Member Profile: Rebecca Huffman
| Name | Rebecca Huffman |
| Name of your business: | Shining Brite Maids LLC |
| When did you open your business? | October 3, 2014 |
| What services do you offer? | Residential cleaning services from basic cleaning packages to signature packages |
| Why did you start the business? | I got together with two other professional women in my community and we decided to start the business as a joint venture. We want to provide outstanding customer service to home owners by cleaning their homes. In addition, we are partnering with the local domestic violence centers to donate a portion of our profits. We are also partnering with them to provide employment opportunities to women who have successfully gone through their program and are ready for gainful and meaningful employment. We want to help get these women back out in the work force, creating a life for them and their children. |
| How many people are in your company? | Three, right now |
| What has been the biggest surprise, good or bad, since you started? | Good - how many opportunities there are to provide a niche service in our local communities. Bad - learning how to strive for excellence, not perfection (there is a difference!) |
| What is the toughest part of running your business? | Two of us work full time at a very large company, one of Florida's largest employers. We want to run our cleaning business full time but can't right now due to economics. |
| What is the best part of running your business? | Being a part of building something that provides excellent service and helps the community at the same time. |
| Is there anything that you would have done differently? | No - it's all a learning experience and it's what you take from it that makes the difference in whether or you succeed or fail. |
| What is the most important thing you will be adding, doing, changing in the next year for your business? | We want to add a team of about 15-20 people within the first year. This means aggressive marketing. |
| Where do you see your business in 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years? | In 2 years - with 15-20 employees servicing clients full time In 5 years - with 30-40 employees servicing clients full time and offering other services as well. We would also like to build the business up to create a franchising model. In 10 years - better than where we are at 5 years. |
| What advice could you give others and please don't hold back! | Be persistent, persistent, persistent. Colonel Sanders got 1009 "no's" when he tried to sell his chicken recipe before he landed his first deal. Many of us would give up way before then. DON'T GIVE UP. |
| How do you use MyHouseCleaningBiz.com to help you with your business? | Start up and operating processes and procedures |
| School - high school, college, technical school: | We each have a college education. I have a Master's Degree in Management and Leadership |
| What are some of your prior jobs or businesses? | Another cleaning business, seminar business and paralegal contracting business |
| Is there a specific person or event in your life that made you decide to go into business for yourself? | My mother |
