07/06/2025
“The Part of Entrepreneurship that most of us never hear…”
Most people see the polished version of a business.
The logo.
The vans.
The uniforms.
The brand message.
But here’s what they don’t see:
They don’t see two people sitting at the kitchen table—trying to figure out how to put together a proposal for a real client without having a clue how to do it.
About a month and a half after we officially formed ECS, we got our first real opportunity: a local veterinary hospital looking for cleaning three nights a week.
We didn’t have proposal software.
We didn’t have a playbook.
We opened Google Docs and just started typing.
Scope of work? We guessed.
Pricing? We hoped it made sense.
Terms? Let’s just say it was “basic.”
But we hit send.
And they said yes.
That first “yes” changed everything.
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I worked the account myself—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights for the first couple of months.
And slowly, we started learning.
We saw the floors needed extra attention, so we started offering floor care.
They asked about supplies, so we figured out how to source and resell consumables.
Before long, we realized this could be more than a side hustle.
This could be a real business.
It was exciting.
It was exhausting.
It was just the beginning.
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But even with that early momentum, we were still figuring everything out:
• How to train people when we barely had a system
• How to price correctly and still leave room for profit
• How to lead when we were still learning ourselves
• How to balance business and marriage without letting one suffer
There were nights we questioned it.
There were weeks we went without paying ourselves.
There were moments we had to ask, “Is this even working?”
Ever been there?
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I’m sharing this because I know some of you are in this exact season right now.
Trying to land that first contract.
Or trying to hold onto it while wearing every hat.
Or wondering if this was the right move after all.
If that’s you—I want to remind you:
You don’t have to have it all figured out to build something real.
You just have to be willing to show up, stay humble, and keep learning.
The polished brand comes later.
But the grit? That’s what gets you there.
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👉🏽 Have you ever had to figure something out while doing it?
👉🏽 What was your first client story—and what did it teach you?
Let’s open the floor.
Not just for the highlight reel—but the real, raw, behind-the-scenes parts of building.
We’re in this together.
—Alex
