Laura Spaulding

Spaulding Decon, the nation’s leading crime scene cleaning company was founded by CEO, Laura Spaulding. After 7 years in laws enforcement, and serving in the military, Laura identified a need for crime scene cleaning while working a double homicide, when a family member of the deceased approached her and asked, “who is going to clean this up?”. With a $15,000 dollar loan and a dream Spaulding Decon was born. What began as a one woman show today stands as a franchise with over 55 locations nationwide. Spaulding Decon is a full-service restoration company providing services
including mold restoration, drug lab clean-up, full biohazard cleaning, water damage remediation, fire cleanup and much more. Laura and her team are the last responders, doing the dirty work so that you don’t have to.

Laura graduated in the top 5% of her class, obtaining her Masters degree in Business Administration from Baker University in KS and a Bachelors in Criminal Justice. She has expertise in medical and environmental waste disposal and extensive experience in medical equipment sales.

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc Magazine, and Entrepreneur magazine, Laura has become a featured expert in growing a dirty business. In 2020, Laura took the company to a 608% growth to make the Inc 5000 list at #768. Laura earned her spot on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list in less than 4 years of franchising. She created and produced the popular YouTube series Crime Scene Cleaning and has a podcast called Talking Decon. With over 50 million views Spaulding Decon has become a household name and the go to for their services. In addition to her franchises, Laura has developed an impressive real estate portfolio. Purchasing hoard or crime scene homes and converting them into beautiful estates. This has become a labor of love that has produced millions in revenue.

Laura actively serves her community and has launched charitable initiatives such as Holiday Hoarding Giveaway, where her company provides a free cleanup for one lucky winner per year. Additionally, she hosts an annual franchise giveaway, where a franchise is given to a qualifying Veteran. Laura advocates for minorities, members of the LGBT community, and empowerment for women in the workplace. She is a devoted mother to a beautiful 4-year-old and loves to spend her free time on the field playing soccer.

If you wish to contact Laura, please visit spauldingdecon.com.

Where did the idea for Spaulding Decon come from?

I was working in law enforcement and was called to tend to a double homicide. While at the scene, a family member of the deceased asked “who is going to clean this up”? At the time I did not have a response as law enforcement does not do this task. I quickly realized there was a need and I was fully capable of doing the work.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Chaotic. I wake up around 6 am. Check emails, go to the gym at 7:30 am, at work by 9 am. Meet with the Tampa team to see what projects are on for the day, then I check in with my CFO and COO. I handle anything pressing. Then I check on my rental properties, and my assistant to ensure there’s no maintenance issues, or anything pressing to attend. I get about 250 emails a day. My assistant will weed those down to the pressing ones.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Ideas hit me when a problem arises. For example, I love real estate. I was keeping things separate until a client told me she wanted me to cleanup her property so she could sell it. That is when I realized that I could merge the two businesses and buy our customer homes and fix and flip them.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Technology. I love using technology to automate as much of my life and business as possible.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Personal reflection. I spend a lot of time analyzing my market, the trends, and setting new goals. Many entrepreneurs get sucked up in the day to day and working in the biz so they lose sight of the growth potential.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Start investing at a very young age.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I don’t believe in GOD or religion. I also people should have the right to decide to die. This is something we give our animals, a graceful exit, why do we make people suffer.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

READ. Read a lot of books.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Perseverance. Business is hard, and things will get very difficult. Most people give up. You must push through these times.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Hiring people that I thought were competent to run my business but they were self-serving, and lost all the momentum I had created.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Marijuana ATM machines. It’s coming eventually.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Rescuing 2 abused pitbulls from a hoarder home. I paid her $100 cash for her to give me the two puppies. I then surrendered them to a rescue organization.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Trello.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Who Not How” by Dan Kennedy.

What is your favorite quote?

If you really want something you will make it happen, if you don’t you’ll find an excuse.