Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Mack. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dana, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Some of the values my parents instilled in me as a child have impacted me greatly as an adult and as a parent. My dad always worked hard to provide for our family and my mom stayed home with my sister and me. My mom taught us early on to make our own beds, put away our toys when we were done playing with them and when she was cleaning the house, she would put on music and give us a dust rag and let us help. It wasn’t a chore, she made it fun. When I was too little to reach the sink, she would give me a cloth to wipe down the fridge after dinner. No one was too young to feel important and part of the team. Having a clean home back then and watching her clean helped me learn skills to keep a tidy home for my own family and to help my clients as we clean their homes. However, I think that sense of teamwork has benefitted me most as a mom of 5. I’ve been asked often “How is your house so clean with 5 kids?” I always reply, “I don’t do it alone. Each family member takes care of their things and it makes the load much lighter when we each do our part.” Taking the time to teach skills when children are young and want to help sets them up to be a team player when they are older. It may seem easier when they are toddlers to just do it for them, but as a parent, our job is to teach our kids to be able to be self-sufficient. So putting in that extra time teaching them when they are little pays off dividends when they are older. I’m so glad my parents equipped me well when I was a child.

Dana, 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?

My husband Jeremy & I have been married for almost 22 years and have 5 children together. Our oldest is 17 and our youngest is 7. Managing a household and maintaining a sense of order has helped me problem solve and learn things along our journey that have made our home and schedule run more smoothly. One of my joys is sharing these tips with my clients and social media followers. With a small staff, it isn’t always possible to work every potential client into our cleaning schedule, but as I share photos, tips and tricks on our social media platforms, I hope that I can mentor other parents to manage their own households in a way that enables them to feel less stressed and to enjoy their home life to the fullest extent.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When my husband & I were dating & considering marriage, one of the things we discussed was how we would raise our children. Having been blessed to have a mom who stayed home with my sister & I during our younger years, I knew that was something I wanted for my children as well. Fast forward to 5 children, the youngest being 3 & having been blessed to be home with them when they were babies & toddlers, it was time to look at re-entering the workforce. I wanted to help take some of the financial burden off of my husband, but also wanted to still be available for my children before and after school. I had been a teacher, had worked in data entry and in retail and have a Bachelors Degree. However, when looking at available jobs, none seemed to be the right fit. A friend of mine had run a successful house cleaning business for almost 2 decades and I started asking her questions. Cleaning homes could be the perfect solution! I loved keeping my home organized and clean and had experimented with creating my own non-toxic cleaning solutions. Desiree was gracious to let me shadow her for a couple of weeks and mentored me with a wealth of knowledge for the most efficient ways to clean a home and how to best manage scheduling clients.

With the support & encouragement of my family, I placed an ad on Nextdoor and within a few days had my first client. It took a step of faith to pivot out of being in the home full time with my family to working outside the home, but as each client I cleaned for shared with their friends, I began to build a strong client base. I was soon able to bring other women on my team to work alongside me cleaning for neighbors, realtors and vacation rentals.

I am so grateful that I took that leap and didn’t settle for just any job, but created a work environment for myself that I and my team members love.

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

I have been blessed to have a tight-knit community around me. Our neighborhood has a very active Facebook group where we help each other with recommendations of business, kids that are looking for odd jobs to make money and in general just look out for one another. When I started my business, I posted in our neighborhood group and a couple of neighbors were gracious to hire me. I made a point to always give my best when cleaning for someone else and have endeavored to learn new skills and to add creative touches that make the homeowner or guest visiting a vacation rental feel like they are in a fine resort…even if it’s their own bathroom!
I’ve been blessed to find team members with that same passion and our clients always complement our work. One of my greatest joys is to look on Facebook in our neighborhood group and see someone ask “Can someone recommend a good house cleaner?” Then see 5-6 neighbors all comment “House Cleaning by Dana! She & her team are the best!”
We’ve had a few clients “cheat” on us when trying to find a lower price. But they always come back and ask for us to come clean for them again, because “It just wasn’t the same as when you clean for us!”
I believe that when you provide quality service, and give your clients trust and consistency, your reputation will grow and your business will flourish.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/housecleaningbydana
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/housecleaningbydana

Image Credits
For personal photo: Kala Basham All other photos: Dana Mack