2x ETA, the 1st a crucible of hard lessons. 2+ yrs into the 2d, a 35 yr old co. Ex BigLaw, F50, PE. 60 yo, 👀 longevity, joy w my wife and 4 grown kids
Orlando, FL
Joined December 2022
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It’s time for a re-introduction.
I’m Joe Springsteen. I run Mallard — an exterior and window cleaning company in Florida — and I’m obsessed with building a durable, high-performance B2B service business in a market that doesn’t forgive sloppiness.
We clean apartments, commercial properties, major resorts and portfolios at scale.
But what I really build is teams.
After acquiring a 30+ year old company in a hot market, one thing became obvious:
Service businesses don’t fail because of pressure washers.
They fail because of leadership, systems, and financial discipline.
I’ve failed on all of those, trust me.
So that’s what I work on.
Rap Sheet:
Owner/Operator, Mallard • Acquired & scaling a legacy exterior cleaning company • B2B focus (asset managers & commercial portfolios) • Occasional speaker on buying and growing service businesses • Builder of teams that execute in the Florida heat
Currently:
– Scaling commercial services w 22% rev and 24% EBITDA YoY growth
– Reworking systems (CRM, dispatch, payments, field ops)
– Negotiating smart partnerships
– Building a fleet that makes sense
– Obsessed with margins, retention, brand and intentional travel 12 wks / yr
Happily married with 4 kids and 2 dogs between us. Business builder. Operator first, talker second.
On my feed:
Service business economics, ETA strategies, blue collar leadership, B2B marketing, the occasional contrarian take, successes but more failures.
No generic shit.
Dog and travel photos.
This is a deep one.
I’m motivated by agency.
Not money. Not status. The freedom to make my own choices—and own the consequences.
But the real reward isn’t just my freedom. It’s helping my family, my team, and my friends find theirs.
I take chances because I believe in people. I trust, but verify. I forgive, but I don’t forget.
And I’ve learned something about second chances.
Getting back to zero is the easy part. Staying the course after redemption? That’s where character is built.
Nothing fires me up more than seeing that same hunger for agency in someone else—and having the opportunity to bet on them.
People will surprise you when you give them trust, responsibility, and room to grow.
Some will disappoint you. That’s the price of believing in people.
I’ll keep paying it.
So if you’re at zero, or life has just gone off a cliff, don’t be afraid.
There’s life on the other side.
And you might just build something better than what you lost.
Amazing mixer, thanks @ryanraysr for the invite!
(There’s Joe unnamed 😂)
This is the SMB "How To” Must. Also the speakers are the top service providers (and a couple actual ETA’ers) of the industry:
Denver filled four weeks out. Tomorrow 30 searchers start three days with us and our Deal Team.
Missed it? Tampa is Dec 2–4. Applications close Nov 18.
Tampa is at @EmbarcCollectiv, same format as Denver.
Three days on sourcing, SBA financing, diligence, and closing with our full Deal Team.
Apply here: rja55xy9n89.typeform.com/to/…
Bruce Springsteen on the lookout for the UPS man.
A signature-required 🍷 📦 did not want to be rerouted to the local store.
Okay so Bruce and I will just hang at home this Monday afternoon.
Reason #995 why SMB life is a good thing.
You need an IP lawyer? This is your man, @adamwasch !
@SMB_Attorney referred him and rightly so.
Mike has helped me personally with purchasing a rare Jeep for my wife’s birthday, and also less important but more impactful on our biz, he has helped immensely on managing our fleet of trucks. Telematics, setup of KPIs, and truck sourcing.
He’s a great guy getting shit done!
Excited to meet IRL so many guys I already know! See yall Tuesday
On 10/20 the stars are coming out to Tampa!
It will be THE event of the year.
Besides the most connected man on X and his wife @hayleeray here is who will be in town (that are on X)
Let's start with the sponsors:
@MatthewChang
@cgstiver
@paulswaney3
@JackieHirsch_
Who else is coming?
@MikeCalhoun
@JohnTPugh
@kusmu
@JimmyLRalph
@collin_ruth89
@buythedirt
@adamislucky
@TradesWealth__
@scottamckenzie
@AustinlinneyFL
@AlanPetersonSBA
@1JoeSpringsteen
@seanmlyden
@KurtisCarman
@Gil_Topaz
@SellersCounsel
@sethmosk
@writeclimbrun
Plus 23 others who aren't on X.
Hope to see you there!
luma.com/tvc1jqkt
This is gold for any scaling entrepreneur:
“What I learned running a business mattered more than any deal I found:
- Leading people and building win/win incentive structures(leadership matters a lot w/ scale)
- Creating repeatable systems with constant feedback loops
- Breaking a complex P&L metric into a simple system an employee can own and deliver on”
Much harder than it sounds but gold.
I bought my first unit in 2013 while I was still running stores at Target.
For years the growth was slow. 2 units. Then 4. Then 10.
What I learned running a business mattered more than any deal I found:
- Leading people and building win/win incentive structures(leadership matters a lot w/ scale)
- Creating repeatable systems with constant feedback loops
- Breaking a complex P&L metric into a simple system an employee can own and deliver on
I don't have investors.
So instead of raising money, I spent my time building the business, developing the team, and making every deal as successful as possible.
When I ran out of money, I had two options:
Find a creative way to finance the next deal.
Or wait until the properties I owned produced.
Both forced me to get better.
And those lessons compound because I get to repeat them over and over.
I didn't get here by buying faster.
I got here by building the team, systems, and business before I needed them.
Still building. And still growing - Just put 540 more units under contract this week.
On the floor of a trade show today talking with an old friend of mine.
Same name, different badge.
He owned a sizable janitorial and make ready company.
Over 120 employees at its peak.
Litigation w a creditor over $500k. He lost.
Shut the company down, starting over.
SMB is hard and it doesn’t always go well.
Rufus and I are pretty proud of this one!
Orlando Business Journal FAST 50 2026
Mallard is among the 50 fastest-growing companies in Central Florida!
Deep breath chillin 😎 w my new book post @ReconveneLA waiting for my better half to arrive for a long weekend
