Clempire Janitorial has such a perfect slogan that it will make you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself: “All We Leave Behind Is Sparkle and Shine.”
For Clempire Janitorial, though, it also reflects how the business began: with its founder Daniel Clem saying yes to an opportunity, figuring it out as he went, and building a company around doing the job right.
Fifteen years later, that same drive has helped turn a one-man startup into a growing business with more than $1.4 million in recent bids.
Building Clempire From the Ground Up
Clem started the Oklahoma-based company in 2011 by selling a strip and wax job to a friend who managed a dentist's office. This was not long after he obtained his LLC paperwork, and Clem needed a win.
He recalls answering, “Yes, of course, we can do that.” And just as quickly, he was searching YouTube to find out exactly what strip and wax was. The memory makes him laugh to this day.
“I went and bought a mop bucket and supplies, rented a machine from Home Depot’s tool section, and then spent 56 hours that weekend really learning what a few YouTube videos showed in only 10 minutes,” he recalls. “I finished at 7 a.m. Monday morning just as the first customer was walking in. I was officially a professional with experience!”
He then proceeded to sell his friend a monthly buffing contract, then later a cleaning contract. And the rest is history.
Inside the Clempire
Clempire Janitorial today serves the Greater Tulsa metropolitan area with a focus on owner-occupied buildings, multi-tenant offices, schools, medical facilities, manufacturing facilities, churches, and municipalities. All of the company’s team members are W2 employees, including a trio of account managers. “[They] set the bar for cleaning excellence,” he says.
Clempire Janitorial is a family-owned business. As such, the company looks to bring family values to its interactions with clients and employees.
“We put our team first. All team members, even part-timers, receive [paid time off, or PTO] based on hours worked, and we pay direct deposit weekly,” Clem says. “When I started the company, I asked myself what I would want or need from a company, and I do that.”
In addition, there are four core values that every Clempire Janitorial team member must possess: humility, flexibility, a positive attitude, and always do the right thing. That means respecting everyone equally. It also entails going to great lengths to ensure all team members are properly trained, trustworthy, and are bonded and insured.
How BSCAI Peers Helped Clempire Grow
In addition to a great slogan, consistent customer service, and a well-trained and happy staff, Clempire Janitorial has also benefited from its ties to BSCAI.
Clem joined BSCAI in 2019. “Right before the year which won't be named,” he cracked wise, referring to the pandemic year of 2020. Right away, he was delighted to connect with so many other like-minded professionals in the cleaning industry. “That was a tremendous help,” he says. “I also connected with a peer group that was very instrumental in my and my company’s future success, and we've become great friends over the years.”
Every year, he attends at least one BSCAI in-person event, often two, and he tries to bring a manager along with him for additional training and connections. “After joining BSCAI, I've felt like I have more credibility when bidding jobs, because I'm no longer just guessing by myself. I have a host of people I can now call to ask questions,” he says.
Clem went on to elaborate that the BSCAI peer groups and mentorship program have had a “very catapulting influence” on him and his business.
His parting advice to member-readers looking to achieve some of the success he and Clempire Janitorial have had in this regard? “I'd encourage all new members not to worry about being too small, too young, too new in business, too old, or too anything. We are all in this together, and we need you to be a part. Everyone has something to share,” he says. “I'm really excited to see what the next level looks like as we continue to grow. We have bid over $1.4 million just in the last month, so we'll see how much of that lands.”
BSCAI members represent more than 1,000 companies from across the U.S. and 20 countries worldwide. Meet and learn from leaders in the contract cleaning business to maximize growth, stay on top of current trends, and take advantage of industry collaboration.