We were lucky to catch up with Charmaine Dollar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Charmaine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I remember when I first started out and I was no longer working for another company. I knew that I needed clients of my own to pivot. I made sure that when I did work for someone else I did before and after pictures so that potential clients were able to see my work. When you are a service-based business you have to make sure that you are able to show your work. Potential customers want to see some type of review from a previous client, photos, videos, or both even. I made sure that no matter what I could show my work so that I would draw customers to at least give me a chance. I remember putting myself out there by joining cleaning groups for the local area and sharing that I was looking for new clients. I made sure that I created a google page and got a couple of reviews from previous customers, even residential customers although I clean a majority of airbnbs. I received a message on my business page about someone from Chicago wanting to find a cleaner and she saw my work and wanted to work with me. Two years later and she’s still a loyal client! In the beginning, when I first started I did Zelle and cash app payments but now I understand the power of invoicing as a business owner. When I first started I charged lower because I wasn’t fully aware of what pricing should look like for me but as I went along, I understood the amount of effort required, the tasks at hand, my level of experience, and everything I brought to the table that would allow me to price accordingly. The level of happiness I felt getting my own client was amazing! It was such a pivotal moment for me because before that I remember asking other cleaners to share their clients if there was extra work and not really hearing back. I remember going to different places like craigslist and Facebook marketplace looking for potential clients that would take a chance on me and not getting any hits, but then the client found me! Such an amazing feeling for me. Getting that first Zelle payment from the client made everything feel full circle. Like everything I had labored for was paying off! Listen, even if you can’t see it now stay consistent with your business in every area because people are watching, but in order to be seen you actually have to promote your business for potential clients to know that your business exists!

Charmaine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Simpleemaid cleaning services came about in 2019 in one of the biggest changes in my life, divorce. I knew that my life was not normal and would never be at that point. I knew that I needed to start my business and run it to have the time I needed for me and my daughter. Of course, after legally establishing my business there was a bit of a pause still because I was processing everything that just happened in my personal life. Moving forward I made sure to choose a side of the cleaning industry I would grow in before moving forward. I began to get inquiries for Airbnb so I decided to go in that direction, grow and scale and move on. The services I provide are Airbnb turnovers, standard and deep cleans residentially, move-in/out cleanings, deep cleanings, laundry (for current clients), and carpet cleanings. The problem that I solve as a professional cleaner is removing the stress and anxiety of cleaning a home that you may not have time to clean. I solve the problem of sleeping issues because of dust in the air. For patients that I have serviced with terminal cancer, I solve the problem of keeping their immune systems strong in their homes so that they are not even sicker because of the living space. I help to make sure that families and individuals can take care of daily life without the worry of laundry or cleaning at home and this above all provides them peace of mind. The one thing that sets me apart from others is the ability to build relationships with clients that will last outside of the time that they are my clients. Creating a bond and trust that they know that my character and work proceeds me. The fact that I treat clients like people that need help as we all do in specific areas of our lives. It allows them to feel safe with me cleaning their homes. The thing that I am most proud of is just having the ability to get back up after being knocked down and experiencing loss. I love that I didn’t have to steal clients or do anything of that nature in order to grow my business. The fact that I have integrity and honesty is something I am proud of as a business owner. I want my audience to know that it is so important to have a cleaning service with integrity and honesty. It’s so important to have someone that can have someone speak on their behalf from previous work done. I have almost 6 years of cleaning experience and I am aware of how things are supposed to work in this industry. Yes, I am always learning, but I know enough to grow and scale a cleaning business along with educating clients on the most effective and beneficial cleaning tools and products for their homes too!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to learn that it’s okay to ask for help when needed and not everyone is out to harm you. I used to hear the opposite of this from the women in my family and grew up hearing them say they didn’t need anyone and that they can do it alone. I quickly learned after being a single mom and homeless at one point that this in fact was not true at all. We need people.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I would say the way that I built my audience online is to be authentic. By remaining who I am and not trying to be anyone else people appreciate that the most. I connect with strangers who are local or further away in my industry on social media and build community that way. Of course, not everyone is in your community and that’s up to you to discern that difference. My advice is to be yourself and sometimes the things that we don’t see as positive for us our audience may love it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simpleemaid.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/simplee.maid
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimpleeMaidCleaningservices
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd-OgzqrlPGgVIpcZFTKiUg

Image Credits
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