Lucy Leyva has always been intent on making her mark. Ironically, the business she owns and operates gets paid for removing any marks.
Leyva, a Prescott Valley resident, owns and operates Prescott Maid to Order, a cleaning business that does both residential and commercial cleaning in the Quad Cities area.
In 2005, she started the business by cleaning one house and taught herself every aspect of what it took to be successful. “I didn’t know how to run a business,” Leyva said. “I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t have a lot of money to invest. I knew I wanted to have a business. But I didn’t have a lot of money. But I wanted to start cleaning houses.”
The business owner used her strong work ethic and values she learned while growing up on a cattle ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico, to her advantage.
Leyva has always been a hard worker. She was tasked with separating receipts at an accounting firm at age 13. By 17, she was in charge of payroll for a transportation company with hundreds of employees.
“I was in charge of going to the bank and getting cash and putting it in envelopes for 600 people,” Leyva said. “So, everything, I guess, that you go through in your lifetime is kind of preparing or guiding you in whatever you want to do as an adult. So, I’m very thankful for the experiences.”
Now, she said she has a clear vision of what her business is and how she wants it to grow. Maid to Order does customized cleaning based on its customers’ needs. The company gives free estimates and can do one room or a whole house, charging a minimum of $80 per visit.
Maid to Order does everything from changing linens to doing dishes. The company services vacation rentals and also does window cleaning and yard maintenance. Leyva says she offers her customers clear, honest expectations about what kind of service her company provides. She says she aims to tailor each job to the customer’s specific needs.
Early on, she learned she had what it takes to run a business one day – a stark contrast from some of the people she met growing up. “It was really nice because I got to hang out with more people and I learned a lot,” Leyva said. “But I knew that I had a different set of skills. I was very self-motivated. I got things done really quickly and I noticed right away that people from the city struggled – they weren’t dedicated. They didn’t use their time properly. They didn’t have a lot of the skills that I had because of the way I grew up.”
She adds that customers can expect an efficient, thorough cleaning from her employees. Through the years, she has built strong bonds with her customers and receives great satisfaction from making them happy.
“This is what my focus was,” Leyva said. “If you serve enough people and you do an excellent job, that’s the biggest quality of a leader. A leader has to be a servant. I wanted to be a servant. I wanted to serve people. I wanted to provide something that was good.”
Leyva said her customers often clean up before employees arrive; still, her employees do the dirty work of cleaning blinds, ceiling fans and baseboards – something Leyva says always earns her company high praise.
She contends that having your home cleaned is anything but a luxury. “It gives your brain clarity. It makes you feel like you can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish in your day so you don’t have to worry about that.” QCBN
By Brent Ruffner, QCBN
For more information, visit prescottmaidtoorder.com or call 928-899-8518.
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