Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Pino.
Hi Daniela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband and I have been working in the hotel industry for around 20 years. That was always our passion and where we learned everything we know today. Eduardo expertise in Sales, handling domestic and international customers, which prepared him to become the well-rounded salesperson he is today and myself in the Event Management area, which made me an expert in planning and organization in general.
Right before COVID hits the world, we had a plan in mind… we wanted to open a business to create something that is ours, but ultimately, the main goal was so I could have more flexibility with my own time, especially because we have two wonderful little kids – a three years daughter and a six years old son.
We knew that we wanted to do something related to cleaning and organization, which has always been something that I loved. We also knew that we had to incorporate all the hospitality culture we have in us and that we also love so much. With that in mind, we opened Upgrade Cleaning Solutions on February 20th, 2020 and a few weeks later, the world closed because of the pandemic. The timing couldn’t be better for us. With both of us furloughed, we started working on our side project dream. We structured all our Marketing and Sales plan during the lockdown in April 2020. On May 4th, 2020, we serviced our first house!
We ended up in 2020 with more than 150 houses cleaned, where we delivered the hotel feeling in the comfort of your home. Our Company strives to provide first class service from the moment the customer call until the end of each project. We focused on training, procedures and customer care! All the years working in the hospitality business paid off.
After realizing that the formula was successful, we expanded to Upgrade Home Solutions, where we provide all types of service your house needs but in one place. Being homeowners ourselves, we know how hard managing different contractors can be for basic services, such as cleaning, pool, and lawn care, for example. With that in mind, we now offer and manage all these services to our customers.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It is never a smooth road… since we started during the Pandemic, COVID was our first obstacle. Not only was everything closed due to quarantine, but the fear of having someone strange at your house was a big challenge. We went through a lot of training with our team to make sure all safety procedures were being followed and also did a lot of research to make sure we were using the best products to combat the virus.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m graduated in Hotel Management. I started my career in events, worked in the Food & Beverage area for a while, then sales and finally moved back to what I like the most, Event Planning. I have always worked in hotels. I was born in Rio de Janeiro but lived in Sao Paulo most of my life until moving here to the US with my husband back in 2012 when he got transferred to Orlando.
Growing up in a large family with an incredibly organized mother made me the woman I am today. Tidying up or cleaning was never an issue for me. Seeing a place transformed from messy and dirty to spotless and neat has no price to me. The moment I realized that I could use my planning skills combined with my cleaning “obsession” and make that a business, everything changed.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of business owners and people that were working in that field for a long time. That helped us a lot to understand our market and our approach to the business.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@upgradecleaningsolutions.com
- Website: www.upgradecleaningsolutions.com
- Instagram: upgrade.cs
- Facebook: upgrade.cs
