🧠 What does it take to scale a janitorial business without drowning in fires, friction, and failed tech?

In this episode of Hard Refresh, host Caden Hutchens sits down with Michelle Audas, CEO of Swept Janitorial Software, for a straight-talking conversation on systems, leadership, and whatreally separates stuck businesses from scalable ones.

From the “death by a thousand cuts” metaphor to vision-driven strategy, Michelle unpacks why most cleaning companies stall, and how the best ones break through.

In This Episode:

🔹 Quick Control:

• Mini Episode 1: Vision & Vulnerability with Channing Johnson (Ep. 15)
• Mini Episode 2: Values-Based Growth with Luis da Costa (Ep. 16)
• Mini Episode 3: RFP Strategy & Frontline Trust with KleenMark (Ep. 17)

🔹 Clear Cache:

• Two Truths & a Dream: Marathons, Iron Man, and golf
• From commercial banking to CEO of Swept
• What leaders get wrong about their field teams—and why that creates turnover
• The disconnect between tech purchase and process clarity
• Strategy before software: why tech isn’t a magic fix
• What successful operators actually do to retain employees
• Why defining SOPs too late can kill culture and momentum
• Real talk on competition and collaboration

💡 Whether you're building tech, managing teams, or scaling from solo to CEO, this episode will help you slow down, get strategic, and lead on purpose.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Hard Refresh on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with the Host & Guest:
Caden Hutchens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/
Michelle Audas – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-audas/

💼 In the third and final mini episode recorded live at ISSA’s Business Growth Strategies conference, Hard Refresh co-host Caden Hutchens sits down with Billy McGrail and Michael Staver of KleenMark to talk about breaking free from the low-bid trap—and building a sustainable growth model rooted in value, trust, and people.

From hockey careers to tariff strategy to RFP landmines,this episode is a masterclass in how KleenMark balances profit with purpose across distribution and BSC operations.

In This Episode:

🔹 Quick Control:

• Missed Mini Episode 1? Go back to Ep. 15 with Channing Johnson of KP Building Services
• Mini Episode 2 (Ep. 16): Luis da Costa of Modular Concepts on values-based growth
• Main Series Ep. 14: Alex Crowley & Brad Klein on vertical brand strategy

🔹 Clear Cache:

• Why chasing volume and cutting prices nearly broke KleenMark’s margin—and culture
• How value-based selling improved long-term retention, morale, and reinvestment
• Using consultative strategy and quarterly usage reports to “get sticky” with clients
• Tariff talk: Proactive price change conversations that built deeper trust
• RFP strategy: Educating clients with real procurement questions to filter low bidders
• Balancing janitorial and distribution models with the same brand DNA
• Transition plans, multi-tier pricing, and 13-week performance promises
• Bonus: Billy’s minor league hockey story & Michael’s dreadlocks reveal

💡 Whether you’re in operations, sales, or procurement, this conversation reframes how to grow without sacrificing whatmatters most.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Hard Refresh on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with the Hosts & Guests:
Caden Hutchens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/
Karina Neff – https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/
Billy McGrail – https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-mcgrail-5687474a/
Michael Staver – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-staver-115752b5/

💥 We’re live from the ISSA Business GrowthStrategies conference with the first of three special mini episodes! Co-hosts Karina Neff and Caden Hutchens sit down with Channing Johnson, President of KP Building Services, for a powerful conversation on leadership,perfectionism, and scaling tech the right way.

From emotional burnout to building SimonServe (acustom-built operations platform), Channing shares hard-earned lessons on growth, delegation, and trusting your team—plus one unforgettable company ritual involving a headstone.

In This Episode:

🔹 Quick Control:

• Last episode: Scaling Smarter with Alex Crowley and Brad Klein – recorded live from ISSA BGS
• Coming up next: Mini Episodes 2 and 3, featuring more onsite conversations from ISSA HQ

🔹 Clear Cache:

• How perfectionism almost stalled KP Building Services’ growth
• The role of therapy, EO, and executive coaching in becoming a better CEO
• “Trust but verify” as a leadership mindset
• The burial of status quo: a literal headstone and company-wide reset
• Building SimonServe to reduce manual labor, unify operations, and prep for M&A
• Using tech to create role clarity, time savings, and long-term team buy-in
• Launching What’s the Stuck?—Channing’s coaching and consulting venture for ops leaders

💡 Whether you’re leading a BSC, building aplatform, or coaching your team through change, this episode is your permission slip to slow down, let go, and scale smarter.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Hard Refresh on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with the Hosts & Guest:
Karina Neff – https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/
Caden Hutchens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/
Channing Johnson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/channing-johnson-a0833925/

We hit record live from the floor at ISSA’s 2025 BusinessGrowth Strategies Conference in Chicago! In this special edition of HardRefresh, co-hosts Karina Neff and Caden Hutchens talkbusiness strategy, brand perception, and employee impact with special guestsfrom the field:

Alex Crowley, Vonachen Group

Brad Klein, Building Professionals of Texas

What’s better—unified brand strategy or specializedverticals? The answer might surprise you.

In This Episode:

Quick Control:

• Don’t miss CLX: Robotics & Automation on June 24
  Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zHuyXqp4Ta2DnqTveoB1tw#/registration

Clear Cache:

• Two truths and a lie: Legal surprises, drywall damage, andsports stadiums
• Vonachen Group’s journey from multi-brand fragmentation to a unified powerhouse across 14 states
• Why Brad built brands like EduClean and MediCleanunder one umbrella for sales psychology
• How verticals can boost perception and profits in cardealerships, churches, and medical spaces
• The key to growth: Focus, systems, and relationships—notjust charisma or cheap bids

💡 Hard Refresh is where the cleaning industry clears its cache—debunking bad tech habits, challenging tired narratives, and spotlighting operational excellence.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow HardRefresh on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with the Hosts & Guests:Karina Neff – https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/Caden Hutchens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/Alex Crowley – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-crowley-14475798/Brad Klein – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-klein-c-b-s-e-2739b83/

🚽 Toilet talk—elevated. In this episode of Hard Refresh, hosts Karina Neff and Caden Hutchens dive deep (pun intended) into bathroom tech and brand psychology with Rob Poleki, Founder & CEO of Washie and self-proclaimed restroom revolutionary.

From his roots in government to a viral Shark Tank momentthat never aired, Rob shares how he turned a seemingly “crappy” problem into a category-defining smart toilet seat—and a cultural movement around restroom dignity.

In This Episode:

🔹 Clear Cache:

• • The absorbent lie about toilet seat covers—and what we’ve all been doing wrong

• • Washie’s origin story: from elected official to inventor of the first smart public toilet seat

• • Delta Sky Club’s 5-star restroom experience and how it started with a single customer complaint

• • The psychology of public restrooms (stall 3 is not the move)

• • How Washie is using data and IoT to reinvent cleaning operations, reduce waste, and boost customer confidence

• • The secret to sustainable restroom design—and why “sharticles” might be Rob’s greatest marketing moment

• • 🚨 Washie Home is coming. Yes, for residential use.

🔹 Quick Control:

• • Washie’s Free Trial Offer – For the month of June, facilities can try Washie free for 30 days

• • ISSA Business Growth Strategies – June 10–11 in Chicago

• Register here

• Use code BGS10! for 10% off

• • CLX: Robotics & Automation – June 24

• Register here

• • Last episode: AI, Autonomy & Robots with Brain Corp’s David Pinn

💡 Whether you're a facility manager, real estate operator, janitorial provider—or just a parent of teenage boys—this episode is for anyone who’s ready to rethink what clean really means in 2025.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Hard Refresh on Spotify, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platform.

Connect with the Hosts & Guest:
Karina Neff – https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/
Caden Hutchens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/
Rob Poleki – https://www.linkedin.com/in/robpoleki/

🤖 It’s the most requested topic we’ve everhad—and we finally deliver! In this episode of Hard Refresh, hosts Karina Neff and Caden Hutchens welcome David Pinn, CEO of Brain Corp, for a deep dive into the future of robotics in the cleaning industry. From warehouse floors to Walmart supercenters, David shares how AI and robotics aretransforming facility management—without replacing frontline workers.

If you’ve ever wondered what the real impact of robots is on your team, your P&L, and your customer experience, thisconversation will reset your thinking.

In This Episode:

🔹 Quick Control:

• • CLX Event on Robotics – June 24

• 👉 Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zHuyXqp4Ta2DnqTveoB1tw#/registration

• • ISSA Business Growth Strategies – June 10–11 in Chicago (Acquisition, Retention & Expansion Workshop + Live Podcast)

• 👉 More info here: https://events.issa.com/events/2025-business-growth-strategies/

• 💥 Use code BGS10! for 10% off

• • Recap: Funded or Fumbled with Brian Snow

• • Next up: Rob Pilecki from Washi—don’t miss it!

🔹 Clear Cache:

• • The myth of “full autonomy” and why robots aren’t replacing humans (yet)

• • Why floor care is the perfect starting point for robotics in cleaning

• • How Brain Corp partners with OEMs to create a premium experience

• • The role of data, telematics, and analytics in scaling cleaning operations

• • Building trust with frontline teams: training, motivation, and ongoing support

• • From floor care to shelf-scanning: how “Automate the Aisle” is shaping the future of facility management

• • ROI benchmarks: When does robotics make sense for your business?

🎯 Whether you’re a facility manager, BSC,or tech leader exploring the frontier of AI and automation, this episode offerspractical insights—and a vision for the road ahead.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow HardRefresh on Spotify, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platform.

Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpinn/
Connect with Karina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/
Connect with Caden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/

💰 Ever wonder what it takes to get real venture capital in the cleaning industry? In this episode of Hard Refresh, co-hosts Karina Neff and Caden Hutchens sit down with Brian Snow, Managing Partner at Impala Ventures, to break down how VC firms assess janitorial tech—and why most startups fumble before they’re funded.

From AI-powered cleaning sensors to robotic scrubbers, this episode reveals what investors are actually looking for, why grit matters more than pitch decks, and how the next decade of cleaning tech will be shaped by capital, culture, and clarity.

In This Episode:

🔹 Quick Control:

• CLX returns June 24 — Topic: Robotics 🤖

• Join our live Hard Refresh podcast + workshop at ISSA Business Growth Strategies (June 10–11, Chicago)👉 Register here

💥 Use code BGS10! for 10% off

• Upcoming July 15 webinar led by Gerald from BrightGo

🔹 Clear Cache:

• Inside Impala Ventures: how a family office targets built environment tech

• Why “janitorial tech” still struggles to scale—and how to fix it

• The truth about unicorn founders and the myth of instant funding

• What makes or breaks a startup founder (hint: it’s not the slide deck)

• How AI, robotics, and sensor-driven models are changing the game for frontline work

• Why your customers won’t pay for tech—so bake it into your service

• The hidden power of synergizing your portfolio and turning clients into investors

🎯 Whether you're a service provider exploring tech, a startup eyeing BSCs, or just curious about how VCs think—this episode is your playbook for making smarter innovation bets.

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Hard Refresh on Spotify, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platform to stay ahead of the curve.

Connect with Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansnow/
Connect with Karina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-neff-01b0782a/
Connect with Caden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caden-hutchens/