From A High School Job To A Successful Business
Sometimes an entrepreneur is just someone who sees an opportunity and works very hard.
Jeremey Keller, Founder of Extreme Cleaning, saw his opportunity back in 2002 while working in a restaurant as a high school student.
“I was an assistant manager at a restaurant, and we used to hire a company from Fargo to come and clean our kitchen hood and exhaust,” Keller said. “I saw it and it just kind of interested me.”
That interest eventually sparked action as Keller began doing the same sort of cleaning on the side—starting with the restaurant he worked for.
“It was crazy—I’d work all night, up in the ceiling scraping grease,” Keller said. “It was a filthy job, but I don’t know, it just kind of interested me. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would turn out to be my career or something I was passionate about. There was no Google back then, so I learned everything on my own. It was kind of a “fly by the seat of my pants” operation. I rented a pressure washer, found some degreaser, and it’s been a lot of trial and error ever since. Our whole system and process today has been developed over the last 20 years. Every year, we make it a little better. A lot of the equipment we use is stuff we’ve put together ourselves because there’s really no training for this anywhere. You just have to learn as you go, and I kind of enjoy that part: developing better processes, designing better equipment, and always giving my guys new tools, chemicals, or scrapers to try out. It’s about constantly finding ways to make the job easier or better.”
Of course, like anything that involves trial and error, there were a lot of mistakes early on for Keller.
“The second restaurant I worked with, which I consider my first real job because it was someone I had to go out and get, was a learning experience,” Keller said. “I had a friend helping me, and we were both up on the roof pulling on the pressure washer hose. We didn’t have the ladder tied down, and it fell. So, we were stuck on the roof in the middle of the night, no cell phones, nothing. I ended up jumping into the dumpsters to get down. From that day on, I learned: to always tie the ladder off. Now, we usually have one guy stay below, just in case.” Eventually, the side hustle would become a career and eventually, it would become a passion. However, that all took time as Keller did the work on his own, with a friend occasionally tagging along to help out, for many years. As he worked, the business continued to grow and grow until he hit a point where he needed to make a decision.
“From 2002 to 2006, I just did this on the side,” Keller said. “I didn’t work much in the winter, mostly worked alone, and was still working part-time at an old restaurant. That’s when I decided I needed to focus on one thing and do it well. So, I jumped into this fulltime. I kept doing it on my own until 2012, when my first daughter was born. That’s when I realized that if I got hurt, there’d be no money coming in, and I might lose customers because there’d be no way to get the work done. That’s when I really started hiring people and growing the business. 2012 was the year we decided to kick it up a notch and take things to the next level.”
Building A Business
Being a sole owner-operator is great, but it can, usually, only take you so far in the business world. The real test begins when you have to start hiring.
“When I was working by myself, I used to think there was no way anyone else could do this—I’d never be able to train anybody,” Keller said. “But then I started thinking how nice it would be to have employees out working every night while I could sit in an office someday… As far as learning how to run a business, I’ve had some great influences. The owner of the restaurant I worked at in high school taught me some really great lessons. At the time, I didn’t even realize how much I was learning. But later, I saw how the things he had us do—keeping track of processes, KPIs, and operations—really shaped the way I run things now. Growing up on a small farm until I was 15 was also a huge advantage. Kids who grow up on farms develop a different work ethic and a whole different way of looking at the world. In the workforce, that makes a big difference. I also studied business management at Bismarck State College. I did two years there, and that’s the only college education I’ve had, but it was invaluable. I learned a lot, and there were some great teachers. One class, in particular, taught me how to start my own business, write a business plan, and tackle introductory accounting. I’ll admit, I wish I had paid more attention in those classes, but I learned enough to figure things out on my own. That experience was a big help, too. I had one instructor—I can’t remember his name for sure—but he told us that he had started a couple of businesses that didn’t make it. He said if he ever started another business, it would definitely be a service business because you don’t have all the inventory and overhead. That really stuck with me, and it was a lesson I’ve always remembered. I also learned a lot of little things, like advertising and marketing, which were useful back then, even though some of it doesn’t apply the same way today. Another resource I remember was this business center they had. About 5–10 years after I graduated, I went back there when I was getting ready to hire employees. They helped me figure out what I needed to do—how to get set up with the state, unemployment, and workers’ comp.”
Now, Keller has a team of over 50 employees spread across five locations: Fargo, Mandan, Sioux Falls, SD; Rapid City, SD; and Port St. Lucie, FL. In total, they service areas in eight states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Florida, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and Wyoming.
“I think the most important part of our success is the people—my employees. I have great people, and I try to treat them like family,” Keller said. “That’s the key. Everyone I’ve talked to, especially through the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association, agrees that finding good help is tough in any industry. But in ours, it’s a whole different challenge because we work nights, and the hours vary depending on when restaurants close. One night my crew might start at 10 p.m., the next at 6 p.m. The schedule is unpredictable.”
The Grass Is Always Greener
“Funny enough, the nights I get to go out and help my crew are probably the happiest nights for me. My phone’s down, and I’m just doing something hands-on. When I’m in the office all the time, it’s like being a prisoner in my own world—always putting out fires, the phone never stops ringing, and I never feel caught up. It’s weird how that changes.”
International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association, agrees that finding good help is tough in any industry. But in ours, it’s a whole different challenge because we work nights, and the hours vary depending on when restaurants close. One night my crew might start at 10 p.m., the next at 6 p.m. The schedule is unpredictable.”
To make it work, Keller says he has always tried to be flexible with his employees. If someone needs to be home for a kid’s concert or take a day off, he makes it happen.
“I think that flexibility, combined with fair pay and support for their personal goals, has been key to our growth,” Keller said. “Nothing makes me happier than seeing one of my employees buy a new truck, a car, or even a house. It’s important to me that we’re not just growing as a company, but that we’re helping our people achieve their goals.”
That’s a key factor for Keller.
“I believe our company’s goals need to be big enough to encompass everyone else’s goals,” Keller said. “If my employees want more opportunities, I need to keep working hard to create them—new positions, new locations, and room to grow. Expanding to Sioux Falls was an easy decision. We were doing so much work there that it just made sense. We were spending a lot on travel time and hotels, and a couple of guys wanted to move there, so we started that location. The same thing happened in Fargo and Rapid City. We reached a point where we had too much work to keep sending guys from Mandan or Sioux Falls. In Rapid City, we actually bought out a competitor and rolled all his customers into ours, which is how that location started. The Florida location came about during a particularly brutal winter a few years ago. Winter is already tough for us, but adding long drives, canceled jobs, and worrying about the guys on the road made it even harder. I decided that if I expanded again, it would be somewhere warm. Through a friend, I found someone selling their business in Florida. I went down, met him, looked at the area, and made the deal. It’s worked out great. We’re now working on a second and third location in Florida because we’ve grown so much. Having multiple branches helps us share labor and jobs—if one shop gets slow, the other can step in and help. It’s a similar situation to what happened up north. We’re traveling so much to other areas now that it makes sense to have people stationed there full-time.”
Employee Appreciation
Keller believes that showing employee appreciation is another key factor in his company’s success.
“Since my wife convinced me to take my first vacation in 2011, I’ve been a big believer in encouraging my employees to take time off,” Keller said. “But more than that, we’ve made it a point to give back. We’ve sent employees and their families on trips to places like Mexico, Florida, Vegas, and North Carolina.”
These trips are a thank you to Keller’s employees and their spouses, who deal with the late-night schedules and missed evenings. Usually the trips last 5-7 days.
“Taking care of my people, helping them grow, and making sure they know they’re appreciated—it’s all worth it,” Keller said. “I’ve also started sending several guys down to Florida for what we call a ‘work vacation.’ They go to train and work with our Florida team, but they also get some days off to enjoy themselves. In the middle of a North Dakota winter, being in Florida is definitely a much better experience!”
From a high school assistant manager with a side hustle to the founder of a multi-state operation, it’s clear to see that Jeremy Keller knows how to spot an opportunity. We can’t wait to see what he does next.
Jeremy Keller’s Business Advice
“I think now there’s so much information out there—it’s both good and bad. You can find advice on starting and running a business on YouTube, through programs, books, and seminars. Some of it is helpful, but some of it isn’t. I’ve seen people spend years reading books, taking courses, and attending seminars hosted by so-called billionaires who charge you to hear their advice. The problem is many people get stuck in this cycle of gathering ideas and never actually get anything done.
My biggest piece of advice is to just go for it and get it done. It’s fine to have a mentor, read a book, or attend one seminar, but stick with one philosophy and take action. Don’t spend all your time planning and overthinking, because eventually, you get nowhere.
The other key is to work harder than everyone else. If you’re going to start a business, you have to be all in—willing to work any day, any hour. Success takes a lot of work and dedication. Every successful person I know has that in common—they put in long hours and outwork their competitors.
This isn’t an 8-to-5 deal, at least not at the beginning. Maybe someday, when you have the right team, you can cut back on hours, but nothing beats hard work, outworking your competitors, and listening to the right people.
When you take advice, it’s important to consider who you’re getting it from. Advice is valuable, but only if it comes from someone who truly knows what they’re talking about. That makes all the difference.”
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