About Me
Hi, my name is Dalton Ousley! I'm a father, husband, entrepreneur, and outdoorsman. My story isn't full of drama or miracles, but if you're interested in learning more about how I got to where I am today, check out my story below.
It all started with a desire to be remote...
Back before the pandemic made it popular, working remotely was always in my mind. I loved the idea of being able to pop open my laptop and take care of business. I wanted the freedom to travel anywhere in the world without taking vacation time.
The remote lifestyle was calling my name and all I had to do was find a career that would support it.
After talking with others, watching YouTube videos, and pondering on the subject, I determined that a career in accounting fit the bill and therefore, became my sole focus. Of course, with this choice, I would need a college education if I wanted to get hired as an accountant.
My parents wanted me and my brothers to all get a college education since back then, that supposedly guaranteed a steady job and income. It also meant we would be competitive in the job market.
Or so I thought....
I thought a college education was the answer...
To pursue my "dreams" of becoming an accountant so I could work remote, I first needed to earn a degree.
Funny story was that during this time, I was already enrolled at the University of Florida and working towards a degree in General Business. After graduating with my Bachelor's degree, I fought hard for a job in Gainesville, FL.
It turns out that the job market there at the time was pretty pathetic and I struggled to get a job.
I FINALLY got a job as a teller for a local credit union. My mind was completely blown - I never imagined I would be fighting with other college graduates to land a job as a teller that was paying $15 per hour.
After all, I had college debt to pay off!
This is where things started to get "real" for me and I started to seriously question the system.
Stay focused - don't get distracted - we have an end goal in sight.
It wasn't long before I was able to say "peace out" to my job with the credit union because through connections (not my college degree), I was able to land a job, in accounting, for a local government office.
SCORE!!!
Finally, a job in the field that I was pursuing. A job that would eventually (hopefully) lead to my dream of working remotely and be able to live and travel where I wanted.
I caught on quickly and before long I was proposing new solutions and innovating in my current role (this is what I love to do). My supervisors loved my enthusiasm, but government offices are where innovative ideas go to die. It wasn't long (less than a year), before I knew I had to get out of this place.
Before leaving, I thought I would get more ed-ju-ma-cated so that MAYBE I could land a better job in accounting, or possibly in some consulting-type role. So I decided to get a masters degree.
I applied and got accepted to an accredited MBA program in Louisiana. I flew threw the semesters and pulled off a 4.0 GPA somehow. I thought for sure this was my ticket.
WRONG!
Turns out, an MBA degree is the new "standard" and that basically just put me in a bucket with thousands of other candidates. It was actually during this time, in my final semester, that I started to take matters into my own hands and start doing my own "research." That's when I stumbled upon digital marketing, website design, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Immediately, I knew this was right up my alley and something I could see myself doing and actually enjoying!
The pain kept getting worse...
While spending countless hours learning about my new passion, I was still working in local government finance. The situation started to get worse as they began to micro-manage me and tell me what I could and couldn't do.
I was clocking in to work early so that I could focus on my work before the rest of the staff got there. Once the office was fully occupied, the distractions were consistent which absolutely killed productivity (which in turn killed me).
To combat this, I would come in early and leave early. This allowed me to not only finish my work in record time, but it helped me avoid rush hour traffic (the rat race) to and from the office. This saved me over an hour a day in JUST drive time!
Well, they didn't like that and thought that others would perceive it as "unfair." You must understand that "perception," not progress, was what mattered to them.
I was boiling and becoming difficult to be around. I was turning into someone that I didn't like. I knew something had to change - and fast!
I took a leap of faith...
After successfully launching my marketing agency, I quickly landed a few clients which allowed me to quit my job in accounting.
Finally, I felt free and felt like I was doing what I was meant to do (be an entrepreneur).
It wasn't long that I began to realize what my job in accounting did for me. I don't think I treated them fairly and I credit them for pushing me outside of my comfort zone through the pain that position caused me. Sounds kind of dramatic (and it is) but oftentimes we don't move unless there's pain.
When you touch a hot stovetop, do you leave your hand there and say "wow this really hurts but oh well, I'll just deal with it?"
Maybe some people do, I guess....
Most will quickly remove their hand from the stovetop to avoid continued pain and more damage.
It's the same concept here. I wonder how long I would've stayed if I was more "comfortable." It scares me to think about that - even now it gives me shivers as I type this. That's why I'm so thankful to them for pushing me t do what I was meant to do.
Although every entrepreneurial journey is like a "rollercoaster," I kept riding; kept grinding, thinking that I would eventually find success; the kind of success that not many people get to experience. I fell on my face plenty, but also had some serious wins. I remember hitting $10,000 per month and then $20,000 per month, and so on. It was insane to see how much money I could make in such a short amount of time.
Not too long ago, I was being told that it'd only take me 10 years to earn a 6-figure salary with an MBA and now I'm hitting that in less than a year?
The rollercoaster continued and I had some great months and not so great months...
I learned important business lessons along the way. I learned that you can't trust some people and found myself in horrible situations that led to huge amounts of debt due to corrupt business relationships and my inability (and lack of experience) to see the warning signs.
Sure, I felt what it was like to make tens of thousands in a short amount of time, but I also felt what it was like to lose tens of thousands in a short amount of time!
I don't regret anything though. It was all building my "entrepreneurial street smarts" as I like to call it and now I'm better because of it.
It's also what led me to come in contact with Cristobal Mondragon and the house cleaning industry.
I stumbled upon the house cleaning industry...
Through working with clients all across the home service industry, I found that I could get really good results in the house cleaning industry AND it was something that I actually enjoyed!
It was a unique opportunity where I could leverage my skills as a marketer to launch and scale a cleaning company. Of course, I wasn't knowledgeable in how to run a cleaning company so I began to search for someone I could learn from.
I came across Cristobal and Queen Bee Cleaning on YouTube and decided that out of the other "guru's" on there, Cristobal seemed genuine and I picked up on that just from watching him online. I decided to reach out to him and offer up my expertise as a marketer and HighLevel expert in return for picking his brain about residential cleaning operations.
He took me up on that offer and the rest is history.
Pretty soon we started discussing what was missing in the cleaning industry and how it would be nice if we had a, b, and c...
We finally came to the conclusion that we should just partner up and create it ourselves.
Here I am today...
What started out as a simple idea to create online training videos for cleaners, quickly evolved into a multitude of different opportunities. People started asking if we'd be willing to coach them for a few months and help them implement our proven process in their business.
After enough people asked about it, we decided to listen, and give it a shot.
That's when the 7Figure Cleaners coaching program was born.
We never intended to offer one-on-one coaching, but our audience wanted it and our goal has always been to help other genuine entrepreneurs discover the freedom and benefits that come along with owning a business.
As an entrepreneur and innovator, I see so many opportunities popping up around me all the time it seems. It's something that I started to experience only after I took that initial leap of faith and left my full time job so that I could work towards owning a business, and not a job!
Now my struggles include staying focused on one thing at a time so that I can dedicate all of my time and energy to it.
I also look for ways to get back more of my time which is why I think I am such a huge fan of automation. "Automation triumphs over determination" is something I like to tell others and it's something I live by.
I can truly say that I love what I do now. Who knew I would go from getting an MBA so I could become an accountant to a risk-taking entrepreneur focused on bringing education and innovation to the cleaning industry!
I hold nothing but optimism and excitement for the future. I know there will be obstacles along the way and things may not always go the way I planned, but through my Faith and the love and support from my family, I'll be just fine.
I also want to say thank you. Your support through our online courses, coaching program, and software subscriptions help us to continue to innovate and bring better training and better content to the industry.
Thanks for reading my story. Always remember to do your best to "figure it out" and never stop innovating.
That's all for now - I'll catch you on the next one!
P.S. I finally got the remote lifestyle I wanted in the first place! You can often find me working at a random coffee shop or "chill spot" somewhere around Colorado or back in Florida when I'm visiting family. I've been able to enjoy working in remote mountainous locations like Leadville and Estes Park, Colorado as well as coastal locations like St. Augustine, Florida. In case you're wondering, yes, it is all it's cracked up to be. 😉
