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

Hi Heidy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The pandemic drastically hurt the hotel I was employed at, and as a result my hours were significantly reduced. My anxiety grew high as I was already living paycheck to paycheck. My oldest daughter-Berenice R. had to step in to help pay my rent and bills. She refused to allow me to go back to working two jobs, as I did for ten years. I felt terrible that my daughter had to pickup my “slack.” As a result she pitched me the idea to starting my own business, even if only for the days the hotel did not give me hours. As an incentive, she committed herself into purchasing everything I needed to start. The idea of setting my own hours and potentially earning more than $100 a day seemed unimaginable. I always thought that this was only possible for people with higher education-like my daughters, but definitely not for myself. The risk made me afraid. I was afraid of no one booking a cleaning, or being dissatisfied with my work. But, the day finally came, when someone booked a cleaning service-worth over $200. I could not believed it. So I started cleaning homes on my days off, while still working at the hotel. Sooner rather than later, I was laid off unexpectedly from my job at the hotel with less than a 24 hour notice. I had been working at this hotel for over 6 years and I had never been laid off any job. I was so sad, I even considered returning to work at a factory with a smaller wage, but my daughters convinced me to just take my business full time. With all the fear and uncertainty in the world, I finally decided to take the risk for myself.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hernandez Cleans ATL is a Latinx owned cleaning company serving Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas. We’re proud to provide safe and reliable professionally-grade cleaning supplies, products, and services. We offer multiple cleaning packages that are designed to meet the demands and needs of our clients. Whether you need your house serviced on a regular basis or just one time, we have a cleaning option that’s right for you. We have seamless booking, fixed prices, offer over 15 cleaning packages/a la carte add ons, pet friendly, local, and soon will be adding organic, plant based cleaning packages! All of these services and packages have not been easy to construct, and I have been trying to improve my English each day to dismantle the language barrier. At the end of the day all I want is for my clients to be happy and satisfied with the service I provide for them. I enjoy seeing how happy and at peace clients get when they see their clean homes.

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?
Atlanta has been home for over 20 years so this is an extremely hard question! But, Carroll Street Cafe for brunch, then a visit to Centennial Park and Coca-Cola World since I’m a huge fan. And for a nice wine down dinner-Barcelona Wine Bar. The following day, I would take them to an early hike up Stone Mountain, then Casi Cielo for lunch, then go visit some historical landmarks like MLK Jr’s National Historic Park and Museum. We could also go watch an Atlanta United game at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. On the last day, we need to make it to the Atlanta Zoo and then a stroll to Ponce City Market to try some of the best quaint food and dessert spots and for a nice skyline view of the city of Atlanta Atlanta is my home and I am so proud to serve this wonderful city and surrounding areas!

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?
As previously stated, the ones that deserve a lot of credit on the success of Hernandez Cleans ATL are my daughters, Berenice, Shayla, and Lili. Berenice (28) for pitching the idea, investing in materials and tools, and helping me navigate my day to day appointments. Shayla (19) does most of my marketing, advertising, and handles client relations-all the way from the University of San Diego. Lili (12) helps with unloading materials and conducts inventory each week. This would not be possible without all three of them, not to mentioned they do this while being a director at their full time jobs, attending school, having internships, running a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, running their own businesses, and playing competitive volleyball. They have motivated, guided, and pushed me to go above and beyond for my business and myself. Lastly, I would like to give everyone who has welcomed me into their home and commercial space a huge thank you. Thank you for booking, thank you for telling your neighbors about me, thank you for being the reason I am now my own boss.

 

Website: https://squareup.com/appointments/book/qqv4bg893ghz2e/LAQVR2E1GJPNG/services

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hernandezcleansatl/

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

Other: https://nextdoor.com/pages/hernandezcleansatl-clayton-ga/?init_source=org_pages

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