This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brian Winch, the founder of Clean Lots. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
As a young kid, I watched my parents work hard to keep food on the table. What is now called picking up a few side hustles was then just a way of life: they’d head to second, or even third jobs, to ensure we could make ends meet.
As one of three boys, once we became teenagers, we found ourselves helping too. So, it wasn’t a surprise when my dad told me we were going to head out at the crack of dawn to clean trash from business parking lots.
While some kids today might hate everything about this, that wasn’t how I was raised. My parents never complained about their lot as poor, working-class people doing what they needed to do. And I far from hated it. In fact, I found it peaceful to wake up early, watch the sunrise, and help a business owner clear their parking lot so it looked fresh and clean when their customers arrived.
Better yet, I was with my dad, something most 12-year-olds love deep down.
My father inspired me to start a simple business
My Dad’s name was Joseph Winch, and he was a World War II refugee immigrant from Poland to where I grew up, in Calgary. He’d worked on the kill floor at a meatpacking plant when he got here. He’d laid track for the railroad. He’d been a hospital orderly.
When I was 21, my father died suddenly. I didn’t have time to tell him that while my friends headed for other careers, I was secretly considering following his footsteps.
Deep in grief but motivated to make a path for myself, I started reaching out to properties to offer cleanup services. I established Winch Janitorial Services, which later became Winch Enterprises.
I now run Clean Lots, where I am also an author, educating others on what I call “America’s Simplest Business.” In a tech-fueled world, it’s one that has remained AI-proof, as no robot can, as of now, truly scour the entire property for every little cigarette butt in the bushes and hard-to-reach places.
Around 45 years later, I’m not only proud of the career I’ve built helping others, but grateful I pursued my father’s legacy over those other career options.
My family works alongside me
A few years into my janitorial career, where I’d make sure every last piece of trash was out of the bushes and owners knew if any fresh graffiti had been added to their buildings overnight, my two twin brothers started getting involved.
They both helped with their specific talents: the one who operated a forklift helped with cleanup, and the other focused on the project bidding and outreach.
We scaled to over $700,000 per year. Working with my brothers has gone better than some would expect — in fact, it’s a way to keep the family together through the years.
But the family member I didn’t expect to feel walking alongside me was my dad. Some days, I can sense his presence in the parking lots right next to me.
I’ve even heard him speaking to me in my head: “Brian, take a few steps that way.” Once, I followed this voice and found a wallet. At first, I thought I was crazy, but that day I realized how real it is.
I want to help others find the same success in a simple business
After building my career, I realized I wanted to mentor others through their own business builds in this industry.
One high school teacher in Chicago built his business to make money during the summers off and, after partnering with some buddies, grew it to operate in multiple states.
Through these stories, I realized my father’s legacy — and now my own — was never about trash; it was about being of service to others.
