Good Neighbor Podcast: Union

The Story Behind Mr. Ziz: Windows, Family, and Special Needs Advocacy

• Mike Murphy • Season 5 • Episode 75

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Ever wonder what drives someone to start a window cleaning business? For Chad Zizelman—better known as Mr. Ziz—it's about much more than sparkling glass. After twelve years in sales, Chad launched Mr. Ziz Window Cleaning with a powerful vision: to build a business that could eventually provide meaningful employment for people with special needs.

The inspiration comes from a deeply personal place. Chad's five-year-old son Power, who has high-functioning autism, demonstrates remarkable attention to detail when cleaning glass surfaces. "Window cleaning isn't difficult, it's meticulous," Chad explains, recognizing how this trait could create perfect job opportunities for individuals with unique abilities. This blend of entrepreneurial spirit and social mission sets Mr. Ziz apart in the home service industry.

Unlike competitors who bundle multiple services together, Mr. Ziz remains laser-focused on window cleaning excellence. Using professional techniques including deionized water—a significant upgrade from DIY methods—and maintaining transparent, straightforward pricing at $10 per window unit, the Union, Kentucky-based business prioritizes quality and customer clarity. Chad's commitment extends beyond his business to coaching with All Ability Sports Northern Kentucky, a nonprofit providing athletic opportunities for children with special needs.

The Zizelman family story is equally compelling, from how Chad and his wife Ashley met at TQL (which he jokingly calls "Total Quality Love"), to their uniquely named children Power and Sims, to their theme park adventures made possible through accessibility accommodations. Looking ahead, Chad plans to expand his offerings with artistic window painting during slower winter months—a perfect outlet for his natural artistic talents.

Ready to experience the difference professional window cleaning makes while supporting a business with heart? Visit mrziz.com or call 419-953-0755 to schedule your service and become part of this remarkable journey.

Charlie McDermott:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Mike Murphy.

Mike Murphy:

Yes, I am Mike Murphy, host of the Good Neighbor Podcast. This podcast is intended to help the residents of Northern Kentucky get to know business owners and influencers, just people who I think you should know. I want you to know them as people, as human beings, and not just a logo on a business card. Speaking of a logo, the logo that I have sitting on my desk right now is the logo for the business of my current guest. The business of my current guest, mr Ziz, known to some as Chad Zizzleman, is my guest today, and so he is the owner of Mr Ziz Window Cleaning. Is that the official name, chad?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so the official name is actually Mr Ziz LLC.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, but yeah, obviously I represent myself many times as Mr Z's window washing service or you know, it's kind of funny. I mean, I know you as Chad Zizzleman, but quite often I don't know. I just sort of unofficially have just started to think of you as Mr Ziz, as though that's your last name, you know. But that's branding and that's kind of part of what we're all doing in business, is we're branding? I think the Mr Ziz name is actually pretty cool.

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, there's not a lot of Zizzlemans out there. If you look it up where all the Zizzlemans are located, we're all in this. I'm actually one of the outliers. We're all in this tiny little circle in Western Ohio. If you go into any demolition derbies in basically anywhere in Ohio, you always see this black car and it says Ziz on the side of it, and that's my dad's cousin. So Ziz has been a common last name, or shortened last name, for basically all of us. So I've been called Ziz, my entire life.

Mike Murphy:

Yeah, I was going to say that just sounds like a common nickname that you would get in high school, if not sooner.

Chad Zizelman:

Exactly. I can still hear my football coach today going Ziz run faster Well.

Mike Murphy:

Ziz, it's good to have you on the show today and I'm happy that people are going to get to meet you and know more about you. So let's kind of get into the business end of things. So you are based in Union. Here You're a Union resident Yep, and how long ago did you start, mr Ziz, window cleaning?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, actually I started it unofficially in November and then officially in December of this past year. I kind of tested the waters, tested the market and everything in November and then I got really good feedback. So I just took off in December.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, so, so no regrets. Thus far, right, oh no, it's getting more exciting every day. Took off in December.

Chad Zizelman:

Okay, so no regrets thus far right, oh no, it's getting more exciting every day.

Mike Murphy:

Good yeah, and I think you know it's a competitive business. But there's an aspect to it that I think people don't quite understand why they need professional window cleaning. People don't quite understand why they need professional window cleaning. I think that there's a common misconception that I can just clean my own windows and certainly anybody can. But there really is a difference and we'll kind of we'll talk about that in a few minutes here. So you know, you've been doing this for just a little while now. You're still kind of, I think, getting your sea legs under you in terms of trying to get some traction going, and that's kind of part of why we're here. But you know you could have done plenty of other things, like why windows, like what makes you kind of, I guess, interested in cleaning windows, passionate about it, what's fun about it? You know why did you choose that path?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so I've been in sales for gosh 12 years now and I enjoy sales. I'm one of those odd people that truly do enjoy it. But I wanted a way to build a business for myself and I wanted a way to give back to the community. As you and I have spoke about in the past, one of my end goals is to eventually hire and employ people with special needs, and so I was looking at different home service spaces, because home service was definitely a direction I wanted to go with. That.

Chad Zizelman:

In window cleaning something I always say about it I say it's not difficult, it's not hard, it's meticulous. Okay, where, like if you look at my son, who is autistic whenever he takes a shower, mom and dad shower, we have like the glass doors and everything, and he's one of the people who has helped me help this stand out to me but he loves cleaning it and he gets I mean he cleans that shower better than me and my wife do, and I'm I mean I'm a professional window cleaner at this point and he still does better than me. I mean he'll be down there getting like every little drop of water, and so I saw this. I was like you know, this is an opportunity to build something for myself, build something for my family, but it's also a way to be able to employ the most unique among us yeah, well, I like that idea.

Mike Murphy:

You and I have had conversations, as you alluded to in the past, about that, and so we, I guess you know, since we've brought up your son, let's just kind of dive into your family. So your family lives here in Union. As I said before, you've got a wife and two kids. Let's start with your wife. Her name is Ashley, and so what does Ashley do?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah. So Ashley, she works for Chef's Warehouse right in downtown. She is like me where she's worked in sales for a hot second now. She basically runs, gets food delivered to all the restaurants around the area Anywhere. She has customers up in Liberty Township, she has customers down here in Union and Florence, so all over the tri-state area.

Mike Murphy:

So you yourself have a logistics background? Is that correct?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, absolutely. We actually met at the big brand that everyone knows in Cincinnati, TQL. We call it Total Quality Love because that's where we met.

Mike Murphy:

Cool, you're cool. Yeah, everybody knows TQL. Everybody passes it on the 275 loop there and sooner or later, every single one of us will have worked a little bit of time at TQL at one time or another, I think.

Chad Zizelman:

I'm very thankful for my time there. They have some of the best I mean people have. I mean it's any company. Everyone has their own opinions about it. I'm very appreciative of my time there because they had some of the best training that one could ask for, and I think that their training still is a major factor in the level of customer service that I deliver every day and no matter what business I'm in.

Mike Murphy:

That's why I asked earlier, like why Windows? Because you know, going from logistics to Windows doesn't seem instinctive, but yet you did a good job of explaining it. Now I understand why. Which takes us to your kids now. So you mentioned your son. Your son has level one autism, Is that correct? Yeah, so they call it high functioning. Okay yeah, because I don't know the difference. You know, I don't know what the um levels are, but uh, so high functioning is like level one's high functioning. Is that in essence?

Chad Zizelman:

Exactly, he was kind of right on the line there, um, so he's more in line. They don't recognize it as a um diagnosis anymore, but he's more in line of like Asperger's and things like that. Um, now, now, like I said, they don't recognize ospergers anymore, um, but that's kind of where you'd categorize him. So he is, he is verbal, he does speak um, he just is delayed in many areas and has hyper focuses on many things like right now I mean for the past, I'd say year, year and a half his obsession has been bugs. Like he could tell you every single little detail about any bug out there okay yeah yeah, so, um, so he's.

Mike Murphy:

How old is power? His name is power, by the way yep, power.

Chad Zizelman:

He is five years old. He's going to be turning six in december. We are actually getting ready for kindergarten, so he's going to be going to long branch, okay, and scary, exciting. He is one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet.

Mike Murphy:

Yeah, yeah, and I have yet to meet him, but I'm looking forward to meeting him someday. Yep, as well as your daughter. Her name is Sims, correct?

Chad Zizelman:

Yep, sims, our three-year-old going on 15th, she's got that Boston blood in her through her mom. She's got that Boston blood in her through her mom and, yeah, she's, she's the biggest sweetheart and it's funny because she added so much to our lives, not only like obviously she's our daughter, we love her, be careful or anything, but she's almost like the third adult in the family, like we don't ask her to be, but if she ever sees like her brother because obviously he does have his concerns, like with he's very sensitive to sounds and off sound it doesn't have to necessarily be loud, any off sound could trigger him where it makes him very upset and she is very happy to like grab his hand and be like come on, buddy, like let's go over here. Or if she sees him not listening to mom and dad, she'll go and grab his hand Like mommy and daddy are calling us, Like let's go over here.

Mike Murphy:

Wow, she's incredible At age three, huh.

Chad Zizelman:

Oh yeah, that's crazy.

Mike Murphy:

I love her awareness and the fact that she's already kind of, you know, protective over him, and so that's great to hear. The other question that I have for you is OK, so your kids names are Power and Sims. Those are not common everyday names. So what led you to those two names?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so Power. So me and my wife, we were both kind of the last names. So what led you to those two names? Yeah so power. So me and my wife, we were both kind of the last in line for our, because both of our fathers didn't remarry after their first marriages. We were the only ones to be able to really carry on that legacy. So it was either we. She was like she's like I kind of want you to take my last name, and we finally decided she was like she's like I kind of want you to take my last name, and we finally decided you know what It'd be, wouldn't sound right if we call our son Zizzleman power. So we decided to keep my last name and we honored her maiden name by naming our son power. So her name, her maiden name, is Ashley power.

Mike Murphy:

Oh, okay.

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, and and it. At first we were like we my mom actually brought it up and we started like saying it, and we're like, actually it kind of has a little bit of a ring to it, like it's not not as off-sounding as we initially thought it would be, and and we wanted unique names. That's something that we really wanted for our kids.

Mike Murphy:

Well, I think it's pretty cool. It's powerful, no pun intended. Or maybe pun intended, I don't know.

Charlie McDermott:

Yep.

Mike Murphy:

So all right, Power and Sims, wife Ashley. You guys, I assume, on occasion like to go out and have fun as a family. What do you guys like to do?

Chad Zizelman:

for vacation. For vacation, you know, my grandmother has a spot um down in Cape Coral, florida, near like Fort Myers and stuff, so we'll go down there sometimes. I know next year we're going to Disney again. Okay, the theme parks are our big thing right now. Our kids are roller coaster-aholics and I mean we've been to Kings Island I think we were talking about it the other day I think seven times already this year and being all the way down in Union, it's not like that's a short hike. So I mean it's every day our kids wake up during the summer and it's either can we go to the pool or can we go to Kings Island.

Mike Murphy:

OK, that can get expensive. So I'm sure you guys have the annual passes.

Chad Zizelman:

Oh yeah, we do. We got the annual, we had the season pass, we had the food pass. We got it all.

Mike Murphy:

We got it all, oh, go ahead. It kind of surprises me, though, that Power doesn't have problems with the sounds, the sights and everything that comes with, you know, a big park like Kings Island or Disney park like Kings Island or Disney.

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so Kings Island was really good. I think that they keep a lot of those sensory concerns in mind with now we do have to have the accessibility pass because he can't wait in a line. He struggles with that. Now it's a 5-10 minute line, we'll go ahead and wait like he's. He's perfectly fine with that, but anything extended we do have to use an accessibility pass. Um, and we do have headphones for him.

Chad Zizelman:

So there are some rides that make a lot of noise leading up to them even I don't know if you're familiar with the rides up there, but like there's a ride called boo blasters. He has to wear his headphones in there. So there are. We do wear headphones on a lot of times on a lot of the rides, or take them off right as we're getting seated.

Mike Murphy:

Okay.

Chad Zizelman:

And that helps a lot.

Mike Murphy:

Right, I guess I wasn't aware that they accommodated kids like that with the accessibility pass.

Chad Zizelman:

So, oh it's, it's amazing, Okay, Well good You're, you're teaching me something.

Mike Murphy:

Oh, it's amazing. Okay, well, good, you're teaching me something. Speaking of teaching me something, you kind of introduced me to a nonprofit that you're kind of close to as well, so do you want to talk a little bit about that Kind of a sports-related nonprofit for special needs kids?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, it's All Ability Sports Northern Kentucky. They are ran by this wonderful woman. Her name is Samantha Payne. She's an ex-special ed teacher, I believe. I know she worked with kids with unique needs and she looked around the area and she was like you know, there are no programs offering sports for these kids, so she started this. I want to say I could be off with the years. I believe two years ago it was like either a year and a half two years ago. It's taken off. I've had the pleasure of being able to coach for them. I had the pleasure of being able to coach for them. Our son's been involved with it since spring of 2024.

Mike Murphy:

Okay.

Chad Zizelman:

And it's just an incredible organization. I mean being able to coach. It has been. I've been beyond thankful that I've been able to do that, because I've been able to meet these amazing kids and just see them slowly come out of their shell. It's one of those things that it just takes your breath away seeing these kids, like week after week, just slowly open up to you, open up to their friends and build a community around them.

Mike Murphy:

That's great. You know, I had never heard of them until you mentioned them to me a few months ago and since then I've seen that logo four or five times on the community and I know that they had a float at the Union Celebrates America parade just a couple weeks ago. So I look forward to learning more about them, to learn more about them and, uh, you know, I think you and I can kind of join forces in possibly um helping to get them some some, uh, you know, gift them some money through the group that I'm part of, um give where you live, nky.

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah.

Mike Murphy:

We're? We're kind of a nonprofit that funds other nonprofits and, uh, I like to say we are, instead of speed dating, we are speed philanthropy. So we're going to, you know, our next meeting. Hopefully you can make it. You and I are going to go and we're going to try and get some money for your favorite nonprofit. So I hope we can do that.

Chad Zizelman:

Absolutely, I'm looking forward to it. I know I'd have that on my list of companies to collaborate with and everything it doesn't have to stop, but it can definitely slow.

Mike Murphy:

So you and I talked about your potential plans as an add-on service, an additional service to your clients in the wintertime, and I don't know if you're ready to talk about that the window art thing. If not, then we're going to cut this out of the podcast and nobody will ever know. But if you're ready to talk about the window art, let's talk about it. So what's your idea around that?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so it is something I'm going to offer. I still have to work out the details and all that good stuff, but basically what I'm going to offer throughout the I know for sure the Christmas season I may do it prior to that but offering window art for homes. I got to do some research around regulations around the area, especially with HOAs and everything. But what it basically be is that I'd come in, I'd have a set, a few set designs that I can basically draw in your window and it'll include a free not a free full called window washing service but, I would clean that window free of charge so that you're not just stuck with this paint that you now have to get off your windows.

Chad Zizelman:

But yeah, it'd be. It's something that's going to help me get through, like that December January.

Mike Murphy:

I think it's a great idea. So I'm glad you're letting me talk about it now and let the community know about it, because I think that that's something that I don't know I mean, I haven't seen it done very often but to me it makes perfect sense. It's a wonderful way to just kind of get through that holiday season, especially and I'm assuming you're painting on the inside of the window, correct?

Chad Zizelman:

Exactly so. You'd paint on the inside of the window to show on the outside, and it's something I've always been more artistic. I love drawing. If you ever see me in a meeting or whatever many times, I just You're a doodler a meeting or whatever. Many times I just, yeah, I just doodle, I'm actively listening, I just tend to doodle while I listen and so, yeah, I saw that as something that I can kind of dig into my artistic side and also keep myself busy during the cold months.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, well, looking forward to that too. Is there anything that we have not talked about that you want the community to know, either about you, your family or your business? Anything else that we should make sure to discuss before we sign off?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so I'm just like I said. I'm a local dad trying to build a window cleaning business. We are solely focused on windows. I think that's something that makes us stand out. Is window cleaning isn't one of several services. Now we do partner with many companies that offer like power washing and all those things, but something that's unique with Mr Ziz and it was honestly a factor in why I went this route was that we specialize in windows.

Chad Zizelman:

I spoke to one of my favorite clients. He's over in Walton. He said you know he's like. I decided to start bundling window cleaning with all these other services he's like, and once I did, I noticed that my window cleaning quality went down and so I saw it as an opportunity. I'm like you know what? I'm going to be very good at window cleaning and that's what I train my employees on. I go hey, we got to. I want you to master this. I want you to master only this. I want you to be the best window cleaner you can possibly be. Everything else doesn't matter. This. I want you to be the best window cleaner you can possibly be. Everything else doesn't matter, and if someone needs like power washing or whatever, I have a partner company that does that.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, that's good. So is there such a thing as being able to easily quote for somebody Like if somebody is listening to this and they're like, okay, what's it cost per window? Or I guess you know what are the factors that you need to consider when you're quoting it out to somebody, Maybe even if it's just to give them kind of a thumbnail understanding of what it might cost to properly clean the windows, professionally clean the windows in their home. What's that look like?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah. So that is another thing that I started because obviously you do market research before you start a business, right? And I noticed, well, first off, there weren't a ton of reputable companies. There are some incredible companies in this area I'm not going to go and diss anyone but there weren't. There wasn't a plethora of them.

Chad Zizelman:

And when I would get to many websites, with a few exceptions, a lot of times pricing would be complicated. It's like per pane. It's like. Then people are going okay, what's is it per pane of glass, like how many does that add up through? Gridded windows change. So my pricing is very simple it's $10 per window unit. Now, the biggest thing is like, you see this small window behind me, it's $10, right, but normal window units usually it's like one bottom window pane, one top window, $10 for that window pane inside and out. So it's very simple. If it's a deep, clean, $17 per window. Sorry, not window pane window unit, yeah. So I created special pricing for that. The only exceptions are, say, gridded windows, because a lot of those, especially the older ones, they require very special techniques and overly dirty windows Like there are.

Chad Zizelman:

I've only wanted ran into one house since starting this in November that I had to go. Okay, I mean, there were, there was waxy stuff all over these windows. It took. It was taking me, I'd say, half hour to 45 minutes per window and, as you can imagine, that is some very heavy residue. But I don't try to nickel and dime because I think that that's. I noticed that when I got my what was it? My dishwasher fixed a about a year ago, is that? Then they're like you get this receipt and it's like this this charts, this starts, this starts. You get this receipt and it's like this this charge, this starts, this charge this turn. It's like why can't you just be up front with that? So hard water stains? I don't require, I don't charge extra for that, I don't charge extra to get the pollen off your window. Listen, it's all the same techniques. I'm not going to try to nickel and dime. You and my pricing is simple and that's what I pride myself on.

Mike Murphy:

And there's a difference in the water that you use versus just, uh, turning on a garden hose and spraying windows down, correct?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so we use um either deionized or distilled water, depending on what kind of work we're doing, like especially um like when I'm cleaning the tracks and sills, I want to make sure that any spray that gets on the windows is um doesn't like dirty up the windows in the meantime. So I use distilled water for that, because I'm not going to hook up like the whole filter and everything but um deionized water is the main thing that we use.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, so if people want to get ahold of you, what's the best way to do that?

Chad Zizelman:

Yes, so they can go to my website, which is very simple, mrzizcom, or they can look me up on Google, mr Ziz LLC, or even contact me, call me or text me on my cell phone, which I keep available on my website it's 419-953-0755.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, and again, what's that area code from? Where's 419 lead to?

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, so that's technically a Toledo area code. Now, I come from a small little town called Saline, ohio. It's up near Lima, if you know where Lima is, and our population isn't that big. So we just even though Toledo is like an hour away, we just get their area code.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, interesting. Yeah, every time I call you, I always mean to ask you, but I never do.

Chad Zizelman:

Yeah, everyone's like. You're from Toledo, like it's rough up there I'm like no, I'm from a small little town, we just steal their area code, yeah.

Mike Murphy:

Yeah, yeah, gotcha Okay.

Charlie McDermott:

All right.

Mike Murphy:

Well, I think that wraps it up for this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Chad, it's been nice catching up with you. It's nice to see you. Likewise, I look forward to working on nonprofit stuff with you. I look forward to meeting the kids in person someday Yep, to meeting the kids in person someday. And if you ever get over here and clean my windows, I think I'll insist that you bring power with you. And let me see some of his window cleaning skills.

Mike Murphy:

I mean, this kid sounds like he's going to be a natural at maybe helping dad out with the business someday.

Chad Zizelman:

Oh yeah, oh, he definitely will be, okay.

Mike Murphy:

Perfect, All right. Well, that does it for this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Chad thanks for being with us. Everybody, until we meet again, be good to your neighbor. So long, everyone. Bye-bye.

Charlie McDermott:

Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Union. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpunioncom. That's gnpunioncom, or call us at 859-651-8330.