From Real Estate Stress to Commercial Cleaning Success: How One Man Built a New York Janitorial Business From the Ground Up
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New York, NY – May 6, 2025 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) – Marcos Morales had every reason to stay put.
He was doing well in real estate, managing foreclosure deals in one of the most cutthroat markets in the country. But despite the financial security, he was burning out. The stress was high, the hours were long, and the impact? Shallow.
So, in 2020 – mid-pandemic – he walked away.
No safety net. No business degree. Just a vacuum cleaner, a website, and the belief that he could build something better. That belief became the foundation of GermSmart Commercial Cleaning, now one of the fastest-growing names in New York commercial cleaning.
Most people wouldn’t trade a stable, good-paying career for a shot in the dark but Marcos Morales isn’t most people. What started as a bold leap quickly turned into a story of grit, vision, and transformation. He founded GermSmart Commercial Cleaning with one mission in mind: fix what’s broken in the cleaning industry.
And he had seen the cracks firsthand – missed appointments, poor communication, and zero accountability. “I wanted to create a business that didn’t just clean, it made a real impact,” Marcos said. “I was tired of the impersonal, get the job done’ approach. There had to be a better way.”
So, he got to work knocking on doors, running ads, and earning trust one client at a time. Drawing on his real estate hustle, he laid the foundation for something bigger.
The real turning point came in 2022, when GermSmart made a decisive pivot into commercial cleaning. It wasn’t just a change in services – it was a declaration of purpose.
And the results followed.
Today, GermSmart is one of the fastest-growing commercial cleaning services in New York, serving corporate offices, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions across the region. Marcos’ growth strategy? Systematize operations, obsess over the details, and treat every account like it’s your first. “Reliability is our promise,” Marcos says, “and it’s why our clients keep coming back.”
But GermSmart isn’t slowing down.
With expansion plans into government facilities, multi-site retail, and healthcare, the company is scaling with precision. Perhaps the boldest move yet? “We’re launching a crime scene cleaning division in New York at the beginning of Q4 this year,” Marcos reveals – further proof of GermSmart’s commitment to specialized, high-quality service where it’s needed most.
Still, at the heart of it all is purpose.
As an SDVOB-certified business, GermSmart weaves community impact into everything they do. Through partnerships like Cleaning for a Reason, the company provides free cleanings to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. “Giving back is at the heart of what we do,” Marcos says. “We’ve always made it a point to support our local veterans, seniors, and families in need.”
