In this episode of the Huge Transformations Podcast, hosts Sid Graef and Gabe Torres interview Daniel Campbell, nicknamed the “Wizard of Oz” for his ability to transform big dreams into thriving ventures. Daniel owns Emerald City Window Cleaning in Syracuse, New York, and shares his journey from launching with $200 worth of gear and Craigslist ads to nearly shutting the business down. He explains how firing an entire staff, developing straightforward processes, and hiring the right people turned things around—leading to higher profit margins and real momentum. Daniel also highlights why he joined the Huge Mastermind, emphasizing the value of learning from peers who’ve already solved the challenges you face. If you’ve ever felt stuck or on the edge of quitting, Daniel’s story proves that bold changes and a supportive community can elevate your home service business to new heights.
SHOW NOTES
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- Daniel Campbell’s Company (Emerald City Window Cleaning) – Syracuse, NY
- “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink:
- “Culture Proof” with Sam Gemble (podcast)
- Jill’s Office (call answering service):
- Twister (1996 movie)
- The Huge Convention (August 20–22, 2025 in Nashville, TN):
- Huge Mastermind (for $750K+ businesses):
- News Letter
- Downloadable Action Guide
TRANSCRIPT
Sid (Host):
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Huge Transformations Podcast. I’m Sid Graef out here in Montana.
Gabe (Co-Host):
And I’m Gabe Torres here in Nashville, Tennessee. We are your hosts and guides through the landscape of growing a successful home service business. We do this by interviewing the best home service business builders and owners in the industry—folks that have already built seven and eight figure home service businesses, and they want to help you succeed. You have no fake gurus on this show, just real life owners that have been in the trenches and can help show you the way to grow profit. We get insights and truths from successful business builders, and every episode is 100 percent experience.
We are going to dig deep and reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly. Our guests will share with you the pitfalls to avoid and the keys to winning. In short, our guests will show you how to transform your home service business into a masterpiece. Thanks for joining us on the Wild Journey of Entrepreneurship. Let’s dive in.
Sid (Host):
Hey, my friend—Transformations Podcast—and today we’ve got a great interview. I think you’re going to love it. I certainly did. I call Daniel Campbell the Wizard of Oz. I first met him at the Huge Convention in 2024 and was impressed by the fact that he is the Wizard of Oz. He owns Emerald City Window Cleaning in upstate New York, and his story is so good. You get to see him go from zero to slow growth to fast growth to getting ready to throw in the towel and cancel the whole thing, to growing a respectable and solid company. But the cool thing is, no matter how successful he’s become, he is still in growth mode and he’s still learning from others. He became a part of the Huge Mastermind this year, and he’s great at taking what he learns, putting it into action, and teaching others so they can grow as well. Please join me and enjoy this conversation with Daniel Campbell.
Sid (Host):
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining me today. I’m glad that you’re here and taking time to join us on the Huge Transformation Podcast. Today, our guest is Daniel Campbell. Daniel Campbell is the owner of Emerald City Window Cleaning in Syracuse, New York. It’s the middle of the wintertime, we were just chatting offline about what it takes to survive the winter, but Daniel, thanks for taking some time. It’s good to see you.
Daniel (Guest):
Yeah, absolutely. It’s great to be here. I’ve always wanted to be on a podcast.
Sid (Host):
Yay! All right, now you’re on a huge podcast: The Huge Transformation. Fun fact—I don’t know if you’ve seen it, we’re rebuilding The Huge Convention website, and so we have kind of a placeholder, but we just got the recap video from the 2024 show. And it’s like a two-and-a-half-minute recap, but I don’t influence what the videographers choose to put in there at all. They always put one or two testimonial videos in, and I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet or not, but you’re the featured guy for The Huge Convention, talking about how it helped and inspired you and stuff.
Daniel (Guest):
I haven’t seen it, but I’ll have to go check it out.
Sid (Host):
Yeah, check it out: thehugeconvention.com. So, I’ve just got a handful of questions for you—mostly we’re just going to chat. But I’m going to ask you about the Huge Mastermind and why you joined it. Before we get to that, how long have you been in business, and why did you start this crazy journey in the first place?
Daniel (Guest):
So, business for 11 years now. And why was basically because I can’t ever sit still and I have a problem with authority, so I wanted to start my own business. When I was younger, I’d tried a whole bunch of stupid little things, like selling candy out of a locker. Then in high school and all through college, I worked at this pizza shop around the corner from my house, and the guy that owned that place—his name was Vinny—he was the main inspiration. He was the first business owner I met, and he got to do all these cool things, take vacations, had a race car, a badass ’88 Mustang that he took to the drag strip, and I was like, “I want that life.” So, long story short, I went to college; that sucked. Got out, became a truck driver, stopped doing that, decided to look at starting my own company again. I basically just Googled “easy businesses to start,” got one of those old listicles, and window cleaning was the fifth one down. I was like, “I like working outside, I already have a pickup truck, I can clean windows.” So I went to Home Depot with like 200 bucks, bought a ladder and a Home Depot bucket and a mop and squeegee, then started advertising on Craigslist, of all places. The rest is history.
Sid (Host):
Yeah, was it honestly your first customer you got…?
Daniel (Guest):
Oh boy, I still remember him. There’s this neighborhood with these really old mansions right outside downtown Syracuse, and they found me on Craigslist. It was like 60 windows, old single-pane wood frames with the pulleys. Maybe you don’t have those in your area…
Sid (Host):
I know what you’re talking about, yeah.
Daniel (Guest):
…with the triple-track storm window on the outside. I was like, “Oh my God, this is awesome, I’ll charge 300 bucks.” I was there for 15 hours on a Saturday. I was like, “This was a mistake.” But yeah, that’s how I learned to price stuff, ’cause that sucked.
Sid (Host):
Right. So that’s the pricing learning. Most of us jump in, like you said. Then you realize, “Wow, I guess I missed that one.” But then the next one, you probably didn’t bid it that low.
Daniel (Guest):
No, I’m a very slow learner, so it took me a year to figure out I should probably be charging more. Realistically, that first customer, 300 bucks for a day’s work—looking back, that’s still 300 in a day. Not horrible, right? The first year, I did maybe $5,000 total for the whole year because I was working a full-time second shift job, so I was doing this on the weekends. I was just pocketing the money. But after that, I realized I did enjoy the work, I wanted to grow it. That’s when I had to figure out how much we need to produce per hour. Probably year two or three is when I really got that figured out.
Sid (Host):
So, 11 years in, what’s one of the hardest lessons or failures you had, and how did it shape the future?
Daniel (Guest):
Last year was the big moment. We talked offline: last winter, I was ready to close the doors. We had no money. I had eight guys in the field, me and an office person. We did a little over $500,000 in revenue, and I kept none of it—we finished the year at 1.2 percent net profit. My training systems were garbage, my guys were not good employees, and I was too afraid of confrontation or hoping they’d change. The biggest lesson: they’re not going to change if you don’t hold them accountable. My word for 2024 was “leadership.” I had to learn to be a better leader. By the end of 2024, I fired everybody because I thought we were going out of business anyway. I told my mentor, “If I have another year like 2023, I’m done.” Over the winter, I hired a new crew, wrote down a by-the-book system, and made it very clear, “If you don’t meet these things, you won’t work here.” And we got serious about accountability. Now we’re finishing the year around 28 percent profit—massive change.
Sid (Host):
That’s quite a shift. Did you just hammer out systems all winter?
Daniel (Guest):
Basically, yeah. Before, we had almost nothing written down. I wrote out “This is how I want things done, this is what I expect,” and I showed it to the new hires. If they didn’t do it, I’d say, “Hey, remember this paper you signed? You’re not meeting KPI X, I have to let you go.” And it wasn’t always fun, but I found a real A-player who became our field supervisor, and between that and accountability, everything changed. We became profitable in June. Our close rate went back up to 65 percent. It was literally all about the people.
Sid (Host):
So you’re in growth mode now. That leads to my question: what prompted you to join the Huge Mastermind?
Daniel (Guest):
I firmly believe you’re the average of the five or ten people you spend the most time with. I also believe if I have a health issue, I go to a doctor. If I have a car problem, I go to a mechanic. If my business “hurts,” I go get advice from a coach or a mastermind. The Huge Mastermind has people who have solved the challenges I’m facing. So it fast-tracks my success.
Sid (Host):
That’s wise. People in certain categories always rely on pros. So your approach is similar. We do that with health, so why not with business or relationships?
Daniel (Guest):
Exactly.
Sid (Host):
Now, think back five years. You’re six years into the business, you’re starting to see traction. Knowing what you know today, what advice do you give your five-years-ago self?
Daniel (Guest):
I’d say you must invest in the right people if you want to grow, because you can’t do everything yourself. Five years ago, I was trying to do it all—answer phones, do sales, do the work. I’d tell that Daniel, “You don’t have to do it all alone. There are people who can do the cleaning, or the phones. If they’re not all in, let them go, find the next person. Firing someone isn’t bad; they’ll be replaced.”
Sid (Host):
Who would you have hired first?
Daniel (Guest):
Admin. A hundred percent. It’s often the easiest position to fill, less expensive, takes the most off your plate. If no one answers the phone, you won’t grow. Even an answering service like Jill’s Office is better than nothing. Because if it goes to voicemail, the lead calls the next company.
Sid (Host):
Right. And you said your market is a lot more crowded than when you started.
Daniel (Guest):
Absolutely. The barrier to entry is very low. That’s fine, I’m not scared of competition, but you better pick up the phone or they’ll pick the next place.
Sid (Host):
Let’s do some quick rapid-fire. What’s your top book for business owners?
Daniel (Guest):
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink.
Sid (Host):
A podcast you like?
Daniel (Guest):
Right now, Culture Proof with Sam Gemble.
Sid (Host):
Favorite movie?
Daniel (Guest):
Twister.
Sid (Host):
How do you recharge?
Daniel (Guest):
I’m an outdoors guy, so hiking, camping, fishing—spend a weekend out in nature.
Sid (Host):
Where’s Emerald City Window Cleaning in five years?
Daniel (Guest):
We’ll be in acquisition mode, doubling our trucks from four to maybe eight or ten, possibly a full sales team of three or four guys. I want to be out of sales and operations.
Sid (Host):
That’s awesome. And yeah, the Mastermind is full of people bigger than me or you, which is how we level up.
Daniel (Guest):
Exactly. I was in another coaching program, usually near the top of that group. Now I see guys double my size. That’s the table I want to sit at.
Sid (Host):
Thanks for sharing your journey and being gracious with your time, Daniel.
Daniel (Guest):
Thank you, Sid.
Sid (Host):
Hello, my friend. This is Sid. Thank you again so much for taking your time to listen to today’s episode. I hope you got some value from it, and listen—anything that was covered, any of the resources, any of the books, any of the tools, anything like that is in the show notes, so it’s easy for you to find and check it out.
Also, I want to let you know the mission for The Huge Convention and for this podcast is to help our blue-collar business owners like you and I gain financial and time freedom through running a better business. And we do that in four ways:
Number one is our free weekly newsletter—it’s called the Huge Insider. I hope you subscribe. It is the most valuable newsletter for the home service industry, period—paid or otherwise—and this one’s free.
Next is the Huge Foundations education platform; that is, we’ve got over 120 hours of industry-specific education and resources for you. And every month, we do a topical webinar and Q&A with seven- and eight-figure business owners, and it’s available to you for a $1 trial for seven days.
Next, of course, is The Huge Convention. If you haven’t been, you got to check it out. It’s every August. This year, it’s in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s August 20th through 22nd in 2025. It is the largest and number one-rated trade show and convention for home service business builders. We’ve got the biggest trade show, so you can check out all the coolest tools and meet the vendors and check out the software to run your business. And we’ve got education—world-class educators and speakers that will teach you how to run a better business. And it’s the best networking opportunity that you can have within the home service business.
And then lastly, if you want to pour jet fuel in your business, check out the Huge Mastermind. Now, it’s not for everyone. You got to be at over $750,000 of revenue, building toward $1 million, $5 million, $10 million in the next five years. It’s a network, mentorship, and a mastermind of your peers, and we help you understand and implement the Freedom Operating System. We go into more detail, but you can get all the info on all four of these programs and how we’ll help you advance your business quickly, just by going to https://www.thehugeconvention.com and scrolling down to click on the Freedom Path. Or, of course, you can find the links here in the show notes.
Sorry if I’m a bit wordy, but I just want to let you know about the resources available to help you accelerate and advance your beautiful small business. So keep on growing, keep on learning, keep advancing. And if you like the show, go ahead—if you would, take 90 seconds to give us a review on iTunes, then subscribe and share it. It really means the world to us and helps other people find these resources as we continue our mission to help people just like you and me. So thanks again for listening. We’ll see you on the next episode.
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