Meet Barbara Jarnes of HomeLife Housekeeping

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Jarnes.

Barbara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Thirty-two years ago, my husband and I set out to establish a small business that would provide a valuable service to residents in and around Fallbrook. Initially, we focused on services that Seniors could use to help them stay in their own homes as long as possible. This included housecleaning, shopping for groceries, light meal preparation, landscape maintenance, and errands. It was immediately apparent that housecleaning was the service in highest demand, and we quickly eliminated the other services and began to specialize in professional housecleaning. Since that time, we have expanded our territory to include all of North San Diego County, from Escondido to Oceanside and Carlsbad, in addition to Fallbrook, Rainbow, and Bonsall.

In 1999, our daughter, Grace, and her husband, Christopher Mathewson, started working with us and are now co-owners and managers of the business. We have two offices: one in Fallbrook and one in Vista. As a small, family-owned business, we take great pride in customer service. At the same time, our employees become like family too, and several of them have now been with the company for 16 years.

It has always been important to us to run a legitimate business, hiring employees who are legally eligible to work in the U.S., who can satisfactorily pass a background check and drug-screen test, and who master the skills we teach during our training period.

Staying in business for 32 years, through good times and tough times, is an accomplishment from which we take great personal satisfaction.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Running a successful business is never a smooth road. There are abundant challenges along the way. It takes time to build a client base. We were fortunate in that we had an “Incubator business” that enabled us to postpone taking a salary for several years.

We have always had to compete with unvetted, uninsured independent house cleaners. Our market consists of those clients who want the peace of mind that a legal staff and insurance coverage brings.

Finding and keeping a stable staff has never been easy. Employees have relationship problems, babysitter problems, transportation problems, health problems, etc., that interfere with work attendance. Many come and go, making the loyal, long-term employees very much appreciated.

The Recession of 2008-2012 hit us hard. We lost 40% of our revenue, and are just now getting back to where we were before the slump. That meant a lot of “belt-tightening” and fine-tuning our overhead costs.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our company provides professional residential cleaning service. Most of our clients are on a regular, recurring schedule of weekly, biweekly, or every-four-week service, though we also take one-time jobs, as our schedule permits.

I think we are known for our commitment to excellence, both in the services we provide and in customer service. We listen to our customers particular needs and adapt our routine to meet their demands, as much as possible. And if there are tasks that were not performed to their expectations, we are dedicated to making that right.

Our liability and workers’ compensation insurance coverage set us apart from agencies who hire subcontracted help and from independent house cleaners.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I always valued a clean, organized environment. Clutter and dirt make it difficult for me to think clearly. Helping other people was also important to me. That is probably one of the reasons I chose to pursue a nursing degree. I graduated with a B.S.N. degree in 1971. Hobbies included music, especially piano and chorus. Currently I play the piano regularly and sing alto in the Fallbrook Chorale.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.homelifehousekeeping.com
• Phone: Fallbrook Office: (760) 728-0906 Vista Office (760) 643-2150
• Email: info@homelifehousekeeping.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeLifeHousekeeping/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/homelife-housekeeping-fallbrook

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