Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Youngers.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Great ideas come from the strangest of places, after a long road to recovery from having two kidney transplants and seemingly endless complications, including a deadly Meningitis Infection that kept me in the hospital for two months under the care and attention of whole teams of doctors and nurses that saved my life. Once I left the hospital, I didn’t look back, I ready to start a new life.
My only window to the outside world during those painful months, was covered by the only thing that never got cleaned “drapes”. Once at home, I realized how incredibly dirty my blinds were, how there was no easy way to cleaned them and worse, how expensive they are to replace and even new blinds will eventually get dirty again.
That’s when it hit me, surely, I am not the only one that’s got dirty blinds? They are everywhere, homes, schools, hospitals, restaurants, office buildings, apartments… you name it, they hang there year after year, getting dirtier and dirtier.
I bought my first Mobile Ultrasonic Blind Cleaning Truck on eBay with the tax refund from all the medical expenses, we trained with industry leader on the best cleaning methods, got Certified as FabriCare Specialists and became the Hunter Douglas® Window Fashions Preferred Service Provider in the Greater Houston Area.
I had started the business with the idea of doing this part time, but the demand for blind cleaning services was bigger than I ever expected. Which was a great thing, except I was not prepared to deal with the high demand.
I realized that there were so many opportunities to grow the business but had no idea how to scale into a corporate structure. That’s when I met with Houston’s SCORE Mentors and connected with the City of Houston’s LiftOff Program, the HCC/NewSpring Business Plan Competitions, SBDC and The Urban League Small Business Development University.
As a new startup company, not sure where we were heading, we connected with mentors and business advisors that helped us write a well thought out and methodically crafted business plan that is serving us as a road map as we continue growing and working towards the vision we have for our small business.
Did I mentioned that we placed in the top 5 winning teams of the 2015 HCC/NewSpring Business Plan Competition? and that all these programs, business mentoring and their advice is FREE? and available to everyone that has a business or wants to start a business in Houston?
Since the competition, we’ve branded, launched and expanded our business to the Austin Market. We have cleaned thousands of blinds for residential clients, restaurant, office buildings and have secured yearly contracts to clean the blinds of several government facilities.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Funding is always a challenge when you are a small business and right now, our mentor Prasad Menon of Bayou Micro-funding is helping us fundraise a crowdfunded loan through Kiva.Org, an organization that offers 0% interest loans to small businesses all over the world.
Is there such a thing as an easy road? Overcoming human struggles whether physical challenges, health and mental issues or simply our own bad habits is never easy. But I get up every day with the intention of getting a little better, working a little harder and just getting a little bit more done.
Leaving behind the painful past, taking a small idea and growing a sustainable business has been an incredibly rewarding experience but I didn’t do it alone, there’s been so many amazing people along this journey that have supported, encouraged and challenged me to put aside any limitations to dream bigger and reach higher.
Maybe the lesson of this crazy story is that, if we could only allow ourselves to accept the many helping hands and opened hearts that are all around us, we can be more and achieve more than we ever thought possible.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Got Dirty Blinds? – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The task of cleaning window coverings is not just for aesthetics. Air constantly flows around the windows turning each covering into a Giant Air Filters that harbor high levels of dust, particles, (human and pet dander, pollen and mold spores, dust mites and insect decay and droppings) and other harmful allergens and pollutants like fabric, carpet and metal fibers, flakes of paint with lead, mold, mildew, viruses and bacteria that contributes to the already high levels of indoor pollution.
These microscopic particles are a proven environmental and health hazard, that are easily air bound and can get deep into the heart and lungs through inhalation and in some cases, may even get into the bloodstream through dermal absorption, triggering many health-related problems and worsening conditions for those that already suffer from asthma and allergies.
GOT DIRTY BLINDS? LLC is a Sustainable Window Covering Cleaning Company. We use innovative Mobile ULTRASONIC Technology, Portable Dry-Cleaning Equipment and GREEN Cleaning Solvents to Restore, Refresh and Renew Window Coverings.
We bring the cleaning facilities right to our customers doors! Our Mobile cleaning truck and portable equipment are convenient and responsive to any situation, capable of cleaning both hard and soft window coverings as well as all forms of custom drapery.
Cleaning is done onsite, in the convince of your own home or office, both during or after business hours. Our cleaning processes safely and efficiently removes all forms of pollutants, both physical and biological, including all known triggers of asthma and allergy attacks. We accommodate any size job from a tiny home with a few blinds to a 150K SQFT. office building or school campus with hundreds of blinds.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My vision for the company is to develop a program that would allow to provide jobs for at risk youth and people with disabilities, my dream is to create a community where we can provide training, support and jobs to people that have a desired to work but are marginalized because of their limitations.
I’ve been focused on putting together a phenomenal team to help us achieve our mission; to brighten and refresh lives and provide cleaner indoor air by eliminating allergens and contaminants embedded in window coverings.
Dirty Blinds are everywhere! and now that we have expanded to the Austin market, I am starting to look at San Antonio and The Big D, but for now, Houston is where my heart resides.
Pricing:
- Prices start at only $14.95 for mini-blinds
- $17.95 for 2” Venetian Faux Wood Blinds
- Hunter Douglas Honeycombs and Silhouettes start at $45.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gotdirtyblinds.net
- Phone: 832-986-8457
- Email: nina@onsiteblindcleaners.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GotDirtyBlinds
- Twitter: @gotdirtyblinds
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/got-dirty-blinds-ultrasonic-cleaning-houston
- Other: https://www.kiva.org/lend/1278469
Image Credit:
Got Dirty Blinds?®
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