Laura Christian
Founder of All Star Cleaning Services
5 years before starting All Star Cleaning Services of Fort Collins, I was pregnant and homeless with little familial support. After spending my teenage years bouncing around between foster homes, group homes, etc., I found myself at the Fort Collins Mission, 18 years old, 5 months pregnant, and with a deep understanding that I would need to create my own future from there. Life is not about what happens to us but about how we respond. I responded by working 2 jobs, guarding my hopeful heart, and laying plans.
I moved into my first home the day my son was born. Over the next couple of years, I met and married my husband, and we had a second son. I earned my associates degree through Front Range Community College in Fort Collins and then transferred to Colorado State University. At the time I thought I wanted to go to law school.
All Star Is Born
About 3 years prior to this time my husband had spent about 18 months working for a local janitorial company. One day while on the way to The Butterfly Pavilion in Denver with my sons and a family member, we were discussing how unhappy my husband was in his current retail position, and how much my young family was struggling to get by. My companion suggested that perhaps he should start his own cleaning company, since after all, he “knows how to clean now!” I still laugh every time I think of that, since as I have since learned, running a successful cleaning business has very little to do with knowing how to clean.
I thought it was a great idea and ran straight home to tell him. His immediate answer was absolutely not. Being stubborn as I am, I told him fine, I’ll do it - and an entrepreneur was born. Within a week, I was cleaning my first house, and the rest as they say is history.
This company is truly my dream. It has changed the trajectory of my entire life, and the lives of my family as well. My children have opportunities that I never would have been able to provide to them otherwise. My sister followed me into the industry and now runs a successful cleaning service in North Denver, Clean Queen.
All Star Cleaning Services of Fort Collins Today
I currently employ nearly 50 people, and cherish the opportunity to mentor the young people that come to work for me. We place our focus on the idea that there is dignity and value in the work they do, both for the clients they serve, and for themselves as they navigate their own opportunities in life. I am of the belief that this job is but a stop on the road to the rest of their lives, and endeavor to move them up or eventually out and on to bigger and better opportunities, while taking the best care I can of them during their time with me - including providing health, dental, and vision insurance, a company matching 401k, up to 2 weeks paid time off, and company vehicles.
I am truly grateful to the Fort Collins community for all of the support shown for my business over the years. We may not always be perfect, but we always care deeply about being the best company we can be for our staff and our clients. Thank you for reading my story!
