Meet Janelle Anthony of Cleaned By J

Thanks for sharing your story with us Janelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Yes! Lets, I am Janelle, my family is from ANTIGUA and TRINIDAD, I was born in the BRONX, NY, and partially raised in TEANECK, NJ, before relocating myself to GA in 2007. I’m a single mom of two of the most personality-filled, FUNNY, intelligent, little humans ever, named Melani (pronounced Mel-ah- knee) and Mya. I have 4 older brothers and 1 older sister, so growing up in a Caribbean household I’ve been cleaning since I could walk, probably before then. Fast forward to the Christmas of 2017, my gift to my self was to reach my goal of owning my own business, on January 26, 2018, I did just that. My first official business name was staring at me in an email, with an official registered business in the state of GA, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to me.

Before I officially announced the news to friends, social media, family, etc., people used to always contact me and say “what are you doing?” 9/10 times, my response is “cleaning up”, my friend “Ghost” jokingly said, “yo you should start a cleaning business, you’re always cleaning up”, this was two days after my other friends Drew and Brooks, said “Janelle, over there sitting on million-dollar ideas that the world needs, she need to hurry up”, both of those instances were my confirmation, of how I know God speaks to me through my friends. The next day, with my anxiety going crazy, palms sweaty, I introduced the world to Cleaned By J.  My plan to succeed for at least a year of self-employment, was shattered when I realized that, that was almost two years ago. I’m proud, honored, and humbled to say, it’s been just me, every client interaction, every appointment setting, every communication tactic, every flyer, every promo, every article, every penny needed for inventory, EVERYTHING is held down by me, and for that, I toot my own horn and thank God for the strength, because honestly, the cards I’ve been dealt I could’ve been defeated a long time ago. BUT GOD.

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road but because I have support from a lot of my friends near and far, they call and check up on me and the business quite often, one of my dearest friends was there from the very beginning in helping me start the business, another constructed my logo, another came and passed my business cards to a whole apartment complex for me, they’ve all help pave my “smooth road, for my journey into entrepreneurship and I am forever grateful for them. Often days, I think “maybe this isn’t for me”, and right when I say that I’m reminded as to why it is just for me. Its kind of scary. Then I just look forward to the days where I can fully appreciate my dream and celebrate my victories without worry, and that makes the not so smooth days, smoother.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cleaned By J, is more than a cleaning company. It’s therapy, for myself and my clients. Cleanliness reflects your mind when your thoughts are scattered often, so are your things. Stress, travel, life etc.,

Are all things that can prevent you from cleaning as much as you’d like, or want to, and as a mother I know having all things needed in one place is heaven sent. This is why I offer many different services, as in carpet cleaning, car detailing, pest control, grocery shopping, organization (different from cleaning), cooking, and much more is offered by Cleaned By J, I’m proud that my support team makes late cleaning supplies run because a client booked their appointment with special request, I’m proud that after almost two years of business I’ve retained all but 1 reoccurring client, and I lost them only because they moved out of GA, that’s no easy task for any business. One of the most important things that I’m most proud of is the fact that I can be trusted. People trust me with their most prized possessions and their homes and/commercial properties. That’s a big deal to me, I take that extremely serious, just because I know how nerve-wracking that can be.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Due to the fact that Atlanta and the rest of GA is made up of alot of different people from alot of difference places, it one of the most perfect place to have your business start, with the right marketing tools there is a way to have your bussiness reach its highest heights. As my girl Pem says ” Utilize Your Resources” and as Cleaned By J slogan says and expresses “You deserve it”.