I bought Wendi’s from my mother back in February 2020. Wendi Hearn was the original owner before my mom. Wendi started the company in 1972 and would go door to door, offering one month of free trials of a better service than what was available. My mom started as a part-time accountant with Wendi and got me a summer job with the company when I was 19. Eventually, Wendi was ready to retire, and my mom and aunt decided to buy it. I’ve moved all over the country and world and eventually decided to come home, settle down, and buy the business from my mom.

I purchased the business from my mom right when COVID-19 started. It was a scary time. When we bought Wendi’s, it was primarily a residential cleaning company, so we lost 90% of our residential clientele because no one wanted a stranger in their home. Thankfully, commercial cleaning skyrocketed at this time because employers needed to take care of their employees by providing a transparent workplace. Employers wanted their employees to feel safe, which was great for my business. Transitioning from residential to commercial came with a lot of tears and heartache, but it was a blessing in disguise because now things are going well.

I had a career in events coordination before buying Wendi’s. I love hospitality, and the money was great, but I was a new mom and needed to make a change. Planning events at night, on weekends, and on holidays was hard. I wanted a better work-life balance. I had management experience from my previous career but needed to gain business experience. There was a big learning curve for me.

My mom and I agreed that I would pay 50 % of the business upfront, and the other 50 % would be seller financing. That’s one nice thing about working with family and not a bank; the payment has some gray areas and flexibility. My mom was ready to do something different, so part of the acquisition was to provide her with some income for coaching and mentoring me while allowing her the freedom to do other things.

We are a commercial cleaning company with over 100 customers and 32 employees. We do complete cleans of banks, stores, offices, and other businesses, stripping and waxing of floors, stream extraction on carpets and windows, and have started adding restocking of consumables like toilet paper. We hit $1mm in annual revenue, which was hard, but I’m very proud. My big mantra now is $2mm in 2026. I will have to branch out of my comfort zone to do it, but it’s what we’re all working towards.

In my experience, it’s better to buy than build. Purchasing something with brand and sweat equity invested in it was a luxury for me. I could never imagine building this business from the ground up. It's tough to do. By buying a company, I was handed a lot of momentum, goodwill, and brand equity, and I could focus on managing and expanding this instead of creating them from scratch. People in our community have known Wendi’s Cleaning Service for decades, and we’re part of the Chamber of Commerce, which makes it easier to get new business. If I were starting from scratch, I’d be spread so thin across marketing, hiring, HR, and finances and trying to establish all of these things we already had.

I’m very employee-centric. I focus on providing for my clients. If I take care of my employees, they take care of the clients, the clients take care of the business, and the business takes care of me. My philosophy for caring for my employees is to treat them like I like to be treated. I try to create a work-life balance for employees so they can separate from their jobs. They can make enough money, not be stressed, and work around their schedule. If we set employees up for success, they’ll be happy, feel respected, and do great work. This philosophy creates a low turnover environment where I have excellent working relationships with my employees.

Banks are great clients for us. Our employees dedicate two hours per night, five nights a week, to cleaning a bank, yet still have their weekends free to spend with their families. This balance ensures that our service is reliable and promotes a healthy work-life balance for our team. Being in one location gives our employees a profound sense of pride and ownership over the account. They care for it as if it's part of their own, not just a job. This level of dedication ensures that our service to banks is exceptional.

The other type of client we love is the large buildings; some are close to 40k square feet. This provides much work for employees who need it, and they can make a good income. Often, employees are trying to figure out childcare, working opposite of their spouse or going to school, and having just one location they can drive to and stay at for eight hours at a time is helpful. It’s like you’re moving to a regular job, but it’s independent and flexible. The small accounts, where you’re there for 90 minutes once per week, are important too because you can build personal relationships with them, and they share your business with other people.

This business has many variables, but one big challenge is the weather. We’re in New England, so snow and ice storms during the winter can make it hard to get to the job, but the job still had to get done. Other things arise, like employees getting a flat tire on the way to a job and calling me while I’m asleep to help. Ensuring the schedule is accurate is tough, too, because there is much coordination between the client and the cleaners. The unexpected things that come up create significant challenges.

Timeworks is for clocking in and out. It is mobile-friendly and has GPS location enforcement, which ensures accountability. The app sends the clock-in/out data to my payroll company, so I don't have to count hours manually. I also use a program called Jobber, which is fantastic. It itemizes and organizes everything, runs reports, and distributes information to employees and customers. Without Jobber, I would be lost. It has been our go-to program since 2014, and we've seen it grow and improve over time.

If you’d asked me what the future entails during COVID, I would not have said Wendi’s Cleaning Service. It was so exhausting and unsustainable. Now, I’ve found a deep love for this company. My son is six, so I don’t think I’ll pass it on to him, and I don’t have any plans for selling it. It’s serving us so well. As long as it serves my family and employees, I will maintain it until I retire. I have a fantastic operations manager who, as long as she’s on board, I will be running the company. The business is doing great for now, and I'm focused on hitting $2mm in 2026.