Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in home care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marlo Kanipe, Owner of Deserved Comfort House Cleaning, located in Columbia, SC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Deserved Comfort is a residential house cleaning service. Our professionally trained technicians are sent to our clients' homes on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis to clean and sanitize their homes so that they have more time to spend with their friends and family. Our large variety of clientele includes teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, tv and radio personalities, other business owners, retirees, and even homemakers who just need a little professional cleaning help.

Tell us about yourself

While in college, I simultaneously held several jobs, from full-time banker to restaurant server to cleaning a few houses on the side. My mother, with her entrepreneurial spirit, suggested that house cleaning would be an interesting business, so she started doing market research and decided to give it a go. She hired a few people, trained them to clean, and it took off. I quit my other jobs and started operating the business end of the company while still in school. Because of its continued success, my mother eventually left her job to grow the company, and after I graduated from college, I decided to stay with Deserved Comfort because I could see its potential for lucrative growth. It was, and still is, very rewarding to not only help homeowners in my community keep their homes clean and healthy but to be able to provide good, stable employment for our staff. Our technicians are the heart of our company and the reason for its success for almost 37 years. I consider them family.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our company has a reputation for dependability, quality performance, and longevity. I have a deep respect for our staff as well as our clients, and I feel a strong loyalty toward them. The feedback that I get from them is my biggest accomplishment as a business owner.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Lack of sleep! There is a lot of stress involved when you know that so many people (employees and clients) depend on you to do the right things and to make the right decisions. I don't take that responsibility lightly.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Do your research. Educate yourself on every aspect of the type of business you want to be involved in. Get training. Make a commitment and do what it takes to be the best in your line of work.
2. Get an attorney for business advice. Get licensed and insured. Get a CPA. Protect your investment.
3. Prepare yourself for many long hours. Know that there will be struggles, but there will also be triumphs. If you commit to the long haul and can endure the sacrifices, the rewards will eventually outweigh the sleepless nights and heartbreaks! Keep on keeping on!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.deservedcomfort.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deservedcomfort
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meaneyz/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/deservedcomfort
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlo-kanipe-bb396237/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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