Welcome to The Hidden Hustle, the show where we uncover the untold stories behind Des Moines most successful business owners. Today, we are excited to feature AJ Dedic, the founder of AJ's Cleaning and Restoration. AJ's journey is a powerful immigrant success story from cleaning carpets to tackling major water and fire disasters.

He's built a thriving business rooted in hard work, resilience, and the relentless dedication to his customers. Stick around to dive deep into how AJ turned obstacles into opportunities and the inspiring lessons. He's learned along the way

Here it says episode zero zero one. Am I the first podcast? You're the first dude. That is amazing So that is uh, if I seem like I'm a rookie, that's why hey, I I love it to me That's even better. Actually, that's you're gonna be part of my origin I'll be able to say I When you make it big, when your name is all over Des Moines, I'll be like, I, I, I know that guy.

AJ, thanks for coming on the podcast. Yeah, of course. I appreciate, uh, you having me. Super excited for it. Um, let's get this going. I mean, just tell me about your story. How'd you get started? Your challenges, successes? Yeah, so, uh, I, I moved to the U. S. Um, I moved to the U. S. 20 years ago, came here, uh, came here without speaking English, um, you know, graduated high school, uh, started going to college, actually.

I, I, I had this big dream of, uh, uh, double majoring in cyber security and criminal justice. And, uh, my, my idea was I'm going to be sitting in an office where there's like, 30 computer screens in front of me with like, you know, 30 people trying to solve the, the, the world's biggest cyber security issues, right?

And, uh, I went and shadowed somebody, uh, for, for a week. And, uh, when I got done shadowing them, so somebody who did cyber security, right? Yeah. When I got done shadowing them, uh, I went back and I was like, you know what, I called my dad and I was like, uh, I don't think I want to do this. And uh, you know, I mean, first generation in the US, uh, you know, every parent's dream is, is for their child to finish school, finish college.

And uh, my dad, he wasn't happy about it. Um, so, uh, but he said, you know, you know, you know what's best for you. So I actually dropped out of college, moved to Des Moines, um, shortly after that, uh, with, with my parents and my sisters, uh, and started this business, um, started this business with absolutely nothing.

Uh, the, the, there's one person in Des Moines who, who helped me, uh, Get off the ground, really, uh, basically gave me advice, uh, pushed me to, to, you know, do the best that I can. Uh, and, and I, to this day, I still think of her as a second mom, uh, you know, and, uh, so she, she, she helped me, um, You know, help me determine that this is something I want to do, start a business.

So she, she, yeah, she pushed us to do that. Starting the, starting the business, um, with, with no funding was the most difficult part, obviously, uh, cause everything related to being self employed is expensive. I mean, Um, you know, all of our equipment, uh, each van that we buy, if you go buy brand new, it's a hundred grand and, uh, most people don't realize that the, the, um, the investment it takes to, to get going.

So, uh, once we, once we got going, um, you know, my dad, my dad is still involved in the business, um, daily and, uh, you know, he'll, he'll come in and, and help out when needed and so on. Uh, But he, he doesn't speak English, right? So, I mean, um, the, the, I think that was one of the hardest parts, um, is, is, you know, the, the communication between everyone, the learning of the language and so on.

So, yeah, when we came to the U. S., we came from, uh, from a war torn country, right? I mean, uh, Uh, we grew up, uh, from Bosnia. Okay. So, Bosnia is a, a small country in Eastern Europe. Um, during the 90s, there was a, a pretty big war in Bosnia. Uh, so I grew up in a, a time of, uh, um, uncertainty, right? I mean, you, you didn't know, um, what was going to be available to you tomorrow.

Uh, you didn't know whether, whether your house was going to get demolished tomorrow or anything like that. Um, My, my mom actually lost her brother, um, and her dad during the war. Uh, and so, you know, it was a, a, uh, difficult time. So when, uh, when we came to America, we came with the idea, uh, that, that we want to better ourselves.

And, uh, so, you know, we, we, we all, we all work hard towards something better. Uh, and I think, uh, I think this business, uh, has really shown me that, that, uh, You know, the American dream is alive. Uh, it's alive and well if you're willing to work for it. Yeah. So, So, how old were you when you moved here? When I moved here, I was, uh, 14.

14. 14. Yeah. And, uh, started, uh, started 8th grade, um, at, uh, Chaney Middle School in Fargo, North Dakota. Yeah. And, uh, I will say, kids can be rough, man. I, you know, uh, not speak in English, um, I, I, Hey. I was made fun of throughout high school, uh, for the way I pronounce words and Fargo is a small town I mean Fargo, uh, you know that there wasn't much diversity back then and uh, so the the Kids would make fun of me.

Uh, but you know what I you know, here I am today and uh I, I, I've learned, uh, learned the language, learned, uh, to, to assimilate myself to the, to, uh, U. S. and, and, uh, this is home now. I mean, I, you know, um, when somebody asks me where is home, it's, it's Des Moines, Iowa, man. I, I love this place. When did you move from Fargo to Des Moines?

Uh, so I moved from Fargo to Des Moines about, uh, 12 years ago. Okay. So right after high school, uh, right after doing a couple years in college, uh, I moved to Des Moines and, and the reason we moved to Des Moines was actually, uh, for warmer weather, believe it or not. Ha, ha, ha. And, uh, You know, it is warmer, but not by much.

Yeah, that's funny. less, uh, less snow probably here too. Less snow, uh, less snow, less wind, um, you know, less cold. But, but I, I would prefer it to be a little bit more like, uh, you know, Texas or something where it's a little bit warmer, but, uh, it's all right. I, I, like I said, uh, I, I was home. Yeah. Yeah. So, you've handled all kinds of jobs.

Carpet cleaning, junk removal, um, emergency situations, fire and water damage. Uh, what's the most intense or unexpected call you've ever gotten? So, uh, if I'm being honest, the, the, the most intense and, uh, you know, adrenaline filled call that I ever got was my first water damage job. Really? So, uh, getting the call was, you know, I mean, at that time it was a big deal because, uh, we, we started the company, uh, doing carpet cleaning and with a goal to get, to get into water damage, into fire damage and so on.

Um, And we weren't ready for it at the time. So when the call came in, uh, you know, I was scrambling to, to figure out how to get things done. I mean, exactly. Like we had, uh, we had no fans. Um, we had no dehumidifiers, um, didn't even have any moisture meters or anything. Right. But hey, we, I mean, we, we had the, the van, we could suck up water.

Um, so we went in, it was over in Altoona, um, uh, uh, very nice home. So, I mean, uh, 3, 000 square foot basement and, uh, entire basement was, was, uh, about an inch of water in the entire basement. And so we get there, it was about, uh, 4. 30 and we started, uh, extracting water. And we're thinking to ourselves, you know, I mean, What do we do next?

I mean, again, we have no fans. We have nothing to get the job done with. Uh, so my mom actually, uh, loaded up, uh, her minivan and went up to Waterloo, to a company up in Waterloo. Uh, we rented some equipment from them. Uh, bought some equipment, uh, at, at Menards actually, um, and got that job taken care of, um, brought in another company in town to kind of assist us with it, uh, to, to, you know, just make sure that we were doing the right thing by the homeowner.

Yeah. Um, and so that was, uh, To, to this day, I still think of that call and that, that experience of getting that call. You know, your first, I mean, you're building something for so long and then you get that first call. It's like, yes, it's finally happened. Right. So, yep, I would say that's, uh, that's my, uh, most intense, uh, intense job.

And, you know, it, it sounds small, it sounds minimal, but to me it was, it was the world. Yeah, that's awesome. So around Des Moines area, you know, what are, what are the most common jobs that get called for? Is it more routine stuff like cleaning or do you see a lot of emergency calls for water and fire? So our carpet cleaning is basically our bread and butter, right?

So it keeps everybody busy on a day to day basis. Um, the the junk removal side is something we just started last year. I actually had no intention of getting into junk removal. I, I, uh, purchased the dump truck for our own use, uh, but, you know, I was asked to get into junk removal. So, uh, we do, you know, a few junk removals a week here and there, uh, nothing too major.

And then the water damage, the fire damage, obviously, I mean, that does not happen, you know, every single day. So some weeks we'll, we'll get five, 10 jobs. Some weeks we'll get one or two. But mainly carpet cleaning is, is what keeps us busy year round. And then the rest of the services are the, the, uh, bigger services that are less frequent.

Uh, but you know, more, um, more intense. Yeah. So tell me more about the junk removal. What's something that most people don't realize that goes into doing, uh, Yeah. So, uh, junk removal is majority of our projects are when somebody moves out of a home, uh, they leave a ton of stuff behind. So like, uh, landlords call us, uh, and then, you know, if, uh, if a family member, uh, moves out of a home, uh, into a care facility, their sons, daughters usually have us come in and remove stuff.

Some items from the home, uh, the, the people that, you know, so something that most people don't realize about what goes into a junk removal service is, uh, you know, we deal a lot with hoarder situations. So for example, uh, you know, let's say, let's say there's an elderly person, um, Who lives in Des Moines, but all their family is out of state.

And, um, you know, nobody's there to check up on them regularly, while stuff just kind of piles up in the home. Uh, so we get called for hoarder clean outs quite a bit. Uh, and it's the emotional side of things, right? So, like, uh, when you have somebody who is Emotionally attached to everything in the home. Um, you, you have to approach that, um, with empathy.

You can't just go in and just throw everything away. You got to go in and, and make sure that they're comfortable with you being in their home and getting stuff out of their home, um, to, to dispose of it, right? And then there's also the hazardous materials. I mean, um, we always got to look out for, for, um, any chemicals or, you know, anything that we're not supposed to take to the landfill that's got to be separated, uh.

So there's a lot more than just, Hey, let's throw it in, take it to the dump and collect our money. Right. Yeah. So when it comes to fire water damage, uh, why is it important for people to address the issue quickly? And what's the risk if somebody is to wait? Yep. So, uh, the, the biggest, um, the biggest risk obviously is going to be microbial growth.

Um, so, uh, mold can start taking over pretty, pretty quickly. I mean, the industry standard is, um, if you're not at a job site within 72 hours to stabilize, uh, so, you know, let's say, let's say a home floods and nobody does anything, uh, For 72 hours at that point, we come in and we made a determination that more than likely everything has got to be gutted.

Um, everything that the water touch has got to be removed. Uh, now, you know, there's different categories of water. So there's clean water, um, possibly contaminated water and grossly contaminated water. So, uh, with a clean water loss that sits for 34 days, uh, That becomes grossly contaminated and then you got to tear everything out.

Um, and so the, the, that's the biggest risk of not addressing it right away. 72 hours. That's a pretty short window to call in. How do you stay top of mind to those customers that are looking? So most, um, most of our work comes from pre existing relationships. So, um, you know, whether it's, it's property management companies that refer us, uh, realtors, um, you know, previous clients, um, you know, people who, uh, who recommend us to their fan friends and family and so on.

Uh, so that, that's where most of our work comes from. We don't really do a ton of advertising for water damage. Uh, we stay consistently busy without doing so. Now, the the 72 hour time frame. I mean, most people call us within, you know, hours of it happening an hour or two are our industry. Um, we we pride ourselves and responding quickly.

So our response time in the Des Moines Metro is typically between 30 minutes one hour. So like if we get a call, um, Today, you know, we'll have somebody there today and we do travel across the state of Iowa. So our Our response times are different, you know everywhere else right in the Des Moines metro is between 30 minutes to an hour So switching gears get into some business history aj you've managed to grow a successful business across several service areas What challenges did you face when starting as an immigrant entrepreneur?

And and how did you overcome that? You So, uh, my story really is, uh, is interesting. I came to the US uh, 20 years ago and, uh, I actually did not speak a word of English. Oh, really? So, I mean, other than the bad words, right. , I mean, everybody knows those, but, uh, did not speak a word of English. And, um, went to high school in Fargo, North Dakota.

Okay. Um, moved to Des Moines, Iowa. Um, two years before I started the business. So I really didn't have many connections. I was young at the time, um, didn't really have any financial backing, uh, to, to get started. And, uh, we, my dad and I, uh, actually got a call from a friend of ours, uh, who we knew from North Dakota, who had started a, a, a business.

Uh, franchise that dealt with, uh, water and fire damage. Uh, so he called us and said, Would you, you know, would you be willing to come up to Minot? Um, there, the town flooded and basically we need some help. So, uh, I, at the time, I was selling shoes, um, at a retail store and, uh, decided that, you know what? I mean, let's risk it.

Let's see what happens. We went up to Minot, uh, worked there for a month and, uh, on the way down, we, we discussed, you know, I mean, Is this something that we could see ourselves doing? Right. And, uh, by the time we came back to Des Moines, that, that conversation, uh, you know, I mean, the, the, the, the idea was made.

So the, the issues, um, or the, the complications that, that we had, uh, starting the business is, you know, again, not really, you know, Being, um, being proficient in the language, um, not having the connections, not having the financial backing. So everything that we've done has been step by step. And, uh, the, the, you know, we started out, uh, started out with one carpet cleaning van, um, and we would do carpet cleaning here and there.

Um, then bought our first fans, um, and you know, everything building wise has been step by step. Yeah. So was that big project kind of your first like, okay, this is kind of what we want to do. This is the path we want to go down. Yeah. I mean, so when we went to Minot, uh, over, if I remember right, it was over 4, 000 homes that flooded.

Wow. And, uh, so being there and seeing Um, and being a part of helping, um, you know, the, the, the homeowners get back to, to, to a sense of normalcy, um, to getting, you know, getting all the, the damage contents out of the home. I mean, when I say flooded, I mean, these homes had like four, five, six, seven. four feet of water on their main level.

Um, the, the river overflowed. Uh, so getting the contents out, tearing stuff out and getting them ready for a, uh, you know, to put it all back together, um, and, and you know, just seeing, um, the impact you can have on somebody's life. Uh, Really meant a lot to us. And, uh, I think, I think that was really, uh, one of the, the main reasons we wanted to start it is, is obviously, I mean, you know, the, the reason you started businesses is to grow and to make profits, but being able to help somebody, uh, while doing so.

Um, it's, it's very, very rewarding. That's awesome. Where did you help out with the floods from this last spring in the Iowa area? Yup. So we actually, uh, went to Spencer, Iowa. Uh, we were up there for about two months. Um, we did some work in, uh, South Dakota. Um, we, uh, We were up there for about two weeks. Um, we did, let's see, we did probably a couple dozen projects out there.

Wow. Yeah. So how has your team grown over the years and what do you look for when you're hiring for your team? Uh, so over the years, um, you know, I did not start hiring employees until about, uh, four years ago. So everything was done, um, by my dad and I. Um, and you know, the, the, the main reason for it is, um, we took a different approach to it.

We, we wanted to, to build, um, um, a reputable company in Des Moines, someone who's got a, you know, good reputation, who's got, uh, positive reviews on the internet and so on. So I wanted to make sure that, that I built a good foundation. For, for when employees are brought in, um, what we look for and, and employees now is, uh, you know, being motivated.

So that, that's the biggest deal is I want somebody who's, uh, who's motivated to come into work every day. Um, we make it an environment that that's, um, you know, fun. So like, uh, We, we constantly have company outings. I mean, we, we constantly do stuff, uh, to, to benefit the employees. So like we have a bonus, a very generous bonus structure and so on.

So if you're willing to put in the work, um, you know, if you're, if you're willing to show up and, and get things done, it is a very rewarding industry. Um, so the, the biggest thing is, like I said, is, is be motivated to, to better yourself, um, and I will do everything I possibly can to help you do that. With the variety of services that you offer, how do you prioritize, you know, what comes first or switch gears between services, um, whether it's carpet cleaning and then you get a job for an emergency call?

How do you prioritize those jobs? So, uh, we, uh, our, our scheduled work, um, will always get done. So, like, we have, uh, We have carpet cleanings that are scheduled day to day, um, and those, you know, we'll do everything that we possibly can not to cancel on those because obviously, I mean, homeowners will move their furniture, will get things ready for us, and I don't want to be the one that calls them and says, hey, you know, we've got a job that we're going to take, um, because it's more important than you, right?

So, um, that's where I, as the owner, um, if we get a call that I don't have anyone available, uh, to, to respond to it, um, I mean, I'm jumping in a van, I'm going out to, to suck up some water or, you know, do, do something. So, um, the, I think, I think one of the biggest, uh, benefits with, with hiring a smaller company like us is, uh, that.

You know, I'm willing to to put in the blood, sweat and tears and then come out myself, uh, whether it's in the middle of the day, middle of the night and, and get a job started. Um, so we, we prioritize pre scheduled work, obviously, because, you know, I, I want to make sure that we make our existing customers happy.

Uh, but when an emergency comes in, uh, you know, We'll, we'll do everything that we can to get it handled. When a homeowner or business is in the middle of, uh, a fire, water damage scenario, what's the first step that they should take to, to mitigate the damage? Yeah. So, um, uh, the first step would be to try to prevent the water from, from spreading, from coming in.

So like, for example, if it's a burst pipe somewhere, I mean, you know, do your best to shut the water off as quickly as possible. Um, the, the next step is going to be, you know, stay safe. I mean, water, um, Water mixed with electricity can be very dangerous. So, um, we actually had a job, uh, over at Drake University, uh, a few years back, where, um, the, the university had multiple buildings that flooded and we, uh, we were called to extract water in one of the buildings and, um, didn't realize that, that, you know, all the electrical was still on, right?

So the, the, as soon as, uh, as soon as you stepped in, uh, Um, you felt a little shock in the water, right? Well, an extension cord was plugged in very near the entrance and it was sitting submerged in water and, uh, it didn't trip. So it was still, uh, it still had current in it. Uh, so as soon as you stepped in you could feel some little tingles around it.

Yeah, uh, and that that made me realize how, uh, how dangerous things can be, right? Yeah. So, uh, when a homeowner, uh, business has, uh, those, you know, uh, water or fire loss, I mean, just make sure you're doing things safely. So if you're going into to examine the damage, make sure there's no electrical cords that are plugged in, that are sitting on the ground, uh, make sure that, that, you know, if it's a fire, make sure the structure is safe.

So like, uh, the fire department will come in and they'll either say, you know, Hey, you're able to, to go in and check it out or, um, they'll condemn it and say, you know, you're not able to go in until it's structurally sound. Um, So listen to those, uh, those guys. I mean, they, they kind of know a thing or two.

Uh, so it's, it's just safety. I mean, that's, that's the biggest thing. Um, and then call, you know, call a restoration company because damage, um, the damage that we see with our tools, whether it's thermal cameras, moisture meters, and so on, um, is not something that you can always, uh, So, like, uh, this room here could have wet drywall all over, uh, but unless you have the, the, uh, tools to test it with, you wouldn't know.

And, uh, same thing with a home. I mean, a lot of times water travels under floors, uh, travels all over, and unless you have those tools to look for it, you wouldn't know it's there, and then it can cause the risk of mold and so on. During major events like storms or fire, uh, you must get a lot of calls. How do you prioritize jobs and make sure that Clients get what they need.

So, uh, this year we, um, we actually went up to Spencer, um, Iowa and, and Northwestern Iowa. Um, so again, the, the river overflow, they had a lot of heavy rain. Uh, and we, when driving through the town, I mean, it was, uh, it's something you never forget, you know, seeing people's belongings on the road, um, just, just sitting there, everything damaged.

I mean, people lost everything, right? Uh, so it's, it's. It's being compassionate, um, you know, during those calls. So when you get the call, you've got to show compassion. You've got to, you've got to let people know that you're not there to, to, um, to just make money. You're there to, to help them out. Right. So the way we prioritize it, um, is really, uh, you know, uh, as much as I hate to say it this way, it's on a first come first serve basis because we obviously can't get to everybody Right.

But we're also not going to deny somebody, uh, service because their job is harder than somebody else's. Mm hmm. So, um, up in Spencer, we had a, we had a home, uh, Randy, Randy's home, we call it. And, uh, Randy had a house. with an underground tunnel that connected to his man cave. And so, uh, the, the man cave and the, the basement of the home flooded, um, and in the basement of the home they had, uh, so we filled, Eight dumpsters, uh, 40 cubic yard dumpsters with contents.

And then we filled six of our dump trucks, uh, with content. So, I mean, you can imagine how much stuff there was in the basement, right? Um, a lot, a lot of companies went in and said, you know what, I mean, this is too labor intensive and, and, you know, get it out and then we'll come in. Well, we went in, uh, there was still a couple of feet of water.

So we set up pumps and then, uh, I had, uh, Myself and all the guys were there for three days literally carrying stuff out of the basement Um, so it's it's you know, it's not we didn't push him away. Um to say no, you know, this is too complicated We got it done. Uh, it's it's Prioritizing is is you just got to be human.

I mean you just got to be willing to help people Um when the calls come in, yeah people see clean carpets or fixed up homes What don't they see about what you do? You Oh, man. So what, uh, what people don't see is, um, we're in the emergency services, right? So, uh, our calls come in, um, you know, nighttime. Our calls come in during holidays, during birthdays, during anniversaries, and so on.

Um, I've, I've missed countless holiday parties. Um, I've missed, um, Countless birthdays, uh, you know, this year I was late to my son's birthday because of a water loss. And, uh, so what people don't see is, um, you know, the, the, the family time that's missed. Uh, what people don't see is, um, the, the, the late night phone calls when you're waking up at 3am going to, to help somebody out.

Uh, so it is, uh, uh, being, uh, being in this industry is, um, very demanding. When it comes to the time and, uh, you know, responding. So, um, that, that's the biggest thing is, is, uh, you know, the, the, the, the time away from, uh, from activities and, uh, and family. Yeah. So, What's something that people don't see about carpet cleaning or water loss, fire loss?

It's more than just, um, vacuum and hauling stuff away. What's something people don't see about those projects? So, uh, the carpet cleaning side, um, you know, a lot of people think that you just go in, spray some chemical down, to it up. And, and that's all there is to it, right? Um, there's a lot of chemicals that go into the, uh, into getting carpets cleaned properly.

So, not every carpet is the same. I mean, you got to know which, uh, which kind of chemical, um, you're going to put down. You got to know, um, you know, what spotters to use to get some of those stains out. on the water damage side of things. I mean, Um, you gotta know to, to where water may have traveled. So the, the, back to, to the tools, uh, that we use to, to find water.

Um, you know, our thermal cameras and moisture meters show us where the water has traveled to. Uh, but then it's also knowing, uh, what building materials can be salvaged and what cannot. So, um, you know, it's not just, hey, let's set a fan and it'll dry out. Um, some, sometimes, I mean, stuff has to be removed, um, to access stuff behind it to dry it.

Cause you can't, uh, you know, if there's wet insulation behind drywall, you can't dry that insulation through the drywall. So you got to remove the drywall, um, and, and then possibly remove the insulation. I mean, there's a, there's a lot more that goes into it than just, uh, going in and, and, tearing somebody's house up, uh, and then a lot of the, a lot of the water losses and fire losses that we deal with are, uh, you know, directly handled by, uh, the insurance company, right?

So the homeowner, uh, most homeowners don't know how to navigate, uh, the, the insurance claims process. Right. So we're there to help the homeowners, uh, file a claim, and then we meet with, uh, their adjusters on site or virtually and basically walk them through, um, you know, why we did what we did. So we don't really ask for permission, um, for the entrance company to, to do what we need to do.

Um, But we will give them justification as to why we did it so that, uh, the entrance company doesn't deny the homeowner, uh, you know, like, let's say, let's say we had to remove flooring. Um, if we didn't have justification as to why we did that, if we didn't have the pictures or any of that, the, the, the entrance adjuster could say, you know, listen, um, in my opinion, the flooring didn't need to be removed.

You have no documentation or anything, uh, for that. So I think, uh, I think those are the behind the scenes, um, Fire and water restoration. Those jobs seem pretty intense. What, what keeps you motivated and, um, in high spirits when going through those kinds of jobs and, um, and helping those, those customers?

Honestly, uh, it's, it's, uh, the, the key word that you said last there is helping the customers. Uh, so it's, it's, uh, you know, we, In the water damage side of things, uh, in the fire damage side of things, I mean, um, you know, we're, we're their first call usually. So we go in, we evaluate it and we, we calm them down.

So like we'll, you know, we'll tell them, um, it is a difficult situation, but let us help you. The other part of it, uh, that keeps us motivated with it is, um, you know, knowing that once we're done, um, the, the, the customer is going to be back to what we call the pre loss condition. Um, So their home is going to be back to where they want it to be.

And we're there throughout the whole process. So, um, you know, we're, we're, if we remove flooring, we're there to help them pick out new floor and get it installed and all that, um, you know, to, to beautify their home, sort of say, uh, to, to make sure that it's, it's, uh, it's habitable again. Um, and we usually try to leave it in better shape than when we came in.

So, you know, we'll, we'll go above and beyond to make sure that somebody is happy. What's the hardest part about your business that people don't see? Uh, I think the, the hardest part is going to be the, the time away from family. Um, you know, the, the missed holidays, missed birthdays and so on. And then, uh, the, the other part, um, is that, that, you know, we, we don't collect, um, we don't collect payment, uh, upon completion.

Right. So most, uh, most businesses, as soon as they're done in your home, um, They're, they're waiting for payment, right? Uh, well, we, uh, once we're done with the dryout, we'll, uh, sketch the home out, we'll input it into a program, um, come up with a, a scope of work, an estimate, submit that to the entrance company, uh, the entrance company reviews it, Uh, you know, and, and basically agrees to our price or maybe has some questions regarding the work that was done.

Uh, we answer those questions, then the homeowner, um, gets payment from the entrance company and then we get paid. So typically it takes anywhere from, you know, 15, 30, uh, plus days to get paid on jobs. Um, so that, that it's a difficult part of running a business is, is, uh, you know, when you don't have that, that cash flow coming as soon as you're done with the jobs is, um, acting as a finance company for 30, 60, 90 days.

Yeah. Difficult for you, but a huge benefit for the customer. Exactly. I mean, uh, you know, the, the most people, and there was a survey done a few years back, uh, that, that, uh, stated that, uh, most Americans don't have a thousand dollars save for emergencies, right? And uh, so most people, when they call us, um, the, you know, when we go to, to look at the job, they ask us, well, like, when do you get paid?

And we tell them that, you know, if this is something that that's going to go through the entrance company, we get paid once you get paid from the entrance company, right? And, uh, so the, the, That's a huge benefit because then they don't have to worry about whether, um, whether they're going to be able to afford to have our services done or not.

And then we do also help, uh, homeowners who, who don't have insurance. I mean, we'll, we'll finance projects, you know, we'll, we'll, we'll do whatever we can to make sure that we're helping someone. Yeah. There's a lot of companies out there that offer similar services to AJS. What makes you guys stand out from your competition?

Uh, I think the biggest thing that stands out about us is, is my involvement, um, in the company. So, uh, the, the day to day carpet cleanings, I'm not too involved in those. I mean, I've got a great crew of guys who, who, uh, do an amazing job. You know, they, they, they get tons of feedback, um, positive feedback. Uh, so the day to day carpet cleanings, I'm not too involved in, uh, but the water, uh, fire side of things, uh, I'm usually on every single project.

So I will, uh, you know, I'll be there throughout some of the project, whether it's the walkthrough with the homeowner. prior to the start, whether it's to make sure that they're satisfied at the end, halfway through, they're gonna meet me, you know, at some point. And then, um, if we do the rebuild, because we don't always do the rebuild when we do water losses or fire losses, but if we do the rebuild, um, then my involvement is a little bit greater, um, cause I'm the one that, that, you know, introduces myself, contractors to the homeowners.

Uh, You know, I'm the one that brings in, uh, the samples and so on. Um, because I want to make sure that the homeowners understand what's being done, why it's being done, what materials are being used, and so on. Why do you, why do your clients come back to you? Do you have a lot of repeat business? We really do.

So, uh, we This year, um, we really haven't advertised much and a majority of our business this year has been repeat business. Um, the reason, the reason clients come to us, uh, I feel is obviously, I mean, the, the quality of the work. So people, people wouldn't, uh, hire a company who doesn't provide quality work.

So that, that's, uh, one of my biggest, uh, biggest things is, is I try to follow up with every customer, whether it's a carpet cleaning, water, fire job, uh, to make sure that they're happy. Sometimes the follow up is within, you know, 24 hours. Sometimes it's six months later and saying, Hey, you know, just, Just checking in to make sure you're still happy with the work that was done six months ago.

Um, and I think, uh, I think that that personal touch, um, is, is why customers like working with us, um, and, and come back. When people hear restoration, I, I think a common understanding would be fixing things. Uh, what's something that you think people misunderstand about the restoration process? Uh, so I think a lot of it is, um, A lot of it is gonna be the science of drying, right?

So, I mean, drawing a a building, uh, really is a science you're dealing with, uh, you're dealing with, with, you know, temperatures. So you gotta, you gotta make sure that you know what temperatures building materials are, uh, gonna evaporate at. So, uh, you know, if the drywall is wet, uh, but it's not evaporating the fan that you're putting on, it means absolutely nothing.

Um, so the, the, it, it is the science behind drawing. So you mentioned this a little bit earlier about, um, your, your payment process. Um, but what else, uh, makes your company stand out from larger corporations, uh, that do restoration or cleaning services? Personal involvement again is, is, uh, homeowners can always call me like I'll always be the one that answers the phone call.

So if there is an issue, um, You know, I'm going to be the one that's going to be held accountable for it with bigger corporations. You know, you can always push it back to somebody else, um, which, and I'm not saying that any of the companies do that, but it's a possibility for it to be done when there's, you know, hundreds of employees with me.

Uh, if there is an issue, I'm the one getting the phone call and I'm the one dealing with it. Uh, and I think that that's, um, that's a huge benefit to homeowners, especially when you're dealing with, I mean, you know, the, the, the carpet cleaning, not. As much, but when you're dealing with a hundred thousand dollar, um, you know, rebuild project, I mean, we just completed a hundred thousand dollar rebuild project a couple of weeks back.

Um, and you know, my involvement, uh, and actually, um, here's the, the, the funniest, um, situation for that. Uh, my involvement with that was going as far as to, uh, Windsor Wisconsin to pick up trim and, uh, baseboards. So, uh, the trim and the baseboards in this specific home, um, Um, are custom made and there's only a few suppliers in the U.

S. who are able to get this. And, uh, the, the closest supplier to us was in Windsor, Wisconsin. Well, they wouldn't ship it, um, unless it was just, crazy quantities. So what I did is I got in my truck, um, got a trailer, went and picked it up and delivered it to Des Moines. Um, didn't get paid a penny from anyone for doing so.

You know, I mean, it's, it's cost of doing business. Uh, but I, I personally went as far as Windsor, Wisconsin to pick up shrimp for somebody's home in Des Moines, Iowa. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. The length you'll go. Let's talk prevention. So what advice would you give to, um, Des Moines residents as for, as to preventing water damage, uh, in their home?

Yeah. So, uh, we live in the Midwest. I mean, we have basements, right? Um, the, the number one, um, phone call that we get is flooded basements. And the reason, um, the reason for it is, is, is. Some failures, um, is, you know, burst pipes, um, and so on. So preventing, uh, something that nobody really, I mean, I don't even do it and I'm in the industry.

So as a check in your sump pump, making sure that the float doesn't get stuck, um, you know, in the, in the down position, because those floats are typically held by a little metal rod. And if that rusts and it's. Sticks a float in the, the, um, closed position. Uh, when water rises, the sun pump's not gonna engage and it's gonna flood the basement, um, disconnecting your outside, uh, hoses from the, the water spigots.

So if you leave the, the hose connected, uh, under pressure, that that pressure is gonna stay in the spigot and, uh. We deal with cold weather. Well, when it gets cold like it is today, uh, you know, the the It's going to expand and then when you run that that pressure washer in the summer to wash your deck Um all that water where that that pipe is Painted all that water is going to come through there and flood your home So just make sure that you're taking those, uh, preventative steps.

Um, uh, you know, double checking your, your sump pumps, double checking that, that there's no running water anywhere in the home. Um, cause slow leaks are actually worse than, than, uh, than fast leaks because a slow leak, uh, can happen over the time, let's say a year. And in that year, it can rot framing. It can rot subfloor.

It can, you know, cause a lot of damage. Um, so, you know, just make sure that if you here, a tiny little drip. Um, you go and look for it and get that fixed as soon as possible. Yeah, definitely something that'd be overlooked. I can for sure. So after a restoration job, what is something that you check to make sure the home is safe and ready to be?

Uh, moved back in to obviously do a final walkthrough with the homeowner, uh, show them, you know, what was done, why it was done and so on. Uh, but then we, we go as far as, as, you know, just double checking everything that we did. Um, so, you know, we'll, let's say we replaced the vanity, uh, and, and faucet. Uh, sink and so on.

I mean, we'll go in, we'll let the water run for 10 minutes after the plumbers are done just to double check their work. Uh, because, you know, we're all human, we all make mistakes and, and, uh, we've had scenarios before where, uh, you know, we turned water onto a property after, after the plumbers got done and, uh, you know, they, they, didn't tighten it well enough.

So we get a call, um, the next morning say, Hey, there's a drip, um, you know, in my vanity. So we'll, we'll go out and fix it. Well, that, that's, uh, that's one of the things that, that, uh, we learned from. And now we, we just double, triple check everything prior to leaving a property to make sure that, uh, there's no risks of water, fire and so on.

Um, homeowners who experience, uh, burst pipes, you know, we'll, we'll call our plumber in to come and replace, uh, the pipe. And then we'll go as far as insulating the pipes, um, that are accessible to, to try to prevent a future freeze. I mean, you know, You know, you can only do so much to prevent it when it gets to the negative 30, negative 40 degrees, but we'll do everything that we can, uh, put pipe insulation on it, do, you know, do something to, to, to try to help.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Um, so you alluded to that a little bit, but, um, what's the lasting impact that you do for homes and businesses? Uh, the last thing impact I think is, is, um, the, the homeowners, um, and the business owners peace of mind that, uh, that things were done properly. So our documentation process is, uh, is thorough.

And uh, at the end of every project, the homeowner will get, uh, um, a report with hundreds of pictures of their project. So that, um, they, they have that peace of mind that the work was done properly and we have absolutely nothing to hide. I mean, when we're in your home, uh, we welcome you to come in, follow us around, you know, uh, to, to make sure that, that everything is being done right.

So, um, that report I think is, is that the biggest long lasting impact is, is a homeowner can have is a peace of mind. Absolutely. Yeah, what's the future vision you have for AJ's? My five year goal is to purchase a larger building that we're in currently, grow, grow the team a little bit more than then we are currently, you know, have office staff and and so on.

And then additional services, uh, I, I would love to to, um, add air duct cleaning to our, uh, services because most homes where we do, uh, water damage or fire damage, uh, most of the time we have air duct cleaning done at those homes. And we currently have someone, uh, doing that for us. Uh, well, their schedule is usually, you know, two, three weeks out.

Uh, so I would love to bring that in house and be able to turn projects around quicker for homeowners. Are there any other new services or innovations that you're excited about to include in your, your services? Yeah, I think I think that the industry is evolving daily. I mean, uh, every every trade show that that that they make with this industry in mind, there's new, um, new equipment being put out.

Uh, new con. The concept is still the same. Uh, you know, you're drawing a structure, but now, uh, with the equipment that's being made nowadays, you're doing that so much more efficiently than it was just a 10 years ago. Um, you know, back in the eighties, I mean, I have no idea how those guys did it, you know?

So we are very blessed to have, um, access to all this new technology and new equipment. Um, so that, that's something I'm always excited about is, is getting the, um, you know, getting new Toys to play with, sort of say. Yeah. As the industry evolves, uh, how do you plan to stay competitive? Uh, through learning.

So we, uh, we are gonna implement, um, a rewards program for our employees to, to all become master, um, in their fields. So when I say masters, uh, there's, uh, uh, uh, the organization called the IICRC, uh, which is the International Institute of Cleaning and Restoration. Um, and the, the master certificate is basically their highest, um, honor, right?

It's kind of like a, a degree in, in cleaning and restoration. Um, So, uh, my goal is to, to push my guys, um, to all get to that master standard to make sure that, that, you know, we're continuously learning about new, um, new techniques, new products, um, that are going to make things easier and better for homeowners.

How do you plan to stay competitive and offer top tier services to your customers? I think through education, um, I think, I think, uh, you know, just. Just staying on top of of the new equipment that the new, uh, you know, new standards that are being implemented. So just a couple years ago, we had a new, uh, new water damage standard come out.

So it is being educated in that and, uh, and being able to follow that. So when I say standard is, is our industry, um, is not, you know, heavily regulated like some are. Uh, so the, the being a company that, uh, that goes through the effort of, of, um, self regulating through that, that IRCRC, uh, you know, through education with that IRCRC, uh, I feel is going to be, um, you know, beneficial to offering top tier services to customers.

So what keeps you motivated and passionate about Offering these top tier services after all the years of being in business. Uh, so I think, uh, I think that the, the biggest thing that keeps me motivated, um, and passionate about it is, is helping others, um, you know, in a time of need, cause nobody really wants us in their home, uh, during a, you know, water or fire, they need us in their home.

So. So, um, you know, the, the, the motivation to, to go in and show them that we were there to help. Um, and, and, you know, we're, we're there to, to make the situation better. Um, and then the, the second part of that is, uh, you know, my, my son, uh, he, he He's actually, uh, he spends a lot of time here with me. Uh, he's always asking me, he's like, Hey, daddy, can I go to work with you?

Uh, and I've actually taken him on a couple of jobs with me and, uh, you know, just, just had him walk through and so on. And, uh, you know, you know how they do those, uh, little things at school, like what do you want to be when you grow up? And, uh, the past few years, his has been, uh, you know, I want to be a business owner like my daddy and like that that's uh, you know, I mean that that's All the motivation I really need.

Uh, so that's uh, that's something that that um, You know that I hold dear to to me to keep me motivated and there's a picture up there that he drew on the wall there and uh Anytime i'm having a bad day and and you know Have a hard time going I look at that and i'm like man, you know that that's uh, that that's what it's all for Best dad ever.

Yep. Is he your biggest supporter? Oh, 100%. He, uh, you know, obviously my family, um, you know, everybody, everybody supports me. But, uh, the, the, you know, he's the, he's the one that, that, that helps me get up in the morning and get things going. What advice would you give to somebody that's, uh, Wanting to start a new business.

Uh, you know, I'm going to say the American dream is not dead, right? So, uh, the, the, there's a lot of, uh, there's a lot of talks, um, and, and headlines saying, you know, is the American dream dead and so on? Uh, it's not, I mean, if you're willing to work hard, if you're willing to put in the effort, it's there. Uh, so my, my advice is, to somebody looking to start a business is, uh, you know, prepare yourself for it.

So, I mean, it's, it's not something where you're going to start today and make money tomorrow. It's something where you're going to, you're going to start today and you might not make money for the first three to five years. You might just be able to barely pay the bills because I'm, that's exactly what I did.

I mean, the first, uh, three to five years of business, Um, you know, I've had countless sleepless nights, uh, where I think to myself, how am I going to pay next month's bills? Uh, you know, the, the, let's say it's the 31st and the first is, uh, tomorrow. And, uh, I've got to write a check for the mortgage and I, I just don't have it.

And, uh, so, but that, that all comes with business ownership. I mean, it's, it's, uh, there's, there's ups and downs. So, you know, be prepared for that. It's not all, um, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Uh, but it is very rewarding to, to accomplish something, uh, to build something to, to, you know, for me when I walk into here and when I look at, at all of the, the fans, all of the equipment, all the dehumidifiers, uh, you know, it, it just makes me happy to have accomplished that.

And I think, uh, I think. Anybody who's willing to, to, um, to work for it and, and put in the effort, uh, can succeed. America is built like that. I mean, it was built on, on small businesses, right? I mean, that, that's really what, what built this country. So why not be a part of that? Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. It's always going to take more work and more time than expected.

A hundred percent. I mean, I, uh, you know, 40 hour weeks that, that, that is hilarious. I, uh, you know, my, my, my weeks, uh, I, I, I don't remember the last time I put in 40 hours. Right. Uh, but to me, it's all worth it. Um, and, and, you know, yeah, to, to me, it's all worth it. How can listeners reach out if they're interested in carpet cleaning or any future services?

Yeah. So, uh, the, the best way to reach out, the easiest way to reach out is, uh, through a phone call. Um, so our phone number is (515) 868-9985. Uh, we have a Facebook page with a very large following. Uh, we have, you know, a website, uh, email addresses and so on. Uh, the, the, you know, text messages, um, Facebook messages, emails, I mean, all of that gets responded to.

Uh, but the quickest way to, to get something set up is usually a phone call. Awesome. Well, thank you AJ for sharing your story and insights with us today. AJ's cleaning and restoration clearly goes above and beyond whether it's cleaning carpets or helping people recover from disasters. You can learn more about AJ's cleaning and restoration in the show notes below.

Thank you guys for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. This helps us bring more stories like AJ's to the spotlight. And if you're a business owner looking to grow, be sure to check out prteam us. com to help your business reach new heights. We'll be back next time with more stories from the Hidden Hustle, but until then, keep hustling.