Meet Tanya Graham | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tanya Graham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tanya, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my business, Life Maid Easy, Inc., in December of 2017. I had been cleaning professionally part-time for a year and a half. I realized my side job was turning into a real business. I began with six clients. I cleaned those homes alone. Word spread that I was meticulous and reliable. I realized I couldn’t clean every house alone. I decided to hire one person to help me. Now I currently have a team of 15 maids and service 65 houses and 19 businesses. I chose to do this as a career because of the flexibility with my schedule and because I enjoy working in a positive environment and making a real impact by making peoples’ lives easier.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets us apart from others is our quality of service. We set the standard high by attending to each specific clients preferences. I can tailor the service to meet each persons needs. The process begins by scheduling an in home consultation with the prospective client. I take detailed notes of each individual home or business. We then schedule an initial cleaning. I bring a crew (how many in the crew depends on the size of the location) and we clean everything, in detail, at that specific location. After the initial cleaning, it is much easier to maintain the home or business. Because we got it to our standards the very first visit. I began doing the initial cleanings because in the beginning when I would try to clean a house alone for the first time, it was too overwhelming. I could never get the entire home clean in one visit. And, I did not want any of the girls working with me to feel that way.

I am most proud of the people I am fortunate enough to work alongside. These people are trained for months by myself and Jenna Williams to know exactly how to maintain the work that we did at the initial cleaning. They take pride in punctuality, professionalism, appearance, organization and attention to detail. I work alongside this crew every Monday at our weekly initial cleaning for additional training, camaraderie and quality assurance.

Born and raised in Astoria, IL I wanted to make an impact in my community. I do this by providing a flexible schedule for mothers who know how important it is to put their children first. I provide their transportation to and from each individual destination. This year I worked with our high school and their work program. I am the only business of this kind within a 40-50 mile radius of our town.

These last 5 years have not been easy. The first 4 years, I would clean all day and then do consultations on the nights and weekends. This last year I have been able to focus on the administrative side and marketing. One of the biggest challenges in my journey was COVID-19. I pushed forward by adapting (with extreme caution) to the residential and commercial needs of our clients. One specific need was more frequent cleanings for new and current commercial clients. I increased staff by advertising on social media. That required much more training time and the purchase of additional company vehicles. All while providing safety and flexibility for the employees.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We live in rural Fulton County, IL. We would start by catching up on my deck with a cold beer.

I was raised on a farm. It is one of the places I would go with my best friend. We would ride the side by side all over the farm and back roads. It is one of the most peaceful places to me.

Probably grab breakfast at State Street Grill and some coffee at Maddy’s coffee house. Then lunch at The Dairy Dipper. We would see the beautiful park in the middle of our town, and the cutest little library across the street.

End with dinner at Roadhouse Bar & Grill in Ipava, IL.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mentor is most definitely Jacqueline J. Sykes Schenck. She has not only been my friend for 16 years, she has walked me through every step of growing my business. She has owned and operated Canton Cleaning Service for 20+ years. She is hands down one of the biggest reasons for my success in this business.

Website: www.lifemaideasy.co

Instagram: lifemaideasyinc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifemaidEZ

Image Credits
Firefly Studio