JRC University: Building Confidence and Connections

Ryan Cochrane started his window cleaning business, Peak Property, in Ottawa, Canada, over eight years ago. Like many others, Ryan was self-taught, relying on YouTube videos to teach him the ropes. As his experience grew, he discovered the industry’s many Facebook groups, and he was able to learn from the experiences of others. It was also here that he started seeing various training workshops and classes, but as a one-person window cleaning company, he was reluctant to participate.

However, after seeing multiple recommendations for JRC University, Ryan said he “decided to make the jump and invest in my business.” He signed up for a three-day workshop on window cleaning, gutter cleaning, and soft washing.

Ryan said he arrived in New Jersey not knowing what to expect but was quickly welcomed by Doug Apt and the J. Racenstein team. Because Peak Property is primarily a window-cleaning company, he was most excited for the first day which would cover all things window cleaning.

“One of the toughest parts of being self-taught is that you’re often second guessing your ability and questioning whether you’re using the right techniques,” he explained. “I was hoping the course would remove these doubts and teach me how to become a great window cleaner.”

On day one, the JRC University course covered basics, like the various ways to clean windows and how to run a residential window-cleaning business. “Our teacher, Doug Apt, had a ton of experience running window cleaning businesses and he did a great job of teaching our class new cleaning techniques, as well as allowing time for the class to ask him specific questions about the industry and other about some of the issues we had run into over the years. Over the next couple of days, the class went over gutter cleaning tips and an introduction to soft washing.

Ryan said he is overall experience was great and the course changed the way he ran his business. He also explained that JRC University helped him gain new confidence from the skills he learned with Doug and the J. Racenstein team.

But his experience didn’t end once the course was over. He has since reached out to JRC multiple times to ask questions and get clarifications on things such as equipment maintenance, equipment needs, and sales and marketing advice.

“I was always met with great support and advice from the team. If you’re thinking about attending JRC University, I strongly recommend it.”