When asked about the experience of starting his own cleaning businesses, James Sutton had one thing to say: “It was hard.”
Sutton and his wife, Nicole, own Smart Cleaning Solutions and Judy’s Carpet Cleaning, two Madison businesses that have faced plenty of hurdles. The Suttons have taken each obstacle in stride, however, and reaped the rewards of perseverance.
Sutton established Smart Cleaning Solutions in 2013 with an initial focus on commercial cleaning and no outside funding. Building momentum was slow and began with smaller jobs, like cleaning the hallways of apartment buildings.
“I used my very first vacuum cleaner out of my own apartment,” he said.
Then, a stroke of luck offered new possibilities.
“The CEO of WPS, Mike Hamerlik, started mentoring me,” said Sutton. “A cleaning (opportunity) came up for WPS, and I just bid on it. I wasn’t even really expecting to get it, but … that’s what changed the course of my company in 2017.”
“I got to know James as an honest, hardworking and passionate entrepreneur,” said Hamerlik, who retired from WPS in 2023. “He was looking for opportunities to prove what he and his team could do. I tried to be a sounding board for his ideas and approaches to growing in the Madison market.
“When his company began working for WPS, I was not involved in the decision-making process. It was James’ hard work and unique approach that convinced the WPS team that he had a more effective and unique service to offer than his competitors.”
With his company now cleaning half a million square feet of space and several buildings, Sutton was able to expand from six employees to over 20.
“That’s how much they believed in me,” he said.
While the company’s relationship with WPS ended after Hamerlik’s retirement, Sutton was able to start Judy’s Carpet Cleaning in 2020 with the income from that account.
Another hurdle loomed for Sutton’s companies, however, as the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the business landscape.
“Building was going crazy,” Sutton said, “but when the office space shut down, and no one was looking to increase office space, or people were trimming back on cleaners … we had to change how we were doing business.”
Sutton shifted his focus to post-construction cleaning, and since that time he has diversified the businesses’ portfolios to include accounts with Zimbrick, Findorff and JP Cullen, to name a few.
Now employing 48 workers, Sutton was encouraged to take another leap, constructing a 10,000-square-foot commercial space at 2522 Agricultural Drive with grants from the city of Madison’s Commercial Ownership Assistance program and the Madison Development Corp. He said without them, “there’s no way that building would be up right now.”
The new facility represents a significant milestone, providing a home base for employees, needed storage and a garage space for events.
Recent success has Sutton aiming high — namely, for 200 employees in the next five years.
“We hire really good people,” said Sutton. “And my business model is different.”
Part of that difference comes through weekly building walk-throughs and quality control reports — some of which are conducted by Sutton himself and quality control manager Kelly Griego, who Sutton said is another “big part” of the company’s growth.
“That’s how we retain customers,” said Sutton. “We have 48 souls that are depending on our business to feed their families, and I don’t think there’s anything more important than that.”
Smart Cleaning Solutions
smartcleaningwi.com
608-520-4402
