Community Highlights: Meet Savannah Etter of Etter Cleaning Service

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Etter.

Hi Savannah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I got a job as a house cleaner at a cleaning company in Lexington, KY. After a while, I realized that I could do better for myself as the owner of my own cleaning company, and I started to clean houses on my own. A year into that, I met my girlfriend Carla and was surprised to see that she had been a house cleaner at a different company before we met. We also had a shared background as classical musicians, which bonded us further. Once in a while, she came out and helped me with basic routine cleaning, and I thought, “She’s pretty good at cleaning!” Then I wondered, maybe we should go into business together, so here we are! She was working at Chick-fil-A at the time, which wasn’t going as planned (more details on that later). So we decided to move cities and get away from the 9-5 once and for all. We wanted to build a new life for ourselves on our terms and closer to family. We are one month into our business, and we have eight recurring clients, a few consultations on the schedule in the coming week, and another round of advertising planned for the New Year. We hope to keep at this rate until we have a full schedule!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting the business over after working for two years in Lexington was challenging. We also had to iron out many details on how we go about the consultations. When I worked by myself, I made all the decisions. Now that there are two of us, we are intentional about ensuring we are both on the same page about our processes.

Also, with cleaning comes a whole other side—the houses themselves. It is one thing to sit around in your home office and type up the logistics of running your business; it’s another thing to go into the houses and do the job. You never really know what you’re getting into. Wonder about the houses, Google the zip code, etc., but as far as clutter, five dogs, junk, minimalism, antiques, artwork, pet birds, furniture—or the lack thereof, you never know what’s behind that front door. We made some hard and fast rules about what we will not clean. Most of that list ends up getting into biohazard cleaning territory, and that’s just something we aren’t trained for.

As you know, we’re big fans of Etter Cleaning Service. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We give the gift of time and peace of mind by cleaning houses for busy people. We have professional cleaning company experience and have consolidated our previous training into a thorough cleaning process that we are very proud of. We love leaving behind shiny floors and clean bathrooms/kitchens for our clients. It’s incredibly fulfilling for us to impact our clients’ lives. We run everything and do all the cleaning ourselves, so we are invested in providing excellent customer service. We are proud to be two young female entrepreneurs. We love that we are women-owned and can represent one of the few LGBTQ+-owned companies. Our clients have peace of mind knowing that we are a judgment-free company.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
We base our cleaning process on the book “Speed Cleaning for the Pros” by Jeff Campbell with Debbie Sardone. Although their methods are great, we have put our spin on things as far as specific cleaning products that we use throughout the homes. Another favorite thing is podcasts, and we listen to “The How of Business” for general business advice. We also utilize digital invoicing and contract services, Wave and SignNow. We also listen to podcasts and music while we clean to keep the job more relaxed and fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: Ettercleaningservice.com
• Instagram: @ettercleaningservice
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064825092404
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/etter-cleaning-service-lees-summit?osq=Etter+cleaning+service
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ettercleaningservice?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
All images are owned by Etter Cleaning Service