When your employees rarely see each other face-to-face, how do you build a strong company culture? Michelle from White Rhino Cleaning Company joins us to reveal the strategies that have helped her 56-employee commercial cleaning operation thrive for nearly three decades.

Building culture in field-based businesses requires intentional design. Michelle walks us through White Rhino's approach, from their collaboratively developed core values (community, quality, excellence, equity, and integrity) to their comprehensive communication strategy. The monthly newsletter featuring employee spotlights, regular leadership gatherings, and annual appreciation events create connection points that overcome the isolation field employees often experience.

What sets White Rhino apart is their commitment to professional development. Michelle explains how they've implemented DISC assessments to improve team dynamics, created specialized training for "live" versus "closed" cleaning environments, and developed protocols for handling unexpected situations. Her approach to giving feedback—using the "sandwich method" and emphasizing that corrections are "for the business, not personal"—demonstrates emotional intelligence that permeates the organization.

The conversation offers practical takeaways for any service business owner, from leveraging free community resources like library meeting rooms to participating in local chambers of commerce. Michelle's insights on community involvement, including sponsoring holiday light displays and participating in local festivals, showcase how external engagement reinforces internal culture.

Whether you're leading a commercial or residential cleaning operation, this episode provides a blueprint for creating a cohesive team that delivers consistent, high-quality service—even when team members rarely work in the same physical space. Learn how thoughtful leadership, clear communication, and strategic team building can transform your cleaning business culture.

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Erica Paynter is the brains behind My Virtual Bookkeeper, a bookkeeping firm for cleaning companies, and the creator of Clean Co. Cash Flow Academy and the Clean Co. Collective. She’s on a mission to help cleaning business owners make sense of their numbers without boring them to tears! Erica’s all about turning messy books into profit-packed powerhouses.

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