We recently connected with Brian Hoyt and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Brian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
It always makes me chuckle when people ask if “Poor Man” means we’re cheap. We ar enot the cleaner for the Poor Man, we are the Poor Man cleaning windows.
I’m Brian Hoyt, the founder of Poor Man Window Cleaning. My journey didn’t start with a squeegee in hand—I was once a network engineer/sytems adminstrator living the techie life. But in June 2001, life took a brutal turn. A hit-and-run motorcycle wreck left me unconscious by the side of the road.
13 months later, I was injured, broke, and unemployed—rock bottom doesn’t even begin to describe it. The future looked bleak, but with my ever present buddies Brute Force and Ignorance, i took matters into my own… Life had dealt me a rough hand, but I was rougher.
Two weeks out of shoulder surgery, i was wearing an isolotion brace and called a buddy to come shake my couch. After a chuckle he agreed. We picked up the change and went tp the Dollar Store to buy a bottle of Awesome Window Cleaner and a roll of paper towels. The next day i stuffed my brace full of paper towels and put the bottle of cleaner on my belt hoop, then i started knocking on doors.
“Hello, my name is Brian. I’m poor, I’m hungry, and I would like to eat tonite. Man I clean your windows?”
Three days went by before someone finally said yes. That moment was life-changing. I took the fifteen bucks I earned and walked to Shopko next door. With that money, I bought a four-pack of Angel Soft toilet paper, a case of ramen noodles, and some Campbell’s cream soups.
And just like that, in July of 2002, Poor Man Window Cleaning was born.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
It always gives us a chuckle when people ask if “Poor Man” means we’re cheap. The truth is, we’re all about delivering exceptional value, giving back to our community, and making a living, but the name carries a bittersweet story that’s close to our hearts.
I’m Brian Hoyt, the founder of Poor Man Window Cleaning. My journey didn’t start with a squeegee in hand—I was once a fancy geek! I was a top notch network engineer/systems administrator, living the techie and flamboyant life. But in June 2001, life took a brutal turn. A hit-and-run motorcycle accident left me unconscious by the side of the road.
13 months later, I was injured, broke, and unemployed—rock bottom doesn’t even begin to describe it. The present time was dismal and the future looked dark. My body had suffered t.b.i. with severe memory issues, i had 27 non-invasive procedures up and down my spine, injection therapy for my hip and sciatica, a full year of physical therapy that stretched four years, and was two weeks out of my second shoulder surgery from the wreck, but I refused to give up.
With an eviction notice and no viable place to live, a friend since kindergarten offered me his garage for my air mattress, to keep me off the streets during my recovery. I called another good friend and mentor, asking if he would come shake my couch out. He laughed and said “Sure Brian”. I gathered the fallen change and asked him to run me to the Dollar Store, where there was enough change for a roll of paper towels, a bottle of LA Awesome Window Cleaner in a trigger squirt bottle.
The next morning when i awoke from the medically induced haze, i stuffed my shoulder isolation brace with paper towels, hung the bottle of cleaner off my belt hoop, and started limping down the road business to business
“Hello, my name is Brian. I’m poor and hungry. I would really liek to eat tonite, may i clean your windows?’
I had to be a site to behold, walking down a major street with a severe limp, surgical isolation brace stuffed with paper towels, squirt bottle on my belt hoop, and a morphine pump surgically implanted on my shoulder.
Three days into my journey, i struck gold. Well, more like $15.00 but it may as well have been gold for me. There was a Shopko next door, where i took that fifteen bucks and bought a four-pack of Angel Soft toilet paper (as it was on sale for .97 and boy was i tired of stealing napkins from McDonalds and Jack in the Box for toiletries when eating off their dollar menus), a case of ramen noodles, and a bundle of Campbell’s cream soups to help with the Ramen.
I braced the noodles on my sling and had the cashier precariously set the toilet paper and soups on top so i could walk 1.5 miles back home and eat!
As i was walking across the parking lot, i heard someone shouting “Hey Poor Man! Poor Man!”, turning around to see who he was yelling at, i discover it was me. It was the manager of the store i had just spent three hours cleaning with paper towels, left handed when i am right handed, for just $15.00.
He asked if i would be back the next month.
And just like that, in July of 2002, Poor Man Window Cleaning was born.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2020, like many, I found myself on the wrong end of COVID. I didn’t just catch a mild case either—it hit me like a freight train. Six weeks out of work and, even now, over four years later, I’m still dealing with long COVID symptoms. It’s been a tough ride, to say the least. This tested the “stay small, keep it all” mentality that my mentor had drilled into me.
Then in May of 2023, as if life hadn’t thrown enough curveballs, my body decided to up the difficulty level. Now in my fifties, I was handed not just one, but two delightful companions: Meniere’s Disease and vestibular migraines. Between the constant ringing in my ears, being off balance, in a state of brain fog, and the dizzying vertigo with slowed cognitive abilities, my body pretty much screamed, “Congratulations, you’ve unlocked Advanced Mode!”
These challenges pushed me beyond what I thought I couldhandle —not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, interpersonal, and to the core of how I ran my business. As a sole proprietor, I never wanted employees. I liked to do things my way, and frankly, trusting others with my baby, Poor Man Window Cleaning, wasn’t on my to-do list. But when you can’t manage a full 8-hour workday—or even an hour and a half of screen time without needing to lie down in a quiet dark room—you learn to adapt.
So, I shifted gears. Instead of “stay small, keep it all,” I’m now in full “build tall and share it all” mode. Delegation has become my new superpower. I’ve had to learn to trust others, rely on them, and share not just responsibilities, but also the rewards. Now, those who help Poor Man Window Cleaning thrive are benefiting too, as we grow together while I navigate my new limits.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
From humble beginnings come I.
Like many struggling in our trying times, i also have been homeless, struggled to find money for food, but never has the thought of giving up been in my forefront.
Today I have pushed Poor Man Window Cleaning to place that allows us to not only remember our difficult times, but to reach out and give back to our community with our successes. From penniless and living on a concrete floor in a buddies garage to today, where we choose to be the change we wish to see.
We donate our services to many charities, including Camp Rainbow Gold cancer kids camp by cleaning their camp cabin windows before their spring summer camps, to even serving 120-150 bowls of homemade soup to our homeless ever saturday. With effort, sweat, brute force, and ignorance, nearly all is possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.poormanwindowcleaning.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poorman.windowcleaning/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poormanwindowcleaning
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hoyt-3827a48/
- Youtube: @poormanwindowcleaning
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@poormanwindowcleaning
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/outreach/sevens-hero/7s-hero-boise-man-makes-homemade-soup-the-homeless-every-saturday/277-ee3c7a01-f5ef-4b60-b33a-858185d26ab1
Image Credits
Tiffany Hix
Tiffany Hix Photgraphy
https://www.tiffanyhix,com
https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/69847801322/tiffany-hix-photography/
https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyHixPhotography/