Posts Tagged ‘local business’
As an independent, locally-owned company ourselves, Moxie Girl strongly believes in supporting LOCAL, especially when the locally produced option produces amazing results at a very fair price! Truce is not only “local,” they’re actually our neighbors here at the Mac6 Park Lane facility in Tempe, Arizona, which is also Moxie Girl HQ!
What’s Truce?
Truce, founded in 2012, by Diann Peart, PhD, produces a line of eco-friendly cleaners which includes everything from household cleaners, laundry products – even pet care related needs! Truce’s mission, according to Diann, began and remains to help people get toxic chemicals out of their homes and away from children and pets.
But What is It Really?
Like, what’s IN those Truce products? Companies such as Truce aren’t actually required to disclose ingredients they use, and unfortunately less scrupulous producers (even those claiming to be “toxin-free”) can load their products with hazardous ingredients you probably wouldn’t be able to pronounce, even if they did list them. Truce, though, is a huge fan of transparency and WANTS you to know what they use.
“We think it’s important to prove zero toxicity and zero nastiness, which is why our ingredients have been listed on every product label since our start,” says Diann.Truce uses only commonplace (and totally pronounceable) ingredients – things anyone could track down and mix up themselves if they were so inclined. A complete list of all ingredients Truce uses can be found on their website.
Professional-Level Clean
Moxie Girl, the Valley’s vacation rental specialist, has no time for toxic chemicals – or ineffective products! And of all the incredible products Truce offers, our favorite Truce product just HAS to be the Truce All-Purpose Cleaner. Literally every vacation rental “turn” we’ve done for years, has included the use of Truce All-Purpose Cleaner.
As the Valley’s leading vacation rental specialist, Moxie Girl is committed to providing a fresh-smelling, toxin-free, and above all truly clean and welcoming environment for your next guests. Truce All-Purpose Cleaner cleans from kitchen to bath and each room in-between – even outside to patio furniture, windows and more – leaving everything sparkling clean and streak-free!
The vacation rental home industry is booming in the Phoenix metro area! A quick search on AirBnB turned up over 300 properties available for rent this coming weekend alone. Realizing there is money to be made, many people (and investment companies) have been converting Valley homes to vacation rental properties in the past several years.
The increase in popularity of Valley vacation rentals has also led to the realization that the current city and state ordinances regarding this type of short-term rental property are, at best, lacking in clarity. Even vacation rental homeowners who’ve done the research before converting their properties can find themselves with legal troubles.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Gilbert and Cassandra Cardenas of Phoenix. The couple had built an astoundingly cute “tiny house” in their backyard and had already enjoyed several years of success offering the dwelling as a vacation rental – with the blessing and support of their immediate neighbors.
Gilbert and Cassandra thought they were well within Phoenix city ordinance, since their tiny home was to be used for short-term rentals only AND it was on wheels. Due to a couple of anonymous complaints, the City of Phoenix now says the tiny home (nicknamed “The Nest”) must be “attached” to their existing house OR the Cardenases need to have their property rezoned as “multi-family” in order to continue their vacation rental endeavor.
With HB 2672 signed into law recently, the State of Arizona has already taken some steps to formally place some restrictions and reporting requirements on vacation rental home owners (read our Moxie blog on the subject!) The vacation rental home market shows no signs of slowing down, so we suspect that Phoenix and surrounding cities will become more specific with their own regulations for short-term rentals in the near future.
The owners of The Nest are examining their options – one of which may be to sell the tiny home they worked so hard to construct. It IS adorable – check it out HERE. To read the full AZ Central coverage of this story, click HERE.
Moxie Girl is the leader in vacation rental home care, servicing over 100 beautiful vacation rentals throughout the Valley. We are just as interested as you are in making your vacation rental home a success! CLICK HERE to see what Moxie Girl can do for you.
Want to BE a Moxie? CLICK HERE to tell us why you would make a great Vacation Rental Assistant!
Caring for over 100 vacation rental homes Valley-wide is a big job! Moxie Girl is continually striving to be the best in the industry, and our efforts start with understanding our client’s needs – and THAT starts with communication!
We know communication can be a struggle for some clients…many people just assume that their needs “go without saying” while others may be just plain uncomfortable stating their needs. Some clients may not even be sure WHAT they want. We wish we were mind-readers, but in lieu of being psychics, we work hard to be great communicators!
Ideally, our vacation rental clients will just express their “end game” right at the beginning of our relationship, but as we’ve learned over time, this doesn’t always happen. It’s Moxie Girl’s job to know exactly what our clients expect, and more often than not, that requires us to ask some questions.
Our Moxie Girls know that spending a few minutes asking the right questions (and follow-up questions if needed) can save hours of confusion – and ultimately frustration. Moxie Girl truly desires to get the job done efficiently and most importantly, to the vacation rental homeowners satisfaction (and beyond)! But we DO need to know what it takes to make that happen.
With Moxie Girl’s extensive experience in caring for vacation rental homes all over the Phoenix Metro area, we can help vacation rental homeowners new to the game as well as long-time vacation rental property operators – and it all starts with our communication skills!
It is Moxie Girl’s mission to give our clients peace of mind, knowing their guests will arrive at a property that’s looking – and smelling – its freshest and best! CLICK HERE to find out if Moxie Girl is a good fit for your vacation rental!
Are you a GSD (Get Stuff Done) type? Moxie Girl is always looking for those who share our work ethic and GSD personality to join our growing team of Vacation Rental Assistants! Moxie Girls (and boys) enjoy flexible scheduling, learn new skills and have plenty of opportunity for professional and personal growth. CLICK HERE to tell us about yourself – we look forward to hearing from you!
As we’ve noted in previous blogs, most recently “Vacation Rental Homes Only!” vacation rental home guests tend to get super-comfy after about day 3 of their stay – and this usually results in the need for a much deeper between-guest cleaning than a 2-3 day booking would require.
What We Know
With our vast experience caring for vacation rental homes throughout the Phoenix area, Moxie Girl also sees more damage done to rental properties by longer-term guests than shorter-term vacation rental guests.
These are two of the big reasons many vacation rental homeowners are reluctant to allow long-term stays on their properties. However, summer does tend to be the season where guests are seeking more lengthy stays. Especially here in Phoenix, a multi-week or even longer occupancy is tempting to the vacation rental owner, since summer tends to be brutal and rental activity takes a hit.
The Benefits of Mid-Stay Vacation Rental Cleaning
One thing vacation rental homeowners allowing longer-term bookings this summer are doing to alleviate their concerns is scheduling “mid-stay” cleanings. Long-term guests really settle in and begin treating the vacation rental home as they would their own home…and since you probably don’t know what THEIR home looks like, it’s best just to expect that they may not clean the vacation rental at all during their stay.
A mid-stay cleaning will not only make the cleaning after the guests departure (hopefully) much easier and quicker, but it also allows the vacation rental homeowner to become aware of any suspicious activity, theft of or damage to the vacation rental or its contents while the guests are still there.
Many long-term vacation rental guests see mid-stay cleanings as a perk! Just because a guest is messy doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a clean space. Also knowing that professional cleaning is scheduled during their stay may prompt guests to live a little neater than they normally might.
Need a Moxie (or Want to BE One)?
If you’re a vacation rental homeowner in the Phoenix area CLICK HERE to find out how Moxie Girl’s team of vacation rental specialists can make your life easier. Moxie Girl currently cares for over 100 vacation rental homes throughout the Valley and we pride ourselves on our reputation for client satisfaction!
Moxie Girl’s vacation rental assistants enjoy flexible schedules, a supportive team environment and plenty of opportunities to grow! Interested in becoming a Moxie? CLICK HERE to tell us about yourself – we’ll be in touch soon!
We hope you enjoyed our feature on Moxie Girl founder, Amanda Thomas, last week. International Women’s Day may have come and gone but we’re still celebrating over here! Last year we introduced you to Going GreenHouse, Moxie Girl’s personal recommendation for your residential cleaning needs. Since we’re still feeling the girl power though, we thought it might be fun to have April, founder of Going GreenHouse to share some of her insights and experiences (so far) as a female business owner.
The Challenges of Being a Boss Lady
Being a business owner presents a bundle of challenges and a female business owner will experience all of them – and more. April says one of her biggest challenges is participating in networking groups. While the premise of these groups is to help you grow your business and make helpful connections, “Some networking groups are still ‘good ol’ boys clubs’ and I have trouble fitting in,” says April.
“It’s also been a challenge for me to recognize what and who I’m comfortable or uncomfortable with in business, and adjust accordingly,’ April says. Effectively setting boundaries and standards can be difficult, but it’s actually much easier in the long run than compromising your integrity or trying to do business with people or in situations that just aren’t cutting it.
Leadership and Tough Decisions
“I do think I’m a born leader, but some aspects of leadership are not natural to me – such as setting boundaries and making uncomfortable decisions,” says April, echoing the voices of many women in business today. Many of us find it difficult to stifle our nurturing, people-pleasing tendencies – even when it’s necessary to do so in order for business to be at its best.
Without revealing details, April admits that she’s had to make at least one tough decision in the past. “It was best for the company but it did some damage to an important personal relationship for a time. Thankfully, everything has worked out personally,” says April.
Help Along the Way
As women in business we are often reluctant to reach out for help because we fear being perceived as weak. But in fact most successful upstart businesses – regardless of ownership gender – can certainly benefit from the experiences of others. April says she’s “sought guidance and camaraderie from many – and definitely a few key people at certain times” noting that she’s had one “coach” on-going for about 5 years, and others she’s spent a year or so with along the way.
Balance is Everything
“Any uncommitted time I have, I tend to fill up with work-related tasks,” says April, adding that she also enjoys hanging out with family, watching Project Runway and, of course, getting some much-needed sleep. “I built my business to suit my lifestyle, 100%. It just took 5 years to get it that way!”
Congratulations on all your accomplishments to date, April! Moxie Girl wishes you all the best on your continuing journey!
How Can We Help?
By choosing Going GreenHouse for your residential cleaning needs and Moxie Girl to care for your Phoenix-area vacation rental home care, you can be assured you’re receiving top-notch service while supporting a local, female-owned businesses. Both Going GreenHouse and Moxie Girl take great pride in our reputations and our teams. Click a link and find out how we can help!
