A Woman Owned Business / May 2006
Teays Maids
Barbi Davis
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Pat Lawrence
When Barbi Davis decided she wanted to be her own boss, she researched the market to find something that was needed. And, she says, “I was looking for something I was good at!” It turned out the families in Teays Valley needed help keeping house. In 1995, Barbie launched Teays Maids. Now the cleaning teams of Teays Maids are welcomed daily to homes and businesses in Putnam, Kanawha and Cabell counties. The business has grown from two to twenty employees and Barbi is hiring again.
Barbi says team leaders drive one of the six company vehicles to their customers location. The three team members, “are like very busy bees when they get there! They are very efficient, they have a system and they try not to miss anything.” Every team has a station at the Teays Maids office, with their supplies and caddies, vaccum cleaners and cleaning solutions. “We bring everything!” Rags and mops are washed each night in the company’s on site washing machines.
According to Barbi, all team members are insured, bonded and covered by worker’s compensation. “They’re also trained in the cleaning products, our equipment and procedures. We try to arrange the schedule so the same team works together each day and so the same team returns to each location.”
Teays Maids offers residential customers the option of one-time deep cleaning or initial cleaning followed by regular maintenance service. Barbi says, “Maintenance cleaning can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. The weekly and bi-weekly service includes maintenance of everything done on the initial deep clean, including mopping and sweeping. In a nutshell, everything from the initial clean is done every visit except the woodwork and light fixtures, which are checked by the team leader and maintained as needed. Our monthly service is a deep cleaning every four weeks.”
Teays Maids will also add specialty services, like window cleaning, carpet cleaning and inside refrigerators and ovens. Barbi says one of their most common requests is for empty house cleaning services for people moving in or out of a home. “It’s like an initial cleaning with all cabinets and drawers cleaned inside and out.”
Although commercial cleaning was not in her original business plan, Barbi has responded to customer demand with a special team that works after normal business hours, maintaining floors, dusting and keeping restrooms and staff lounge or kitchen areas cleaned and disinfected. Teays Maids also offers carpet cleaning, tile floor stripping and buffing maintenance “to keep offices looking professional from top to bottom”, Barbi says. “For some clients, we come five days a week; others just ask we clean every two weeks.”
Very few jobs are done by the hour. Each customer receives a personalized estimate. Barbi says, “We come to your home or office and discuss your needs. Residential customers generally receive four different prices, depending on how often cleaning is scheduled. For a typical three bedroom, two bath home, the initial cost might be $200-$275, and $70-$80 weekly.”
Originally from Virginia, Barbi has a business degree from Bluefield College. She worked in the business office of a hospital when she was first married, then she and her husband moved to a fifty acre farm to raise their three children. Her husband Ed was transferred to Teays Valley thirteen years ago. When his company was experiencing major layoffs, Barbie decided the best way to handle the uncertainty was to go into business herself. She started small, giving herself time to learn what she was doing and how to organize the business. “I had to write a business plan to get the initial financing. It really gave me some insight and motivated me to do more research.”
Success has changed how she spends her days. Office manager Megan Morell does most of the estimates now, while Barbi handles administration, payroll, personnel, insurance and marketing. “We’ve tried to create a family-friendly environment where women are appreciated and respected for their work. We’ve been very fortunate in our employees. I appreciate them so much.” Her kids are teenagers now and one is graduating from high school. “The business gave me the freedom to be there for them, which was important. But what has been most amazing is the opportunity for personal growth and the enormous personal gratification that comes from running a business. I don’t think that could have come from doing anything else.”
For more information, call Teays Maids, 304-757-4848 or visit teaysmaids.com.
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Femme Fair 2006
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