We were lucky to catch up with Ross Stewart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ross, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

When I was in my early 20’s, trying to decide what direction I want to go in life, I felt overwhelmed by the number of options out there. The fear of choosing the wrong path weighed heavily on me until one day someone offered me some valuable advice: start where you are. Look at your current experiences, skills, and interests, and just dive in. New opportunities will be created and you’ll have a better sense of what you’re best at and enjoy doing the most.

At that time, I had three years of experience detailing luxury motorhomes for a local company. During that time, I learned the value of delivering a premier service to high profile clientele. Systematic, professional, and meticulously executed.

Towards the end of my time there, I began cleaning a family member’s new medical practice to earn some extra money. Reflecting on the advice I received, I realized that my experiences with the detailing job and my new foray into office cleaning could serve as the foundation for something greater.

The cleaning industry is often criticized for its lack of professionalism—stories of under-the-table arrangements, no insurance, missed appointments and poor communication. I saw an opportunity to apply the standards I had learned from the detailing job to a home cleaning service.

When I launched TidyGuys in the summer of 2016, our initial focus was on commercial cleaning. However, we quickly discovered that our elevated professionalism resonated much more with homeowners. This realization shaped our mission: to deliver the highest quality cleaning service and an unparalleled customer experience in the home cleaning industry.

But our mission goes beyond just cleaning homes. We also focus on empowering our team. We often attract young men who, like I once was, are at a crossroads in their lives, unsure of which path to take. We encourage them to start where they are, to be present and to commit to excellence in the work they do today. They learn essential skills such as punctuality, bringing a positive attitude, customer service, discipline, and a servant’s heart.

In addition, there’s a unique relationship that often develops between our young employees and our more senior clientele. This connection can become almost a form of mentorship, where our team members not only provide a valuable service but also gain wisdom and perspective from the older generation. This dynamic adds another layer of value to the work we do, enriching both our clients’ lives and our employees’ personal growth. Our mission is to help them cultivate these traits and relationships, setting them up for success in whatever they pursue next.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, my name is Ross. I was born and raised in Fountain Hills, Arizona where I met my wife, Brittany. We have a 3 1/2 year old son and a daughter on the way. Both of us are lucky enough to have our parents & families live in the same town with us as well. This has made Fountain Hills the perfect place to grow our business.

We primarily offer weekly, biweekly & monthly house cleaning services to our clients.

While our quality is great, what truly separates us is our customer service and experience. We aim to truly make their life easier by not only cleaning well, but showing up on time, documenting important notes, making them feel comfortable with someone in their home, and more. Often times people hire cleaners with the hopes of making their lives easier but it can backfire when appointments are forgotten before an important party or gathering or holiday. Damaging surfaces with the wrong chemicals, breaking items, etc. problems they didn’t have to start with.. AND they’re paying money for it!

We like to say we are a no-nonsense solution for keeping your home clean.

I have also since created another company called Sunblok (formerly known as TidyGuys – Auto Detail) in 2019. This was due to my prior knowledge/experience detailing and sharing this with our house cleaning clientele.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve had many moments along the way where I felt like I was starting from zero again. I actually started the company with one of my best friends but we ended up having some disagreements and decided to part ways. I kept the business and now I needed to look for some help. Hiring and training some of my first employees was a challenge as you’d expect. Especially when it came to trying to deliver the same quality of service my customers were used to. It took me a long time to learn a lot of little lessons along the way when it comes to Managing. It requires much more than good pay and birthday gifts to grow a team. After many misses, I found someone who was really interested in being a part of things to help grow the company. They excelled and quickly became our field manager. I hired some more employees and started building a great team. We started to really grow as a business and things were going great. Then one day seemingly out of no where – the manager quit. Then another employee, and another. And another. And another. All within a matter of days. This was a big blow to our momentum. There I was, jumping back into the field, feeling like I was back at zero again. The remaining employees stepped up and we pushed forward yet again. There have been many ups and downs along the way, but now I see them simply as new challenges to overcome, new skills to obtain and new puzzles to solve. It’s a journey that requires a lot of perseverance, reflection and discipline.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’ve always put customer satisfaction at the top of the list when it comes to building a reputation. Mistakes are bound to happen, but it’s how you react and take responsibility that makes the difference. This combined with our commitment to a great customer experience has helped us gain our reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.TidyGuys.net

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