Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in the service industry but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Matuska, founder of Dashing Maids, a premier eco-friendly and family conscious cleaning service located in Denver, Colorado, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are in the business of people, and we just so happen to clean homes. We start first with our team and do everything in our power to help them thrive in life and reach their goals. In turn, we have some of the BEST people working with us that care for our client's homes as if they were their own.
Tell us about yourself
I founded Dashing Maids because I always loved coming home to a clean and tidy space. I loved the idea of giving my community members the same sense of joy and peace. Our goal is to be one of the best places to work in Colorado, offering an incredible list of benefits and gratifying work where employees are challenged to set high personal goals and actively work to achieve them.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishment is making it past five years in business. Most small businesses do not make it to year 5, and we are so grateful to have made it to our eighth anniversary, which included the pandemic. I am always looking for ways to improve and be more creative in our hiring and retention methods. The pandemic allowed us to slow down, dig our heels in, and fine-tune our processes to better suit our team and clients. We didn't run around panicking when the pandemic started - we thrived!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
There are no schools or master’s degrees that can teach you everything you will need to know when you start a small business. I had to read a ton of books, attend conferences, and reach out to other cleaning business owners for advice along the way.
Managing people is hard and an ever-changing landscape. Having a support network to reach out to and bounce ideas off of has been a lifesaver. I meet with a group of 5 other cleaning business owners in Colorado at least once a month. We laugh, critique, share and brainstorm new ideas. After meeting with the other owners, I always feel energized, and my vision for Dashing Maids is refreshed! I find it amazing that I can have a relationship with my direct competitors, not just that it can happen but that it can truly improve our performance. They are great people!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start with your why. I never understood this until many years in, but it is still just as important, if not more so than ever before. Align your personal values with that of your company and drive it home in every way.
- Start your business as if you already have employees & charge what you are worth!
- Always be learning and always be ready to pivot. Business is ever-changing. The ones who aren't paying attention don't typically succeed in the long run (think Blockbuster).
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
One of Dashing Maids’ core values is kindness. This is something I strive for in everything I do. Whether handling a customer complaint, discussing poor attendance with an employee, or teaching my son how to resolve conflict with a classmate, I’ve found that kindness is always the best place to start. The rest will work itself out, and if it doesn’t, we will just have to do better tomorrow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.dashingmaids.com/
Instagram: @dashingmaids
Facebook: @dashingmaids
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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