Angie’s Custom Cleaning Celebrates 12th Anniversary
Angie Altrichter, the owner and founder of Angie’s Custom Cleaning, started the company 12 years ago. As 2024 comes to a close, Angie had a chance to sit down and reflect on this milestone and how starting a business has impacted her, her family, which includes three grown sons and her husband, her employees, and the Lancaster community.
What was the catalyst for starting Angie’s Custom Cleaning in 2012?
I had no business experience, and I was scared at times; but I didn’t let this stop me. I like to say God built my business, because it was not planned by me at all.
I was still home schooling my kids, but we needed more income. We had lived off one income for years and years and had a lot of debt. I didn’t have a plan. I had nothing in my mind about going to work. I thought until I stopped home schooling I couldn’t work.
In my spare time, I played friendly home poker games for fun. One evening, I was hosting a game. I had taught my boys how to clean, and they had chores to do every night. Well, some friends of mine showed up and they saw my boys cleaning. They jokingly asked if they could clean their house. I asked how much they were willing to pay to have their house cleaned. It was a good price, so I said I would clean their house! They were looking for a new cleaner, because they were not happy with the company they were using.
When I went to clean for them the first time, I got to see all the things the other cleaning company had missed. I deep cleaned their house really well. It looked great, and they loved it. After this, I also started cleaning for another friend as well. My kids were getting older and once the two older boys reached high school, I had more time. That’s when another friend asked me if I wanted to buy her cleaning business. She had been through 4 different employees and wasn’t happy with the way things were working out. She was frustrated.
I got a great deal. I bought her list and went from cleaning 2 houses to cleaning every day. I decided to hire someone, because I had a little too much work. My business grew from there. In the spring of 2013, I hired two more people, and the business kept growing. In the beginning, it was just residential work.
Several years later, Angie realized she was doing less cleaning and more administrative work. It was at this point that she hired more people and stopped cleaning altogether, so she could focus on the business side of Angie’s Custom Cleaning.
How did Angie’s Custom Cleaning get into commercial cleaning?
In 2018, I was at a Business Network International meeting in Lancaster, and there happened to be a person there who was a broker for businesses that wanted to sell. He approached me and said there was a local cleaning business for sale and asked me if I was interested. We met and talked. It was a husband and wife business that did residential and commercial cleaning and flooring work. I bought this business and got all the equipment with it. From there, I reorganized and made some changes and began growing the business.
How did you continue to build your team?
When I bought the commercial business, it came with two managers. That’s when I decided to employ a residential and commercial cleaning manager, in addition to a specialty flooring manager. These managers are what have allowed me to improve the quality of my business. I am very grateful for them. Each manager oversees their department’s schedule and quality checks. This also allowed me to focus on the business’ finance and marketing efforts.
What percentage of your customers are commercial and what percent are residential?
60% residential and 40% commercial
What’s the biggest lesson you have learned along the way?
Have faith. Because everything that I have ever worried about has been OK. I pray about all things in my business. I strive to have a good relationship with my employees and clients. If I have an issue with a client or employee, I’ll pray about it first. I go into every problem with the attitude that I have a good relationship with them, and “we will be OK.”
How did Angie’s Custom Cleaning get its name?
I named the company Angie’s Custom Cleaning, because I did everything custom and catered to my clients’ specific needs.
The first logo Angie included the tagline “The Ace of Cleaning” underneath the artwork and featured playing cards in the design. Angie included these elements, because her business started at a poker game, and she loves poker. Her business friends joked that the logo looked like a gambling site, so she figured she needed something more professional. She worked with a marketing friend who created the new logo. Now all that remains is the dot above Angie’s name is in the shape of a spade. She still uses the tag line “The Ace of Cleaning”
What do you like to do for fun?
Play poker, travel, and hang out with my family and friends. I also really enjoy my time with my employees and managers. I enjoy talking to them. We have a relationship. I consider them all friends. I know that’s probably frowned upon in the business world, but they will always be friends, and they will always be special people to me.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I think if you really care about your employees and clients, it will show in your work. I believe my employees and my clients would say that’s true.
