It was the success Michelle Spiziri was having selling advertising for YellowBook that led her to start her own company, Type A Home. In trying to manage both work and home responsibilities, Spiziri formed her own business and hasn’t looked back since. WashingtonExec spoke with Spiziri about Type A Home Concierge-A Home Wellness Company, how managing a home is different than just cleaning one and why cleaning staff deserve more respect.
WashingtonExec: When did the lightbulb go off – what event, if any, inspired you to start Type A Home Concierge? Walk us through that moment.
Michelle Spiziri: It was 2006, I was selling advertising for YellowBook. I bled Yellow, I was a star salesperson who set a new bar for new sales quotas for the company for new business development reps, working hard and never home to manage my home needs. I always felt like I was playing catch up on the weekends, and therefore, losing my weekends. It was with trepidation [that]we hired a cleaning company.
What a horrible experience. I never met the owner, different people filing through weekly, didn’t supply any products, came late and sometimes with a bad attitude, sometimes reeking of cigarettes, watched my TV and messed up my remote, and they didn’t do a lot of what I needed help with and what they did do wasn’t done well. One day, I was chatting with my long time friend and freelance visual artist photographer/designer, steveparke.com. I was bellyaching to him how this company wasn’t meeting my expectations; that I had to prepare for them before visiting. I just didn’t have time for that, and it stressed me out even more. I needed someone to come in and take charge and figure things out! Then it happened! The lightbulb!
I said to Steve, “Man, If I had a company I’d call it Type A Home and do whatever was needed in order to help manage a home because THAT’s what people NEED. I am so Type A, I am better than ‘X’ company.” And from that moment a marketing plan began for the creation of Type A Home-A Total Home Wellness.
The greatest need IS total house management; cleaning and organizing, plus laundry — everything! Most people need total Home Wellness, but depending on discretionary income, usually choose what is most important to keep control and order in their lives. Type A Home takes a holistic approach to “home” and does cleaning differently than “cleaning” company’s do.
WashingtonExec: What does green cleaning consist of? What makes you a green company, and why is this so important for potential customers to keep in mind when selecting a cleaning company?
Michelle Spiziri: Type A uses products that are certified non-caustic. No bleach, formaldehyde, ammonia or hazardous chemicals for our health, including toxic sprays for granite or stainless steel. If a customer wants us to use a specific product that we do not supply, we will [get it], but we do not carry commercial products in our supply and prefer not to be exposed. Most customers prefer a green agenda for health reasons for their family, including their pets. Commercial products have been linked to cancer. We have been brainwashed that that the smells of bleach of Mr. Clean connotes actual cleanliness. These products contain caustic harmful ingredients. A few facts about over-the counter-cleaning products can be found here.
Some chemicals in cleaning products have been linked to asthma, which is a growing chronic health problem. Several chemicals present in some household and industrial cleaning products have been identified as asthma triggers or are known to aggravate existing respiratory symptoms.
Some chemicals in cleaning products have been linked to reproductive harm, which includes changes in sexual behavior, decreases in fertility, menstrual changes, changes in the onset of puberty, cancers of reproductive organs, miscarriage, premature birth and other effects. Many scientists now believe that chemical exposure, even at very low levels, can have adverse impacts on the reproductive system. Children are often more vulnerable to chemicals because their organs and immune systems are not yet fully developed, and certain chemicals may interfere with the development of their neurological, endocrine and immune systems.
Chemicals in cleaning products can pollute the environment when sprayed in the air or washed down the drain, jeopardizing the health of our ecosystems.
WashingtonExec: Among the solutions you offer busy professionals (cooking, decluttering, etc.), where do you find the greatest need?
Michelle Spiziri: The greatest need IS total house management; cleaning and organizing, plus laundry — everything! Most people need total Home Wellness, but depending on discretionary income, usually choose what is most important to keep control and order in their lives. Many “professional organizers” do not clean, many “cleaners” do not know how to organize. Many cleaners do not fold or manage laundry or iron. I believe you can’t have one with the other.
Type A Home takes a holistic approach to “home” and does cleaning differently than “cleaning” company’s do. We’ve always managed homes completely, not just as rogue robots with daily house quotas to fill. We also do what needs to be done, rather than providing a list of things we don’t do.
WashingtonExec: What is the difference between selecting a Type A individual or a team of home wellness gurus for assistance? What does each option provide?
Michelle Spiziri: There usually isn’t an option. It’s the home’s need that dictates the number of personnel on any assignment. Type A is in the house. Depending on a variety of factors, the size of the job, the goal for the job, the customers needs and the goal/budget times of the job will depend on the staffing need for the assignments. Most times we do settle into a specific individual or team of individuals per home for consistency and home knowledge/familiarity, but we do swap Guru’s on occasion giving all team the opportunity of workplace empathy. I also encourage each team to rotate task areas so everyone can experience the whole home and not just the part they are used to doing. Lastly, we are people — people need time, go on vacations, have family plans and (rarely) get sick, so we need to have team diversity per job to maintain customer happiness. Type A is in the home, not the individual.
WashingtonExec: How does Type A assist families in coming up with nutritious meals – and what do those meals consist of?
Michelle Spiziri: Type A personal chefs prepare individual menus for each customer and does not provide a seasonal menu of limited choices. Each customer has different dietary needs whether diabetic, vegan, gluten free or no restrictions, with just no time or energy to prepare healthy meals; each menu is custom per customer. Type A Chef will listen to what the customer needs or wants and prepare from there. I will send a selection of options for the week, or a customer may have a specific request. I then shop, prepare in entirety and deliver.
WashingtonExec: You say you know houses. Can you share a little bit about your background, and what experiences paved the way for this knowledge?
Michelle Spiziri: From a young age, I was taught how to be responsible. I mean young. I remember my mother teaching me hospital corners (she was nurse) and bed making, helping with the dishes and laundry as a young child of kindergarten age. We had chores before play. One of my first jobs with my older sister was helping a neighbor lady who owned a thriving orchard company keep her house, canning fruit and baking. From there and onward, my jobs throughout high school and college (before 10-plus years of sales and marketing) consisted of home management, gourmet food preparation, restaurant service and catering, 16-plus years of fitness training and coaching, on-set design and painting for television and movies, faux finishing, teaching art for grades K-12 and a gallery owner. All of these jobs, many process- and detail-driven, multitasking necessary, has paved the way for Type A Home..
WashingtonExec: What separates you from the competition as a one-stop concierge shop?
Michelle Spiziri: There is no other company that provides all the services that we do, apples to apples, so there is no competition. The “competition” might be individual — an organizer or a cleaner or an errand runner or a personal chef, etc. We are one of the only one-stop Home Wellness shops in the metro area that I am aware of.
WashingtonExec: What’s the least understood aspect of hiring a cleaning company? What would you advise people when selecting a service, what should they look for?
Michelle Spiziri: For one thing, I would not consider Type A Home a cleaning company. Molly Maids, Cleaning Authority — they are cleaning companies. They do not do what Type A Home does. Type A Home is a Home Wellness company providing a variety of home services, including cleaning, to families and individuals. We do clean, but there is something special about us.
I think people downgrade cleaning as an occupation. Many people need that service provided, but want to pay a pittance and often look for the cheapest means/person. Cleaning is cerebral and physical. Many people do not realize the physical work behind any home task or imagine doing physical home tasks for three to six hours straight or that it actually take as long as it does! I say, to do the job well, it takes the time it takes. We welcome any doubting Thomas to be a fly on the wall as we work passionately towards delighting our customers. No one complains when there is nothing to complain about.
In my opinion, when looking or searching for a home services company, configure your expectations, your need and budget. Get references personal and professional. Look for passion in occupation when hiring someone who will be in your home, your intimate family space. Whether an individual or a company they should be insured and bonded if with staff.
WashingtonExec: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Michelle Spiziri: Type A Home’s staff are non smokers, are homeowners, have families, are mature and most have college degrees and interests outside of Type A. We perform background checks. Type A Home will be adding to the list of services, including Home Coaching — stay tuned for this update!
Type A Home is always looking for additional Team to add to our growing customer base.
