Dan Schultz likely could have had his pick of jobs when he retired from the Air Force. Defense-related contractor positions were within his grasp. With two master's degrees, maybe he could have used his foreign affairs experience in the classroom as an instructor.

Instead, the Florida native decided to use his leadership skills to run his own business. Opening The Cleaning Authority about six months ago, Schultz wanted to bring a different concept to home cleaning.

"The thing that sets us apart from other cleaning businesses is the detailed clean rotation system," Schultz said. "Instead of cleaning the whole house detailed every time, what we do is we detail one area every time, but do a general clean of the whole house. A lot of the things that cleaners clean, they don't need to be cleaned every two weeks. At least in the same way."

He appreciates The Cleaning Authority’s corporate support and helping him learn the processes the company uses, Schultz said.

Schultz leans into his military career when working with clients and employees.

 Joining the Air Force after high school, Schultz said he wanted to be a linguist, specializing in Japanese. However, the military needed Korean speakers, so he instead learned that language.

For the next five years, he was based at Offutt Air Force Base, flying on reconnaissance missions, monitoring conversations.

"While I was doing that work, we were flying in the plane, they saved a lot of secret stuff," Schultz said. "I can't tell you, but I actually feel like I saved lives in the moment and in the future."

After five years as an enlisted airman, Schultz finished his bachelor's degree at Bellevue University, then went on to Officer Training School, becoming a commissioned officer.

Assigned to the 45th Reconnaissance Wing at Offutt as an electronic warfare officer, Schultz continued flying on classified missions, but with different responsibilities.

"It's more electronic - new and emerging technology - reconnaissance for electronic warfare," he said. "Not real time or combat stuff, but more future research and preparation." Along with the recon job, came multiple deployments to places such as Greece, England and, of course, the Middle East.

"I thought of them as mini vacations, because we were the Air Force, so we go to nicer places," Schultz said. "I actually calculated my time in Qatar, and it was about two-and-a-half years."

During his military career, Schultz said he felt like it was a lot of time spent on “what if” scenarios, rather than live action.

“The military is there just in case,” he said. “A lot of our daily lives were kind of just waiting around and, so, I’d walk around in uniform at lunch or whatever, and people would say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ And I learned to start saying, ‘Well, thank you for letting me.’”

Toward the end of his 21-year career, the major found himself at a crossroads. He had graduated with a master’s degree in international relations and was assigned as a foreign affairs officer, which qualified him to work as a liaison at an embassy.

However, an assignment to Singapore was derailed in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world. He declined to get a Covid vaccination, so Singapore denied him admission. He was, instead, assigned to a position at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama for the remainder of his military service.

Following his retirement, the family returned to Omaha and he set out to discover his next career, Schultz said.

Leading a local franchise for The Cleaning Authority is providing him a fresh look at society and life, Schultz said.

Besides his leadership and management skills, Schultz is finding his niche in sales. He doesn’t look at sales as “selling,” he said.

“I'm good at managing people, at keeping schedules and I'm good at talking,” Schultz said. “I wouldn't say I'm good at sales, but I guess I come across as just comfortable with people. I'm just honest with them. And apparently that translates well to sales, because I don't like to sell and push people. And so when they're like, ‘Well, how long do we have to decide on this?’ I say, ‘How long do you want?’ I’ll give them the time they need.”

With seven team members, The Cleaning Authority has two dedicated teams, he said. The franchise is looking to add a few more people, expanding to a third team, Schultz said.

With all but two employees younger than 25 (the others are 40ish), Schultz said he tries to offer support by having snacks, breakfast food and plenty of liquids on-site.

“I’ve been told younger workers want immediate gratification, so this is one way I can thank them,” he said.

As Schultz builds his company, which could be profitable – at least break even – by the end of the year, he knows he can rely on his military background in handling situations.

“It teaches you to never give up,” Schultz said. “It teaches you how to transition your thinking when something's not working and to focus on what you can control. Right now, leads are down, and I think it's because of the government shutdown. I can't control that. But what I can control is how well we're cleaning, making sure customers are happy and then reducing that side of things to improve my business.”

Tim Trudell is a freelance writer and online content creator. His work has appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Next Avenue, Indian Country Today, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Magazine, Council Bluffs Daily Non-Pareil and Douglas County Post Gazette, among others. He is a citizen of the Santee Dakota Nation.