April 15, 2024 by Liza Jackson
Simply Clean Oxford, led by founder Ryan Nicholas, is the premier home cleaning service in Oxford, Mississippi. Nicholas, a University of Mississippi graduate, recognized the potential for entrepreneurship after experiencing various jobs post-graduation.
“I bounced around to a few different jobs and I eventually decided that I was never going to earn the income and get the freedom that I hoped for unless I did something on my own,” Nicholas said. “Simply Clean was started more out of desperation than anything else.”
With this determination, Nicholas established Simply Clean. Simply Clean operates through three straightforward steps: first, select the date and time for the cleaning professionals to visit; second, have a team of cleaning professionals thoroughly clean your home using non-toxic cleaning solutions; and finally, sit back and enjoy your sparkling clean home.
“I became interested in entrepreneurship in general because that was as far as I could see the only avenue I had to making a good income or progressing in my career,” Nicholas said. “At my previous job I was making $12 an hour working on campus and I just didn’t see how I would be making enough money to one day retire or even sustain a family so I just started going for stuff and started my own business.”
Nicholas’s journey involved more than simply achieving financial stability; it also involved raising the bar for house cleaning standards.
“I learned a lot about hard work and difficult jobs from previous experiences in restaurants and labor positions,” Nicholas said. “However, despite obtaining jobs that required a college degree after graduating, the only certainty I had, besides some general professionalism and sales experience, was that I would not be able to sustain myself financially in those roles.”
With a meager $1,000 investment and unwavering perseverance, Nicholas and his spouse, Sarah, ventured into entrepreneurship in 2015, taking on everything from housekeeping to administrative work.
“My wife Sarah and I had very little experience running a company and we were the ones doing all the work and it’s very hard to start a company when you have very little experience and no money,” Nicholas said. “We were the ones doing all the work by cleaning the houses and going to Walmart to purchase supplies and just started knocking on doors.”
Nicholas’s job grew from doing hands-on cleaning to overseeing scheduling, operations, and customer relations as Simply Clean expanded.
“Today I do a lot of coordinating, a lot of scheduling, and a lot of talking to employees and customers while still doing all the customer service, scheduling, and selling,” Nicholas said. “Any kind of customer interfacing is my job.”
Nicholas emphasized the collective effort involved in Simply Clean’s success.
“My wife and I both help with hiring, managing staff, and just the general nuts and bolts with behind the scenes stuff like accounting, invoices, commercial accounts, visiting places for quotes, purchasing supplies, insurance, and all the tedious stuff that has to be managed,” Nicholas said.
Driven by a commitment to excellence, Nicholas’s philosophy with Simply Clean was simple yet impactful: offer a premium product at a slightly higher price point.
“I think of house cleanings as our product and I hustle really hard to try to sell to new customers and to pursue and follow up with people and answer incoming leads,” Nicholas said. “That was my approach with Simply Clean because in general I just wanted to offer a really high quality product for a little bit higher price point.”
Nicholas saw the blue-collar industry undergo a change in direction as younger entrepreneurs raised the standard with better goods, services, and professionalism. Over time, Simply Clean’s growth necessitated a transition from manual labor to a managerial role for Nicholas.
“Now I just direct, coordinate, and schedule, while other people do the cleaning,” Nicholas said.
While financial stability initially drove Nicholas, his employees became his primary motivator.
“It was my obligation to my employees for their living,” Nicholas said. “Now the main thing that drives me is that I am obligated to the people who work for me to continue to grow and manage this business.”
Fundamentally, Simply Clean is dedicated to going above and beyond industry standards, providing outstanding service, and putting safety first with non-toxic materials.
“We want to offer safe and non-toxic cleaning products to do that—products that are safe for kids and safe for pets,” said Nicholas.
From small beginnings, Simply Clean today serves 25–30 homes every day, and an astounding 85% of its revenue comes from returning clients, demonstrating their steadfast happiness.
June Hughes, a cherished worker who rose to the position of manager, gave her perspective and emphasized the positive atmosphere that Simply Clean provides.
“My favorite part about working at Simply Clean would probably have to be the bosses,” Hughes said. “They are great people, and I also just like cleaning in general and learning how to clean things the proper way.”
Looking ahead, Nicholas remains dedicated to redefining home cleaning standards in the Oxford community through Simply Clean Oxford. With a commitment to quality, expertise, and client satisfaction, Simply Clean Oxford is leaving a mark on the local cleaning industry.