Reclaim Your Small Business Dreams: Advice From Chronotek's Owner

After 40 years in the service industry, Brandon Fox has seen it all - the successes, the failures, and most importantly, the heartbreak of owners losing sight of their dreams. Today, as the creator and owner of Chronotek Pro, he shares his vision for helping service business owners reclaim those dreams. "I've watched too many people say, 'This isn't what I bought. Everyone's making money but me,'" Brandon says. His eyes light up as he explains his mission. "That's why I built Chronotek Pro. It's not just timekeeping software - it's medicine for a sick business." 

As we start our journey in timekeeping software development, let's dive into Brandon's blueprint for how service business owners can get their dreams back.

Dennis: Welcome to the Chronotek Pro blog. Today, we have a very special guest: Brandon Fox, the owner and creator of Chronotek Pro. Brandon, welcome!

Brandon: Thanks, Dennis. Always excited to talk about helping small businesses succeed.

Dennis: You've been developing time-tracking software for service businesses for nearly three decades. Could you tell us about that journey?

Brandon: My family has deep roots in the cleaning industry. My parents owned a ServiceMaster business back in the 60s and I was involved with it from the time I could walk. After I earned my degree in computer engineering, I couldn't resist the pull of the family business. I worked in both operations and franchise training. Our Charlotte location became a model business that ServiceMaster Corporate would send people to for training.

That experience gave me a front-row seat to watching businesses succeed or fail. One pattern became crystal clear: the people who succeed are the ones who have the right perspective on how to run a business. Many people think being the best cleaner will make them successful. Unfortunately, that's not enough.

From Real-World Insight to Timekeeping Software Creation

Dennis: That insight led to creating Chronotek?

Brandon: Yes. I saw that business owners needed much more than just a time clock. Our current product, Chronotek Pro, is actually our fourth iteration. Each version came from watching real businesses struggle with real problems. I focused on making timekeeping the foundation because that's where the money is - or isn't - in service businesses.

When we started working on Pro, we knew we couldn't just keep stacking features on our Classic version. We needed to rebuild from the ground up using enterprise-level infrastructure. The system is now infinitely scalable with a multi-redundant cloud architecture.

Preventing Problems Through Visibility

Dennis: Let's talk about your unique approach to preventing problems rather than reacting to them.

Brandon: Too many owners spend their days putting out fires instead of preventing them. You've got to get to the point where you're busy because you're adding new business, not because you're fixing problems. That's a crucial difference.

Take inventory management - when you wait for employees to request supplies, everything becomes an emergency. You need systems that give you visibility before problems occur. When stuff goes out to job sites and disappears without tracking, you're always playing catch-up.

Dennis: So, visibility drives control?

Brandon: Absolutely. Without visibility across your operations - supply levels, time cards, job profitability - you're guessing. Many owners think being busy means they're doing their job. But being busy fixing problems is different from being busy growing your business.

That's why we built our yellow and red warning system. Yellow means there's a potential issue, and red means it must be fixed before running payroll. But here's the interesting part - most people think it's about finding problems. Actually, as an owner, your biggest dream should be to log in and see no warnings at all. That tells you your operations are running smoothly and you're ready to grow.

Job Costing and Time Theft Solutions

Dennis: You've also revolutionized job costing. How does that work?

Brandon: Most systems just track hours, but we track dollars too. We maintain historical pay rates so you can compare profitability year over year, even as wages change. Think of it this way: someone's schedule is essentially their planned timecard. When you combine future schedules with past actual times and costs, you get this continuous view of whether your contracts are making or losing money.

Every time somebody clocks out, it recalculates the profitability of that job. Business owners can see exactly how much money they will make versus what they planned to make, 24/7. More importantly, they can spot potential losses before they happen and make corrections - like adjusting schedules to prevent employees from going into overtime. You may also see a supervisor scheduled for a job that a lower-paid employee should be doing. There's no way to do this with a regular accounting system that only shows you what already happened.

Dennis: Time theft has been a persistent industry problem. How did you address that?

Brandon: People think GPS solved time theft, but GPS has a 200-meter accuracy radius. Employees figure this out and start clocking in from their cars. 

Dennis: How did you solve this issue in Pro?

Brandon: We solved this with TimeTiles™ using NFC technology - the same technology used for contactless payments. The employee has to be in the building to clock in to scan the TimeTiles™. One of our first Pro customers implementing this immediately saved $35,000 a year just by eliminating early clock-ins.

Dennis: That’s like QR codes, right?

Brandon: Not at all.  Initially, we looked at QR codes as a solution. But we discovered they could be easily duplicated - someone could just take a picture and print it at home. We even explored copy-proof paper, which is used for prescriptions, but it wasn't reliable or scalable enough.

Dennis: Interesting, so TimeTiles™ is the superior solution to ensuring employees are on-site when clocking in?

Brandon: Absolutely. This is a perfect example of why doing things right matters more than doing them fast. The easy solution would have been QR codes, but it wouldn't have truly solved the problem. When you're dealing with people's livelihoods, you can't take shortcuts.

System Flexibility and Issue Management

Dennis: You often say that systems need to be flexible. Why is that?

Brandon: Because everybody makes mistakes. Your systems can't be fragile - they need to expect and accommodate errors. The key is making it easy to correct mistakes at each step while maintaining accountability. With time corrections, for example, supervisors can handle routine issues, but administrators need the final say on critical changes. It's about delegation with proper oversight.

Dennis: How do you approach developing these systems?

Brandon: Process comes before technology. We have an extensive design phase before writing a single line of code. You have to understand the real-world workflow first. When you build time-tracking software, especially for field operations, they need to be simple. If something's too cumbersome, people won't use it.

Noble Purpose Behind the Mission

Dennis: I've heard you ask business owners about their "noble purpose" rather than a mission statement. Can you explain the difference?

Brandon: In the corporate world, mission statements work because you have the infrastructure to support them. But in a small business, if you ask employees what the company's mission statement is, they probably can't tell you. Our noble purpose is simple: we provide a proven method for thousands of business owners to get their dreams back.

When someone buys or starts a business, they have this vision of what it's going to be like. Then reality hits - they're working harder than ever, everyone else is making money except them, and they're drowning in operational problems. That's where we come in. We provide the systems and tools to get control of their operations so they can focus on growth.

How to Grow Your Cleaning Business Through Strategic Marketing

Dennis: You talk about the importance of focusing on operations. Can you elaborate on that?

Brandon: Absolutely. There's a great book called "The E-Myth" that talks about how people work in their business versus on their business. Many owners get caught up in daily operations and think being busy means they're doing their job. But that's not it. The marketing part is actually the hardest part of the business, and nothing else comes close to that difficulty.

Dennis: For business owners who are struggling with growth, what advice would you give them?

Brandon: First, understand that you can't keep every account forever. You're either growing, or you're shrinking - there's no standing still. A lot of people buy a business and don't understand that natural attrition means you must always be marketing. And I want to be clear: marketing is different from sales. Marketing is finding the needle in the haystack; sales is picking up that needle.

Dennis: The marketing landscape has changed dramatically. What advice do you give business owners about finding clients?

Brandon: Traditional methods like Google ads aren't as effective anymore, especially with AI changing search. What's working now is targeted marketing. For example, if you're running a cleaning business, you can use tools to identify buildings of the right size with the right number of employees in your area. But here's the key - you don't just need the company information, you need to reach the right decision-maker. Modern B2B tools let you build a steady pipeline of prospects and nurture them over weeks or months.

Also, don't let a perfect website hold you back from marketing. Yes, people will look you up, and yes, you need some web presence. But I see too many people saying, "I'll wait until my website is perfect before I start marketing." That's backward. You have to keep moving forward, even if some things aren't perfect yet.

The Future of Chronotek Pro

Dennis: Your team has been with you through all of this evolution, haven't they?

Brandon: Every one of my employees has been with me for at least 12 years. That experience is invaluable. Even our support team - like yourself, Dennis - you've been doing this for 15 years. How can you do customer support that long? Because you're like a doctor, solving people's business sickness every day. When you believe in the noble purpose, it's not just a job.

Dennis: You've mentioned this might be the last version you build in your career.

Brandon: (Laughs) Yes, I'm 58 now, and this version is built on infrastructure designed to last. We're not simply adding features; we're creating a system that will outlast my career. When you've been in this industry for nearly 40 years, you learn that doing it right is more important than doing it fast.

Dennis: That's quite a perspective shift from the "move fast and break things" mentality we often hear about.

Brandon: Exactly. Our customers are trusting us with their livelihoods. I mentioned that one of our customers just saved $35,000 a year by preventing early clock-ins. That's real money that could be the difference between success and failure for a small business. We take that responsibility seriously.

Dennis: Let's talk about where Pro is headed. You're working on something called "Chronotek Clean" - what's different about this approach? 

Brandon: Yes, we're taking a modular approach but not in the traditional way. Our base product stays the same - all the core timekeeping and operational features - but we're adding specialized modules for the cleaning industry. For example, supplies management for $1.50 per employee and QA systems for another $1.50. But we're doing it differently than other systems. 

Dennis: How so? 

Brandon: Take supplies management. Most systems use a request-based model where employees report when they need supplies. Sounds logical, right? But it often creates emergency situations because people wait until they're almost out. We built an inventory-based system instead. Employees do weekly inventories, and the system uses our yellow and red warning model to alert you before you run out. Now, you can efficiently plan supply runs and top off everything while you're there.

Dennis: That's a great example of building from real-world experience. What other features are you developing?

Brandon: Supply management is available now, and we're working on inspections and a robust picture-sharing system. Both are crucial for cleaning businesses to document before-and-after results. But everything we build connects back to the operational core. If someone takes a picture, it's not just stored - it's tied to the job, the time period, the employee, everything.

Dennis: Your emphasis on employee usability while maintaining owner control is interesting.

Brandon: That's crucial. For example, with our NFC TimeTiles™, if an employee's phone doesn't support NFC - about 2% don't - the system automatically detects this and creates a yellow warning. The supervisor can then approve an alternative clock-in method for that specific employee. The employee never needs to know about the technical details; they just clock in and do their job. We also have a communication feature that automatically translates messages between employees and management into every user’s native language. This is done without any extra effort on the user’s part. 

Final Advice for Service Business Owners

Dennis: Any final advice for service business owners?

Brandon: Begin by reading the E-Myth and then focus on building systems that prevent problems rather than just solving them. Stop trying to be the best technician - work on being the best business owner. That means having solid operations that run without constant intervention, consistent marketing that builds your pipeline, and most importantly, the visibility to know when you're ready to grow. Get these fundamentals right, and you'll have what every business owner dreams of - a business that works for you instead of you working for it.

Common Questions About Growing a Service Business

1 - What's the biggest mistake new service business owners make?

Thinking technical excellence alone will lead to success. The most successful businesses focus on consistent marketing and solid operations rather than just being the best at their craft.

2 - How important is marketing for a service business?

Critical. Natural client attrition means you must always be marketing. Today's most effective approach is targeted B2B marketing to identify and reach the right decision-makers, rather than waiting for them to find you.

3 - What's the difference between marketing and sales?

Marketing is finding the needle in the haystack - identifying potential clients. Sales is picking up that needle - converting those prospects into customers. Both are essential but require different strategies.

4 - What does "work on your business, not in it" mean?

Instead of getting caught up in daily operations, owners need to focus on growth strategies, marketing, and building systems that prevent problems. Being busy fixing problems is different from being busy growing.

5 - How can business owners prevent problems rather than just react to them?

Implement systems that give you visibility across operations before issues arise. This means tracking key metrics, setting warning thresholds, and having processes in place to address potential problems early.

6 - When is a business ready to grow?

When your operations are running smoothly without constant intervention. If you're spending most of your time fixing problems rather than pursuing growth opportunities, you need better systems first.

7 - Why shouldn't I wait until everything's perfect before marketing?

Perfection becomes a barrier to progress. While you need a basic web presence, waiting for everything to be perfect before marketing means missing opportunities. Start marketing now and improve as you go.

8 - How can I maintain quality while growing?

Build flexible systems that expect and accommodate mistakes while maintaining accountability. Delegate with proper oversight, and ensure your processes are simple enough that people will actually follow them.

9 - What's the most important metric to track in a service business?

Job profitability. You need to know in real-time whether contracts are making or losing money so you can make adjustments like preventing overtime before losses occur.

10 - What should I read to improve my business skills?

Start with "The E-Myth." It will transform how you think about your business by helping you understand the difference between working in your business versus working on it.