We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Blayne St.Marie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Blayne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always wanted to own my own business. I’ve been working full time first in the restaurant business and then in healthcare since I was fifteen. I started to research different types of businesses and what the start up cost would be. We live in an amazing world where information is everywhere and in my research I came across several very successful cleaning companies that had scaled their business very quickly. I did some more research and found that there is a large demand for both residential and commercial cleaning in my area. I talked it over with my good friend and now business partner and moved forward with launching the company.

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

I’ve invested a lot into branding/marketing my business, Both building a quality and professional website, as well as cultivating a social media presence. I wanted to present a brand and logo that would be recognizable and iconic. So when people come across our company the brand speaks for itself as the professional and high quality cleaning service that we provide.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Jack and I started working together in our hometown in a privately owned restaurant about 22 years ago. We soon became fast friends and dreamed of one day opening our own restaurant. The dream has remained the same, but morphed into us now owning and operating our cleaning company TeamCleanMN. We always wanted to chart our own course and build both a business and to create a work environment that was fun to work in, where the employee feels valued for their hard work.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I love to read and believe that investing in yourself will always payoff! My two favorite books that have influenced me the most are The “E” Myth and Rich Dad Poor Dad. Both had a huge impact on my perspective! The “E” Myth in ridding myself of the need to “Do it all myself” Learning that I can scale my business much faster and sustain it if I hire and rely on the right people. And Rich Dad Poor Dad for teaching me to think like an entrepreneur rather than a consumer. Looking at purchases from an asset vs. a liability basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: TeamCleanMN.com
• Instagram: TeamCleanMN
• Facebook: TeamCleanMN