Behind the Business

BDC Small Business Week: The Story Behind Gladiator Pro Wash

• Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce • Season 3 • Episode 10

Share episode

Today’s episode is sponsored by BDC – the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs, as we celebrate BDC Small Business Week, from October 19-25. Each day, we’re spotlighting a different small business owner from our community — the people who power our local economy, create jobs, and bring innovation to life. We’re also excited to have this year’s theme focus on the economic revolution, and getting your business ready.

Today, we’re sitting down with Nicholas Preisenhammer of Gladiator Pro Wash. What started as a small local exterior cleaning business quickly grew into a trusted company known for quality, reliability, and attention to detail. Nicholas has built his business on hard work and care for his clients — proving that small businesses can make a big impact through dedication and integrity.

We’ll explore how dedication, integrity, and customer care have fueled Nick’s success — and continue to drive his business forward.

Join me as we go “Behind the Business” with Nicholas Preisenhammer.

Get a look Behind the Business in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

Ian McLean:

Welcome to another episode of Behind the Business, presented by Gore Mutual. Today's episode is also sponsored by BDC as we celebrate BDC Small Business Week. I'm your host, Ian McLean, President and CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterdoo Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is recorded on the traditional territory of the neutral Anishinabe and Hodenishone peoples. Each episode, I sit down for candid conversations where we go beyond the boardroom and behind the business to uncover the real stories within Waterdoo Region's business community. Today's episode is sponsored by BDC, the Bank for Canadian Entrepreneurs, as we celebrate BDC Small Business Week from October 19th to 25th. Each day we're spotlighting a different small business owner from our community, the people who power our local economy, create jobs, and bring innovation to life. We're also excited to have this year's theme focused on the economic revolution and getting your business ready. Today we're sitting down with Nicholas Preisenhammer of Gladiator ProWatch, what started as a small local exterior cleaning business quickly grew into a trusted company known for quality, reliability, and attention to detail. Nicholas has built his business on hard work and care for his clients, proving that small businesses can make a big impact through dedication and integrity. We'll explore how dedication, integrity, and customer care have fueled Nick's success and continue to drive his business forward. Join me as we go behind the business with Nicholas Preisenhammer. Well, thanks so much for spending time with us. You know, with all entrepreneurs, I always say this in this series: time is probably your most valuable commodity. So thanks for spending some time with us today.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, for sure. I'm happy to be here. I'm excited to talk a little bit about everything.

Ian McLean:

So let's start at the beginning. Tell us about yourself and the and the business and how it came to be.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, for sure. So uh I started about five, six years ago. Um, I was laid off. It was during COVID and I was working at a restaurant. I was going to school in Toronto, and that kind of like I was finished school. Um, I got laid off because there was nothing, there's no work in the restaurant industry at that time. Um, so I moved back home to Vergus Alores, where I'm from, and I just started knocking on doors, like tried to sell like different things, but window cleaning was kind of the easiest thing because it was super cheap to do, and people actually needed their windows cleaned in our area. So uh I started with that. It started as just Nick's window cleaning. Um and it it proved concept. It was pretty good at the start. Like first year didn't do much, it was just me and like, you know, I did everything. Um, but then we were able to scale and kind of double every single year since then. And then the second year I started it as or I made the like the company like Gladiator, like I actually branded it, um incorporated, and then grew from there. Um and yeah, so now we're at like I think 17 full-time people, and we have like a little over 4,500 people in our database. So it's it's been going pretty good.

Ian McLean:

What what's your just out of interest, I mean, do you geographically, I mean, do you're you are you kind of uh Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo? What what's your what's your what's your business? Uh where where do you focus your business?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, so if you drew a circle around it, it would be like so started Fergus Alora, but like from there we we go like Mount Forest is kind of like the most north we'll go. Um, and then Cambridge, and then over to like Halton Hills. So if you kind of drew a circle around that, that that would be like our service area. So like really heavy and Guelph, obviously Fergus Alora, like we really dominate there, and then like Kitchener KW is kind of like what we've moved into this year. Cool. Um, but we like to do like kind of one spot at a time because then you're you're seeing way more rather than being like spread kind of thin. Yeah. So like if you're in like in Fergus Alora, you see our signs, you see the trucks, like you'll see us on Instagram, and then we won't move to another market until we can do all those three things in that like market. Because then they'll see us a lot more, it works a lot better.

Ian McLean:

Uh, so when you think back in the early days, so so you really did start, you know, necessity, the the the uh mother or the uh necessity being the invention of the of the business is you know, COVID, what are you gonna do? You started the business, you've grown it. What did you learn uh when you think back in those days as you got started? What did you learn uh or what was the biggest learning curve or surprise about running your own business? Because you hadn't done that before. You were you do you be you this is your first first effort at at owning a business. What was the biggest surprise or learning curve?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, the biggest learning curve would be that I didn't have to do everything on my own, that I could uh like get bring people on that kind of want to be a part of the vision um and the journey and and get them to wear some of the hats. Because at first it was tough. Like you do like, you know, we did 10 times less of what we do now and like work per year, and I was like 10 times more stressful, like doing everything. And like I didn't really trust many people to do many things. Um, but like they say in business when you can hand something off and they can do it like 80, 90 percent as good as you, then that's that's even better because then they'll focus on it, and then you're not spread so thin. And like usually you end up doing like a worse job if you're doing 20 different things rather than one person doing that one job. So that's kind of the biggest learning curve.

Ian McLean:

So so that leads to the next question because I was gonna say, you you as a small business owner, particularly when you're starting, you're doing it, you're doing everything, uh, and you wear a lot of hats. Um, so is that what you learned about yourself as a leader, you know, or as an entrepreneur? Is that you needed to hand things off? Not you know, you you did, but did you did you come to that realizing, hey, I'm going to have to find someone who's really good at marketing or you know, uh develop um you know, make sure that you were focusing on the things you're really good at and be able to hand off some of the other pieces? Yeah, for sure.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

I like I would say I'd say like another thing I learned with handing things off is that you should just focus on what you're best at. And for me, like I'm really good at like sales marketing. I'm really good at a little bit of operations, but I don't love the operation side of things. Yeah. Things so like I've brought in a few people that like really handle pretty much all the operations. And like I still I still, you know, look and I'll track like kind of what's going on, and we'll we'll sit down and like you know, figure stuff out when there's challenges. But yeah, for me, I I learned that my best things are like sales marketing. And so I really focus on that. Mostly marketing. Like we have people that do the sales, but also manage the sales. Um, but yeah, that that's kind of what I learned um throughout the journey is like just focus on what you're good at um because then yeah, that'll yield a lot more than if you do everything.

Ian McLean:

So you've developed a relationship with BDC, and and of course it's uh it's BDC Small Business Week. So we're we're pleased to do this series, and and and we've had, you know, we have um a series of these conversations coming out with a variety of different entrepreneurs. Talk about how the relationship with BDC started because they they are, you know, you've got probably an accountant and a law firm and you know, some of those professionals, but and you probably have a traditional bank, most most businesses do, but BDC is something different. How did you kind of come to develop the relationship with BDC?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

So what when I first started, I always thought it was good to like pay everything in cash. Yeah, I never took on any debt, which like I still agree with now. Like if someone were to start a business now, unless they have a lot of experience, it's probably best to just pay it in cash, it's paid off, and like if something happens and you know it's okay at the end of the day. But but then eventually we wanted to take on some debt because it's hard to pay cash when you're you don't have to buy as many trucks and stuff. It just makes more sense to to take on debt that you can service easily, obviously. Um, and so because we didn't pay or we didn't have any debt, everything was cash, uh it was a lot hard to get a lot harder to get a loan that was like a good rate because we didn't have any like past history of debt. Um, and then that's where the BDC came in. They were actually able to help us out um with they so you guys do like like equipment as well as like vehicle. So it's like all equipment you guys will finance. So um although we paid for the we always pay for our equipment and cash, the vehicles like is what we want to finance. Um we were able to get a really good rate on our first vehicle that we financed. Um and yeah, that that really helped us out and like kind of set like the the foundation for like how we're gonna set up our one division, which is like our our power washing side of things. Um and yeah, that that's kind of how it started. I I found out about the BDC through uh there was there's there's a loan actually going on. It's like a CDAP loan that was going on, and it was like a $50,000 interest free or whatever, depending on your size company. And that's how I learned about it. And then I I went back when we actually wanted to like get more trucks and that sort of thing.

Ian McLean:

And so for us at the Chamber of Commerce, I mean we we're always saying like we have relationships with obviously the banks and you know their their partners of ours. BDC has been one of those best kept secrets of saying, you know, they will help you in especially small businesses with with when you when your risk profile your traditional bank won't lend to you is that BDC's that's what they're that's what they're designed for, to be a bit to help manage the risk as you're as you're scaling your business. So we're big advocates of of the work that they do and helping businesses grow and and succeed and uh and and scale and and in what you what you've done. Um and and it leads to, you know, as an entrepreneur, so you've got your your you know the relationship with BDC as an example, but um collaboration or or mentorship is is a big part of for every business as they as they grow. Um how have those partnerships and mentorship, mentors, um, and the financial you know support of people like BDC helped get you or get you to where you are today?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

So BDC, yeah, that that's a good point that you said there before. Like uh BDC really looked at like me as an entrepreneur and then said, okay, like here's what although he does, yeah, like he doesn't have any debt, which that's the banks like look at that's a big factor, as well as like your numbers. But they said, Oh, that he has strong numbers, no debt, but it makes sense why he doesn't have debt and like he has a lot of potential, you know. And so and that that's like a good reason why they wanted to work with us and like why we we still work with us.

Ian McLean:

Yeah, so they're betting on potential and seeing yeah, seeing seeing that you've you've got a good book of business and you and you're a good risk to take on some debt that frankly, you know, traditional banks that it's the way they work, they're they they they're in not in a position to do that. Yeah. BDC filled that gap for you.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, exactly. And then like along with that, like the people that I've worked with, like Levi and Wes, and there's a couple others, um, there's also a lot of people that'll just like help. Like if you need help, you know, with you know, certain aspects of the business, like there's there's a lot of people with experience there.

Ian McLean:

What you're thinking about growing your business. Well, what what's what are those like friends? Are they business colleagues? What what are the types of people that have helped you kind of um uh bounce ideas off of?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Like just through the BDC or overall?

Ian McLean:

Well, but uh overall BDC's one, but are there others that aside from from BDC?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, for sure. Like, I mean, uh a big one uh is like in a in our business, like we're a luxury service, people call it. So like you need to have a certain you don't need to, but like not everyone's gonna hire window cleaning unless you have like a certain amount of disposable income. So a lot of our clients, like we have some pretty big clients that like have you know nice houses and stuff like that. And so a lot of them I've even just asked and just said, like, hey, like you're obviously pretty successful, like you know, can you give me some advice? And through that, I've gotten like networks of people um that still help me today that I can just I could call and I talk to all the time, and they have like massive businesses. Um it just happened through through that. So yeah, it's it's it's crazy what you can do, like if you just ask, you know.

Ian McLean:

Well, and I I think that's important, and particularly for for a small entrepreneur that's watching or someone that's thinking of starting their business. There are lots of people in the community. I mean, you some of them were your clients, but you ask a question, and and and most people are more than happy to give some give some advice, and and and you know developing those relationships is really important. It sounds like it has been to your business.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, for sure. Oh, yeah. Like it's not what you know, it's who you know. So that's what that's what takes you everywhere. You you gotta you gotta like not be afraid to ask uh a question, even if it's a stupid question. I mean, you're gonna think it's a stupid question, no one else does, so just ask the question, and then yeah, people will help.

BDC Ad:

An economic revolution is underway, and your business is at the heart of it. AI is transforming the way we work. Global trade is a barrier that all the houses and businesses are about to change, and new investments are real economic revolution, that's make productivity a priority. Get ready for what's next to action now. This small business week, we celebrate the entrepreneurs writing the next chapter. You're not following change, you're leading it. Get inspired, network, and go for it. The economic revolution is here. Is your business ready?

Ian McLean:

So the the theme of this year's of BDC's Small Business Week uh is the economic revolution is here, get your business ready. Like there and whether you're watching Canada, U.S. with Trump and tariffs, and there's all kinds of things, um, may not affect your business directly um what's what's going on, but there's a lot of change happening. It's affecting some businesses, some business sectors. Um, but it's shifting fast. That's that's for sure. Um have you made some changes recognizing how you know your your business is growing? Have you made some changes like I'm thinking technology, or is there is there ways of of um becoming more um increasing your productivity? Are you making changes inside your business to leverage some of those things like technology? Uh yeah, for sure.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

So like when you talk about that, the first thing that comes to mind is like AI and just like you know how people are like could be losing their jobs for whatever reasons. And it's kind of funny because like the the biggest or like the biggest sector that might be affected is is like software and that sort of thing, which like you didn't think that before, but now that AI is here, um it is. And and so for us it's it's nice, it's refreshing because like home service is the last thing that that sort of stuff could take over because it's so it's personal, it's hands-on, it's you know, that sort of thing. Um, but like as far as being seen and like marketing, that sort of thing goes, um, I think it's important that like we keep up, and we've done this already, keep up with trends, like especially AI. Whereas like if you look at Google right now, like Google is they're going kind of down with like search volume, especially this year. And that's because people are starting to to search on AI, like ChatGBT, hey, like let's find a window cleaner near me, that sort of thing. So, so in in business, it's not always the person who's the best, it's the person who markets the best and then treats their customers great. But if you can market yourself good, then you can get the business. Obviously, you have to fulfill the business properly. But it starts with getting your name out there. So it's important to like keep up with that sort of thing and not just rely on Google or newspaper because like it's newspaper was good, I don't know, 30 years ago. Now it doesn't work at all. Some stuff can still work, but Google could be the same thing, you know. Like it it was great, but just because it's been great doesn't mean it will still work.

Ian McLean:

And I think that's the lesson is things are changing fast, and that's the changing landscape.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah.

Ian McLean:

Listen, uh, there's many small businesses that are listening to this podcast or watching. What would be one or a couple of or a piece of advice you would give to other entrepreneurs that are looking to either start or scale up their uh their business?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Uh so that would be two different pieces. That for someone starting, like looking to start, I would say, and I've said this before to like people who have asked me, just just start. Like even if even if it might be a stupid idea or like you know, you don't think you'll go anywhere, which you you will think that when you start, just start. Like that's the biggest thing you can do, like zero to one. That's like a really uh that's a good step that I've read. Yeah, that's the biggest step. Like you you just have to start. Um, because if you don't start, then you don't know what's gonna what's happen what's gonna happen, what's possible. So so yeah, that'd be the first. And then if someone's looking to scale, like like all you got to do is ask, like just ask people um because it's easier to learn from someone than to learn it yourself, like so much easier, and there's so much information now, like with this podcast. Like this wouldn't be possible like 20 years ago, you know. There's so much information. Five years ago, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so just just ask, and like even like someone like me, people ask me all the time, and I always help because there's so many people that have helped me. I still help just yeah, just ask. That's kind of the biggest thing.

Ian McLean:

Um and and you know, coming back to BDC, one of the things that they they do financing, but they also have advisory services. So when you're when you're thinking of scaling, they can be some some some of that mentor, if you if you will, because they've got professionals that can help you with business plans and and some of the other things aside from the financing as well. So looking ahead, what's next for the business? So you've you've you started uh uh in during COVID because the the you know it was uh nothing nothing to do, and you're you know, you're in in the midst of of a pandemic. You've got 15 employees, I think you said. What's next? Uh what's what's what does it look like for you uh in uh as you look to the horizon?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Uh just kind of increasing, like I mentioned our service area at the start, just kind of increasing that and um like maximizing what we can do where we are now, and then like pushing the boundaries because we have like I don't know how many people in Ontario, but like most of the people in Canada are in southern Ontario. There's it's like a huge metropolitan population, like Toronto, you know, you have Muskoka, all these areas. So our goal right now is just scale into those areas. Um, and like the biggest lack in our industry is like not the quality of work, but you know, the showing up on time, like clean cut, like it's low-skilled labor. So you you you can shine if you have like someone that smiles and like you know, someone that's good with talking. Like those are the things that lack good with customer service. Yeah, exactly. That's that's the biggest thing, customer service, like leaving a lasting impression. So that's that's kind of our goal right now. Like we have a lot of room um to scale, and that's that's just basically the focus.

Ian McLean:

Well, I think you're right. I mean, this kit Kitchener Water or the region of Waterloo is gonna be a million people in 20 to 25 years. So there's another two or three hundred thousand people are gonna end up living in in Waterloo region, let alone Guelph and you know, some of the Mount Forest and other places that you serve as well. So there's there's lots of room for growth uh as you as you scale your business. Listen, um, a part of this, I said this off the top, the podcast is a is is uh it's about your business journey and and entrepreneurs and how they've grown and how they started their business, but it's also a little bit about leadership and and business leaders all have a different kind of way that they've done it. We've talked about some of those things, but I always like to end up with a kind of the series of rapid-fire questions because it's always fascinating to see how people um you know how they view these things. So um if you could go back and tell you now, you're you know, I have to say for those of us with gray beards and gray in our hair, you already you already are younger, but if you could go back and tell a younger version of you, uh, what would you tell yourself?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Like I I guess I would tell myself that uh like I mean, going back to what I was talking about before, like uh that you can trust people throughout the journey. I I guess that this is what I would say is um usually you get caught in the day-to-day, especially in business. Like you're you're not really like looking at like what's possible.

Ian McLean:

Planning in the future.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah. And so if you if you want to attract people that will be along for the ride, like good people, then you can't really look at the day-to-day. Their job is more to look at the day-to-day and make sure everything's on track, but you have to cast the vision and remind them of the vision when times are hard and when it's good. Um, and and that's that's probably the biggest thing and something that I've lacked on in past years, and I'm really trying to do now.

Ian McLean:

Great advice. And and even though you didn't tell your younger self, it's good to take that advice now. So who or what inspires you?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Um I would say uh there's a lot of like the home service space for many years hasn't really been like a trendy thing. Like no one wanted to go into home service home improvement. Like everyone wants to be like a lawyer or like a real estate agent. It it wasn't that cool. Um, but now it's we're seeing like, especially online, you see like a big uprise in in that community. And there's a lot of people who um like I could name some names, but you got no one really know like people in the space would definitely know them. Yeah, um, but but they're just like pioneers in like scaling home service companies. Um, and they're kind of what I learn everything from. So a lot of books and podcasts, that sort of thing. Yeah, that's great. Yeah.

Ian McLean:

If you weren't in your career year now, because you kind of I mean stumbled into it in some respects, right? I mean, you went to school, didn't think, I don't think you would have thought this was going to be your business. Window cleaning. No, no, but but you're here we are. Yeah. Um, but if you weren't in this career now, what do you think you you would be doing instead?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Um, I mean, I I always wanted to do sports like long-term, like professionally. I'm really competitive. And so um growing up, like I played a lot of hockey and like soccer and like mostly hockey. That's kind of what I I focused on. Um, so like I don't know that that would be nice, obviously, but I it didn't end up working on the biggest thing. And then yeah, and it's kind of it's kind of for the good. Yeah. Um and like now, I can see that now. Um, but yeah, I I don't know.

Ian McLean:

I I I definitely see myself like building something um because I'm really competitive and like I want to like always get better, but uh yeah, it's hard to say because that's one of those characteristics of entrepreneurs is being competitive and and having a strong will. Um you talked about a couple of of of books or podcasts. What what are what are some of those things that you're that you're reading or that you watch on a regular basis to help you kind of recharge or get new ideas?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, so uh for for podcasts, I mean there's a couple I can name off, like uh the home service millionaire, Tolemy Mello. He's he's he's a one of those pioneers I talked about in like garage door space. He's like a massive garage door company. Um it's like something so simple, but like so massive. Um so that that'd be one. Uh Dan Martell, uh, he he's like a entrepreneur/slash coach kind of guy. Um he does a lot of stuff on YouTube and and podcasting, that sort of stuff. And then like like basic books like uh Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill. That's like a classic entrepreneur book. Um Zero to One, I mentioned, I'm pretty sure that's what it's called.

Ian McLean:

Yep.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Um How to Buy Back Your Time. That one's Dan Martell, actually, he he's the author of that. Um yeah, just yeah, just ones like that. How to win friends and influence people. That's a good one.

Ian McLean:

You know what? It it's common. There's a lot of the lot of the titles for for many entrepreneurs, or some staples that are. Yeah, oh yeah. Those are the staples. Staples that people people listen to. Yeah. Okay. In uh now you're you're all over Southwestern Ontario, so I'll broaden this out, but do you have a favorite local business, or what's your go-to for either food or coffee, or when you when you've got downtime? What's your what's your one of your favorite local places?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Uh aside from Tim Hortons. Oh, Tim Hortons. But Tim Hortons is everything I know. Um, like local to here, or like where I'm from?

Ian McLean:

No, no, where you're from. Where are you from?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

So uh in Fergus, I go to the Vault Cafe. Right. It's uh it's a nice cafe. Um it's right downtown. Um, it used to be like an old bank vault. Yeah. They got some good stuff.

Ian McLean:

I know where you're talking about with yeah. I've I remember I know where that is. I know the vault. I don't know what it was when I lived there 25 years ago.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah.

Ian McLean:

Yeah.

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

But yeah, I'd say that. I I go to Starbucks a lot. I I know it's not like a local, like, but I I work there a lot because then you don't get bothered. Yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, I'd say the vault is a nice cafe. Cool.

Ian McLean:

Okay, and uh and if someone wants to find out about your business or connect with you, where would where would they find you?

Nicholas Preisenhammer:

Yeah, so you could follow me on Instagram or the business. Uh probably on Instagram is gladiatorprowash or gladiatorprowash.ca. You can find our website. Um, and then me personally, uh, if you type in Nikki Prizenamer, Nikki.prizenammer on um Instagram, you can find me there. Um or you can reach out to my cell phone number, 226-332-6375.

Ian McLean:

Wow. All you gotta do is ask. You're not hiding from people. No, no. Well, listen, great, great story of uh of of uh of starting it, starting something, growing it, and and continued success in the days ahead. Thanks for spending time with us. Yeah, yeah, thank you. I really appreciate it. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Behind the Business, proudly presented by Gore Mutual. Thanks again to BDC for this special Small Business Week episode. We're celebrating all week and dropping a new episode each day. You can also visit greater kwchamber.com to catch up on past episodes anytime.

Head Shot

Ian McLean

Host
Head Shot

Nick Preisenhammer

Guest