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Living Your Legacy
Duct Cleaning Franchise Architect: Why Caring Became His Strongest Advantage
00:18:50
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- [00:00]
Rudy
You figured it all out expanding, you know, into the franchise side and now into the U.S. how did you build the business so big so quick and get all the awards and you know, what are some lessons from building it?
- [00:11]
Bradley Jacobson
It's a factor of caring. So if people understand that you really do care, you begin to grow from there and then it's about creating partnerships and then you have to do your marketing. Another thing I found really effective is.
- [00:21]
Narrator
Bradley Jacobson is an innovative mission driven engineer and the founder of Ultravac Technologies and co founder of Citywide Dryer Vent and Duct Cleaning. His company set global standards for innovation and integr reshaping the duct cleaning industry with advanced techniques and ethical leadership.
- [00:37]
Bradley Jacobson
People will forget what you say, but they'll never forget how you make them feel. And so if you have the right people in the home that give them a good emotional experience, that's the key. I mean there's your difference, there's your separator, right? You have the right people in place. Anyone can learn a skill but if they care about people. Now that's what we call the Ultravac difference and that's what separated us.
- [00:57]
Rudy
It sounds you've got built the system so it's pretty easy to learn and implement and most people need it, but they don't do it. Can you talk about that if someone is listening? That could be a fit for this.
- [01:08]
Bradley Jacobson
In the home service space completely. It's a really simple system.
- [01:15]
It spans the globe like a super high is called Internet. Elvis Preston 5:3.
- [01:21]
Podcast Intro Voice
Today Apple is going to reinvent the market. It's not over until I win the Living youg Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.
- [01:54]
Rudy
Hello and welcome back to Legacy Makers. We're here today with Bradley. Fascinating story and he's a fascinating individual. He's a top winning, award winning DJ entrepreneur like most of us has a rapidly expansing franchise in the home services contract based business and industry that we're going to dive into. And a pretty awesome story. So welcome to the show.
- [02:16]
Bradley Jacobson
Thank you very much Rudy.
- [02:17]
Rudy
So let's dive into it. You're a man of many traits, many talents, right? You're DJing building this big franchise. How did you get into all these different asset, you know, facets and the.
- [02:27]
Bradley Jacobson
Business side, at the end of the day it comes down to caring about people. So everything I knew from a young age it would always be based around caring about people. So when it came into the duct cleaning side of things, I got my engineering because I'm passionate about. Yeah, I love math and I love complexities and problem solving. So I got my engineering and then a friend of mine over coffee suggested that I look into the duct cleaning industry. Lots of things going on, complexities. And so I consulted in the industry. But I noticed that there was an inherent dishonesty built into it because most duct cleaning companies at the time were just sending out salespeople by hook or crook to sell as much as they could in a home at a low price to try to get as much money as they could. And duct cleaning is not a complex concept. Thermodynamically, homes are not a complex system. You draw air in from each room, you bring it to your furnace, you heat it or cool it, depending if you're air conditioning. And then you blow it out into different vents in the room. And cleaning it requires a high powered vacuum to collect the dust, dirt and debris. And a scrubbing system which we normally use, which is air powered or pneumatic that we clean through every vent, tape off the vents, you're not cleaning so you don't cause dust in a home. Not complicated. So we created a flat rate pricing system. I knew how much time it would take in the home. So you based on the average price to be in the home and you invest into really good quality equipment, hire people that care about other people and train them how to do this and success follows.
- [03:45]
Rudy
And did you start like you built this business and just hired a couple of people, you were doing it yourself, now it's a big franchise. What's the story?
- [03:52]
Bradley Jacobson
Yes, okay. So when I started, of course, yeah, I was, I was doing everything, of course, as we all do when we're small business owners. So I was in the field, I would answer calls. I was blessed enough to have my brother come in at a really early time in the business. And he's amazing, truly talented individual, great communicator as well, incredibly hardworking. So the two of us worked together and that was really a key for my success, is to have someone that I could trust to work with me. And then really quite quickly, because of the integrity based nature of what we were doing, it just exploded. And we were doing a tremendous volume within no time and had six crews on the road and began to grow. And then because it was doing so well, I realized I either had to hire someone to help me run the business or go back to school. So I got my mba, graduated with honors and then I realized that either you want to have more services offered or you want to expand geographically, but you need to be able to expand. And so I chose the geographic expansion. So we've now expanded nationwide in Canada and it's going incredibly well. And so now we're looking at doing a franchise model into the U.S. yeah, it's pretty cool.
- [04:53]
Rudy
So you expanded nationwide going into the US and this is like an attractive add on for anyone in the kind of construction home service industry, right? Absolutely. It's pretty easy. It sounds you've got built the system so it's pretty easy to learn and implement and most people need it, but they don't do it, you know. Right. Or new homes obviously require it. So can you talk about that if someone is listening? That could be a fit for this in the home service space?
- [05:20]
Bradley Jacobson
Completely. It's a really simple system. You need to have a powerful vacuum, you need to have a scrubbing system. We use pneumatic based so be able to clean through everything and then the proper processes in place to be able to both promote and then to deliver. And you've got the support in place. As an engineer, I know all about this and be able to handle it. Some homes and business get more complex, but when you understand the thermodynamic principles, it begins to build from there and then you've got the support in place. Right. So you've got everything that you need to be able to succeed. And we disinfect the ducts, we utilize a proprietary service with that. I've designed custom disinfectant distribution systems as well using completely botanical based products that are all completely healthy. So it works out really well and people are happy with it. Deliver the product you offer at the price you quote, clients are happy.
- [06:05]
Rudy
And what. So if someone wants to get into this, what are their upfront costs to like get the equipment and supplies and you know, how much are they charging?
- [06:13]
Bradley Jacobson
Yes. So there are different ways of going about it. You could go about it like I did with buying the biggest truck in Canada. Right. The biggest thing. And so I'm always go big or go home. Right. So I dropped $60,000 into the truck used, 200,000 was the new cost. So of course I bought used and. And then we began to build out. So we have two dynamic elements. So one is to look after the small like the homes and the light commercial. So you're looking at that for the equipment to provide and it's only. And then if you're looking at getting the bigger trucks that do the big industrial, then you're looking at about $60,000 for one of those. And so these are not earth shattering prices. When you realize the scalability of how this works and how to market this, how to partner with your property managers, with construction companies. I mean we've got one construction company up in Canada that gives us almost 1,000 houses a year at $200 each.
- [07:00]
Rudy
And what are they charging per house?
- [07:02]
Bradley Jacobson
So yeah, we charge 199 per house.
- [07:04]
Rudy
Okay.
- [07:05]
Bradley Jacobson
So it adds up really fast and.
- [07:07]
Rudy
It'S a quick job. An hour, Two hours.
- [07:08]
Bradley Jacobson
Yeah, ex the hour and a half. Two hours, that's it. Yep. And you can do it in an hour if you're good at it, you know. And so it works out well when you have the right process in place and the right equipment profitability, scalability is right there.
- [07:18]
Rudy
Yeah. So someone pays, you know, 15 grand. Right. For the equipment, does a, you know, a few houses a day, they can.
- [07:26]
Bradley Jacobson
Do pretty well from that, pretty quick, ridiculously well. And at the end of the day, as I was saying in the, in the show earlier, people will forget what you say, but they'll never forget how you make them feel. And so if you have the right people in the home that give them a good emotional experience, that's the key. I mean there's your difference, there's your separator. Right. You have the right people in place, anyone can learn a skill, but if they care about people. Now that's what we call the ultravac difference and that's what separated us.
- [07:54]
Rudy
And is this something that you do yearly, one time, how is the repeat?
- [07:58]
Bradley Jacobson
Absolutely, yes. So you can do it. So when it comes to residential homes, it's usually about two years unless someone has allergies or they just want a really clean breathing system. At the price point that we do at 199, many people do it annually. The average is every two years is that we do. And then when it comes to doing dryer ventilation, because I've started actually a safety organization both in Canada and the U.S. the National Dryer Vent Safety Associations I've co founded. And so these are working with, it's nonprofit organizations that work with fire departments to really promote the safety in these homes because it is a genuine fire risk. And so in working with the ndvsa, these franchisees would have the opportunity to work and be promoted directly with these organizations to be able to find people that want to have these healthy homes. And then of course, when you've got a healthy you know, a safe dryer vent. Well, we can talk about doing a duct cleaning at home. So it lends itself from there beautifully. And we're partnering with all of these different fire departments across the nation.
- [08:53]
Rudy
And let's talk about the business growth side. Like, obviously you figured it all out. Expanding into the franchise side and now into the U.S. how did you build the business so big so quick and get all the awards? And what are some lessons from building it?
- [09:08]
Bradley Jacobson
Well, the first thing is that at the end of the day, again, it's a factor of caring. So if people understand that you really do care, you begin to grow from there. And then as of creating partnerships, so not doing it on your own. So, you know, working with property managers. Right. That was my number one concern. The property managers we've had from day one, gone. They continue to grow, continue to grow. They've never left our side and it just grows. And so, you know, you'll get a property manager and say, oh, here's 100 properties we need you to look after. Right. So you got dryer vents looking after these properties. And then you just, you only have to scale and add a couple more per year. And that area of the business grows tremendously. On the commercial side, partnering with school divisions, partnering with, you know, large property proper, and then partnering with building construction companies that are always building on. They're always generating your need. Partner with flooring companies. And so it's the partnerships that caused it to explode and continue to grow. Right. That's really it. And then you have to do your marketing. Right. Which is why we're here, which is why you run Google Ads and you, and you do things that you've got to do to maintain that. Another thing I found really effective is doing home shows. Get this team of mine that are incredibly dynamic in front of the populace. Let them talk and interact even if they're not buying today. Brand awareness is so important, and that was something that we do. We do four home shows in our slow time. So January, February, March, April, we're doing home shows so that we can help improve the quality of our brand and connection with people when we're not very busy and the guys can be busy interacting with people and having fun.
- [10:34]
Rudy
Nice. Yeah, I like the partnership side and I think a lot of entrepreneurs ignore that. So what advice would you give for companies out there or entrepreneurs listening if they haven't explored partnerships in general in any business? Right. Because it's a great way to bold on. In one of my companies, we added millions of dollars one year by just doing the partnership side properly. And I'd ignored it for many years. So I'd love for you to just talk about that.
- [11:00]
Bradley Jacobson
Well, that's the key. I mean, why would you want to be on your own? It doesn't make any sense to me when you create these synergies. And also one other dynamic is water seeks its own level. What I mean by that is if you find people that are successful, you want to be working with them. So you look for companies that share your values, that share your energy, and then you reach out to them saying, hey, we share all of this. Why are we doing this on our own? Let's partner up. Like if we have clients that need construction, boy, do I know what to refer you to? Yeah, yeah. And you create this great synergy. Even working, you know, there's certain things you need in life and one of which is a reliable mechanic. Well, my God, am I happy with who we've got as a mechanic. We can trust them. They're honest, they're dependable, they're there for us. Right. And these are the partnerships you need. So they don't always have to be a partnership with what you're selling, but a partnership in what you're giving and you get that energy back and forth and that changes everything. Right?
- [11:53]
Rudy
Yeah, I love that. Let's talk about you now and then the future and the legacy side for a minute. What about the rest of you? You're doing a ton of other stuff.
- [12:02]
Bradley Jacobson
I do.
- [12:03]
Rudy
Let's talk about that.
- [12:03]
Bradley Jacobson
I have passion, right. I believe in pursuing my passions in life. So the success in business is one element, but that creates. There's stress involved in that. So music for me has always been something that I've loved. I've grown up with it. A family of people that love music. And then for me, when I was 14, I started DJing. I got into professional and then international DJing and that evolved into doing production. And so I have loved working with incredible artists around the world. Like Paul Brandt is on my new album in Canada, Jason Kirkness. It's a country based album. I'm stretching and trying new things which is important in growth in life and so exciting. Chris Bannister from Britain volunteered to be on the album too. And he is insanely talented as well. And I've got such a dynamic range of people. Grammy nominated, Fresh Ie is my producer and engineer on the albums and it's gone well. I've had number one hits, I've had number one albums on iTunes. Inspirational chart. My last Album even reached number 14 across Canada in all genres on itunes, which was mind blowing. And so those are passions and then learning. I believe in lifelong learning. And so for me, I do enjoy the reward of doing degrees and certificates. I like that. And so I got my mba. I graduated with honors from Golden Gate University. Really enjoyed the whole program. So I got a big scholarship. So I've continued on. I'm doing my doctorate, and the research is on AI, but it's not. Not. It's not AI. What can AI do? It's how do people feel in a small business? What can we utilize AI to assist us with, but have clients still appreciate that small business feel that vibe that matters so much? That's my research, right? So this matters to every small business owner. And so doing that and getting my doctorate, those are just going to open new opportunities in life for my personal brand. Because I'd like to get into life coaching. I would like to inspire, like you do, people to do better to. For small business owners to be able to actualize but find balance in their life. Living your life to run a business and have your kids, you know, not connect with you breaks my heart. Yeah, right? So it's that 80, 20 rule. What can you do? Because 20% of what you do is what matters. How can you delegate that 80%? How can you automate it? And how can you find ways to be able to find people to encourage the team that you built to do better because you want to replace yourself.
- [14:16]
Rudy
It sounds like you're doing a good job too, because you're out there DJing, doing your hobbies, all right, doing a doctorate and, you know, degrees and certifications and personal development and running the business and now expanding the franchise side too, right? So it's, it's. You're kind of like living proof. Like, hey, you can do all these things. And I think so many people in life limit themselves, right? I know people are like, they want to start a business, but they're in school, right? So they're like, oh, you know, in five years, when I graduate, I'm like, yeah, okay, lose five. Hearsay a lot, right? Like, I had free businesses during college and did real estate, my personal training business, and I ran nightclub events. And it's like, you can do everything. You just have to be really good at delegating. You have to wake up earlier. You have to not watch Netflix every night. And you can do everything.
- [15:02]
Bradley Jacobson
You really can micro. You create at the beginning of the day, create your one goal, right? What do I have to do? Today, the number one thing, now you get that done. Well, now I've done my thing for the day. Now you're riding high. You're literally surfing a wave of success, right? And you create like if you've got things that have to get done, you break those down into manageable bites. You eat an elephant one bite at a time, right? And so, you know, what do I need to do for school? Okay, So I break that down first thing in the morning, get that done. So that's out of the way. I've learned something new today, right? So you're feeling good, you're motivated. I've had a nice cup of coffee. Then I go into my yard, motivate my guys, get them going in the morning. So I've had that personal connection with people I care about, right? They're set for the day, they've got what they need, they're going out to succeed. And then I make sure everything's running well with the business. I come home, I try to get home earlier than most people and then I'm able to exercise, work on some music and have things for me, go back to it afterwards, have dinner with the family, enjoy. And then even if you're relaxing with the family, then you're checking on things, making sure things are good for the upcoming day. But you're able to breathe a little bit, right? And breathing is important. Taking time to find that peace and that centering to be able to launch the next day. But having support in your life, like, I'm blessed. I've got a father who's so successful in business when he was working, he's my go to, I've got great friends, I've got a spouse that's in it to win it, and an 18 year old child that is the most amazing young man on the planet who I can be honest with and talk to about business and his schooling. Like we've gone on study dates, him and I, to work on our work together. That's so cool as a dad, right? You know, in one of his papers, he took one of my favorite singers, Morrissey, and he quoted him in his paper. I did that in grade 12 too. Right. So for me it's this connection with the people around us, right? So having that is, that grounds you and it gives you that purpose.
- [16:43]
Rudy
I love that. I love that. So last question for you. Let's talk about the legacy. What does that mean to you? And if people want to check you out or they're interested in what you're doing on the business Side, where do they find you?
- [16:53]
Bradley Jacobson
Yeah. So easy enough would be I've got two main websites, right? So for the company, it's ultravac.net you can look up. You can just Google the NDVSA for the national Driver and Safety association, and then for the DJing, it's djc2music.com and then you just look up djc2, the four letters on any streaming platform and see any of my number one hits. My favorite song. I have two favorite songs. People are like, what should I look up first? Sounds ridiculous. The first one, it's so funky. It's an homage to that 70s funk I grew up with. It's called Peanut Butter Pickle and Pastrami Panini. And then my favorite worship song I ever created is called Clouds, and it's got this incredible electronic crunchiness to it that is just gorgeous that you just don't find in music these days. So those men.
- [17:38]
Rudy
Good. And last question, on the legacy side, what are they going to get from your episode? And what does a legacy mean to you?
- [17:45]
Bradley Jacobson
You know, legacy to me. Instead of making, they say about a ripple in a pond, I say, make a splash.
- [17:50]
Rudy
Love it.
- [17:51]
Bradley Jacobson
How much further is it going to go? Put in that effort. When you meet people on the street, every person you interact with, you can impact, but you got to do it from the heart. Like, if you care. If you look at someone in the eye, if someone's on the street and they're asking for something and I can't even give it to them, but I look them in the eye and I treat them with respect and dignity. And I, yeah, I don't have anything but have a great day. Like, make it a great day. And they look at me and I was like, yes, you have the power. Make it a great day, man. And thanks. You can just see them stand up taller, treat people with respect, and I think it goes so much further. And that's my splash.
- [18:25]
Rudy
I love that. Well, guys, that's a wrap. Go check out this awesome array of, you know, different things. He's up to the DJing for sure. You got to listen to one of those songs and of course, check out the full episode to really discover the legacy side behind it. It, as always, keep working hard, make an impact, and I'll see you guys soon. Take care.