From rusty car frames to smoke-damaged heirlooms, Jim Ford of Bison Laser Cleaning is using high-tech laser cleaning to bring metal, wood, concrete, and more back to life—without harsh chemicals or mess. In this episode, we talk about how Jim carved out a niche with a truly unique service, how he partners with other trades, and why old-school, door-to-door sales still works in 2025.

Why You Should Listen
🔹 Learn how laser cleaning works (in plain English) and when it beats sanding, blasting, or chemicals.
🔹 Hear how Jim partners with painters, restoration pros, and furniture specialists to create win–win projects.
🔹 Get ideas for using demos and education to sell a service most people have never seen before.
🔹 See how Jim is building systems and SOPs now so he can scale Bison Laser Cleaning to multiple locations later.

In This Episode
🔹 What Bison Laser Cleaning actually does and why it’s different from traditional blasting
🔹 Real projects: classic car frames, kitchen cabinets, graffiti, concrete markings, and more
🔹 How Jim educates painters and trades through demos so they trust him with their clients’ projects
🔹 The nuts and bolts of the laser equipment and how he adjusts settings for different surfaces
🔹 Collaborating with restoration companies and Furniture Medic to save damaged furniture
🔹 Lessons from exploring franchises vs. building his own systemized, scalable business
🔹 Balancing inbound “I’m tired of sanding” calls with old-school, door-to-door outbound
🔹 Who Jim is looking to connect with next in Northern Colorado

Businesses Jim Ford Recommends
🔹 Furniture Medic (Fort Collins + Centennial) — They helped drive real collaboration and referrals. Jim did demo/testing with their Centennial team, and that relationship turned into ongoing project opportunities and a strong referral channel for furniture restoration work.

🔹 Kern Painting — Jim partnered with Thomas Kern on a classic car project, and it’s a good example of how his laser cleaning supports painters by stripping/cleaning surfaces faster than sanding so they can move straight into prep and paint.

Connect with Jim Ford & Bison Laser Cleaning
Phone: 970-699-3535
Social & Website: Bison Laser Cleaning
– Instagram & YouTube: search Bison Laser Cleaning for project videos and demos
– Website: bisonlasercleaning.com

Timestamps
00:00 – Intro to Jim Ford & Bison Laser Cleaning
01:05 – Why Jim chose laser cleaning and skipped the franchise route
02:17 – Types of projects: cars, cabinets, graffiti, concrete markings
03:13 – Residential clients vs. partnering with painters
04:11 – How the laser actually works on different surfaces
05:14 – Using networking to educate people about laser cleaning
07:05 – Tricky materials (like white paint) and collaborating with other laser pros
07:52 – Referral partners: home inspectors, realtors, Furniture Medic, and restorers
09:02 – How the Furniture Medic partnership started with a demo
10:08 – Jim’s sales approach: building comfort and trust with customers
11:02 – Franchise lessons and building his own SOP-driven company
12:15 – Service area, warehouse plans, and long-term vision for multiple branches
13:17 – Rust, classic cars, and uncovering hidden details with a laser
14:50 – Inbound vs. outbound: why Jim still goes door to door
15:40 – Who Jim wants to meet and collaborate with next
16:25 – How to connect with Jim and final thoughts