Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1189: Quit Pepsi. Spent $20K on an app. Then COVID hit. Here's how to PERSIST and build a successful company w/ Chris Randall
Chris Randall left a promising corporate career at Pepsi to follow a bigger calling—and built an innovative app-based cleaning company called Sweep. In this episode, he shares how a single idea during a long commute sparked a mission to create a frictionless, tech-powered cleaning solution for busy people. Chris dives into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, from investing $20k into app development right before COVID hit, to cleaning homes himself while knocking on doors to survive.
This episode is packed with real talk about resilience, product-market fit, and building systems that scale. Whether you're in tech, services, or somewhere in between, you'll walk away fired up and ready to take action.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🚀 How to validate and launch an app-based business from scratch—even during a pandemic
- 📦 Why ego can crush your business before it starts (and how humility opens doors)
- 🧠 How to think like an executive and engineer frictionless systems
- 💸 Why you should build pricing around customer clarity (not industry norms)
- 👥 How Chris created a two-sided marketplace without burning out
- 📈 The metrics and mindset that keep Chris focused on growth
- 🤖 How he's using AI to power operations, marketing, and systemization
📝 About the Guest
Chris Randall is the founder and CEO of Sweep, a tech-powered residential cleaning platform. After climbing the ranks at PepsiCo, Chris pivoted from corporate to startup life to solve a real-world problem—making house cleaning as easy and transparent as ordering an Uber. With no industry experience, he learned on the ground (literally), and today he leads one of West Michigan's most recognized local tech brands. Chris is also deeply active in community building, relationship-based marketing, and leveraging technology for scalable growth.
🎯 Chris’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
“If you have a business idea, stop overthinking it. It’s not about finding the perfect idea—it’s about being the right person to build something great.” – Chris Randall
💬 Key takeaways from Chris’s advice:
✔ The industry doesn’t have to be your passion—your execution can become your passion
✔ Focus on building a business, not just doing the work you’re skilled at
✔ Systems and scalability matter more than initial innovation
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “Starting a business means putting ego aside and doing the dirty work—literally, in my case.” – Chris Randall
- “I launched a tech platform, but I had to knock on doors and clean houses to survive.” – Chris Randall
- “AI eliminates hours of work I used to dread. It’s like having a whole extra team.” – Chris Randall
💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Price your services in a way that aligns with how customers actually think
✅ Use AI to streamline your operations, communication, and marketing
✅ Get involved in your local community—trust and relationships open doors
✅ Build systems now that will make scaling easy later, especially if franchising is on your radar
🔗 Links & Resources