From Processes to Opportunity: Building More Than a Cleaning Service

"When people hear that I own a cleaning company, they're usually surprised to learn I didn't come from the cleaning industry.

Before Scrubbydubs, I spent years in healthcare administration before moving into project management and consulting. What I really loved wasn't necessarily the industry I was in. It was building things. I loved creating processes, organizing operations, and figuring out how to make a business run better.

Eventually I realized I wanted to spend that energy building something of my own.

When Scrubbydubs Cleaning opened in June 2024, our goal wasn't simply to clean houses.

We wanted to give people their time back.

Whether it's busy families, professionals balancing demanding careers, or someone who simply wants to spend their weekends doing something other than cleaning, we believe having a clean home gives people the freedom to focus on what matters most to them.

We saw an opportunity to create a business that gives people something incredibly valuable: their time back. Whether someone physically can't clean, doesn't have the time, or simply wants to spend their weekends doing something other than scrubbing bathrooms, we wanted to be able to help.

Ironically, I actually enjoy cleaning. I've always found it relaxing. It's satisfying to walk into a space, see the transformation, and know you've made someone's day easier. Our technicians feel the same way. They genuinely enjoy creating that experience for our clients.

These days, my role looks very different. I handle our day-to-day operations, marketing, hiring, scheduling, customer communication, and making sure everything keeps moving.

One of my favorite parts of entrepreneurship is creating systems. Every process we build makes our company stronger, and our technicians help us improve those systems every day with their feedback. Watching those ideas turn into something that actually works is incredibly rewarding.

The biggest adjustment wasn't learning about the cleaning industry. It was learning everything else that comes with running a business. When you leave the corporate world, you suddenly become the marketing department, operations manager, HR, customer service, and problem solver all at once. Every challenge teaches you something, and every lesson makes the next one a little easier.

As we've grown, we've stayed intentional about the kind of company we want to build.

For our clients, that means clear communication, dependable service, transparent expectations, and eco-friendly products that are safe for families, pets, and our technicians.

For our employees, it means creating careers with healthy work-life balance. We work daytime hours, Monday through Friday because we believe our team deserves time with their families too.

Every process we've created, every system we've refined, and every decision we've made has been focused on building a business that values quality over cutting corners.

Growing a business also means recognizing that you don't have all the answers, and that's okay.

One of the best decisions we've made has been getting involved with CMURC through the Lift Me program.

The program has given us the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day work of running our business and think more strategically about where we're headed. It's introduced us to mentors, educational resources, networking opportunities, and even potential grant opportunities that have helped us continue building a stronger business.

Having office space through CMURC has also been an amazing advantage. Before, we operated between a home office and a storage unit, meeting wherever we could find a quiet place. Now we have a professional space where we can meet with our team, interview future employees, and continue growing with the support of an entrepreneurial community around us.

We're still growing, and that's exciting. Our goal has always been to build a company that takes care of both our clients and our employees. That means creating quality service, giving our technicians a healthy work-life balance, and continuing to improve every step of the process.

In just over a year, we've more than doubled our recurring client base and continue growing throughout Midland, Clare, and Isabella counties.

As we add more technicians and continue expanding, one thing won't change.

We want every client to feel comfortable welcoming our team into their home, and every employee to feel proud of the company they're helping build.

Cleaning is what we do.

Building trust, creating opportunity, and giving people back their time is why we do it.

At the end of the day, that's what entrepreneurship has become for me. It's taking something I love building and using it to make other people's lives a little easier."

Lisa Mayo

Scrubbydubs Cleaning, LLC

Co-Founder