AC Lockyer: 0:12

Hey guys, this is AC Locker here again, and this is Building a Lifestyle Business presented by SoftWatch Systems, and this week I have Isaac with me and Isaac, you're with Skyline right. Yep, have isaac with me and isaac you're with skyline right. Yep, part of our licensed affiliates. How to give us your, your, your location, where you're servicing your area, and and the, as I kind of say, the the non-soft washy biographical information so people know who you are, what you like to do and all that kind of stuff, but what's the city that you guys are located in?

Isaac LaRonge: 0:46

So we're in Madison, Wisconsin here, and we really service the greater Madison area is what we say. So yeah, we've been actually in Madison for 45 years now and my parents started the company, so I was really born into it.

AC Lockyer: 1:04

I was really born into it, and so people may not realize Madison is the capital of Wisconsin.

Isaac LaRonge: 1:11

Yep, it is.

AC Lockyer: 1:12

That's the capital. It's not a huge city, but it is a decently sized city. What's the population there in Madison?

Isaac LaRonge: 1:19

I think, yeah, Madison's like 280,000. I think the greater Madison area is around 800,000. Okay so, the greater Madison area is around 800,000.

AC Lockyer: 1:24

Okay, so the greater Madison area is about 800,000. That's about the size Orlando was when I started Mallard Systems. Wow, now Orlando's 2.9 million people Jeez.

Isaac LaRonge: 1:40

We are probably heading in that direction. There's a lot of growth right now.

AC Lockyer: 1:43

There's a lot of growth, yes, and it's just kind of crazy and so yeah. So tell me a little bit about you. You already mentioned this is a family business, been around a long time, you're born into the business. But tell us about you, what you like to do, how you got into this mess. But you know family. You're married, right?

Isaac LaRonge: 2:03

No, no, Not yet.

AC Lockyer: 2:05

Are you telling me that you're still on the market?

Isaac LaRonge: 2:08

I'm still on the market.

AC Lockyer: 2:08

I'm going to sound like a grandma now.

AC Lockyer: 2:11

Are you telling me you're as cute as you are, but you're still on the market.

Isaac LaRonge: 2:17

In public now. yeah, I'm still on the market

AC Lockyer: 2:18

So ladies out there you got a rich, multimillion dollar cleaning guru up there in Wisconsin. That needs a good woman, right, right, a hundred percent.

Isaac LaRonge: 2:28

A hundred percent. Still on the hunt, yeah, so I have a very single life, single, no kids. So I've been doing this full time for around, I think, 12 years now. I've technically been employed for like 17.

Isaac LaRonge: 2:43

I think I started when I was 12 doing work, because child labor is legal when you're a family member, right, exactly, yeah, we set the official start date at 12, but you know, so, yeah, but uh, out of high school, started doing this full time while I was doing school part-time in the evenings, and uh, uh, yeah, the rest is history. So I studied software engineering and didn't finish that, so, uh, but I learned a lot on the on that journey and I've been doing this full time since, uh, since high school. So I love small business in general, love software, you know, and uh, it's a lot of fun. Every day is a new adventure.

AC Lockyer: 3:23

Every day is a new adventure for sure, and so what are the things you like to do off the clock? What's the off the clock kind of stuff?

Isaac LaRonge: 3:30

The off the clock. Recently I mean a few years back it was a lot of weightlifting. So I competed in Olympic lifting so I did a lot of those competitions. Early on I was a baseball player. One of our other businesses is Madtown Sluggers. It's an indoor batting cage so we run that for around 10 years and it actually shares the office with Skyline here so we operate that and have coaches come in and do training. And then our third business as long as I'm on that route is raising English Bulldogs. So we breed English bulldogs and, uh, so you know we've got our hands into a few different things, but but yeah, I loved weightlifting. And then more recently it was a lot of volleyball and and disc golf. So my brothers are really into disc golf right now, so I got sucked into it.

AC Lockyer: 4:17

So that's cool, yeah. English bulldogs, really Wow, yeah.

Isaac LaRonge: 4:23

Yeah, we have three right now and we've bred them a few times and sold the puppies, and it's a labor of love, not of profit.

AC Lockyer: 4:33

So you're familiar with an English Mastiff.

Isaac LaRonge: 4:36

I think so. Yeah, mastiffs yeah.

AC Lockyer: 4:38

They're just a really, really, really big bulldog with long legs. They're like head, body, um, eating machines. Yeah, they're, they're very intimidating large dogs. Uh, when I was actually, I was actually attacked by one once back when I worked for my dad. I was delivering, I think it was a refrigerator to a customer's house and one bust loose from the owner's door and ran out and just tackled me and didn't maul me or anything, but the owner literally came out with a big stick and literally like baseball swing headed off of me. I was just like this is traumatic but nonetheless I love dogs. I just I was out in england a few years back ago.

AC Lockyer: 5:24

We were at a beautiful pub that we love there, uh called the tiger inn, and uh walked in the restaurant. There was somebody sitting having dinner with a bull mastiff, big english mastiff sitting there next to him at the dinner table and it was head above the dinner table. You know you can just do this and grab a steak, you know. And um, beautiful, beautiful dogs. I love dogs, I love all kinds of animals, but that's cool breeding breeding bulldogs. At least they're not frenchies, at least they're, you know. Yeah, they got a little size.

Isaac LaRonge: 5:55

The males are about this tall, but they're 70 pounds, so they're, they're dense, so they're dense, they're very dense.

AC Lockyer: 6:02

Yeah, that's cool, yeah. And so you already mentioned that this is a family business. Going back how many years? 42. 42 years, and that's kind of incredible. So did your mom start the business? Dad start the business? Grandparents start the business? Dad start the business, grandparents start the business. Who started the business?

Isaac LaRonge: 6:27

So my dad, Steve LeRonge, started the business and then my mom showed up shortly after and was involved a lot. But yeah, he just started it really as a side gig to make a little extra money. When he came back to Madison he grew up here but then was gone for a little while, came back and just to kind of pay the bills on the side, started doing some work at a fitness, a local fitness club, and then, you know, it kind of grew step by step from there. But it wasn't. There was no grand, grand initial vision. It was just, you know, clean some carpets, make a little extra money and then, before you know it, it became something substantial.

AC Lockyer: 7:04

So so is that who you got the weightlifting thing from? Was from your dad is? Is he worked at a fitness club?

Isaac LaRonge: 7:11

T o a certain extent, yeah, he did a lot too. It really came out of uh, I was training at a CrossFit gym for baseball, so I was really going hard in baseball. I'd like play a hundred games a year.

AC Lockyer: 7:22

And so that was your dream, right?

Isaac LaRonge: 7:24

Yeah, that was the initial dream. And then that training, it was like hey, you know, when that kind of died away, then it was like I can compete in this and I'm decent at this. So kind of took off with with that. But that's how it got started.

AC Lockyer: 7:38

Hmm, well, that's cool, yeah, wow. So family business, um, um, I'm third generation service business entrepreneur and, uh, you know, I started the soft washing thing. My dad didn't, but my dad later joined me in the business. Uh, he was mostly in the appliance uh and air conditioning and stuff like that business, bathroom remodeling and all. And so he, he came into the business. I know family business can be challenging and especially fathers and sons working together. How's that going?

Isaac LaRonge: 8:11

Yeah, it goes well. I mean, my dad and I worked together while we. It started a lot when he set out to build his own house when I was in my teens. So growing up I was homeschooled. I didn't mention that, but I homeschooled and uh, like when I was 16, 17, we built our own house and, uh, he general contracted it. I should say so I was there every single day, you know, working, doing little projects, and we worked together a lot and you know we learned to work together well and I think that was was helpful. And then going into the business, I think, uh, we've had a really good relationship. I mean, we have our you know our arguments and people in the office know like, yeah, my clothes, they might hear yelling things.

AC Lockyer: 8:58

You just might hear yelling.

Isaac LaRonge: 9:00

Yeah, there's a story. One of the the ladies who you know was was like one. We were having a meeting and she was sitting out there looking nervous and somebody else in the office was like it's okay, they'll be walking out of that office 10 minutes later. You know, laughing, getting coffee. Hey, having a great time.

AC Lockyer: 9:27

But everything else is like it's okay. This is just the normal process, the normal process.

Isaac LaRonge: 9:32

That's how we get things done right. That's how we get things done. So no, but he's a great mentor and he gave me a lot of opportunity and responsibility early on. That I don't know if I would have given myself, but I appreciate it and it gave me a lot of chances to learn and you know, have some wins, some losses, and you know it's been a fun journey, so I appreciate that.

AC Lockyer: 9:52

It's, it's and it's and it's tough, for you know dads and sons. You know AJ works in the business now with us and he's over disruptor manufacturing. He was at softwash systems for a while and you know him well and so I deliberately moved him from SoftWash Systems over to Disruptor and he was not happy with it at first because, honestly, he was doing really well at SoftWash Systems and had a clientele in the book of business and he was making a good regular paycheck and he took a pay cut to go over there. And it's like you can't say no to your dad. Oh, by the way, I'm gonna move you over here and you're gonna take a pay cut because we're gonna be in this business now and um, but it's tough because the expectations are high and you know you're living in your dad's shadow and and everything.

AC Lockyer: 10:37

But you know it's, it's. You know honestly, you know when you're a dad and you got a son in the business, you're like I need you. Yeah, I can rely on you. You're, you're my, you're my flesh and and and blood and I. I know you've got the genetic material, I know it's in there somewhere and yet I just really know what your potential is. I'm gonna move you over here. I'm gonna move you over there. I'm gonna, you know, give you responsibility. I can see it in you, even though you can't see it yourself, and that can be a little stressful sometimes.

Isaac LaRonge: 11:08

Yeah, yeah, and he's given me a lot of opportunity. And I should mention too that it really is a family business, because my 3 younger siblings all work in the business too. Wow, my sister Mariah does sales she's 26. And then Ben's still in college she's 23. But he's doing a lot of the software. He'll finish one day, I'm sure. Finish one day, yeah, and my brother is just helping with things around the office. But, yeah, we all work together well and we have our ups and downs, but it's going well too. There was a unique opportunity early on where our GM, when I was like 17, left, and that's where I was able to step into a lot of new roles pretty quickly and, like you said, it was like my dad was like I need someone to help because we have a big hole to fill, and I was able to step in and do a lot more than I was probably initially ready for.

Isaac LaRonge: 12:03

But we figured it out.

AC Lockyer: 12:04

Well, you know that and it's and it's really cool that there's so many of your siblings and your family members involved in the business, because, you know, the name of this show is building a lifestyle business, and and literally you're building a business that's supporting the lifestyle of a lot of people in your family, a lot of your siblings, and so it's really cool to be able to say that this business is creating jobs not only for team members or employees out there that aren't in the family, but also, too, for the family too, and some people might call that nepotism but it's like so what, Get over it.

AC Lockyer: 12:42

You know, it's a family business. The family's going gonna get some jobs and if they're capable, I mean let's like keep somebody in the position. If they're not honoring the position, but you know the family can step up and do it. Why not bless the family? And and and I think it's wonderful I had no idea you had so many of your siblings involved in the business. That's just really cool and admirable with your dad and your mom, because that's a lot of vision for that and a lot of responsibility for sure.

Isaac LaRonge: 13:17

Yeah, 100%, it's a great opportunity. It's fun being all able to work together and yeah, it's a great opportunity. It's fun being all able to work together and yeah it's good.

AC Lockyer: 13:28

So what originally got your family into the cleaning biz?

Isaac LaRonge: 13:32

So yeah, like I kind of mentioned, I mean, my dad came back to Madison for school I think he was looking to get into vet school and started working at a fitness club. He was training aerobics or something and the guy asked him hey, can you clean the gym in the evenings? And he said sure, sure. And at the same time he started working for another janitorial company and without much training they put him over 50 buildings. It was a really big janitorial company and he worked there for a few months and saw a lot of crazy things. He's like, wow, I think I could run a better company than this, probably. So they learned about some of these other jobs on the side and they're like, hey, it sounds like a non-compete issue, so we're going to part ways. And then he was able to take that experience and get into a few janitorial accounts and so it kind of grew from there and that's really.

Isaac LaRonge: 14:27

We grew initially out of janitorial and then lots of those buildings were like hey, can you clean my house? And so my dad, being the entrepreneur he is, was like sure, I'll clean your house. And so we started cleaning houses. And then they were building a building and it's like, hey, can you do the post-construction cleanup? And then, hey, can you clean the carpets in my building? Sure, I'll do that. And so, for better, for worse, we added on these different services. But you know, we really grew step-by-step through kind of that entrepreneurial spirit of saying like, yeah, I can, I can take care of this. And so, he, he.

AC Lockyer: 15:22

That's incredible. Yeah, I did janitorial and a lot of floors, a lot of the stripping and polishing of the floors, putting down the ectathane them, and they gave me 10 buildings almost right away and so I was going and cleaning these offices and these veterinary offices and these medical facilities, and all at night while I was doing school. And you know, and little by little, they're giving me more and giving me more and giving me more, and it's just like they. They see that you're responsible and they just start heaping more on top of you and and so you have a straight uncle, but 50 holy smokes can't even imagine yeah, yeah, it's janitorial.

Isaac LaRonge: 16:03

Interesting because that's I mean, that's initially where I had a lot of experience too, and it is, in a lot of ways, very different than soft wash because, you know, you're more like low dollar per hour, lower margin, higher quantity. Lots of people, and some people when I talk to them, are like how can you be profitable doing that? Well, if you do it right, we actually are profitable and do it really well, and that's probably what we're most efficient at, because we've been doing so long, and so it's like any business, when you learn how to do it right, it can be an awesome business.

AC Lockyer: 16:38

Oh, yeah, I mean you're probably working on probably a 10% net profit at best, but there's restaurant organizations out there that are big restaurant organizations that work on a 3% net profit, yeah, and you're like, really yeah, but they do, you know, 250 million dollars a year. So three percent of 250 million dollars a year ain't nothing to sneeze at, it's it's. It's just it's a different model, and so you know, the interior cleaning model versus the exterior cleaning model, it's just different. And uh, just don't realize that. So so you, you've been in cleaning, you're born into the business. I mean, all of that kind of flowed naturally. Normally I'm talking to people why did you want to be an entrepreneur? And all I mean this is just fast track, boom, yeah, and so you can. You guys decide okay, we're doing carpets, we're doing flooring, we're doing interior janitorial, doing post-construction cleanup, we're doing anything you can possibly do the inside of a building. Now we need to do the outside of a building. And so how in the heck did you find soft wash systems? How did that happen?

Isaac LaRonge: 17:48

So a few years back we were getting into a little bit more pressure washing and I think there were a couple. I mean same thing. Some of our customers had situations. They had a parking garage or something like that, and it was like, initially we're like, hey, we're not really set up for that. But then my dad, steve, with a little bit extra time on his hands, started researching things. And when he starts researching it's a little dangerous Always end up getting into a new business. So we've had to say a lot of other businesses, even though I've said yes to some. So but he, we decided to make an investment. We got a hot pressure washer. So we have a trailer unit, not huge, but we have a hot pressure washer. It's works great for certain situations, but we're able to use that to do some like parking garages and things like that.

Isaac LaRonge: 18:37

And then he kept researching because a year after we got that it was like hey, you know we can use this for some situations, but in others it doesn't work well. And that's where he ran into you on YouTube. So he started watching a lot of your YouTube videos and, you know, before you know it, he was showing them to me and was like Isaac, you got to check this out and I'm like this looks like magic. I don't know if I really believe it. Smoke and mirrors it looks like smoke and mirrors. I was honestly very skeptical. I mean, I believed it probably worked, but I didn't really fully believe the transformation that you could see Right Almost. No, like basically no pressure. So that was pretty amazing. But but, yeah, he started watching those videos and before you know it, it was like we decided to go down to discover soft wash and yeah, the rest is history.

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AC Lockyer: 20:15

So how long have you been doing the soft washing now?

Isaac LaRonge: 20:20

So the soft washing, we're a little over two years in. So this season and last season were really our full seasons. The year before was really getting the truck, getting the equipment, getting set up, getting the wrap you know getting pig houses yeah.

Isaac LaRonge: 20:36

Yeah, exactly, and I mean I think our situation is a little different than a lot of the other companies in the network, obviously because we were bringing this into a pre-existing business and it was just a different. It has been a different process to kind of integrate that into our current systems and, you know, develop a team that's focused on that, because it's a little unique where only for like a very short period of time I was doing the work and then for a very short period of time I was selling it Right and very quickly. I was like I need to train a salesperson, you know an operations person, and tax to try to handle this and like, get it going, you know yeah, because you've already done business.

AC Lockyer: 21:17

You're just you're just dipping your toe in the pool. Enough in each area of the business to understand it. You know, the scaling was not difficult for you guys, because you're just adding another product a little bit of different of a model, because it's exterior cleaning and all but soft wash systems had a lot of that built out for you.

Isaac LaRonge: 21:37

You didn't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, absolutely yeah, yeah, and I think maybe I'm jumping ahead, but I think the the model you know, I will give you credit, the model that you put together is excellent and the training and I mean the training is almost as valuable as the equipment. I mean it, I think no it's more valuable, probably more valuable.

AC Lockyer: 22:00

The equipment is beautiful and it's nice and everything else, but the secret sauce is the training yeah, I can't show you all of it in this.

Isaac LaRonge: 22:11

you know the short meeting, but I mean how we were able to take a lot of the things that I learned in the training for soft wash systems and apply those to house cleaning, janitorial carpet, window cleaning, I mean all those areas and kind of getting that all to the next level. So it has really had a sweeping impact on all of the services. Wow so.

AC Lockyer: 22:47

I have heard that before from people.

AC Lockyer: 22:48

We don't have as many people in our network or even owner investors that have come in that already had pre-existing businesses that they were able to bolt it on as closely.

AC Lockyer: 22:57

But like a Jim McDonough and some of the other people that were in you know, janitorial, flooring or even window cleaning, window cleaning it seems to kind of consume, you know, it eats that up and it just becomes the window cleaning is just part of the exterior cleaning, but when you're doing flooring and you're doing janitorial, those are two completely different. People are like oh, it's all interior cleaning, no, interior cleaning, there's three different subsets of interior cleaning. And so you know, and do you guys do any crime scene cleanup stuff? Do you do that? We said no to that. Oh man, that is a whole other world itself. But when you look at being able to bolt on soft wash systems and then the systems and the protocols and procedures, the checklist, the marketing, all the things that we give you start to bleed over to the other areas of the business. The compounding factor of helping the rest of the company to grow has been remarkable for other people that have bolted it on to their preexisting businesses.

Isaac LaRonge: 23:55

Yeah, no, absolutely yeah, and that's what I mean, like one concept, like the popcorn marketing, I mean something like that. It's like can you apply that to house? Can you apply it to carpet clean? I mean, it really applies to any home service industry. So it has been really remarkable.

AC Lockyer: 24:12

You know the impact so you're, you're basically two and a half years in, uh, the first half year. I'm not even gonna ask you your numbers, because that was kind of your get started, giddy pig, screw around with it. Your first year that you did it, what, how much did you end up revenueing in soft washing? Do you have those numbers?

Isaac LaRonge: 24:31

yeah, I mean I'll say ahead of time that I'm not necessarily proud of these numbers, but I intend to make them better. I mean I think we did Last year we did around like 70,000-80,000. And I mean this year it's not great. Like I said, I'm not proud of these numbers, but I think we're still going to be around 100,000. And we've learned some things in the process. We ramped up our marketing a ton and we've really probably it's been the sales that we've. We're under capacity, I should say and so our problem has been we have too few sales staff for the amount of services we're trying to sell. And so we've learned a lot in the process and we're trying to make those adjustments to get into the next year, right? Um, it's not, for, uh, you know the lack of opportunity out there, it's. We got to make some adjustments.

AC Lockyer: 25:24

So well and and you have to understand too is the the the other negative of having a pre-existing company that you're bolting this onto and all is. You don't have to make soft washing work to survive. Yeah, you have other revenues, other income coming in. You know it's it's it's not a do or die situation, but I can ask you another question, which which we'll go back to the statement that you're making. Before. I asked you what the revenues are. If you look at the overall growth of your business since you interacted with soft wash systems, if you bring in your janitorial and your floor cleaning and post-construction cleaning and soft washing and everything else, how much has your overall operation grown in the last two years?

Isaac LaRonge: 26:18

Yeah, I mean we're doing between 10 to 20. I think we're going to be around 15% this year. So I mean we definitely are growing and I think you know, I know the topic of your conference in January was weather, the storm and I have referenced that a few times this year because I think it is a hesitant market, but I think we're moving in the right direction. So we have been absolutely growing and right now I don't think I mentioned this before we have around 100 employees. 70 to 80 of them are in janitorial or I should say commercial. But we're seeing good growth numbers and we're moving in the right direction. I mean, is it where I want it to be yet? No, but it's moving in the right direction. No, absolutely.

AC Lockyer: 26:58

And it is growing. Hey, listen, when, when you look at my first year in business, I did around $83,000. My second year of business was about $85,000 and it's worked out well for me, so you're not that far off track.

Isaac LaRonge: 27:12

Yeah, I think it's just you got to keep making adjustments and pushing. I think people are too quick to throw in the towel and but I mean we've learned a lot and, like I said, I mean we always go back to something you said of like you had one salesman per truck and you know I we're kind of in the stage right now where we're learning how to manage a sales team, because with 7 different services, essentially, unless we have people that are really focused on each, it really limits the growth. And so that's the stage we're in is trying to build and manage a successful sales team. And last year was more implementing a lot of marketing. And now it's like, okay, we got to, we're getting the marketing rolling, but we got to get the sales rolling as well. So, yeah, it's a fun stage to be in. We got some awesome people.

AC Lockyer: 28:02

What I've learned over the years is, when I was putting together my sales teams, if there was something that was and it's human nature for salespeople to do this If there's something that's easier to sell or something that just automatically happens, they're going to do that. They're not going to take the new thing and dig in deep and try to develop it. They're going to run leads and take the easy, low-hanging fruit that's coming to them. And when you bring in something new like soft washing, and just add it to everybody's portfolio're not gonna they're not gonna grab it up. You have to take one person and say you're the soft washing guy and yeah, and. And then the other thing that we I realized is I couldn't let residential people sell commercial work, because then they would look at the big dollars of commercial and they go oh, I'm gonna go after that twenty, thirty thousand dollar job and the property manager will be like oh, we love you, we think you're wonderful, we're going to give you this job. And three months later, oh, you're wonderful, we love you, we're going to give you this job. Six months later oh, we love you, we think you're wonderful, we're going to give you this job. And you're like I thought you loved me, thought it was wonderful and you're going to give me the job. And then you've ignored the residential. You should have been planting seeds and working on and developing, and all because you saw this huge big job out there that you thought I'm going to cash in on that thing.

AC Lockyer: 29:31

And so you've got to be very strategic on the territories you give your salespeople, the products you allow certain salespeople to sell and really meter out. And that's why, even when you're developing a sales team, you have to look at a salesperson. Each individual salesperson has a capacity and so you can take a person that sells a million dollars a year and put them in a $5 million a year territory, and they'll still just sell a million dollars a year. And put them in a five million dollar a year territory, and they'll still still just sell a million dollars a year. And you can put a three hundred thousand dollar a year salesperson and they're the sales three hundred thousand dollars a year, and they'll put them in that same five million dollar territory and they'll sell three hundred thousand dollars a year. But you can put a five million dollar a year salesperson into the million dollar a year salesperson's territory and they will sell five million dollars a year salesperson into the million dollar a year salesperson's territory and they will sell $5 million a year. And so it's all based also on the personal capacity.

AC Lockyer: 30:20

So when you put somebody, when you see somebody hit their personal capacity, you have to split their territory. And some people see it as being mean and that you're stealing from them and you're cutting their territory in half and you're cutting their opportunity. No, we know as soon as we take that territory and we cut it in half, yes, your paycheck just got cut in half, but you're going to dig back in and you're going to build back up to what your personal capacity is. The way to grow the company is to split the territories, because if you're a $500,000 a year salesperson, I might be able to keep my thumb on you and really push you to get $600,000 a year, but that's the maximum you're ever going to do. So that territory doesn't dictate that.

AC Lockyer: 31:07

The spot between the eyebrows, one inch back, and the skull, I always say there's a number written on a gland. I always say there's a number written on a gland and on that gland, written in Helvetica, bold, number 12 type, is the number somebody needs to get or amateurize each week at a paycheck to hit the number they think they need to make in a year to float their ship or pay their bills. And so you're learning, through a lot of the stuff that we do here at softwash systems, how to develop your sales teams, cause how much? What's? What's the overall revenues of your company, would you think right now?

Isaac LaRonge: 31:41

We're doing just under 4 million.

AC Lockyer: 31:43

Okay. So if you've got a company like that, just a 30% increase, just a 30% increase, takes you to five and a half to $6 million a year and so and it doesn't take a lot of tweaks here or there to do a 30 increase, and so that's, that's where, when you start getting bigger and numbers really start working in your favor, and then the you know, if you look at just 15 growth, a four million dollar a year at 15% growth, 20 years down the road, is a $35 million a year company.

Isaac LaRonge: 32:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you just got to keep taking steps in the right direction. Our four-year goal right now is to get to that $10 million. So our little mantra around here is the $10 million mindset. So when we're making decisions, it's like is this going to get us to $10 million? Is this what a $10 million company would do? And I think it's a good mantra, because that's what we're really trying to build ourselves into.

AC Lockyer: 32:46

When you mentioned how many siblings that you have in your company and you talk about mom and dad, you and your siblings, your brothers and sisters, dad and you and your siblings, your brothers and sisters. When you look at that you have to take and the rest of your team and you almost have to sit everybody down and look at them and say how much do you want to make a year? What do you think you need to make a year to achieve your lifestyle? What do you think you need to make a year to achieve your lifestyle? What do you need to make a year to achieve your lifestyle? You think you need to make a year to achieve your lifestyle. What do you need to make a year to achieve your lifestyle? And take all of those dollar amounts and then put it together into one dollar amount and then say OK, you know, if we're a service business, we're janitorial, because in janitorial you're for sure selling labor. You're not really selling chemicals, you're not selling a product, you're selling labor.

AC Lockyer: 33:34

So that goes very much on the 50 cents on the dollar payroll model you have to take all of that payroll, what I would call the dream payroll, everybody's dream paycheck add it together, multiply it by two and that's the size company you need. Then you look at everybody, go, okay, guys, what are we going to do to grow this company, to support our lifestyles, to create our dream payroll, to help us to achieve our life goals and dreams? Everybody goes over to the dream board and pins on the dream board, the thing that they want, to get those things that we want. What kind of company do we need to build?

AC Lockyer: 34:09

And I've had this discussion with my manufacturing company, I've had it with Softwash Systems, I've had it with my other businesses that I own. And I look at them I say, guys, I'm not building this business for me to be wealthy. I can sell everything I have right now and retire for the rest of my life, okay, and have enough money to give my kids that they would never have to work another day of their lives. And and so so me starting new businesses and growing businesses and everything has actually actually very little to do with me. It has to do with everybody else in the room and me looking at them and saying, hmm, what is their dream paycheck?

AC Lockyer: 34:48

And then, if you look at all the team members, they say, well, my dream paycheck is this. Say, okay, great, we need to build this size company. And they go oh well, that's a big number. You know, 10 million dollars for you. Well, how many more janitors, housekeepers, soft washers, window cleaners, carpet cleaning technicians, how many more people do we need then even to achieve that goal? Now, you got to put their payroll on top of that and all of a sudden you realize.

AC Lockyer: 35:15

Oh, you know, to that $10 million, we're going to need more team members, we're going to need to create more payroll and ultimately, that's what you're doing is you're creating this micro economy that revolves around your business, creating these paychecks for all your team members so that they can have a wonderful life too, and, at the end of the day, if that's not what drives you, you should probably get out of business, honestly, because, because all businesses is you extending your family out to a whole lot of other people that you're responsible for.

Isaac LaRonge: 35:45

Yeah, yeah, that's definitely the most rewarding part. So I like that perspective of looking at it, cause, yeah, you can impact the lives of your team and create a an income for them and your family, and, yeah, I mean, that's winning, that's achieving the goal.

AC Lockyer: 36:01

Right, yeah, and you're competitive. You've already talked about baseball. And then when the baseball dream didn't happen for it, I mean, I wanted to be a lead singer in a heavy metal, rock and roll band, so I'm with you. That was never one of my dreams.

AC Lockyer: 36:19

It didn't work out. You moved to the next dream. I went to fishing and I became a national champion fishing. You, you went to olympic style weightlifting and all and and. Because you're competitive, we have to be something. We got to be pushing against something, trying to achieve something all the time, and and. So you know it's good to grow businesses and be competitive and want to go out there and win and put scores on the board and everything else, but eventually what it really has to do with is for me to improve my life and achieve all my life's goals and dreams. I got to help a lot of other people achieve their life's goals and dreams, because the more people I help, the more they'll push and propel me up. We have a symbiotic relationship to each other. Yeah, yeah, and that's what makes it fun again. Yeah, the old rising tide raises all ships.

Isaac LaRonge: 37:02

So yeah, yeah, for sure for sure.

AC Lockyer: 37:06

So, okay, so the 10 million you know. Normally I ask where are we going with this now? So what are the plans then to get to 10 million? You, you know? Are you going to grow your different divisions? What's your? You know we're on here talking about building a lifestyle business, but it is, you know, presented by soft wash systems. What is your goal, or what is one of the steps that you're going to take to grow that soft washing side of your business?

Isaac LaRonge: 37:29

Yeah, I mean we want to make each area of our business a legitimate standalone business and that includes a soft washing. So I mean we want to a hundred percent get that up to a hundred or a million dollars plus in revenue, and I think that Maddie Madison can support that. Oh sure, yeah. So I mean that's really our initial goal and you know, the rising tide raises all ships. I think by doing that, in conjunction with these other services, the goal is we make each of these grow and hit those revenue goals and that'll get us to $10 million. But obviously, like we talked about, we're going to have to build a successful sales team. We got to master our marketing, we got to get our operations cleaned up a little bit. So it's a journey, but I think in the next couple of years we're going to make a lot of progress towards that goal.

AC Lockyer: 38:22

So what does getting to 10 million mean for Isaac? What is that going to get for you? What's your dream that's attached to that?

Isaac LaRonge: 38:32

It's a fun challenge. No, I mean I think that's a fun challenge. No, I mean I think that's a tough question. I mean I think for me it's obviously great. I'm sure there'll be more opportunities to make more money, but I do think, like you talked about, at the end of the day, just seeing the team win is the most rewarding part. So I mean I love the team we have here, the people are awesome. Most rewarding part so I mean I love the team we have here, the people are awesome. I think behind me you can see the last 2 years we won top workplaces and I think that culture getting to work here building a lifestyle business it's rewarding. So I think I want to keep growing to give the people here more opportunities. And that's really the pressure I feel is like I want to keep this thing moving in the right direction so that the people here can continue to grow and have more opportunities in their life. And that's going to get us to 10 million

AC Lockyer: 39:26

Cool, okay. So that's, bullcrap. What's the car you're getting? You don't have a wife. You don't have any kids.

AC Lockyer: 39:42

I want to know what car are you gonna buy?

Isaac LaRonge: 39:43

Hey well, I have to tell you ac right now.

Isaac LaRonge: 39:44

I drive a company car it's a prius. It's a prius okay so you're not chick magnets. So just give me an f50 and I'll be happy. Okay, I'm not picky.

AC Lockyer: 39:52

Would you say an. F-150?.

Isaac LaRonge: 39:57

Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, let me be more precise. Yes, I want a Raptor. That would be, that's the dream you want a Raptor, yeah.

AC Lockyer: 40:06

Yeah, well, I mean, if you're going to go Raptor dude, you might as well go Shelby Baja Edition. Okay, fair, you're the car guy that. Okay, fair, you're the car guys, that's 120 000. You know, it's a nice, it's a nice truck. You know, I think they might be 140 now, but yeah, but, yeah, yeah, yeah, because you gotta, you gotta get them while you're young, because if you ever get a significant other in your life and everything else, you start building houses and having kids and all that kind of stuff. You'll never get a chance to get that to again. So you get to be my age, and then you know. And then, of course, I went out and got an F 100 and put a coyote engine in it. You know what I've done? The rabbit hole I went down.

Isaac LaRonge: 40:43

So yeah, I better move fast. I got to hit that growth goal fast so I can fit it in while I still can. So that's right. Yeah, yeah.

AC Lockyer: 40:50

Yeah, yeah, well, cool, great conversation. I learned some new stuff about you. Awesome, that's the goal, so that's awesome. Well, hey, listen guys, uh, if, if, if, well, I'll, I'll let you close this out. What would be your? What would you say to somebody that's considering going into the softwashing business and considering hooking up with softwash systems?

Isaac LaRonge: 41:21

So I thought about this question. I think it's a great opportunity. I think if you think it's going to be a get-rich-quick scheme, it's not. You're going to have to work hard, you're going to have to put the effort in. But I think if you do that, it's an awesome opportunity and I think, in the theme of the podcast, you can build a lifestyle business where you want it to be $250,000 a year in revenue or you want to do a million a year and have more team members. I think you can make that happen and build it into what you want it to be.

Isaac LaRonge: 41:47

I think it's a rewarding job. I mean you get to work with people, be outside don't sit behind a desk all day work with people, be outside. You know, don't sit behind a desk all day. So I think it is a fun, rewarding job and it can definitely generate a great income and you can build it into what you want. But if you think it's going to be a walk in the park, I think that's not true. I think some people get into it, thinking that because they saw it on social media and it's like no, so you still got to put the work in. But it's. It's a great opportunity.

AC Lockyer: 42:17

Yep, it is a great opportunity. It's worked out well for me. It's working out great for you guys. Hey, listen, if you want to possibly get into softwash, and give us a call here at softwash systems. But the most important thing is is, if you want to build a lifestyle business and you don't want to have to reinvent the wheel, well, really consider doing it with us, because literally it is a business in a box and it can help also to in Isaac's case here and his family bolting it on helped the rest of their businesses too.

AC Lockyer: 42:46

But hey, listen, if you like this podcast, please, please, go ahead and like it here below. Go ahead and click the subscribe button and then go ahead and share it if below, go ahead and click the subscribe button and then go ahead and share it, if you would please, so that other people can hear about this. You know stories like isaac's here and you guys can go ahead and make sure and get alerts whenever we release our next building a lifestyle business. But, isaac, thank you so much, man, I appreciate you being on the show today. And hey, listen, guys. As always, this Locke here. Go forth and prosper.