• YOU DON'T HAVE TO WING IT!

• Gutter Cleaning is a good business to build through networking.

• Commercial establishments can be quick and easy work.

• Commercial establishments needs lots of help in the area of gutter maintenance.

• Gutter Cleaning is a good business to build with online reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.

• Baby Boomers are elderly today and represent a large segment of potential customers.  Great opportunity for gutter cleaning.

• Gutter Cleaning can be done year-round in areas of the country with warmer climates.

• Gutter Cleaning can be easily started as a side hustle.

• As a primary business, Gutter Cleaning can yield you a 6-figure income with just one crew.

• You can make $150/hr. by yourself or $300/hr. with a partner.

• Many people are searching for Gutter Cleaning services online.

• People who want to protect their investment in their home are motivated buyers.

• Work from home professionals will pay you top dollar for Gutter Cleaning.

• Gutter Cleaning is a non-taxable service in many states, cities, and localities.

• Gutter Cleaning is a good way to get your foot in the door for other profitable upsell services.

• Gutter Cleaning is a great business to do as a "Mom & Pop" or family business.

• Gutter Cleaning for many customers is a necessity, not a luxury

• Gutter Cleaning requires little or no initial investment

• Gutter Cleaning is potentially pandemic-proof.

• Gutter Cleaning can be hard work, which weeds out many potential competitors.

• Gutter Cleaning is an often overlooked hidden treasure.

• Gutter Cleaning attracts fly-by-nights, which make the true professional stand out.

• Gutter cleaning is a dirty job that many home service contractors do not want to do.

• Gutter cleaning is a dirty job that many homeowners do not want to do.

• Most successful entrepreneurs have built their success upon a long string of failures
• Sometimes we need to figure out what doesn't work before we figure out what does work
• Don't give up!

• Hosting 2 - 3 people at a time to ride in the truck with me and shadow our work
• Spend time coaching and consulting the attendees
• Giving the attendees a good understanding of how the day to day operations of a six figure gutter cleaning business works

• I have worked heavily on the operational side of my business for 20 years and it's time for a change
• Working my way out of operations will allow me to devote more time to sales and marketing
• Working my way out of operations will allow me to build a sellable business

• I am planning on focusing on gutter cleaning during normal business hours and phasing out window cleaning and pressure washing
• I am looking to automate, grow, and scale my gutter cleaning business to run without me or to sell
• Boosting my recurring commercial revenue will eliminate the need for diversifying on the residential side

• The importance of recurring commercial revenue
• Examples of recurring commercial revenue
• What I am planning on doing in 2024 in the way of recurring commercial revenue

• The book has many good concepts that can be applied to the professional gutter cleaner
• I am in the process of implementing one of the B.O.S.S. moves into my business this winter
• I highly recommend this book

• The interviews helped me as well as the listeners
• Each interviewee brought something unique to the table
• I am planning on applying some of the things I learned in the interviews

• My main benefit was having a good 3rd quarter whereas that is traditionally a slow time for us
• I attribute our success this 3rd quarter to the leads I received in BNI
• BNI has been well worth the investment, and it has paid for itself many times over

• One of the main humps to get over in raising prices is the fear of losing customers
• Once I raised my prices, many of my customer expected it and did not leave
• Some customers who tipped previously tipped even on top of the raised price

• Oftentimes it is not most efficient to schedule jobs on a first-come-first-serve basis
• It is best to schedule jobs where they are as close to one another as possible on any given day
• The caveat to doing it like that is that you must stay on top of the follow-up to pin down the day and time of the job

• You will miss out on 100% of the offers that you don't make
• You can't judge by the sight of your eyes when trying to determine if someone has the money to take your offer
• Some people will surprise you 

• There are extra things you can do for your customers that take up very little time, but can add much value
• Doing some of these things may cost you in the short run, but can greatly benefit you in the long run
• Experience will tell you when to throw in something extra and when to charge extra

• What questions do you have that I have not already answered?
• What subjects would you like to hear me cover in more depth?
• How may I serve you on the highest level possible?

• The best time to have gutters cleaned is in the Fall
• The worst time to have gutters cleaned ( for the customer ) is in the Spring
• Winter gutter cleaning provides a happy medium between the two

• Many home service professionals operate off of word of mouth referrals alone
• The temptation is to treat our business like a job and build it up to a level where we are merely surviving
• We will thrive if we turn our business into an asset

• The advantage of doing so is that you can add value to roofers who in return can compensate you accordingly
• Developing the skill to do so is not hard
• Most roofers would be glad to take the time to teach you the skill if they knew you could send them leads

• Your customer has old, worn out gutters of any kind, especially the galvanized metal kind
• Your customer has the spiked gutters where the spikes are coming loose
• Your customer has 4" gutters

• You won't have to look very hard to find neglected gutter systems in commercial establishments
• Many times these are easy fixes
• Getting your foot in the door with these easy fixes can lead to bigger ticket work in the future

• Many rental property owners manager their properties themselves and do not use a property manager
• Providing quality work for them is a great help to them
• Being able to refer them to other service contractors is to them like having the benefits of property management

• You have less time to do your work in the Fall than in the Spring and Summer
• This is not just because of the earlier sunset, but also because the cold of the morning makes for later start times
• You can work this to your advantage by stretching your work out further into the Winter

• Chances are your prospects are already familiar with some type of gutter guard
• Your prospect may have a problem with another guard that you may be able to solve with your guard\
• Knowing your gutter guards can help you make more sales

• Don't just go for low prices
• Find motivated sellers
• There are people who are willing to negotiate

• Keeping your hands dry and warm
• Ladder safety while using water
• The correct way to remove iced over leaves and debris from gutters

• Having a partner is good for safety reasons
• Having a partner is good for more productivity
• There are diverse way to get help with your gutter cleaning jobs

• New movers have a lot on their plate, including deciding what to do about their gutters
• We as professional gutter cleaners can help them with on less thing to worry about
• We can further add value to them by connecting them with other home service providers

• Ideally, we should rinse the gutters with water and rinse down through the downspouts on every job
• Sometimes we may not have access to water and we need to adjust
• There are alternative ways to clean the gutters and to make sure that the downspouts are clear

• Some of this mail comes from home service providers like you and I
• We can learn marketing strategies by studying what other small business owners are doing
• The example I give in the episode is that of a joint venture

• A "No" may be just a delay and not a denial
• People may choose someone else because they responded faster than you did
• People often have bad experiences with gutter cleaners, and that leaves a door of opportunity open for you

• There are times when allowing the customer to negotiate on price makes sense
• When you give up something in the negotiation, make sure that you are gaining something as well
• Negotiating does not always have to entail coming down on price

• Who you become is more important than what you do.
• This podcast is designed to help you become who you need to be in order to succeed in the gutter cleaning business.
• Once you get yourself out there and get a bunch of eyes on you, you want to make sure you are prepared.

• Don't be in a hurry to get out and make money cleaning gutters just because you see it on a YouTube video.
• Get a firm understanding of what you need to do before you get out there.
• Use this podcast to get that understanding.

• A scam is any product or service that does not deliver on it's promises, especially if it is intentional.
• Gutter guards can be a scam, but are not always.
• Even gutter cleaning itself can be a scam.

• Most entrepreneurs are focused on their sales presentation.
• Positioning is more important than presentation.
• Correct positioning helps your customer see your offer in the best light possible.

• Most homeowners do not have the knowledge of their roof and gutter systems as you do.
• You can increase your value before your customers by making expert recommendations based upon your knowledge.
• You make recommendations even in areas outside of gutters.

• We need to have a marketing plan beyond just depending upon word of mouth referrals.
• We need to keep back a portion for our earnings for marketing.
• We need marketing vehicles that are effective and scalable.

• Stay warm.  Stay Dry.
• Watch out for frosty roofs.
• Be careful about ladder placement.

• Having the proper motivation.  In other words, You've got to want it.
• Taking massive imperfect action.
• Having the right mindset.  Thinking bigger and getting around more people who think bigger.

***  NOTE:  This interview contains such great content that I decided to go "off code" and leave it full length rather than breaking it up into two episodes.

• Things may be slow for professional gutter cleaning now, but we are about to get slammed in the next few weeks
• The best way to prepare for this is to go back over these podcast episodes and equip yourself to handle what is to come

• It is possible to make a lot of money and not have a good name
• Having a good name in business is better than the money because the money will follow a good name
• Having a bad name and making a lot of money will eventually play out in the long run and fail

• Everything you need to start and run a professional gutter cleaning company is in this podcast or will be in this podcast
• You could piece all these principles and ideas together and come up with an operations manual for your company
• I am planning on making it easier for you to piece these ideas together in an organized manner by putting out a book in the future

CORRECTION:  In this episode I stated that Joshua did only window cleaning in his exterior cleaning business when in actuality he did a good amount of gutter cleaning as well.

• While it is exciting to get your first few jobs even though they may be spread out throughout the city, working that way is not sustainable for the long term
• Narrowing down your focus to doing jobs closer to your home will allow you to do more jobs per day and make more money
• If you do find a great neighborhood to work in that is further away, work hard at marketing in that neighborhood to get as many jobs as possible that are close to one another

• We feel more confident approaching people when we have something to give rather than when we want to to given to
• There are plenty of people out there who want, need, and crave what we have to offer
• If we approach cold call prospecting with the mindset that we are giving something of great value, we can have more confidence

• Not every opportunity is going to present itself in a predictable manner
• We've got to think on our feet in sales as well as in our servicing of our customers' homes
• If we are always prepared, then when our time comes we will be able to rise to the occasion

• Whatever path you need to take to having a successful business, someone else has already travelled it.
• You don't need to re-invent the wheel.
• Having a good coach who has walked the path you want to walk can substantially cut your learning curve.

• The purpose of French drains is to carry the gutter water far away from the house
• Many older systems no longer function correctly
• Whenever possible, I have recommended that people bring their drainage system above ground

• Just because someone already has gutter guards doesn't mean they are not eligible for what we have to offer
• We have done many replacements of cheap, big box store gutter guards
• Sometimes, even if a customer buys gutter guards from the hardware store or from Amazon and want you to install them, they can be persuaded to upgrade

• Many people hate their jobs and they are looking for an alternative.
• There are many online business opportunities that promise that you can make 6 figures in your pajamas using only a laptop and a mobile phone.
• The gutter cleaning business is more realistic than those online opportunities that the masses are chasing

• Always get a good foundation by learning how to effective clean gutters the old fashioned way.
• If you use machines, never become dependent on them.
• If you get answers to this question from someone who uses the gutter vac, find out the best practices.

• A big fish is not a whale.  A big fish may be a job in the low thousands whereas a whale is a job in the 10's of $1,000's.
• Persistence pays off when going fishing for big fish or whales.

• On average, people stay in any given house in America for 13 years.
• Keeping customers in the loop open up opportunities for servicing their next home after they move.
• Keeping customers in the loop also opens up opportunities for alternative services.

• We all make mistakes in the beginning stages of our business.  It's called the learning curve.
• Having a good coach or consultant that has been where you have been and  made the same mistakes is valuable.
• You can recover from mistakes much faster and seemingly miraculously with a good coach/consultant.

• We don't have unlimited time on earth.
• What we need to do with our business needs to be done within the 30 - 40 working years
• We need to make every day count

• How he finds good employees
• How he keeps good employees
• His YouTube Channel ( Cleaning Bee Pro ) and his future plans in creating an exterior cleaning course

• Daniel's background before getting into the exterior cleaning business
• Why and how he ending up choosing exterior cleaning for his business
• How he managed to make it after diving in with both feet as opposed keeping his job and easing his way in

• We need to dedicate regular time to prospecting
• The best time to prospect and fill our pipeline is when things are busy, not when they slow down
• The more offers we make, the more spillover we will have into our traditionally slow seasons

• HOA's are great because we can service multiple jobs in one location and thereby save money on gas and save time
• The best people to reach out to for connections with HOA's
• We should be willing to bring down our prices for multiples because we are not incurring customer acquisition costs for each unit like we are with our regular jobs

• There is good debt, and there is bad debt
• We should avoid bad debt, which is going into debt for personal liabilities
• If we choose to make use of good debt, which is going into debt for assets, we should only do so if we have a high degree of certainty in the thing for which we are going into debt

• Most of us have spent hours upon hours learning things that we have not used in our professional life.
• Self-education is superior to traditional, "higher education" because it can be much more targeted.
• With self=education, you can learn from people that have been where you are and have walked in your shoes.

• Both have pros and cons
• My belief is that with the right gutter guards, the pros outweigh the cons
• It's all about fulfilling our promise to the customer, and that is to leave them with a clog-free system

• Don't quit your stable job in order to start your gutter cleaning business.
• Starting out slow will allow "proof of concept", or making sure that this business is for you, before diving in with both feet.
• If you do run into slow times, you can always subcontract with something related to your business so that you may continue to develop your skills.

• Sometimes we need to stand our ground in time of conflict with a customer.  The customer is not always right.
• Sometimes we need to yield even if the customer is not all the way right for the sake of preserving the long term relationship.
• Knowing which way to go is a judgment call to be taken on a case by case basis.

• This is the most important and relevant level for the professional gutter cleaner
• Maximizing this level of value will allow you to achieve financial freedom and not be a slave to your business
• Our goal as professional gutter cleaners should be to maximize this level and work our way out of the lower 2 levels

• The Unification level is for those who manage the people on the Implementation level
• Those on this level provide more value than those on the first level, therefore they get paid more
• This level requires different skillsets than the first level.  A good implementer may not necessarily be a good manager

• The first level of value is Implementation, which is doing the physical work in producing a good or a service
• Those on the implementation level are typical the hardest workers, yet they get paid the least
• You don't want to operate on this level for the rest of your life

• Our business should only serve to be a means to a greater end
• We don't want to build a business that we will have to serve for the rest of our lives, but rather one that will serve us and our families
• It's all going to be dust in the wind someday, but we can leverage it into something that will last generation after generation.

• Men have worked with their hands since the beginning of time
• Working with our hands yields less value than working with our mouth
• We as professional gutter cleaners need to grow our business to the point where we can earn more with our mouth and less with our hands

• In a previous episode, I talked about how I recovered my investment into BNI within my first week of joining
• The results I have gotten in my first 30 days
• Why I believe that it is worth the investment

• Professional gutter cleaning has low barriers to entry, in other words, it is pretty easy to get started.
• In any endeavor, you will make mistakes in the beginning because that is just part of the learning curve.  No need to overthink this.
• If you get in the game and find that it is not for you, then you will not have lost much of anything.

• Although rags to riches testimonials are great and inspiring, most of us don't have that testimony
• Most of us come from working to middle class environments where we were taught to seek security over freedom
• We must break free from the security mindset and break into the freedom mindset to succeed as a professional gutter cleaner

• It depends on your level of competence and confidence
• Referring them to a referral partner may be a good strategic move because that person can give you more gutter cleaning work
• If  you are staying busy all day everyday without repairs, then do what works for you

• We don't know everything, therefore we can always learn more
• There are those who have gone before us who can help us in our journey
• Instruction and reproof is only there to make us better, not to hurt us

• The need to persevere through difficulties is universal.
• Doing so is a major pillar in building a successful business.
• You will run into difficulties.  How you handle them is what will make the difference.

• Taking time to do things right is a universal concept that applies to everything we do
• Doing so from the onset of our business allows us to multiply excellence and not mediocrity

• Having a servant's heart will motivate you to go above and beyond the call of duty with your customers.
• This in turn will gain you many 5-star reviews and a great reputation.
• Having a servant's heart will give you the edge over the competition.

• Professional gutter cleaning can be easier money depending upon how you do it, but it is not altogether easy money.
• If you do it long enough, you will run into some hard, nasty jobs that may make you want to quit if you are just in it for the money.

• We need to earn more in our business than we need so that we may have the resources to reinvest into our business
• If we are not careful, we can treat our business like a job and not a business.
• Keeping back some extra funds for our business can carry us through hard times.

• They identify the level of seriousness of the customer's problems
• They remind the customer that they need to do something about their problems
• They pave the way to adding more value to the customer and earning more money in the process

• You will make mistakes as a professional gutter cleaner as you go through your learning curve
• Do your best to avoid the most critical mistakes like those in the area of ladder or roof safety that can threaten your life
• Build good rapport with your customers so that you may receive more grace when you do make mistakes

• It is advantageous for the professional gutter cleaner to gain a thorough knowledge of gutter systems
• Knowing gutter systems well allows you to identify problems and earn more money by adding more value in solving these problems
• If you are in a position to subcontract with an established gutter protection company, use it in order to gain knowledge that can help you in your own business in the future

• It is too easy for us as professional gutter cleaners in the type of business that we are in, to coast along without any aim or direction
• Setting specific goals keeps us motivated and creative
• It is good to break down our yearly goals into monthly goals, then into weekly goals

• In your youth, your 20's and 30's, is where your strength and vitality is usually at it's peak.  Take advantage of that.
• Most of the listeners of this podcast with whom I have spoken are young men with small children.
• Make it a goal to work your way out of your business and free yourself up by the time your children are teenagers when they will need you the most.

• Times when I did the right thing when business was drying up
• Times when I did the wrong thing when business was drying up
• How not to break your momentum that you are building into your gutter cleaning business

• With new customers, sometimes its good to be more lenient in order to build initial rapport.
• With older customer, many times they will offer to pay extra along with requesting add-ons.
• When you target people with disposable income, charging for add-ons becomes less of an issue.

• We didn't do everything perfect on that job.  We made a couple of mistakes that were not critical.
• Responding promptly is the first thing we need to do when we are notified of our mistakes.
• Professionalism isn't about doing everything perfect all the time, but rather it is about how we handle mistakes and imperfections in our business.

• Why I use that term rather than "upselling".
• Why customer ascension doesn't always happen right away.
• Why persistence pays off in customer ascension,

• What it is and why it is needed in some cases.
• Where you can buy it.
• How to know whether or not it is necessary

• We must be givers and not takers
• The Six Figure Gutter Cleaner podcast is not just about making money, but it is about serving customers on the highest level
• As our business grows, we can either multiply excellence or multiply mediocrity

• Roofing companies tend to do sub out gutter installations, so they tend to be aware of gutter issues with their clientele
• Oftentimes professional gutter cleaners find themselves on the rooftops where they may see issues and problems with the roof
• A professional gutter cleaner learning how to identify hail damage on a roof could prove to be profitable

• Why rinsing with water is best in order to identify leaks
• How to properly seal a leaky joint
• Which sealant is best for the task

• Clogs can be either partial or full
• A downspout will partially drain with a partial clog and give a false impression that it is ok
• Using a water hose will reveal problems that a blower will not

• Networking is generally seen as one-dimensional in that the focus tends to be on the direct benefit of receiving a referral
• There is a hidden benefit of networking that can have long-term benefits for the professional gutter cleaner
• Taking advantage of this hidden benefit allows us to add more value to more people

• How landscapers tend to have a foot in the door with affluent clientele
• How landscapers tend to get asked by their clientele to clean gutters
• How they generally would rather landscape than clean gutters, and that's where you as a professional gutter cleaner come in...

• Personal development and the role it has played in Brett's growth
• What Brett would do if he could start all over again from day 1

• Brett's origin story and background
• Brett's extensive experience and expertise in the area of door-to-door sales

• Using different weights and measures was the way people cheated in business in ancient times
• In principle, it is no different today as in modern times we have the "bait and switch"
• The way to avoid this is to strive to overdeliver

• BNI does have a cost to join that may deter some
• The benefit can and often does far outweigh the cost as in my case
• We as professional gutter cleaners need to have a mindshift and not be afraid of the costs of taking a proven path to success

• Why being the best doesn't necessarily translate out to success in business
• Why many who are the greatest in their field fail in business
• Why many who are mediocre at what they do are killing it in the market
• What you can do as a small business entrepreneur to make sure your greatness doesn't go unnoticed

• What he would do different if he could start all over from day 1
• The importance of online reviews and the systems he uses to obtain them
• His advice for new gutter cleaners starting out

• His background and origin story
• Where he is in business today
• To what and whom he attributes his success in achieving exponential growth

• EPISODE 105 - Side Hustle Or Serious Business?
• EPISODE 104 - This Is The Last Week For Free Strategy Sessions ( $500 Value )
• EPISODE 103 - Should You Work Alone As A Professional Gutter Cleaner
• EPISODE 102 - Business Wisdom From The Scriptures:  Proverbs 12:24
• EPISODE 101 - Why I Have A Heart To Help You

• Why gutter cleaning tends to be viewed as a side hustle.
• Why most in the gutter cleaning space are not savvy business builders
• How you can set yourself apart as a professional gutter cleaner
• The value of continuing education both in business and in personal development