Shannon and Jed Stewart are the Regional Master Franchise Owners for Urban Clean on the Gold Coast, but like every franchise partner, their journey started with a single decision to step into business ownership.

In Episode153 - Coming from very different backgrounds — Jed from mechanical and operations management, and Shannon from hospitality and venue management — they share how their previous careers shaped the way they now think about systems, people, service quality, and customer experience.

The conversation covers what it’s really like to run a business as a couple, how they moved from considering property investment into buying a business instead, and why they ultimately chose a commercial cleaning franchise over cafes, gyms, and other options they explored.

They also explain how Urban Clean works as a business model, why systems and processes matter more than most new business owners realise, and how franchising can shortcut years of trial-and-error when building a company properly.

0:00 Introduction

0:33 What is Urban Clean

1:53 Buying the business and the first two years in operation

3:52 Jed’s career before commercial cleaning

6:47 Returning to Australia and Jed’s career transition

7:46 Shannon’s background in hospitality and management

10:43 What hospitality taught them about cleaning standards 

13:44 How Jed and Shannon met 

15:34 Balancing family life and business ownership

18:03 The moment they chose business over property

19:32 How they evaluated business opportunities 

23:39 Discovering the commercial cleaning opportunity

26:55 The final decision to commit to Urban Clean

29:14 The 10-Year head start you get from franchising

31:07 The growth plan for the Gold Coast Region 

31:58 Wrap up

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