We recently connected with Chastity Crenshaw and have shared our conversation below.
Chastity, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
To say any part of starting my business was planned out would be false. Back in 2018, I was at the pinnacle of my career in corporate America. I had accomplished so much and at such a young age, but I still felt unfulfilled. I had also endured loss, assault, and lost my job to top it all off. This sent me down a deep, dark rabbit hole of depression and giving up completely.
After 9 months of my darkest days, I decided to get back up and take control of my life. I wanted to find what made me authentically happy. So instead of finding another corporate job that I reluctantly went to every day, I decided to try cleaning houses, since I had always had a knack for keeping my home in order. I found a cleaning app that made finding jobs easy, and out I went. I loved it from the start! Transforming someone’s home to its very best and seeing a client’s smile when they arrive after work was the most satisfying feeling I had in such a long time. After about six months of cleaning, I decided to quit my other part-time job that I wasn’t happy with and jumped right in to be a full-time self-employed housekeeper. The anxiety and uncertainty I felt was unreal, but I knew in my gut this was what I wanted, and it would all work out the way it should. Sure enough, before I knew it, I had stopped using the app completely and was running my business independently and getting referrals left and right.
I had done it! I had successfully started, built, and was maintaining my very own business. There was never a business model made, nor did I plan to grow as big as I had. I simply did what brought me joy, established boundaries around work, and trusted my intuition. It all happened organically and taking that risk back in November 2019, not knowing how any of it would all unfold, was the best decision I have made in my life!
Chastity, 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?
What sets Classy Homes DFW apart from other cleaning businesses is that I’m not afraid to go the extra mile or to do the right thing. I also am very personable and consider my clients like family. You respect, love, and care for family and that’s how I treat my clients. I know what’s going on in their world while also helping ease their daily stresses by providing attention to detail services. One time, a homeowner’s child couldn’t find their Beanie Babies giraffe for over a week, and the kid was very distraught over it. When my client asked me if I had seen it, I knew exactly where it was. The relief of the parent and the pure excitement of the child are reminders of why I love my job so much! It is so much more than a job for me, it’s a passion.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
My best sources for finding new clients are referrals from my current clients, having a Google business page, and having an active Instagram account. I can’t count how many of my clients have told me that they were struggling to find a good housekeeper before they were referred to me. Additionally, having pictures and videos of my work on Google and IG allow those without a referral to decide if I’m what they’re looking for or not.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
My most effective strategy for growing my clientele is posting my business anywhere I can! I leave my business cards on bulletin boards in coffee shops, post my website to Nextdoor, share my biz on the community wall for my apartment building, and interacting with my local community on Instagram. Doing this has come to fruition and has connected me with some wonderful people in the area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ClassyHomesDFW.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/classyhomesdfw?igshid=OGQ2MjdiOTE=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassyHomesDFW
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/classy-homes-dfw-dallas
- Other: Google – https://g.page/r/CSXK-4eLnbtSEB0