3422 Failure Friday

Failure Friday: "We tried to be everything to everyone…"

Brian Winch has run Cleanlots, a parking lot litter removal business, for more than forty years — but early on, expanding too fast into unrelated services nearly derailed everything.

0:00

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

Get a free five-part email course that shows you how to find, validate, and launch your side hustle idea — no experience required.

Failure Friday: "We tried to be everything to everyone…"

Today's short story features Brian Winch, founder of Cleanlots. He's been operating this litter removal business for a long time—more than forty years, to be precise. It started as a hustle but quickly took over and turned into a livelihood.

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 a valuable lesson along the way.

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."

Don't try to be all things to all people.

Check out the CLEANLOTS book—an operations manual on how to start and run a parking lot litter cleaning business—at Cleanlots.com.

Find your side hustle

Search 450 real case studies by income, difficulty, and business model. The Side Hustle Finder helps you skip the browsing and find ideas that actually match your situation.

Explore the Finder →
Side Hustle book
From the Host

Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days

The step-by-step guide behind many of the stories on this show. Find your idea, validate it, and start earning — no experience required.

See all books →

Keep in Touch

Chris Guillebeau speaking to a packed crowd

There's a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point — I know you're busy. Be sure you subscribe to get a weekly recap of each episode!

Email hello@chrisguillebeau.com
Say Hi From your favorite airport

To infinity and beyond,
Chris Guillebeau

🚀

5 Days to Your Next Side Hustle

Get a proven step-by-step plan delivered to your inbox

  • Day 1: Find your profitable idea (even if you think you have none)
  • Day 2: Validate your idea without spending a dime
  • Day 3: Create your minimum viable offer
  • Day 4: Get your first paying customer
  • Day 5: Scale without quitting your day job
🔒 100% Free
📧 No spam, ever
👋 Unsubscribe anytime

We respect your privacy. Your information will never be shared or sold.