After a successful 22-year career as an interior decorator, Zoe Miller left it all behind and founded Clean As A Pin.  Owning a 3,000 Sq. Ft. home, she relied on domestic help to keep her house sparkling clean, but she wasn’t satisfied with the caliber of the cleaning services she hired.  Today, Zoe, a very hands-on business owner and manager, provides fully insured and bonded residential cleaning to happy customers, complete with a money back guarantee and “blue ribbon service.”  

What was the tipping point for your venture, when you decided to take the ultimate leap of faith?
It was time for change of pace after spending over two decades as an interior decorator.  I also wanted to create a business that focused on serving Rockwall.  I’m a native Texan who moved to the community eight years ago, and I fell in love with it.  There’s no placed I’d rather be, so I began thinking about how I could fulfill a need in the community  As a homeowner, it became increasingly difficult to find a responsible, reliable residential cleaning service with workers who would perform consistently at every cleaning and with whom I could communicate.  My answer was to create a residential cleaning service that would do this, plain and simple.

What approach to the service you provide do you feel is unique to the competition?
In the cleaning business, your employees are critical to your success; after all, it’s the quality of their performance that determines whether your customers are satisfied.  For me, it’s important to find and hire the best, and I don’t take short cuts.  I have very high standards and keep my team small.  I interview each applicant and do extensive background checks and drug tests.  Every employee is trained by me personally, and I always go out onsite with new employees the first time.  Additionally, only people who can speak my customers’ native language become employees.  I also guarantee customer satisfaction.  If a client isn’t satisfied, I’ll go out and do it myself.  Another critical requirement for the owner and the employees of any type of cleaning service is honesty.  Clients must have total trust in the people who come to clean their homes, and I strive to give them this peace of mind.

What advice would you give to someone considering starting their own business?
It’s all about service, service, service!  Hire good people you can trust and rely on, and then reward them.  For example, I pay better than most and give my technicians bonuses.  In return, I expect them to perform each cleaning to my standards and exactly to the customer’s expectations, and to take pride in their work.  Also, I invest my own time in customer service.  The quality of our cleaning is important, but it’s not everything.  I look to build strong relationships with my clients and personally follow up to find out how thing are going.  I take the time to call each client to see if they are satisfied and I return phone calls promptly.  

What’s the most exciting moment you’ve had as an entrepreneur?
I was thrilled and delighted to be voted LIVING Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Best Of Winner in 2014.  It was an honor to be recognized by the readers for a job well done.

What is the ultimate measure of success for you?
Happy customers who count on us and feel comfortable referring friends, family and colleagues to us.  It’s one of the highest compliments we can receive.

Do you think you could ever work for someone else again?
Not now.  I’ve worked for myself too many years as an interior decorator and with Clean As A Pin.  I run a tight ship and I’m a perfectionist who can’t stand sloppiness.  I deliberately keep my team small, so I can take a hands-on-approach.  I want things done correctly and, working for myself, I can sleep at night knowing I’m providing the level of quality my clients expect and deserve.

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