BUSINESS
YOUR HOME MANAGER
Home Helper Services is currently in
the process of expanding their services
to include what they call "home
management." Skinner explains.
"Most of our clients have lawn mowing
service, pool service, gutter service and
window cleaning," he says. "We want to
find the best of those people in Fargo,
aggregate all those services together
and then provide a discount for all of
our clients who u tilize it.
I think some people gravitate toward the
novelty of it.
Why are you guys targeting the higher-end
residential and commercial consumer?
SKINNER: It didn't start out that way. I was
going to save hoarders when I moved here.
My first client was a hoarder, and I couldn't
handle that. It was just a little too much. Then
we started cleaning semi trucks, which was
nasty as well. So we backed off that. Then, we
put an ad on Craigslist, one lady replied and
it just grew from references from there. And
it just happened to go the way of higher-end,
and I think we're kind of glad that happened.
Q&A
The thing that jumps out to me about you
guys is, well, you're guys. You just don't see a
lot of guys in the cleaning business.
SKINNER: I think it's what separates us from
everybody else is that we're two guys. And
really, that's what Home Helper is all about.
We want to totally separate ourselves from
all of these mom-and-pop cleaning shops
around here. Because there are a lot of them.
TINNEY: You get the older folks who kind
of go, 'Oh, I never thought two guys would
be here.' But it hasn't been a barrier. In fact,
"And we would actually run it for them.
We would take on painters, construction
guys, probably just smaller, self-starter
businesses to kind of help them along.
And all of a sudden, they'd have 20
clients, the clients would get a discount
and everyone's happy."
The thing with our clientele is that we have
to almost become experts on any floor type,
counter type, wood type. The products we
buy are pricier so you know you're going to
get your money's worth. It's not just Pine Sol
or stuff from Walmart.
TINNEY: There's a personal touch we bring.
We'll take kids' toys and arrange them in
different and funky ways, put sunglasses on
them, make them hang from the rafters. One
of our biggest clients said their kids would
run home to go see what was changed in
their room. And it was something they looked
forward to, as opposed to, 'Okay, what was
stolen this week?'
Also, we're not showing up in cars labeled
with cartoon characters or bright colors. I
don't think our clientele wants it broadcasted
that they're having their house cleaned.
I'd imagine the higher-end client is a
particular type. Does that present any unique
challenges?
What are some of the specific challenges you
guys have run into with your business model?
SKINNER: In the beginning, we were a little
challenged by it. But they're just people. Do
they have higher expectations? Yes. But so
do we in our own house. So I think we can
vibe off that.
TINNEY: They're more, 'I don't want to have
to deal with this. I don't want to have to
come back after you. I don't want to have to
re-do it. I want you to come in and have the
confidence that you guys are going to come
in, not miss anything and everything is done.'
SKINNER: You have to be on your game.
We're a little pricier, and they expect that.
They expect a clean for their money. So it's a
challenge every day, and we love it.
SKINNER: Finding the right employees. This
market is so saturated with jobs, you get
people who you hire on, and then they leave
because they can just leapfrog to another
job. We have a pretty good team now, but
it's been a challenge in the past.
MORE INFO
Home Helper Services, LLC
homehelperservicesllc.com
417 Main Ave., Fargo
701-639-6520
21