Freedom Cleaning Services was born in the dead of a Minnesota winter almost
a year ago. It`s parents were frustration and need. Frustration from
being laid off due to economic conditions four times in three years. Need
to make a living, provide for my family; my daughter Grace, my fiancé Mardi
and her son Justin. Mardi got it started last New Years Eve by saying,
I`d like to clean houses for a living. I took her way too seriously. I
remember thinking, We can do this. We can build something, here?. Mardi
and I knew that we knew how to clean and I knew that I knew how to run a
company. I had done it several years before with an electrical contracting
firm. Although I had been in over my head with that one, I had learned
many valuable lessons, which I knew would make us successful with Freedom.
And so we took off. One customer, two customers, a dozen. One commercial
customer. Bidding on others. I like the fact that we provide a service.
We have a residential customer who is elderly. She just can`t keep her
home as spic and span as she used to. She was once very fastidious, a
woman who prided herself on her homes, cleanliness, but she can`t keep up
anymore. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I can
help her keep her home up.
While doing research on starting a cleaning business, I stumbled onto the
IJCSA. I was trying to get ideas, get answers to questions like, how much
should I charge?? It was like stumbling into King Solomon`s mine. Here I
found a treasure trove of advice, lessons learned so I wouldn`t have to
learn them the hard way, support and a group of people who put the member
above the organization. I can`t believe my luck.
And here we sit, almost a year later. We have two people who have come to
us asking for jobs. We have offers to place bids for a telemarketing
center, a chain of chiropractic offices and a day spa. How did it grow so
big? It was just a way to make some money, wasn`t it? Mardi and I ask
each other on a daily basis, How big do we want to be? I don`t think we
have really answered ourselves. But I know we won`t be satisfied with just
having enough clients for us to handle. Just enough is not enough,
anymore. I would love to see us in a year with an office (one that isn`t
shared with the kitchen) and several cleaners. A residential division and
a commercial division. Beyond that, I hope that we can build something
that will be around for a while. Something that our children can get into
if they want to. Something that we can look back on in our old age and be
proud of. Were on our way!
Mike and Mardi
Freedom Cleaning Service- Serving Minnesota |
