Okay, so let me tell you how this whole 'Fresh Start Cleaning Company' thing kicked off. It wasn't some grand plan, not really.

Honestly, I was kind of stuck. My old job, well, let's just say it ended. Wasn't pretty. Found myself with a lot of time and not much cash. Sat around feeling sorry for myself for a bit, then figured I gotta do something. Always been a tidy person, maybe too tidy my wife would say. Saw folks in my neighborhood always complaining they couldn't find reliable cleaners. Lightbulb moment, maybe?

Getting the Ball Rolling

First thing was a name. Tossed around a few ideas. Nothing fancy. Landed on Fresh Start Cleaning Company. Sounded about right. It felt like a fresh start for me, and hey, that's what a clean house feels like too, right?

Didn't have much money for fancy stuff. Used my own vacuum, grabbed some cloths, bought some decent cleaning sprays from the store – the basics. Figured I'd start small. Just houses, regular cleaning. Dusting, floors, bathrooms, kitchens. You know, the usual grind.

First Gigs and Learning Curves

Putting the word out was awkward. Felt weird asking people if they wanted me to clean their toilet. But I did it. Posted on the local community Facebook page, told some neighbors. My first client was Mrs. Gable down the street. Nice lady, but picky! Learned quick that 'clean' means different things to different people.

Man, those first few jobs were hard work. Way harder than I thought. My back was killing me. Underestimated how long things take. Quoted too low a few times, basically worked for peanuts. But, I showed up, did the job. People started noticing I was reliable.

• Learned to always check supplies before leaving the house. Running out of glass cleaner mid-job sucks.
• Figured out a system, room by room. Top to bottom. Saves time.
• Got better at estimating how long a place would take.

Growing Pains (and Gains)

After a few months, things picked up. Word-of-mouth is powerful, turns out. Got too busy to handle it all myself. That was a scary jump. Bringing someone else in? Trusting them not to mess up?

Asked my neighbor's kid, Sarah, if she wanted some hours. Showed her my way of doing things. Took time, but she got it. Having help made a huge difference. We could take on more houses. Had to get serious about scheduling then, couldn't just keep it all in my head.

Also invested in some better gear. Got a proper commercial vacuum – night and day difference. Better mops, microfiber cloths in bulk. Started looking a bit more professional, less like just some guy cleaning houses.

Where Things Stand

So yeah, that's the story so far. Still running Fresh Start. It's me and Sarah, and sometimes my brother helps out on big jobs. It's not glamorous. Cleaning toilets is still cleaning toilets. Some days are rough. Clients can be demanding.

But it's honest work. It pays the bills. And there's something satisfying about leaving a place sparkling. Built this thing from scratch, literally. It's mine. A real fresh start, I guess.