A Life in the Field
About Joseph Gary
Service Business Strategist | Founder of Grime Time | Systems + Self-Mastery
I didn’t go to business school—I built one from scratch.
From selling apples and newspapers as a kid to launching my first official business at 24, I’ve always been obsessed with what makes small businesses work (and why they break down). In 2012, I founded Grime Time, Inc., a commercial cleaning company based in Portland, Oregon. It started with just me, a vacuum, and a beat-up car. Today, we’re a 30+ person team completing over 7,200 service visits a year and maintaining more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial space.
But Grime Time was never just about cleaning—it’s been my personal classroom for leadership, discipline, systems thinking, and personal development.
I believe that business is one of the greatest tools for self-growth. It will expose every weakness you have—your lack of discipline, your emotional triggers, your leadership gaps—and give you a daily opportunity to get better. Over the last 12+ years, I’ve used entrepreneurship not just to create income, but to build a life I can be proud of.
My focus is helping other service-based business owners:
Structure and scale operations without burning out
Build documented systems that grow with less chaos
Train teams that show up and take pride in their work
Create brands that clients trust and teams want to work for
And most importantly—grow as leaders along the way
I write white papers, blog posts, and create content that breaks down the systems, decisions, and internal growth it takes to run a real company—not just one that looks good on paper.
Whether you’re building a service business, leading a team, or trying to level up in life through ownership—this is where I share what’s working, what’s broken, and what I’m still figuring out.
Let’s build something worth being proud of.