SECOND ACT OF THE MONTH AWARD
Each month, we give the 50PlusToday SECOND ACT Award to an individual who made an intentional decision to change gears in this phase of life. It’s our goal to recognize and support people who reinvented themselves at age 50Plus and we choose recipients who are creative, innovative and inspiring to others. Their pivot might involve a new career, business, community effort or lifestyle. A successful, happy and meaningful life means different things to different people; reading what others did might start you thinking about your next journey! The bottom line is that your second half of your life can be as good as, if not better than, the first! We hope to inspire our readers with success stories from others. (Is there someone you know that created a wonderful second act that you would like to nominate? Complete this form to submit their name for consideration!
Patty Williams started a new venture called StartClean at age 50+. She has three main goals with this business. 1) to provide a stellar cleaning service to residential and commercial locations, 2) to offer employment opportunities for people who might be more challenging to employ and 3) to support her favorite charities with a portion of her profits – these charities include ones that support veterans, women getting out of human trafficking and people who are transitioning to sober living.
50PlusToday: What are your unique skills that contribute to your success:
PW: I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as a heart to serve others. Those two things combined have equipped me for StartClean.com, LLC.
50PlusToday: What did you do before starting your entrepreneurial journey?
PW: Before starting StartClean, I was a partner in another entrepreneurial endeavor called Ruby Care (senior living placement). I sold my interest in the company and created StartClean. Before that, I accumulated about 30 years of experience in healthcare-related software sales and implementation.
50PlusToday: Tell us about what you are doing now.
PW: My company is called StartClean.com, LLC. We provide move-in/move-out, make-ready, post-remodel/construction, deep cleaning for residential and commercial properties.
50PlusToday: What passion led you to start this new endeavor?
PW: StartClean came about to fulfill a need for clean spaces while helping others gain employment. We strive to provide an exemplary cleaning experience for our customers, while creating a work environment that encourages personal growth and satisfaction. We donate a portion of our profits to the local community. #CleaningForACause.
50PlusToday: How does your age and experience help in your success?
PW: My past successes definitely paved the way for this journey. Even though this is a new industry for me, the core tenets: hard work, integrity and serving others are part of who I am and how I do business. That certainly helps in the day-to-day.
50PlusToday: What unique skills did you have from your previous job/business/lifestyle that help you in this new position?
PW: I LOVE people and that helps me on the client side, as well as the employee side. I think my sales background helps me connect with others and that certainly helps with the networking/marketing side of the business. I am detail-oriented and somewhat of a perfectionist, so that helps with being the“Quality Inspector” for the jobs we are hired to do.
50PlusToday: What advice would you give someone in this age group searching for their meaningful second act?
PW: One of the books that impacted me greatly was Bob Buford’s “Halftime.” It truly inspired me and still does. For me, my faith is intertwined in all I do and serving other people is an essential part of that. In my second half, I have found that taking risks, doing what matters helping others is what makes me happy and gets me going every day. It’s not about winning the “President’s Club” award, but more importantly being someone that matters to the people we serve. It’s cleaning for a cause, and I LOVE that.
50PlusToday: Finally, please give us three random facts about yourself.
I have been married to my best friend for sixteen years.
I have four amazing grandchildren.
My husband is a dentist and I have been his assistant on three extraordinary dental mission trips: Kenya, Haiti, and Belize.
50PlusToday: What is your favorite quote?
PW: Judges 6:14 NLT – Then the Lord turned to hear and said, “Go with the strength you have. I am sending you.”
MORE ABOUT PATTY…
As the founder of StartClean, Patty Williams is interested in delivering stellar customer service in the cleaning industry, as well as providing employment opportunities
for folks who may be more challenging to employ. She is a people-person and a problem-solver, which is exactly why she loves being the owner and creator of StartClean.com, LLC. Patty grew up in Arizona, but having called Texas her home since 2004, she feels like the saying is true, “I’m not from Texas, but I got here as soon as I could.” Patty received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Arizona State and subsequently began working in a corporate setting. She was introduced to healthcare early in her career and that is where she found her heart…serving others. She loves helping people and she felt the healthcare arena allowed her to not only utilize her knowledge and skills, but also to truly help folks in need. In her current endeavor, she is able to assist clients and employees by providing exceptional residential and commercial cleaning services. In her spare time, Patty enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering in the community and hanging out with her two dogs, Sugar Rae and Jolie Penelope.
Learn more about StartClean HERE
