Member Profile: Michelle Cannon
Your Name: Michelle Cannon
Name of your business: Naturally Maid Cleaning
When did you open your business? April 2004
What services do you offer? We offer natural, non-toxic, detail-oriented cleaning services to residential customers. We also offer organizing, "mommy's helper" and house sitting services.
Why did you start the business? The business was born of necessity and the desire to share a more natural, healthy way of cleaning with others.
What has been the biggest surprise, good or bad, since you started? The most surprising thing about running this business has been the "talk the price down" game that some will play. I learned that those for whom I allowed my price to be talked down were the ones who were never pleased with service no matter how hard we worked or how pleased others were with the same service.
What is the toughest part of running your business? I think the toughest part of this business is getting the word out that natural cleaning is a better choice. We service various cities in the county but most of our customers are in a town 30 miles away. However, here in my own area of the county, there is little to no interest at all in changing to a more natural way of cleaning.
What is the best part of running your business? The best part would be working with my family and knowing that we're providing a healthier, cleaner home to our customers.
Is there anything that you would have done differently? There is nothing I'd do differently. After all, with each thing we try or do, there is an experience to be gained or a lesson to be learned from which we will better ourselves in the future.
What is the most important thing you will be adding, doing, changing in the next year for your business? I just changed everything on the website..new logo, new colors, etc. That should have a positive impact. But probably the biggest change is my children each moving on with their lives as adults. This has presented a challenge for the business in the past and I'm now resolving to keep pushing forward even though it means structural changes.
Where do you see your business in 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years? To be honest, I've passed the 2 and 5 year points and haven't really renewed any goals. But I would like to see our cleaning service reach a point where I am acting as a general manager with a fully staffed office, staff, etc.
What advice could you give others and please don't hold back! The advice I usually give to those attempting to start a cleaning service is to be humble no matter how great you think your service is or how difficult customer may be. Humility is key. Put the customer first and keep trying. When one thing doesn't work, try another until you find out what works (this is especially true of marketing).
How do you use MyHouseCleaningBiz.com to help you with your business? I've used The Janitorial Store for years and recently discovered MyHouseCleaningBiz. Both are excellent places for learning more about the industry; what works and what doesn't; and connecting with business peers to share advice and lessons learned.
School - high school, college, technical school: West Orange High School, Winter Garden, FL
What are some of your prior jobs or businesses? I studied holistic medicine for 7 years; worked in a health food store. I also was certified as a Domestic Violence Victim advocate and worked at a shelter for such.
Is there a specific person or event in your life that made you decide to go into business for yourself? My business actually was born of necessity. I was a single mother living in a cottage in the woods with 5 children. We had no T.V., no phone, no money. All was well except for the "no money" part of our lives. I lived a very holistic lifestyle but was still using toxic cleaners. Given our living situation, I needed to find a less expensive way to clean house. Thus began my use of natural ingredients such as vinegar and baking soda. The house was cleaner, fresher and I had to use a lot less elbow grease!
When my youngest child turned 1 year old, I decided to start cleaning house for others using all-natural cleaners. This was the birth of Naturally Maid Cleaning.
Website: http://www.naturallymaidcleaning.com
Email Address:
naturallymaidcleaning@gmail.
Your Social Network Links:
http://www.facebook.com/
http://twitter.com/naturalmaid
