Meet Bert Ashford | Commercial Cleaning Business Owner

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

Hi Bert, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
While studying Criminal Justice at then, Ft. Valley State College, I woke up one day during my Junior year and decided that I didn’t want to deal with criminals and “The System” and wanted to start my own business one day. However, not knowing what business to start and with limited financial resources, I worked several 9-5 jobs for over 25 years. Just like many of us, I became content with working where I could take sick/vacation days, pay my bills, and have a little money left over every two weeks. Needless to say, while working night shift where it was kind of slow, I had time to think of my master plan. My thought process was like, “what do people don’t want to do, that needs to be done”. Of all of my several business ideas, the cleaning industry was a simple and easy choice for me, because the “pros” out weighed the “cons”. The overhead is low and every single place that is open for business needs to be cleaned at some point and in plenty of situations, everyday.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Dustingdude LLC is a commercial cleaning service that specializes in commercial kitchen cleaning and office cleaning. What sets us apart from other cleaning companies is the variety of jobs that we can perform with good results each and every time from: carpet cleaning, pressure washing, disinfectant fogging to fight Covid-19, stripping and waxing floors, move in/out cleaning, and window cleaning. I’m proud of how the business is going but what makes me the proudest is my clients for entrusting in my business and always referring me to others. I most definitely wouldn’t be where I am today business-wise if it wasn’t for believing in myself, trusting in God, an having the “Hustle” mentality. There are other attributes but these, by far, sums it up. The road to success is or was not easy. It takes lots of planning, marketing, dreaming, networking, visualization, and belief that you can do it. You will mess up. But how do handle your mistakes? Do you cover it up or do you own up to your error and reach out to the client and rectify it quickly? Your answer alone, will determine your years in business. My biggest lesson that I’ve learned in the cleaning business is to take your time and do it right the first time. It may take a little longer, but you wont have to come back for unsatisfactory work. One thing for sure, we take pride in all that we do and we typically go beyond the scope of the work if we see something that needs to be taken care of.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One thing for sure, there is plenty to do in the “A”. I would most definitely have to take them over to see Chef Harper at Toast on Lennox for an amazing brunch and Breakfast at Barney’s is another spot that we have to hit. Depending on what sport season is in we will surely catch a Braves, Falcons, or Hawks game. Top Golf and The Porsche experience is good way to get any party started. It’s a must that you take everybody to “The Hood” spots when they visit Atlanta. For that, we gonna head over to the Westside, on M.L. King Dr. to be exact and go to Memezz Restaurant for a good soulful breakfast and then hit up The Bando for lunch and show them the museum and grab their famous Crack wings…..and boy are they good. If we are just hanging out sipping on a few beers and don’t want to go out for food, we can call Pudgy at Majicalburgerz and he will pull up on you with the one of the best burgers you’ve ever had in your life. One day we will have to find out where Thefunnelcakeguys food truck will be on that day and go grab some super delicious funnel cakes. Now for our night out on the town, we will do it big but safe. Calling Atlanta Playhouse Party Buses will be first priority. We do the drinking and leave the driving to them. It will be the safest and most entertaining trip for a group. We will visit a few “Shoe Shows”, one in particularly in the City that are known for their famous lemon pepper wings. Then we will nightcap at Cigaros Cigar Bar and enjoy a few stick and catch up on old times.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m a firm believer that nobody becomes successful without the help of others. My success is accredited to a host of people. Some people will get left out, but not with intentions. My parents were both educators, so they always pushed me to get a good education and find a good paying job. That, I was grateful for. My brother, Kermit, deserves credit for contributing to my success. Once one succeeds, we all succeed. Each and every teacher that ever taught me deserves a BIG SHOUTOUT just for putting up with me in my younger years. I’ve always had great support and encouragement from my family, friends, God Parents, church family and the baseball community. Hezekiah Smith and Chuck Williams deserve a Big shoutout as well for guiding me and helping me through the process when I was in the early stages of my business. They answered every question I had and also let me work with them so I could get a feel for the work and learn how to do my pricing. And you can’t be successful without have great, dependable help. Juan G. has been a great addition to the team. Lastly, but most definitely not least, I have to Shoutout my wife, Asha for pushing me to be great and pretty much handling every aspect of the business….except for the scheduling and cleaning. My success was built from a foundation of successful people.

Website: www.thedustingdude.com

Email: thedustingdude@gmail.com

Instagram: thedustingdude

Facebook: The Dusting Dude LLC

Other: Business contact (404) 902-8380

Image Credits
Image credit Asha Ashford