Not every women hates to clean up after people. Christie L. Machorek dreamed of running her own SCRUBS Cleaning Partners business, a safe-for-the-environment (hooray!) cleaning company, which also has an educational component. Machorek’s passion for inspiring people to do what makes them happy in life is really what compelled her to start her own business.

“I have always had an interest in coaching and leadership development. The SCRUBS business model allows us to provide our customers with a quality service, while developing the next generation of leaders— a key-differentiator for us in the cleaning industry!” They encourage their SCRUBS Squads, made up of meticulously-trained and driven college students, to run their service like it’s their own business.

Who knew there were so many thorough college students out there ready to clean your home? Christie might have stumbled upon a mother’s dream team.

It took Christie some time to make a clean break from her past life in the corporate world, where she had 15+ years experience. She used her free time (nights and weekends) to develop her business plan and start-up strategy. Once she started sharing the plan with key stakeholders, she decided to fully commit to building SCRUBS Cleaning Partners. At that point, she transitioned to focus on SCRUBS full-time and never looked back.

“My experience in business process design and optimization, along with strategy development, were key assets for launching my new business. SCRUBS has allowed me to marry the two, building a successful company with a strong business plan that inspires entrepreneurs and the next generation of leaders to do what makes them happy!” says Christie.

Give a teen a broomstick, a paycheck, positivity and autonomy to run their own cleaning business, and it’s like they’re in charge of their futures. They must be pumped!

However, Christie was not prepared for the length of time it took to recruit, hire, and onboard SCRUBS Squad team members.

What’s been her biggest challenge? Balancing employee readiness with customer demand. “It can be quite challenging to juggle between having the right number of employees trained and getting them ready to work before the customer demand is there,” Christie says.

Whether you’re a clean freak, a teen or just excited to be an entrepreneur, Christie says, “Go for it! Follow your dreams and make them a reality. Don’t be scared to take risks! You won’t have all the answers. But as long as you are committed to finding them, you will be successful.”

Looking for even more expert advice from Christie? Here are Christie’s quick tips for running your own booming business:

• Be flexible. More than likely you’ll need to modify your original plan or idea, especially in the beginning.
• Do your homework. Identify your target market and perform a solid competitive analysis.
• Build a solid foundation. Take the time to fine-tune your business before expanding too fast.

Thank you for sharing your secrets for success, Christie! Looking forward to seeing your company shine among the rest!