Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Richardson Parker.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After graduating with my MBA, I began working in corporate America (like most other college-educated individuals). During my last job, I started growing tired of Corporate America and felt stuck because I had no idea of any alternatives to “working a good job”. I was always taught that in order to be successful, you had to have a good job and climb the corporate ladder.
Before my husband and I got married, he was moving out of his apartment and asked me if I could get it cleaned. Since I was a working professional, I knew I didn’t have the time to do, so I had to search for a cleaner that could get the job done quickly. While I loved the cleaner I found, I didn’t love the process of actually finding the cleaner. However, after the cleaning, I didn’t think much more about it after that.
As time went on, I became less and less happy at work and my husband and I began to think of entrepreneurial ideas. If I was going to start a business, I knew I wanted to start a business that was “simple”. I didn’t want to “invent” something new and I didn’t want a business that required me to convince someone to buy my product/service.
Then we thought back to the cleaner we hired and we knew there was an opportunity to make that whole experience better. A few months later The Moxie Maids was born and a few months after that I left Corporate America.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been smooth road at all. Nothing about entrepreneurship is “smooth” or “easy”. Though I obtained my Master’s degree in Business, I really had no idea of real-life business operations.
In the beginning, I struggled with pricing. I didn’t want to turn away any customers, so I often reduced my price point in an effort to get more customers. This was a mistake and ended up costing me more money.
I didn’t really understand my exact target audience. Again, I wanted to serve EVERYONE. Not only do you need to understand your target audience, you need to understand which customers you DO NOT service.
I also struggled with knowing my numbers. I didn’t know which service was most profitable and which service was costing the company money. I didn’t know my customer acquisition costs and how this impacted my net profit. These details are key if you really want to grow your business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Moxie Maids – what should we know?
The Moxie Maids is a local cleaning company that allows customers to schedule and pay for cleaning on demand.
We specialize in Home Cleaning, Office Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning, and Light Post Construction Cleaning
We primarily service tech-savvy consumers who want to schedule cleaning as easy as they schedule an Uber pick up. We also offer cleaning customization so each client can get the exact cleaning they are looking for.
Most of clients book and schedule their cleaning online using their desktop or mobile phones.
The Moxie Maids has brought technology to cleaning industry and made it easy.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband has played a major role in the success of The Moxie Maids. He really pushed me to leave my job to solely focus on our business. Though I was miserable during my last few years in Corporate America, I didn’t have the confidence to leave and strike out on my own. My husband really gave me the confidence I needed.
Also, my husband and I participated in a business accelerator called Start Me: Atlanta and it was super beneficial. We learned practical business applications and we were paired with some amazing mentors. That experience helped us make better strategic business decisions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themoxiemaids.com
- Phone: 470-481-0707
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/themoxiemaids
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/themoxiemaids
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/themoxiemaids
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