Today we’d like to introduce you to Sami Jo Justus.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sami Jo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My name is Sami Jo Justus and I am the Owner and Operator of Just Us Cleaning Inc. (formerly Just Us Cleaning LLC). We are currently located in Orlando, FL and Atlanta, GA. It all started in Orlando after I graduated college in June 2015. I am a trained and licensed Histotechnologist (laboratorian) but, after graduation I could not find a job. I was home with our toddler at the time, and I was so overwhelmed. I could not understand how this had become my predicament and I was hurt, angry, and overall disappointed. After a good year of experiencing the highs and lows of those emotions, I was tired.
I woke up in August 2016 and decided I was going to do something about it. I started brainstorming ideas from my creativity to my natural talent of clean and organization. Then it hit me! I clean my house almost everyday because I am a complete germaphobe. I actually enjoy the transformation of a dirty space to a clean and well-organized space. Could this be my market?
Then I started reflecting on my younger days. In high school, my mom was the owner and operator of a small cleaning service. She had two trusty employees and they were my sister and I. Mommy was brilliant because she put me through high school and even paid for my opportunity to become a citizen in the United States using this little service. She was disciplined and she was a no nonsense woman when it came to her money. She was an amazing networker. She never went without a minimum of two jobs. My mom had the blueprint and she was going to save me from the depths of my despair. If only she knew how she has always been my shero. A queen!
Anyway, I hopped online and started researching how I could create a small business. I was trigger happy and just like that in one day, I submitted for a business LLC and fictitious name. I also decided since we’re doing this, I might as well make business cards and start telling all my friends and family. It was a disaster actually. My friends cheered me on and my family was sure it was just another moment for me to get through tough times. To make it worst, I didn’t talk to Britton (my husband) about it before I did it. I just did it and told him he had to accept it. That did not go over well for a minimum of two years later. In the end, we became the co-0wners of JUC and its now our baby.
The truth is, I was NOT prepared to run a business. I did not understand that business is not just the product or the service you provide, it’s dealing with different people from all walks of life and connecting in a way where whatever you are selling is connecting with them. Sure enough, after two years of mainly cleaning houses, I quit. I never closed the business and I kept my licenses current but I definitely gave all my clients a two weeks notice and dipped.
After a six month hiatus, I finally got a job at a laboratory. I showed up for my nine to five and thought, finally life was coming together. There was an uneasy feeling accompanied with not running JUC and I especially missed the money and the freedom of being on my own time. I couldn’t help myself and I started going through my business books and looking over how I built my little cleaning service to ten consistent house cleaning clients monthly and in less than a year. The money was good money and the freedom to spend more time in areas of my life that were suffering or needed healing was there. I was mentally exhausted. Listen, I get my work ethic from my two very Jamaican parents and nothing was working in my favor. I asked God for a sign and stayed at my job while I considered my position.
Well, the sign came around holiday time in 2018. I got to work and someone lit all the company cars on fire. To make it worst, it happened over the weekend and none of my bosses called their employees to talk to them about what was going on. They just let us show up and tried to evade the circumstances. It was my sign and after two months of preparation, I quit my job. Yolanda John (my business manager) and I had a pow wow where I told her that my plan this time was to only clean commercially. I updated my business model and slowly started picking up buildings. To clarify, commercial cleaning is a very hard business to break into without a lot of money to pay for subcontracts or cleaning accounts from a larger contracting cleaning agencies. There were a lot of mishaps and learning experiences on the way but overall, it still worked out.
This year I was brave enough to ask for an opportunity and the Universe blessed me with a yes! My family and I moved to Atlanta, GA and started cleaning for a major corporation. We now operate an Orlando branch and an Atlanta branch. We are not making millions but we are making progress. When my children ask me what they should do with their life, my answer will be, “do something that you want to do so that if no one will hire you, you can do it on your own.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road but, I think all the experiences will lead to the sum total of my success, business or personal. The major struggles I have faced are finances and taking it personal. It takes money to make money and when I did not have a job, funding JUC was a bit more difficult. Having less funding creates other issues and missed opportunities in the business. Also, not understanding money will kill your business. I did not understand the need to know down to the penny what goes out and what comes in. Where is your money going when it leaves your business account Sami? I have learned over the last four years not to take it personal. The transaction is that I provide a service and the client pays me what I am owed. That is the basic transaction so feelings have no place here. Respect is required but personal feelings need to be put to the side. I am glad I learned it early in business because I am currently educating myself on good habits that support my success and business and I am understanding that there are others who never learn this and it kills their dreams. I am grateful!
Just Us Cleaning Inc. – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a locally owned and operated commercial cleaning service located in Orlando, FL and Atlanta, GA. We provide all basic cleaning needs such as…
1. Cleaning all surfaces and floors
2. Toilets, sinks, counters, and mirrors
3. Maintain areas considered a high traffic areas.
Clean the outside of all appliances. (can add appliance package for inside)
I am most proud of our consistency. We get most of our business through word of mouth and that says a lot.
I think my story sets me apart from others. I mean, it’s really the only thing that sets us all apart. Our story is specific to our life journeys. I am still heavy in the learning zone of this business and I am taking it at my own pace because I know where I came from and I am working on where I am going. I don’t care what others around me are doing, I have my own lane in traffic and I’m riding with my windows down. I don’t want to miss the journey only staring at the finish line. How would I have lived? What lessons could I teach when I myself only see the lesson in reflection? These are the values I want at the baseline of my cleaning service.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is being where you are and being brave enough to do the work to take the next step to elevate. Success to me is consistent choices that put you where you want to be. That’s why anyone who makes the decision to succeed becomes successful in their own right. Also, it looks different for everyone.
In my business, success is measured by my clientele. If I am cleaning the same business for a year with little to no complaints and when I show up, they are happy to see me, the person behind the business, that is success. I not only created a connection with my client, they will organically promote me to other businesses thus bringing in more revenue.
Pricing:
- Offices 1500 sq ft and below starting at $250 per month
- Offices 1501 sq ft to 2500 sq ft starting at $375 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justuscleans.com
- Phone: 3215179203
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: justuscleaning
Image Credit:
@capturequeenphotos, The photo with the sunflower and where I have the bantu knots. @studio72graphics, The flyer asking how to start a cleaning service.
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