Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Matuska.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like so many others, I made the move to Colorado because of its sunny skies and abundant outdoor activities. In the same year, I founded Dashing Maids because I always loved coming home to a clean and tidy space. I loved the idea of giving my community members the same sense of joy and peace.
The first couple of years were riddled with mistakes and embarrassing mess-ups. Every home is so unique and I needed to find a process that worked for all types of circumstances. I am so grateful for the patience I was shown in the beginning and all of the lessons learned.
When I become a mother to my sweet son Alvie, I had to decide whether to hire an employee or sell my client list and find another career. A friend of mine introduced me to my first employee, Derwydd. He has been with me for 6 years and is now my full-time Office Manager. During his time with our company, Derwydd has seen a lot of changes and truly cares about our team of 10 and our 120 clients.
I am always looking for ways to improve and be more creative in our hiring and retention methods. The pandemic really gave us the opportunity to slow down, dig our heels in, and fine-tune our processes to better suit our team and clients.
Our goal is to be one of the best places to work in Colorado offering an incredible list of benefits, as well as extremely rewarding work where employees are challenged to set high personal goals and actively work to achieve them.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are no schools or master’s degrees that can teach you everything you will need to know when you start a small business. I had to read a ton of books, attend conferences, and reach out to other cleaning business owners for advice along the way.
Managing people is hard and an ever-changing landscape. Having a support network to reach out to and bounce ideas off of has been a lifesaver.
I meet with a group of 5 other cleaning business owners in Colorado at least once a month. We laugh, critique, share and brainstorm new ideas. After meeting with the other owners, I always feel energized and my vision for Dashing Maids is refreshed!
I find it amazing that I can have a relationship with my direct competitors, not just that it can happen but that it can truly improve our performance. They are great people!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My dream since I was in 6th grade was to become a dentist. After working in a Dental office and assisting many extractions and root canals I learned that I get faint at the sight of blood. Because I had been working toward this goal for so long, I tried for quite a while to work through it, but I finally realized I had to pivot.
Studying Biology and Sociology at Indiana University opened many doors and sparked many relationships. I apply my degree in many other ways like utilizing surveys to better align expectations and overall client and team member happiness. Though I began by making my own Organic Cleaning Solutions (thanks to the Biology Lab Courses I am likely still paying off today), we have since evolved to a more sustainable system that can grow with us.
I am most proud of our ability to navigate the ever-changing small business world. We have unlimited opportunities to better the experiences that we create for not just our clients but for our wonderful team as well. I look forward to doing better each and every day and meeting a ton of great people along the way.
What matters most to you?
One of Dashing Maids’ core values is Kindness. This is something I strive for in everything I do. Whether it’s handling a customer complaint, discussing poor attendance with an employee, or teaching my son how to resolve conflict with a classmate, I’ve found that kindness is always the best place to start. The rest will work itself out and if it doesn’t, then we will just have to do better tomorrow.
Contact Info:
Email: hello@dashingmaids.com
Website: www.dashingmaids.com
Instagram: @dashingmaids
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dashingmaids
Link to original article: http://voyagedenver.com/interview/meet-ashley-matuska-of-denver-mostly-northwest-neighborhoods-including-some-surrounding-cities-towns/
