We were lucky to catch up with Jamil Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamil, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

My biggest risk I’ve ever had to do was to start believing in myself. I’ve went back and forth about my worth and how to do what’s best for me. As a business owner I’ve had moments were I didn’t THINK BIG. Always putting yourself to the side to please others and most importantly trying to keep clients. My life changed when I had to make a decision on losing some clientele due to an family emergency where I had to move two hours away from where my business started at. I told my husband that I would never be able to clean again at the rate I was doing two hours away. I suffered depression and things started to go down hill in my life. One day I meet this lady and I told her my occupation and she told me that she needed a cleaner. I went to her house not knowing anything about her just so excited about someone booking me in my now new hometown. As I was cleaning she snapped a picture of me and posted it on Facebook. Before I got finished I keep hearing my phone go off with notifications. It was a sisterhood of woman that needed help with cleaning. I was so emotional because I truly thought I wouldn’t be able to gain as much clientele as I had back home in Atlanta. My client told me how outstanding my services was and how I cleaned her house with passion, integrity and throughly with love. That day I learned that faith and believing in myself can take me further in life. No matter where I go I can clean! The cleaning never changed only a location.

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

My name is Jamil Clark and I’m the owner of Sweeping Atlanta Cleaning. I am a mother of three, wife and a serial entrepreneur. I started my cleaning service after years of working for others and trying to figure out my passion and what I was here to do. My mom owned Sweeping Atlanta Cleaning in 1996 but quickly got out of it and went into the medical field. In 2018 I was eager to start my own business but still didn’t know what it would be. I called my mom needing advice on what do I suppose to do. After hours of conversation she told me if I couldn’t do anything else I knew how to clean and help people organize. I was doing this just out of passion of loving it but it turned into my business. I started posting work I was doing on Facebook to my family and friends but it wasn’t Sweeping Atlanta Cleaning yet it was called Clark Cleaning Service. About two months later my mom called me and said I wonder do anyone have Sweeping Atlanta Cleaning name. So she researched it and it was still out there waiting on myself to purchase it. My mom gifted me the domain name and I went from there.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy with building clientele in the cleaning industry is simply word of mouth. Your representation speaks for itself. Showing up, Showing out and being authentic. Working for retail showed me how to successfully run a business but using my customer service skills to keep my clients happy. Number 1 is that your clients are always right even when their wrong. Going above and beyond for your clients make them love you a little bit more. Being passionate about your business and having integrity is so important also. No matter how long in between visits I’m always called back to do the job because of one thing and that’s how I made a person feel. Your first impression is always the best impression so I stand on that! Always remember constructive criticism isn’t always bad and don’t take everything personal it’s just business and will make you better next time.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My resilience comes from my mom. Being a single mother of five and seeing how she never gives up. You use your grit to accomplish whatever it is that means a lot to you. Having faith is BIG and just simply believing in yourself can change your outlook on life. I’ve had some difficulties throughout my journey that I’ve had to overcome by keeping my head raised high. One that was most recent was moving away from the city and getting pregnant with my babygirl Daisy! I’ve had thoughts that could make some depressed of thinking that I wouldn’t be able to bounce back to where I was before this happened in my life. I asked God to guide me on the journey and he did just that! He lead me to awesome people that shouted my name in rooms I only dreamed of being in. I didn’t lack nothing throughout my pregnancy and my new transition on life. So i’m telling you no matter what you go through always have faith and be a firm believer that you can achieve anything.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sweepingatlantacleaning