We recently connected with Paige Miller and have shared our conversation below.

Paige, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Ever since I was a young girl, I knew that I would one day become a business owner. Throughout my youth and into adulthood, it was evident that I found my true calling in implementing various activities that could improve one’s quality of life. When you think about what could be considered the most central point of someone’s life, the first thing that came to my mind was home. A person’s home is the most intimate part of their life. A home is where you store your most prized possessions, where you gather with family, and where you disconnect from the rest of the world at the end of the day. My mother always used to tell me, “A clean house is a clear mind.” That quote has always held resonance in my mind, and while studying through college, I noticed that the more cluttered my home was, the more difficult it became for me to concentrate. A couple of years later, I made the decision that the first business I would create would be a cleaning business. I started cleaning as an individual for a few different people and would notice that I had trouble breathing both during and after the cleanings due to the chemicals. At times it even felt as if my nostril hairs had been singed from the use of bleach throughout the day. I stopped cleaning the homes because I did not want it to affect my health and began a salary position elsewhere. It got me thinking about how those chemicals must affect the people who live in the home. As much as the chemicals were affecting me, it was a shame to have to stop cleaning because not only was the process rewarding for me, but it was truly wonderful to see the way that a clean home could so easily bring a smile to someone’s face. I made the decision to start researching natural fruits, herbs, and substances that had the ability to properly clean various surfaces without the presence of harmful chemicals. The more I learned, the more eager I was to discover more information. I wasn’t happy at the place I was currently working, and decided to put my research into action and begin an organic cleaning service in Ocala, FL. While researching, I noticed that there weren’t any other companies within a 100 mile radius doing the type of cleaning that I was offering. I know the value of a clean home, and how it can create a productive and calming space for the people who live there. I knew that starting this company would allow me to positively affect people’s lives while also being rewarding to myself.

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 was born in Orlando, raised in Tampa, and found my forever home in the Horse Capital of the World, Ocala. It’s pretty safe to say that I am a Florida girl through and through. Ever since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated by homes and always knew I wanted to work with homes as an adult, in whatever capacity I could. I presently offer organic cleaning services to the Ocala, Gainesville and The Villages area with hopes to expand our reach in the future.

I carefully create handcrafted cleaning products which are infused with pure therapeutic grade essential oils in order to create a safe and hygienic environment for my clients and their families. As per the request of my clients, I am in the process of working on licensing in order to start selling my products to my clients, as well as to begin offering them through online retailers. I will be going back to school this fall in order to pursue cosmetic chemistry with a specialization in organic formulation and preservation. Once this is complete, I will be expanding my product line into a brand which will include skincare, makeup, household cleaning products, candles, tinctures, and essential oil blends. I would love to explore incorporating all natural products for domestic animals as well.

Since beginning my cleaning company, I have been working with quite a few short term rental owners with properties on AirBnb and VRBO. It is gratifying to be involved with creating a clean space and staging a perfect home for guests to enjoy my home state the same way I have my entire life. I found myself so intrigued with the process of it that I decided to begin co-hosting for STR properties in Ocala, Gainesville, Crystal River, and The Villages. I take pride in being available for any of the guests’ needs and love being the welcoming committee to offer exclusive insights on all of the best kept secrets in the area. It is truly a privilege to be able to connect with families who want to create lifelong memories here in Ocala and to share in their joy.

I am most proud of my tenacity to push through the lowest segments of my life in order to attain all of the accomplishments that I have today. I find joy in sharing my knowledge of natural cleaning techniques through my social media, as well as encouraging words to inspire you to declutter your life. I want people to know that no matter how bad things may seem at times, that you have the power within yourself to create a better world for yourself. I am delighted to share wisdom and techniques I have learned along the way in hopes of making the slightest difference in people’s lives and plan to continue as I progress.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Part of the reason I ultimately made the decision to start my business ventures with the organic cleaning company was because it had low overhead costs with the potential for high returns. Isn’t this ultimately what we all want as business owners? At the time I decided I was going to start my business, I was living paycheck to paycheck as most Americans do. The thought of raising capital to fund my business was intimidating to say the least, and I had no idea where to start. It seems like one of the first ways people encourage you to fund a startup business is through loans. I don’t have much family and there were very few people around me that would have had the financial means to loan me money for a startup, so that wasn’t an option. I have always felt that getting any loan from a financial institution should always be the last resort, because depending on how long it takes you to pay it back, the interest rates can well exceed what the loan was originally worth. I wanted to start my business with what I had, and was willing to put in the hard work to get the rest. I had been working for a restaurant that suddenly closed its doors and only did occasional catering afterwards. I took my last paycheck from them and registered a domain name, and then paid for state licensing. At this point, I knew I was going to start this business, but I had no idea how it was going to happen. I began doing freelance work online ghost writing blog articles for companies that I’ll never get credit for. I started doing online focus groups, and sacrificed way more time than I should have on Amazon mTurk in order to raise any penny I could towards my business. I worked in a food truck to gather some more money, and was finally making enough to be able to buy some of the supplies and equipment I would need to get started. I ended up borrowing the last few hundred dollars for the essential oils and proper packaging from a family friend. I knew how important branding would be to present my business in a professional way, but had exhausted all my means for funding. I ended up doing yard work in exchange for a family member to pay for the business cards, marketing materials, and uniforms necessary to get me off the ground. I can honestly say that I put blood, sweat, and tears into raising the capital to fund my business and couldn’t be more proud of my efforts.

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

The most important lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that not all money is good money, and that not all clients are right. While I understand that client satisfaction is imperative, especially considering that I am operating in a business that provides a service, it doesn’t mean that I have to continue providing those services to any client. Let’s start from the beginning. My company was in its first few weeks of being live when I received a voicemail from my first potential AirBnb host. I was over the moon, basking in all of the possibilities as I contained all of my emotions so that I could return his call. We went over all of the basic details and shortly thereafter, I went to go see their home for an estimate. This home was absolutely beautiful and everything went smoothly during the estimate, to the point where they gave me a copy of the keys before I even left. Being new in this industry, I was lowballing myself even though I didn’t know it at the time. I was also trying to find where my company fit in the local market, and wanted to be competitive with my rates. What I had originally thought was a good price, ended up showing me after just one cleaning that I had struck a terrible deal. This property was taking almost twice the amount of time that I had originally anticipated, but still, my staff and I put our hearts and souls into making it perfect for the next guests. We had numerous bookings on the calendar from this property, so it was exciting for me to be able to see our calendar filling up. Even though I knew I had bid the property wrong, I chose to keep it for cash flow. After the second cleaning, our payment was delayed and I received a text the following morning with minor complaints. I apologized and said we would be more mindful of the mentioned items in the future, and we continued providing services for the property. Fast forward to the next time we went to clean the property, the way the bed corners were made was totally different from what I did and had trained my staff to do. We have a distinct manner of making a bed, and could instantly tell a difference when I was stripping all of the beds. I brushed it off and didn’t take it personally, because I understood they were just ensuring that their property was being taken care of properly and presented at its best. As time went on, I noticed that this was becoming a terrible pattern. Every few cleanings, I would get text messages from them saying that they were unhappy with something at the property. I would kindly ask them to elaborate so that I could improve for the future, and wouldn’t get a response until they were notifying me of another booking. This was the only client who had ever complained about anything, while every other client I had was raving about the quality of our work and consistently sending referrals my way. This property was physically and emotionally draining for me in so many ways, and yet I felt an obligation to hold onto it because I thought I needed that money. I thought I had to bend over backwards to keep my client satisfied, and yet couldn’t figure out why they were the only ones unhappy. I began having anxiety whenever I knew I had to go clean that property. I was so upset with myself for continuing to do the property that I would get irritable and unpleasant with others. I felt diminished in value as if I wasn’t able to provide quality work. I was willing to go the extra mile for them, because at that point I had their property down to a science and knew exactly how to execute the cleaning in the most efficient way. I teetered with the thought of raising my rates, because I told myself that it would be ok as long as I was getting paid the equivalent for what I was making elsewhere. I am here to tell you that not all clients are right. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel like you are accepting less in exchange for putting out more work, do not hesitate to walk away from that client. I can assure you that some experiences are meant to learn from, to teach you your own value and what your company has to offer the world. Don’t settle for less than you know your investments are worth. The right clients will come exactly when they are supposed to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SparklingOrganiClean.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparklingogfl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SparklingOGFL
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparkling-organiclean-llc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SparklingOGFL
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sparklingogfl
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sparkling-organiclean-ocala