We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric Formico a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eric, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve been a real estate photographer and drone operator since around 2017. After moving from Minnesota to Florida in 2018 and opening my own photography business, I began to collect real estate clients. One of the most often asked questions by agents during our shoots, was whether or not I knew any good cleaners. A neighbor and good friend of mine in Florida had lost his long time job in 2020 and was struggling to find employment. I decided to try pairing cleaning services along with my photography and began to build a small client base. He, along with two other friends began cleaning units. In 2022, one of my photography clients who manages around 70 Airbnb units asked me if we would like to start cleaning some of her units. We started off with several and the number steadily grew to about 30. During that time I purchased a van and integrated a driver to pick up dirty linens while dropping clean sets and supplies. This allows the cleaners to do more units in less time. At that point we were doing so much laundry at local laundromats, that I started to explore the option of creating my own small laundry facility. I found a local laundromat with a vacant storefront attached and after explaining my intentions to the owner, he agreed to rent the space to me. I built it out with two sets of 60lb washers and 80lb dryers. Several months after we opened, we secured a contract to provide linen service for a 12 unit motel on Treasure Island.
Although they may be out there, I really haven’t seen anyone else with this type of all inclusive operation. Most small and medium sized companies are doing their wash at laundromats. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow for the best possible service in my opinion due to limitations on using the proper chemicals and treating stains. This is why our next step is to work with these other cleaning companies in order to help them streamline their services in a cost effective manner.

Eric, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I originally started out in this general area as a real estate agent in Minnesota. I picked up photography and drone flying as a hobby, then turned it into a business. I left the agent business to pursue photography as it suited me better. I relocated to Florida and built my clientele list from nothing. Real estate contacts became cleaning contacts and it has steadily grown from there. I truly enjoy working for myself and the challenge of building a business. I went from a single person photography operation to opening my own shop and employing 8 other people in the cleaning business.
I think my 8 years of active duty time in the Coast Guard gave me the discipline to grind out building a business. It certainly isn’t easy and often times distractions can get in the way of putting in the work. My extensive travel around the world for other work has also allowed me to interact with a diverse range of cultures and personalities.
I’m proud of the people that work for me and the brand that we’ve created. It was my intention to stand above other cleaning companies by presenting a professional front and providing superior quality service. We have a fairly low turnover rate, which in this business speaks volumes.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced with this particular business is finding the right people. Arguably one of the most key roles in our operation is the van driver. They have to be physically fit in order to carry heavy bags of laundry up to three flights of stairs. They also must possess a keen eye for detail in order to deliver exactly what is needed. It’s certainly easy to overlook small details such as soaps and shampoos. The cleaners rely on the driver to give them what they need to finish the units. They also need to work quickly so that cleaners aren’t waiting on them. I’ve developed a system allowing the cleaners who get to their unit ahead of the driver to report what they need off of the checklist to streamline the delivery process. My next goal is to develop an app that will help us put everything in one spot. Checklists, scheduling, unit status, issue reporting, door codes and notes all in one place.
The challenge is that I’ve brought on multiple people who just couldn’t handle the fast paced environment and challenges the van driver faces. So, I eventually just got in to the habit of doing it myself. There were times that I worked almost a month straight without a day off. This wasn’t conducive to acting in an owner capacity, because I didn’t have time to build the business. It was also burning me out. Now that all the roles are filled with capable people, I am able to concentrate on business development.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A great lesson that I had to unlearn or rather learn for that matter, is to trust my people and allow them the opportunity to do their jobs. I am a very hands on person and I built the business from the ground up. I was used to acting as the supervisor/owner. I tried my best to visit every unit to follow up on quality control. Eventually we grew to the point of needing an actual supervisor to deal with the cleaners, scheduling and such. I simply couldn’t do it all. At first I found myself constantly trying to “help out” but figured out that I was causing more problems than solving. The final test though, was when I was given the opportunity to take a several month contract in Ghana. I needed to step away from the business and entrust it to those who I had brought on. I’m so glad that I decided to take this course because not only did my business survive without my day to day input, but it thrived under the guidance of my extremely capable supervisor and crew.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stpetecleaningandconcierge.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stpetecleaningandconcierge/

Image Credits

Sam Graves Photography