Tell your team the client's name before every job. Not just the address.. the name.
When my crew knows they're cleaning a yoga studio where people show up barefoot at 6AM, or a luxury flagship that opens in 48 hours, they stop thinking about the mop. They think about the standard. That one shift changed everything at for us. The other thing I do, after every job I call out one person by name in our group chat. Not "great job team." Specific. Public. Real. Most of my crew has never had a manager notice their work. When I do, they show up differently every single time. Recognition costs nothing. It builds everything. Cat C- Founder & CEO, Civic Spark Cleaning Co|How to compensate employees for mileage and drive time between jobs?
Howdy y'all, we're looking for new and/or experienced cleaners in Austin, TX and given the expanse of our service area (drives could be up to 50 miles) I'm trying to source cleaners who live in all four quadrants of the Greater Austin area. [Any recommendations of folks who would make great employees in my area, please shoot me a message!] Understanding that there are a multitude of ways to compensate for mileage or drive time, I'm curious who has found a balance between efficiency and cost. Say a cleaner does 3 cleans in a day and goes directly from home to their first job, and from the last job back to home. Those first and last are 'commute' drives, so we could calculate either a) the distance between jobs 1, 2, and 3, and pay per mile , or b) record the time of arrival at job 1 and the time of completion at job 3, and instead of paying per mile offer an extra $1 or $2 per hour rate so that it is all encompassing. Love to hear your thoughts - thank you!Pros and Cons: Hiring an Employee or Contractor in a Cleaning Business
Our Business has been around for 10 years, and the most painful area has been when we hire contractors and begging poaching customers. We always have to have a plan in place, but when they start acting and we have to run and put fires down some areas in the operation are affected greatly. ]Any Input? Advise or similar experiences?
Claim your Territory!
Hello Jobber Community, My name is Mario Visin, Founder of Group7 Home Services LLC. We joined the Jobber community with a spirit of collaboration, learning, and service to the home services professionals who keep our homes, neighborhoods, and communities running. I believe the home services industry is entering one of the most important seasons in its history. Blue-collar workers are becoming entrepreneurs by the thousands. Handymen, roofers, painters, landscapers, installers, restoration experts, and specialty trade professionals are no longer just working jobs — they are building businesses, serving families, and creating the foundation for generational opportunity. The home services industry represents hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity each year. Large suppliers, big-box retailers, and national construction brands have created tremendous wealth from this industry. Yet the heart of the industry has always been the person swinging the hammer, climbing the ladder, knocking the door, answering the emergency call, and doing the work that homeowners depend on. That person is you. That person is me. That person is the blue-collar professional who deserves better systems, better connection, better opportunity, and a clearer path toward building a meaningful life through the trades. One thing I have noticed across many industries is that people often struggle to connect with one another in ways that truly make a difference. We are entering a time where connection and community will matter more than ever. The future will not only belong to the biggest brands or the largest companies. It will belong to those who learn how to connect, serve, collaborate, and build trust with one another. At Group7 Home Services, we are designing a Live-Work-Play vision for the trades — a curriculum and platform strategy focused on helping home services professionals serve one another, grow together, and build wealth through shared relationships, better systems, referral opportunities, and a service-first mindset. This is not just about jobs. It is about lifestyle. It is about family. It is about creating a future so compelling that the next generation sees the trades as a path of pride, ownership, entrepreneurship, and purpose. Strategy matters. Systems matter. Technology matters. But the real transformation begins when good people come together with humility, discipline, and a desire to serve the need before serving the self. I believe larger technology companies serving the trades, including platforms like Jobber, play an important role in this new era. The right technology can help blue-collar entrepreneurs run smoother businesses, communicate better with customers, organize their teams, and create more professional experiences for the homeowners they serve. But technology alone is not the full answer. The real power comes when technology, community, service, craftsmanship, and vision meet at the same table. Group7’s broader mission is Building Thriving Cities by helping people connect around housing, entrepreneurship, education, and local economic opportunity. We believe the home services professional has a major role to play in that transformation because every strong city begins with strong homes, strong workers, strong families, and strong relationships. I am a visionary, and I understand that vision must be protected, refined, and shared with care. But I also believe the home services industry is ready for a new conversation — one centered on dignity, ownership, connection, and a higher conscious level of capitalism where the smaller parts come together to create something greater than any one person could build alone. The big brands we know today started with a dream, a strategy, and a willingness to work for decades. The next great wave of wealth creation may come from like-minded people linking their common threads together, weaving a much larger blanket of opportunity for families, workers, entrepreneurs, and communities. Being part of a community is just the beginning. How we connect matters. Relationships are everything. Work like your life depends on it. Best, Mario Visin Founder, Group7 Home Services LLC
Commission Based Pay?
Hey guys! Wondering if anyone here has experience with paying employees commission instead of hourly. How is that working for you guys? How do you have it set up to where you’re making the profit you need and the employee is happy and motivated to work hard? At what percentage do you pay? Thanks!Upsides and downsides of hiring a summer helper?
I am thinking about hiring someone to help me in the busy season and the idea of a high school kid as a summer job sounds like a promising idea. I wouldn't have to pay them a crazy salary, they are like sponges with information and they are typically more physically full of energy. I wouldn't be able to send them on their own, but they could help me get a few more jobs done in a day. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and what would be the pros and cons of doing it?How are you Hiring Reliable Employees in the Cleaning Industry?
Hi everyone, I’m currently growing my cleaning business and getting to the point where I need to start bringing on employees. I want to build a solid, dependable team—not just people who show up, but people who actually care about the work and take pride in what they do. For those of you who have already gone through the hiring process, I’d really appreciate your insight: Where are you finding your best employees? (Indeed, Facebook, referrals, etc.) What qualities do you look for when hiring cleaners? Do you require prior experience, or do you train from scratch? How do you handle background checks and trust/security in clients’ homes? What pay structure or incentives have helped you keep employees long-term? Any red flags you’ve learned to watch out for during interviews? In my business, we don’t do quick surface cleans—we focus on deep, detailed, time-consuming work. Because of that, I want to make sure I’m hiring people who can handle that level of effort and consistency. I’m also trying to build a positive, supportive work environment while still maintaining high standards. Any advice on balancing that would be helpful too. Looking forward to hearing what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for you all!How do you keep good employees from leaving?
I had my cleaning company for 17 years now. I have had my fair share of good employees. My longest serving couple has been 12 years. Then I had some team members for 4+ years. While I do not want them to leave as it is hard to find good team members with our core values, I find that they do run their course due to the nature of the job. What have you implemented that helped your business to keep and engage long term good employees? TIADo You Train Your Team to Think or Just Work?
Every Monday, we hold a short training session with our team. We train on communication. leadership. & mindset. The reason being most tradespeople aren’t struggling because they can’t do the work. They’re struggling because they were never taught how to: Speak with clarity Handle conflict Lead a crew Represent the business professionally These tend to be the issues I see bottling up, either from our exit interviews or customer feed back or when things are misunderstood. Thats why I'm curious: Do you train soft skills with your crew?
