Grandeza + Lipizia
I participated in sponsoring a two-day conference for professional cleaning companies at the White Diamond Event Center in Phoenix. Our team handled the live stream for the national audience while I represented my franchise, Jani-King. Each day ran about eight hours and drew owners and operators from across the country. More than 150 companies in person with more attending online. The goal was simple: share ideas that help us grow smarter and faster in the janitorial industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the country generating over $90 billion dollars per year.
The sessions covered practical topics that matter in our industry: smarter hiring and legal compliance; how to bid competitively (including how to use AI to speed up and sharpen proposals); sales strategy; winning government contracts; and the advantages of switching to organic or reduced-toxin products. There was also a comparison between building a company from scratch and buying into a franchise, what support systems a franchise provides, what it costs, and how it helps you scale.
My friend, Marisol González led the effort. She’s been in the janitorial industry for more than 20 years and focuses on building healthy, high-performing teams. We’d crossed paths through entrepreneur circles, and when she invited me for coffee to share her idea for this conference, I said yes immediately. She found the right partners, assembled a production and logistics team, some based in Nicaragua, and moved the vision from talk to reality in about three months. For a first-time event, the organization, food, and flow were excellent!
When it was my turn to speak, I talked about the franchise path, what Jani-King has provided over my 25 years as a successful franchisee, and why their structure can be the fastest route to growth for some business owners. The Jani-King corporate office received the most audience questions on stage, which I took as a good sign: I try to challenge people to think differently about scaling. With a franchise, a lot of the heavy lifting; insurance frameworks, sales collateral, training systems are already in place, so you can focus on operations and growth.
Beyond the programming, the real value was connections. I left with solid leads and follow-ups from participants who want help evaluating whether franchising fits their goals, as well as how to modernize their bidding and sales with AI. There’s already talk of taking this conference on the road. California was mentioned and I think it could grow quickly. The energy in the room proved that people are ready to share what works instead of guarding “secrets.” In our business, the real differentiator isn’t just how well you clean it’s how well you connect with clients and build relationships.
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