Arvada Resident Opens New Residential Cleaning Franchise – Shares Journey to Business Ownership

When Arvada resident Angela Knighton first graduated high school, she worked as a housekeeper for a hotel, eventually dabbling in nearly every department – from the laundry room to the front desk. Although Angela was ultimately promoted to a management position, she always yearned for the independence she had during her first role, leading her to explore different positions in the cleaning industry. She even went on to clean commercial airplanes for Braniff Airlines as well as houses for an independent cleaning service before jumping back into the nine-to-five lifestyle. 

“If I’m being honest, cleaning has probably been my favorite job. You don’t have someone standing behind you telling you what to do – I like being self-sufficient,” Angela recalled. 

Well, almost 30 years, two children and a handful of careers later, Angela is returning to her roots as she opens You’ve Got Maids in Arvada, which will serve the northwest suburbs of Denver.

Known as the residential cleaning service homeowners can trust, You’ve Got Maids offers weekly, bi-weekly and one-time cleaning services with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Its licensed, bonded and insured employees go through a proprietary, comprehensive training program called Maid University, work in teams for efficiency and use eco-friendly cleaning products in every home. Founded in 2005, You’ve Got Maids has grown to more than 100 locations nationwide, increasing the opportunity for clients from coast to coast to enjoy family, friends and life.

From a young age, Angela had entertained the idea of owning her own business and even tried her hand at selling baked goods to friends, family and coworkers. While she didn’t want to take on baking as a full time career, Angela liked the feeling of independence that entrepreneurship allowed her to experience. It wasn’t until one of her previous bosses and the owner of a local tree service company encouraged her to take the leap into business ownership that she seriously considered making a change. 

“I was at a turning point in my life and had to make one of two decisions – find a different job or take a chance and open my own business,” Angela explained. “My former boss at the tree service looked at me and said, ‘Take the chance; It will be much better than where you’re at’, and that was it – I decided it was time.”

When Angela began looking into business opportunities, she knew she wanted to invest in an organization that had a clear line of communication, top-tier training materials, proven processes and a support system that genuinely cared about the success of its franchise owners. She felt she found all of that and more with You’ve Got Maids.

“With previous companies I had worked for, communication was essentially non-existent and it was as if employees were expected to read people’s minds. I wanted to buy into a business that was completely transparent and showed franchise owners the good, the bad and everything in-between,” Angela explained. “I also wanted to know that I had all of the materials necessary for success at my disposal and that there was a seasoned team of individuals behind me who had been through this process before. Once I found that, it was a done deal.”

Now an official You’ve Got Maids franchise owner, Angela is adding motivated individuals to her team who are looking for similar values in a job opportunity. 

“The thing you have to keep in mind when hiring people for any business is that your employees are often the client’s first point of contact. So, customer service skills are definitely key, but you also want a team that is reliable, dependable and pays attention to detail,” Angela said. “Personally, I am looking to hire people with strong leadership skills because, following You’ve Got Maids’ protocol, I plan to promote from within. Once I have a solid initial crew, those folks are in prime spots to advance to higher-level positions.”

Angela’s children will also be filling part time administrative and IT positions for You’ve Got Maids of Arvada. While working together in a business setting will be a new experience for the family, they’ve been cleaning together for years. A self-proclaimed “neat freak”, Angela jokes that every time her kids tried to help her clean around the house, they never did it the “right way.”

“Going into the residential cleaning business, I understand that everyone has a certain way they like things done,” Angela added. When people welcome us into their homes, they want us to clean the way they would have if they had the time. At the end of the day, it’s about getting into that mindset and putting yourself in someone’s shoes. Our goal is to make people happy.”

Expanding on that goal, Angela plans to use her business for the betterment of the greater Denver community through a partnership with Cleaning For A Reason, nonprofit organization that serves the United States and Canada. 

Cleaning For A Reason aims to help people battling cancer to focus on their health and treatment by taking away the worry and work of cleaning their homes. Recipients are partnered with participating cleaning services like You’ve Got Maids and are given monthly cleaning services, free of charge. Since its conception in 2006, Cleaning For A Reason’s partner maid services have volunteered their time to clean for more than 30,200 people valued at over $10,000,000.

“Several years ago, my stepfather lost his battle to cancer,” Angela explained. “Watching him go through that and ultimately pass away was something that really got to me. After seeing it personally, you realize that cancer is not just a battle for the patient, but for their family, friends – everyone who knows and is around that person is affected. Being able to provide a moment of relief in one of life’s most difficult moments is an immeasurable honor, and I look forward to serving clients through Cleaning For A Reason.”

From housekeeper to franchise owner, Angela has done it all. With the opening of her You’ve Got Maids business in Arvada, she is eager to build a team of passionate, hardworking individuals that will help her give back to her neighbors in the greater Denver community. Angela looks forward to providing clients with the gift of time while living out her dream as a business owner.