in the business is once you hit certain plateaus in your business, you know, you get to your first hundred thousand. Well, if you want to get to two hundred and fifty thousand, you can't do things the exact same way. You've got to change your business. And so we've just constantly been reinventing ourselves to each plateau that we reach. And that's helped us just it's like throwing fuel on the fire and we just continue to grow like crazy.

David Mabee:

Right. That's awesome. So I see you guys, you're big in promoting. I see on LinkedIn and things like that, people's anniversaries, work anniversaries, things like that. How do you build a strong team culture in an industry that's so behind the scenes?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, I think it's like a 200% turnover rate in the commercial cleaning industry. So it's brutal turnover rate. But what I learned, and just a quick story, is everybody does the employee of the month. And I started to do that kind of in the beginning. And what happened was after the third or fourth employee of the month that we were having, they would start to quit. And I couldn't figure out why, because they were rock stars. They were our studs of the month. And then all of a sudden, they're quitting. When we got to the fourth one, they told me, you know, I sat them down. I said, what's going on? They put in their two weeks notice. And I said, you just got employee of the month. Like, what? Why are you trying to quit? And they said, well, it's because you put me on a pedestal now. And so all the other employees felt like they should have received it instead of me. And, you know, what stuck is this person told me that it should be a team award. And so I scrapped the employee of the month and I said, OK, I went back into the lab. OK, what can I do that's going to start building a culture? Because company culture to me wasn't a thing. I just thought it was a buzzword. And so I started to really dive into it more. And it's like we could do birthdays, but then there's some religions that don't celebrate birthdays. So I don't want to alienate them. So what can I do? And it was like, what about anniversaries, work anniversaries? Somebody's put in the time. They work their butt off. Let's celebrate that. And crazy enough, that just started to take off and it morphed itself. And then all of a sudden, we're posting them on our social media. And they think they're just like local celebrities once they go on the social media because people are posting and commenting about them. And so now it's just that's how it is here at iPro. Like today, today, we're having a huge anniversary party. And so we're doing a barbecue. You know, we've got a basketball hoop out here. But the crazy thing is, is even if it's your one year anniversary compared to a six year or a ten year anniversary, That's awesome. We bring them in as we're waiting for the people that are receiving their awards. They're going to wait and we're going to surprise everybody. Well, they're in this room and they're all talking to each other where they wouldn't before. And so that's really helped with the culture and really build the team as well. And so we've built a very solid team. Our turnover rate is very low compared to the national average for this type of industry.

David Mabee:

That's amazing and good on you for having the foresight or whatever to see– okay, this is a problem. Why is this not working? And let's go. Because as an employee for different companies, it's like sometimes just, hey, you did a great job is enough. And some people don't like the spotlight. Some people don't like to be put up there. Like you said, I mean, it drives people to quit, which is crazy. You think you're doing a good thing and it's not working. So, good on you for looking at that. As we go on here, what's something that Just that they don't

Edwin Eaton:

need it. I think when COVID hit, when the pandemic hit, it kind of put the cleaning industry in the limelight. It's like, oh, wow, if we want to keep our doors open, we actually have to be clean. And, you know, there's a ton of companies that get into, a ton of business owners that start their own cleaning company. They may have been good cleaners, but they don't know the business side of things. And what happens is you're getting a lot of mom and pop companies that just, they don't have licenses. They don't have insurance that are getting into this industry. And it can actually affect, if you're the company that It could actually affect you if something gets stolen or they break something like they don't have insurance. So you're on the hook for that. So I think a lot of people look at bigger companies and they just think that our price is going to be way higher than, you know, a small mom and pop, which it is. But there's a reason why. So a lot of people just kind of look at that again, like pricing, like they're really, really expensive. Well, it's not that we're expensive. It's we pay our people well. we're giving you reliable cleaners. We're giving you great service services that maybe some other companies can't offer you. Um, and we're going to make sure that we take care of your facility. And you know, our, what we say, our love language is, is communication. And that's one thing I think that a lot of businesses and companies don't have is communication. And we pride ourselves on our communication.

David Mabee:

Right. And it's crazy to think that a company would be, take the cheapest person to let somebody into your facility where you're You've probably got millions of dollars worth of equipment. I always say

Edwin Eaton:

you get what you pay for.

David Mabee:

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. That's crazy. That's well said. So you're not only just an entrepreneur with the iPro building, you're coaching, you're consulting. So in addition to running iPro, you coach other business owners. You've talked a little bit about it in the commercial cleaning world. Yeah. you've talked a little bit about this, but was there a particular moment that made you want to give back? You talked about your mentor. Was there like an aha moment where you're like, Oh, this is, this is the, what I want to do to pay it forward?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah. You know, it was, uh, I was on a podcast and this was probably five, six years ago. And the podcast actually gave me street cred and I was just coming on, you know, it was a cleaning podcast and I was just talking about my journey and it resonated with, some other commercial cleaning business owners and they started reaching out to me and they wanted help. Hey, we love what you were talking about. Can you help us out? So I was like, sure. So I'm helping one person. Then next thing you know, it's like seven, eight people. And then my wife's like, what are you doing? You're taking your time away from my pro. If you're going to help people, you at least have to charge to make it worth your while. And that's kind of how it started. And so now I've created what I call blueprint janitorial consulting. I literally have clients in all 50 states And just as of last year, I mean, I have clients in Australia, over in Europe, in Canada, in Mexico. So it's really spiraled just crazy and everybody wanting assistance. And, you know, that's kind of one of the things that I try to teach. And, you know, the great philosopher Pitbull said it. He said, ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money twice. And I love that statement in his song because really, you know, people get into this and they want money. And they think that they can just get money right away in this industry. But you need to have a mentor, somebody that has that can give you the advice and put you on that right path. That's what happened with me. And, you know, I've been on that path and it's it's, you know, it's up and down, but it's a great path that I'm on. And so that's what I'm trying to teach everybody that's partnering up with me.

David Mabee:

That's amazing. So now you're locally recognized, internationally known, and you're quoting Pitbull. I love it, Edwin. So what are some of the biggest mistakes or blind spots that you see when you're working with a new business owner or somebody who comes to you for help? Is there like a pattern or is everything pretty different or...

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, I know a lot of new business owners in the commercial cleaning space get into it. Like I mentioned before, when I got started, I didn't know how to bid. So that was the big thing. They don't know how to price jobs. They don't know how to put together professional proposals. They don't know that they need a website. They don't know how to market their business. I mean, the list goes on and on. And so those are just the things where I start from, number one, getting your business name to getting your LLC or whatever it is, and then just kind of working them step by step. I don't work with a lot of... well-established businesses. These are just basically a lot of startups to maybe a couple of years in business that I'm working with to really help them fine tune their business.

David Mabee:

And is this, so if somebody wanted to get ahold of you for that, is that something they can reach through iPro or is there, or sorry, you have a whole nother business with that, right? Could you let them know just how to get in touch with that or shoot me that? And I guess we can put that in the notes.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah. Yeah. The website is just blueprintjanitorial.com.

David Mabee:

Okay, Blueprint. Okay, that's the other one. Because you got another thing going on here. You're a man of many things going on. Let's talk about Sync. Is it Sync? Cinch. Cinch, sorry. Cinch software. How did you come about that idea? And what is Cinch?

Edwin Eaton:

So that came from, again, it started with iPro and then into the consulting side that just kind of segued into software. It was, I didn't know how to bid, so I had to learn how to do it and put together spreadsheets. And then The clients that I had on the consulting side, they wanted assistance with bidding. And so it was like, Hey, why don't I put together a calculator that I use? And so I did that. It took off on the consulting side. And then they said, what about proposals? What about scheduling? I don't want to buy this platform and that platform. So, you know, the light went off and I thought, you know what, why don't I just start janitorial software? And again, I can hear my wife in the back, just saying, stop, just stop. What are you doing? So that's kind of how it happened. And so basically everything that's within my software, my janitorial software system is everything that I use within my company to get me to where I'm at now. And so we've made it simple. So you don't have to have five or six different platforms. We've got our CRM that's in there. You can invoice from it. You know, we have what we call our create a bid button that walks you through the whole sales process, you know, proposals, scope of work, inspections, scheduling, work orders, everything's there. We've made it at a competitive price because I don't have any angel investors or anything like that. It's just me. And so we've I've been able to keep the price down to make it something so that brand new commercial cleaning business owners, they can actually afford it. And it's going to be something, it's going to be a tool in their arsenal that they're going to use on a daily basis.

David Mabee:

Cool. And did you work with software engineers locally or how did that come about? So

Edwin Eaton:

right now, the big thing is working with software engineers in the Middle East and in India. And so I actually partnered with somebody. I actually found him on Fiverr when I started my calculator. Got to know him pretty well. Actually, he invited me to his wedding, which is actually this weekend. It's in Pakistan. I'm like, yeah, I appreciate the invite. I don't think I'll be able to make it. But what's nice is It started with just me and him. And I think now just with everything that we've done over the course of the last two and a half years with the software system, we're up to a web development team of about 14 individuals now that work just solely on Cinch.

David Mabee:

That's crazy. Congratulations. Thank you. Is that a download app or do they have to purchase it through you? And how does somebody get it if they need that software?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah. So the website is cleansinch.com. And then they sign up directly there. And then we have the mobile apps in the App Store and Google Play Store that they can use as well.

David Mabee:

Cool. Well, we're rolling along. So, I mean, you're a man of many talents here. I'm loving it. I'm a little nervous about my podcasting because you just launched your own podcast as well, Built After Hours. Another thing, right? Your wife must love it. But your first guest was your son. What was that like for you as a dad? How cool was that moment for you?

Edwin Eaton:

Well, I've always been wanting to do it. I've been on a few podcasts and people in my network have been asking me like, man, when are you going to launch your own podcast? And then the consulting clients that I have. And I never really wanted to do it. And then they kept pushing. And I thought, you know what? I'll give it a shot. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. And I thought, who better could I put on as a first guest than my son? And he's 23 right now. He's been in the industry since high school, since he was 16 years old. And he's kind of gone through everything from cleaning toilets, taking out trash to being the night supervisor to hiring to firing to selling i mean he's kind of seen a little bit of everything and he's still young and i thought this would just be great to kind of share his story on on this first episode and because there's a lot of other people that i think are going to resonate with kind of his journey that he's going through

David Mabee:

yeah so that's awesome when he i have a nine-year-old and a six-year-old so i'm not there yet but um We're in baseball season, lots of baseball. Did you make your son start working for you when he was 16? Or was that something he came to you like wanting to do? And how has that progression gone? Has it been like a resentment to like a better relationship? Or what's that been like?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, no, you know, as he puts it, I asked him in the show, you know, what's one word you would describe working with your dad? And his word was challenging is what he came up with. But no, it's one of those things. He started working in high school at Three Lakes Golf Course, and he was a cart boy there. And then he was actually cleaning toilets and mopping floors there. And then right around the time of the pandemic, we asked him if he wanted to come work for us so that he could have some set hours that would work within his school schedule. And he agreed to do it. And yeah. I mean, he hasn't looked back since. And I think he is right. It's challenging in a way, but it's more of me challenging him to see where his mindset is at and to get him to really understand this. Because eventually, you know, this is a family legacy is what I'm trying to create. So eventually I want him to take over the business. So I'm giving him really a crash course in what commercial cleaning and the commercial cleaning industry is all about. It's not cleaning toilets all the time. There's other business side of things. There's the employee I mean, there's all kinds of stuff and he's, he's starting to see that now. And, and, you know, it's kind of crazy because he started selling a year and a half ago. He made his first sale two weeks into the new position. His first sale was like 10 grand. I was like, what? Like my first sale wasn't that much. And then, Just last year in November, he set a record for himself. He sold $37,000 in one month in new janitorial contracts, which is just... It was just phenomenal. Blew me away that he was able to do that.

David Mabee:

That's awesome. It's so cool. I mean, you hope... As a father, I guess, I just hope that my kids resonate and the lessons I'm trying to teach them will turn from like, oh, you just don't like me. You're trying to make me do stuff to like, oh, thank you, dad. So... Kudos to you, man. I know that's a tough path to go and to see it happen is really awesome. I caught the first part of the podcast and I was excited for you. I was like, man, this is awesome. What's it been like, though, watching your son find his path in this industry? You just talked about hitting the sales marks and things like that. But is there anything else that's kind of stood out to you and made you proud or times where you have to bite your tongue so you don't say the wrong thing? Or what's that like walking that line?

Edwin Eaton:

No, I mean, you know, when he was in high school and at home, he was listening to me all the time on the phone because it was like 24 seven. I was always working. And so he was able to hear a lot of the conversation. So he's almost like a sponge. He just he soaked all this information in, even when he wasn't really in a in a management position with us. And so he kind of retained that information. And, you know, I mentioned it in the podcast because he was 20, maybe at the time, 1920. And he was a supervisor and he was making money. executive decisions on the fly at night. And, you know, he couldn't even go in a bar and order a drink, but he was making these decisions at night that were impacting the business. And so to me, that's just, you know, it's like, wow, like he's, he's far above a lot of people his age and what he's learned in this industry that, you know, his mom and I have just told him, you know, the sky's the limit for him at this point. And just what he's putting into it and what he's learning now, he's just, he's on a, he's on a whole nother trajectory.

David Mabee:

That's amazing. And part of me thinks it's probably because you've entrusted him and you're giving him confidence and he's probably got confidence just from watching you. So, that's stuff that takes years to build if you're in a corporate environment with somebody you don't know, right? Because then you're walking the line of like, I don't want to make this new person mad. But I mean, this is a father-son relationship. Yeah. That's awesome. How do you see this Built After Hours podcast working? Are you envisioning this as like telling your story to inspire others? Or do you see this as kind of a way to help people? What's kind of the... goal of the podcast, I guess.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah. Well, a lot of the cleaning podcasts out there, you're kind of seeing the same guests. They're established people in the industry and there's nobody that's talking about the new startups and the people getting into it and the issues that they're having. And maybe they're working a nine to five job and then they're doing this as a side gig to try to build it up to become what they want to do. And so I'm trying to showcase these people, share their stories, and then it's going to resonate with other new commercial cleaning owners that are trying to get into the space. You know, the crazy thing about the podcast is it actually launched today, which is cool.

David Mabee:

Congratulations.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, thank you. But the day before, I got a call from the number one cleaning podcast. And so it's crazy because you think of ESPN. ESPN has like Around the Horn, E60, all these secondary shows, right? So they asked me if Built After Hours would be showcased on their website and be a secondary show to what they have. Oh, and I'm like, yeah. I said, you haven't even heard my first episode yet. Like I want to do it, but you should probably listen because if it completely fails, you're not going to want me on your show. Right. But, but. We've got that in the works right now. And so I'm getting access to their tens of thousands of subscribers. And then they're getting access to what I have right now. That's awesome. So it's a pretty cool feeling to think that I just started it. The first episode just went out. And we're already going to be on this big platform with another big podcast that's out there.

David Mabee:

And that's half the battle. How do you separate yourself? And that's what we're trying to figure out. So this podcast will probably evolve and go. But I was a part of a podcast... 15 years ago in LA. And we ended up getting pushed because we were a video game podcast. And we ended up number one on iTunes. And it was insane. We were getting like 50,000 downloads all of a sudden. And it was like, what is going on? And that was before video. So... I can only hope that something like that happens with this. The podcast realm is a lot more competitive now, but I'm wishing you luck. And I'm glad we have you on our second episode right as your first episode launches. So we're on this journey together. I have to follow up with you and we'll have to have another podcast moment here in a year and see where we're at.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, absolutely.

David Mabee:

What's been the most rewarding part of building something that your family is a part of?

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, you know, I think I was talking with somebody about that the other day. I think in business, and I'll call it the ultimate flex for business, is when you get to a certain point in business that you have more time for your family. And I'll just briefly touch on this. My wife last year, towards the end of last year, was diagnosed with stage four cancer. And so it was one of those things that just completely changed everything. way we were doing our everyday life and so i mean it just flipped us upside down but the the beauty of it is again with my son he's he's in this industry he knows it i've got a great general manager we've got great managers all across the board that i i'm able to step away and spend time with my wife and help her out and not have to worry about the business um and then just to be able to do that be able to pick up my daughter when she gets off off of school A lot of business owners can't do that. But you just got to keep grinding to get to that point. And again, I'm just thankful that over the years, I've been able to find the right people and put those right people in place to really take care of the business so that I can take care of my family and do what I need to do.

David Mabee:

Right. I mean, one of the greatest quotes I've heard, and I think it was like two years ago, because I was working a lot of hours and This was before I was at the tech Alliance. And I was just like, I got to find something. Cause I'm missing weekends. I'm missing. Somebody said, nobody's ever going to remember or your family's never going to remember how much time you put in at work, how much this you're gonna remember the moments you missed. So like, yeah, I've gone through some stuff last year too, as well. That's really changed my life with family issues and things. So totally understand that part of the story. And, and I think we're all trying to find that balance of how do you spend more time with your family and still, still get things done and be successful.

Edwin Eaton:

We are.

Unknown:

Yeah.

David Mabee:

Yeah, as we wrap this up, we'll get into a little bit more fun here. We just have our little signature questions here. You know, we inspire, invest, and empower. So on the inspire side, what's one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting a service-based industry if they were starting today?

Edwin Eaton:

You, you know, for this industry, it's a $90 billion a year industry. So if you think about that, $90 billion a year, and I think it was less than 20% of commercial cleaning business owners have 20 employees. So sky's the limit in this industry. If you work hard and you really put your nose to, to the ground and just start going and grinding every day, um, you can etch out your little piece of this industry out of that $90 billion.

David Mabee:

That's insane, $90 billion. Right? On the invest side, what's one skill that you're still working on as a founder?

Edwin Eaton:

On the invest side, it's investing in myself and investing in my leadership team. And so I've hired a leadership coach who comes in once a quarter and works with our team. And we're not talking about business, but we're talking about... how to relieve stress and how to make more time for ourselves. And then also on the business side, how to interact with your employees, how to be empathetic about things and how to get people to want to work with you and to trust you.

David Mabee:

That's awesome. And then one more here on empowering. What's kind of your superpower? What do you think your superpower is as a business leader?

Edwin Eaton:

Oh boy, as a business leader, you know, I think it's just the fact that I communicate, right? And that's the biggest thing. I'm trying to remember who said it. It might have been Cody Sanchez. He said, complexity makes you seem smart, but simplicity makes you money. And I think that's kind of what I look at is just keeping things simple, being real about things and not trying to overcomplicate it. I think it's really the biggest thing. And my staff will tell you the same thing. I'm pretty basic and to the point when it comes to things. I just want to get to the point and let's move on and let's move forward.

David Mabee:

Right. That's awesome. Okay. If your business was a reality TV show, what would it be called?

Edwin Eaton:

Oh, gosh. You know, it would have to be something. I don't know the name, but the camera crew, the production crew would have a heck of a time following us around seeing what we see in bathrooms and just stuff that we find in some of these locations. I mean, it would be a good reality TV show, maybe Janitorial Diaries or Janitorial Chronicles or something like

David Mabee:

that. And then is there a local place that you go to or a spot you have to do when you want to think big?

Edwin Eaton:

Um, I, when the pandemic hit, uh, you know, a lot of the gyms closed and I had a empty space under my house. And so we, we built a gym there. So every morning, that's just where I go. There's, there's no devices. I go down there and I get in a workout for a good hour. It's just my spot down there. Um, you know, I've got my music playing, I've got all the, all the workout equipment that I need. And it's just, it's the place that I just clear my mind to, to get my day started on the right track.

David Mabee:

That's awesome. Yeah. I love outdoors. I love to go mountain bike, uh, no phone, uh, and I love to snowboard. Um, so that's kind of my, that's, that's awesome. And

Edwin Eaton:

this is the, this is the place to live if you want all those activities.

David Mabee:

Oh yeah. I mean, we're 20 minutes away from mission Ridge. I'm, You know, I can ride my bike to the mountain or it's a five minute drive, but that's awesome. Hey, Edwin, I want to thank you for sharing your story today. That's awesome to see you come from humble beginnings, the janitorial industry to building one of the fastest growing companies in the Northwest. I love that you focus on your people, your leadership, and the legacy. That's kind of what network's all about. If you want to learn more about iPro building services and the softwares and all that, where should someone go? Is there one spot in general? Or can you just plug some of your places you want people to go? And how can they find out about your Built After Hours podcast as well? You got a lot of stuff to promote, but I'm going to give you a second here to tell them where to go.

Edwin Eaton:

Yeah, I mean, for iPro, I mean, that's where it all started. It's just worry-free dock cleaning. I'm big on LinkedIn And so if you just type in my name, Edwin Eaton on LinkedIn, you're going to get access to all the sites. Um, be, be great to link up with a lot of people here, especially locally and just to follow each other and support each other. But LinkedIn is probably the best place to go.

David Mabee:

That's awesome. I'm going to make sure I subscribe to your podcast today. I hope you do the same. And if you're liking this and you're out there, please hit subscribe. Uh, we're going to be on our YouTube channel. We're also on all the other platforms you can find us. So if, Stay tuned. We got more stories, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and NCW. Thank you, Edwin, for being on today. Thank you. And that's going to do it for this episode of Networked.

People on this episode

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David Mabee

Host
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Edwin Eaton

Guest