| Name |
Dina Maccarone |
| Name of your business: |
D's Cleaning Service |
| When did you open your business? |
22 years ago |
| What services do you offer? |
Mostly residential with a couple of offices. |
| Why did you start the business? |
I was a homemaker and loved being home and caring for my children and my home. When I got divorced it seemed to be a great fit for me. |
| How many people are in your company? |
2 counting me |
| What has been the biggest surprise, good or bad, since you started? |
That if something happened and I couldn't be in the field cleaning myself, my business will not survive. I need management systems in place. No idea where to start! |
| What is the toughest part of running your business? |
That I can't grow my business without my being on the job working side by side with the people who clean for me. I don't have a clue how to manage my business or employees. I can clean a house like no one else but don't know where to begin training, managing and growing a strong team that cleans the way I do. After 22 years I am being snuffed out by bigger companies and also the people cleaning under the table. I feel like I am stuck, not enough clients to hire and train a full team, and not enough trained employees to go out and seek new clients. Not enough experience and confidence managing to make it happen. HELP!! |
| What is the best part of running your business? |
It gives me freedom. I love being my own boss, and going from job to job, I love not being locked in a room for 8 hours, that would kill me! I love interacting with my clients. I feel like part of the family to most of them. They have been very loyal to me. |
| Is there anything that you would have done differently? |
I would have gone to school for business management right in the beginning if I could have saw ahead to today. |
| What is the most important thing you will be adding, doing, changing in the next year for your business? |
Taking classes in business management. I need a lot of help in this area. I will be spending a lot of time here on this site as well. I will be able to learn a lot here because it is designed for the cleaning business. I am feeling overwhelmed, but I feel like I have hope now! |
| Where do you see your business in 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years? |
In 2 years I see a strong team in place with someone managing the team for me. In order to do this I need to at least double my revenue. In five years I would like to have a duplicate business in Lincoln NH cleaning and managing rental properties. In ten years I would like my great niece to be a strong part of the business and to begin to train her to take over the business. |
| What advice could you give others and please don't hold back! |
Strong management skills are the most important asset to your company. Without it your company cannot grow. This would include all aspects of the business, bookkeeping, hiring, training, inspecting, customer service, and cleaning. For many years I thought all I needed was the ability to do a great job cleaning but when an illness hit me (Flat on my back for a month) and I had to rely on the people working without me I realized that if something more serious happened to me my business would not survive. That's a scary thought after 25 years in the business! |
| How do you use MyHouseCleaningBiz.com to help you with your business? |
I have just become a member, the reason I did was because from what I saw, it gave me hope! Many of the issues I am struggling with seem to be addressed here. |
| School - high school, college, technical school: |
I am working on my associates degree in business management. |
| What are some of your prior jobs or businesses? |
I waitressed, bartended, and cleaned houses since I was 14. I love serving people! |
| Is there a specific person or event in your life that made you decide to go into business for yourself? |
Yes, my divorce. I couldn't count on the unsteady wages of waitressing and I went into work one day and an old friend from high school was cleaning the restaurant. She told me she was making $12 an hour cleaning and told me to put an ad in the paper. I did, that was in 1993 |
| Web Site: |
http://dina-cleaning.com |
| Email Address: |
[email protected] |
