Think you’re pricing your janitorial contracts right? Think again. In this hard-hitting episode of Polishing Profits, co-hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down the most common — and costly — blind spots that cleaning and facility service companies face.

From missed labor hours to over-reliance on bidding software to mob pricing disasters, this episode is a must-listen if you're serious about protecting your margins and staying in business.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• Why 99% of janitorial profit problems start at the bid
• The risk of relying too much on software to price jobs
• The silent killer: productivity slippage by 5 minutes per person
• Why “vanity contracts” can bankrupt your cleaning business
• The danger of listening to strangers on Facebook groups for pricing advice

🧠 This Episode Is For:

• Owners of janitorial or facility service companies
• Operations and sales leaders in commercial cleaning
• Startups struggling to stay profitable in BSC (building service contracting)
• Anyone bidding jobs and wondering why profits are tight
• Companies scaling too fast without clear numbers

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro and Episode Kickoff

 01:18 – The #1 Profit Killer: Misbidding

04:55 – The Danger of Vanity Buildings

08:51 – What To Do When Labor Hours Don’t Match

11:00 – The 5-Minute Rule: How Margins Disappear

14:51 – Is Bidding Software Lying to You?

20:35 – Mob Pricing and Social Media Myths

25:22 – Final Advice on Estimating and Bidding Right

🧠 Resources:
 

➡️ Catch up on previous episodes of Polishing Profits here:
 The Profitable Cleaner Network - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKiuPQwwn4m9gWk0lBbzKVg5LwhwErhwn 

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

• Sharon Cowan, CBSE – LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
• Mark Anderson – LinkedIn
• Ed Selkow – Facebook

About Polishing Profits

Polishing Profits is hosted by three of the most respected leaders in the janitorial industry—Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow. With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve built and scaled cleaning companies, coached hundreds of owners, and helped countless teams grow stronger.

Every episode delivers real stories, actionable strategies, and tools to build a cleaning business that thrives.

Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network

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