Lessons from an Eight‑Hour Disaster

Michael Sutton was a university student looking to pay tuition when he and a buddy spotted an overlooked problem: dirty grills. With zero experience and just pure hustle, they started knocking on doors. After landing five sales on their very first day, they hit a critical snag—they had no idea how to actually clean a grill. That first job was an "eight-hour disaster," forcing them to learn on the fly.

Instead of quitting, Michael turned that grueling summer job into Grill Hero, a rapidly expanding franchise model for grill cleaning. He learned the hard way about the power of door-to-door sales and why employees are crucial for quality control over contractors. After a $10,000 university startup grant and a failed attempt at corporate expansion, Michael pivoted to the franchise model that became the key to his scaling.

In this interview, Michael shares with Ryan Atkinson his playbook for turning a simple idea into a scalable home service business. He details the startup costs, his high-value pricing strategy (averaging $315/job), and how his franchisees are set up as managers from day one. This is a masterclass in entrepreneurship and building a real-world brand.

Takeaways:

- Sell your service before you have perfected it. Michael and his partner secured five sales on their first day of door-knocking before they even knew how to clean a grill.

- Embrace early failures as a necessary learning curve. Their first cleaning was an "eight-hour disaster," but that failure was essential for iterating and developing a workable process.

- Leverage your unique attributes. As 18-year-old entrepreneurs, they used their youth as a "superpower" to build rapport, gain trust, and get support from customers and mentors.

- For a home service business, door-to-door sales are an invaluable way to get your first 100 customers, build personal relationships, and get direct feedback to refine your service.

- The employee model is superior to the 1099 contractor model for a service business that depends on quality control, accountability, and building a strong brand culture.

- When scaling, a franchise model can be far more effective than corporate expansion. It allows for deeper market penetration by leveraging a local owner's investment and focus.

- Build your franchise model so that owners are "managers from day one." Their primary job should be sales, marketing, and operations, not doing the manual labor themselves.

- A premium brand justifies premium pricing. By building a reputation as the most trusted name,- Grill Hero raised its prices from $60 to an average of over $315 by targeting high-end customers.

- Look for simple, overlooked problems. Grill Hero found success by being a "first mover," offering a practical service that many people needed but no one else was offering.

- Recognize your limitations and hire to fill the gaps. Michael's most significant recent growth came from hiring an experienced CEO, which allowed him to focus on his strengths.

Tags: Home Services, Service & Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Side Hustle, Startup, Grill Cleaning

Resources:

Grow your business today: https://links.upflip.com/the-business-startup-and-growth-blueprint-podcast

Connect with Mike: https://www.instagram.com/mikesutton7/