This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Hey there, thanks for tuning in to Side Hustle School. This is our last week of being in the 1900s. Next week, we're gonna hit episode 2000. I am so excited about that, but I'm actually excited to bring you this podcast every single day. So even though, you know, 2000 and beyond will be special, I am happy to work on today's episode.
I hope you get something out of it. I hope you use these stories as inspiration and action steps perhaps for your next project. And today just happens to be Friday, which is our Failure Friday segment. A collection of short stories about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course, failure, all the things that go wrong. You know, we're working towards success just to be clear.
I want you to be successful, but sometimes you learn through these experiences of getting something wrong. And hopefully you go on to do something, I don't know, bigger and better or at least greater than you were doing before. So with that in mind today's short story features, Brian Winch, founder of Cleanlots. Cleanlots, it is a very long running litter removal business. Litter removal business helping clean up parking lots.
If that doesn't sound sexy, it's actually a very successful business, multiple six figure at this point. He's been running it for, get this, more than 40 years. More than 40 years, I'm not making that up, okay? Lots of times we talk about side hustles that started three months ago. Well, this one has been going a bit longer.
So as Brian's going to explain in his update, it started as a side hustle, but quickly took over and turned into a livelihood. Now shortly afterwards, he made by his own admission, a big mistake that hindered the business for several years. Fortunately, he eventually found his way out and learned that valuable lesson. So let's let him tell the story, Brian Winch from Cleanlots. [Music]
My name is Brian Winch and I'm the founder of Cleanlots.
We offer an on foot litter cleaning service using simple hand tools that's almost as easy to do as going for a walk. Our business model has been successful since 1981, as we can offer our property management clients better service for less cost. We walk the exterior property of commercial buildings, sidewalks, parking lot and surrounding landscape and sweep up any litter material we come upon into our litter collection tool. Our service is best performed after hours so we can clearly see and clean material without any vehicle interference. Materials such as empty drink cups, cans, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts.
Our clients, their tenants and visitors to the property appreciate a clean litter free property, greeting them each morning. I started this business as a side hustle in 1981. Within a few short months, I was making more money on the side as I was working my full time job. I quit my job and focused my efforts on building my parking lot litter cleaning business. About four years after specializing in this niche service, a couple of clients inquired as to the possibility of us taking on some other work.
Fearing losing their business if we declined, we reluctantly agreed to some small landscape and snow removal jobs. We did this for about five years. We found that these clients, while satisfied with our litter cleaning service, would occasionally have concerns with our landscape or snow removal work. Taking on this extra work was also spreading us too thin. You need to be available to work 24/7 for snow removal.
Landscape work is done during the day. Litter cleaning is best done in the early morning hours before business is open. We felt that we had lost our focus and no longer enjoyed providing these services. We decided to terminate the extra work, but feared losing business if we'd done so. To our relief, we lost only a couple of accounts.
The first lesson we learned from our experience was, it's okay to say no to your clients. You need to make it clear as to what you will and won't do. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, why are you in business? The second lesson we learned is, it's best to be known for being the very best at what you do than trying to be everything to everyone. Who wants to be known as the jack of all trades, but master of none?
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Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. Also, as Brian said, don't try to be all things to all people. Being everything to everyone, not a winning strategy, but fortunately he figured that out and he is still going strong. As I said, 40 years on, thanks so much, Brian. Clean Lots has been running for a very long time, has clearly clung to that lesson on core competency.
Also listeners, check out the Clean Lots book. It is an operations manual, a field guide on how to start and run a parking lot, litter cleaning business. You can find that, guess what? On cleanlots.com, cleanlots.com. We will also link it up on the show notes page.
If you've got a question or an update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Thanks so much for tuning in today. I'm excited to go to 2,000 episodes and beyond. So be sure to subscribe, follow and come back tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
