Blaine County Beacon: Putting Trust in Drive and Passion

 

September 8, 2021

Montana Maid Simply is a house cleaning service based in Chinook that provides "quality, reliable, and trustworthy cleaning services at affordable rates" along the Hi-Line. Its owner is Rebecca Thompson who grew up in Cody, Wyoming.

A 2013 graduate of Rocky Mountain Academy of Hair, Skin, and Nails in Casper, Wyoming, Thompson is a licensed hairstylist and esthetician. Trained in skin wellness, most often helping their clients combat complexion problems, estheticians are state licensed health and wellness professionals. The work of an esthetician involves applying treatments and performing procedures to the skin as a way to maintain its health and vitality, improve its overall appearance, and combat the effects of sun exposure and aging.

While back in Cody and trying to build her clientele base as a new hairstylist and esthetician on the floor, Thompson reports that her appointment books were pretty sparse. Frankly, she needed another income to supplement herself.

That need turned into a blessing when Thompson was hired through a vacation rental home company in Cody as a cabin cleaner. "Cody is a tourist town on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park, and my job was to travel within a 50 mile radius to go and clean these magnificent high-end cabin rentals. The company was relying on me to make sure the attention to detail was spot-on. Because I am a very detail oriented person anyways, the job was extremely satisfying to me. I found a passion that I didn't even know I had," Thompson explained.

Thompson brings this experience to her new role with Montana Maid Simply. Although she left her profession as a hairstylist and esthetician behind, Thompson claims she just didn't feel completely fulfilled doing that work and needed a change. She moved to Blaine County from Cody in April 2021 after her significant other relocated due to his job; he works for BNSF as a track inspector from Chinook to Havre.

When asked what motivated her to open her own business, Thompson responded: "My two kids-Hailee, age 7 and Ryker, age 5-are the reason I pushed to become a business owner. I wanted to be able to schedule my life around theirs. I have worked previous jobs where I simply was not able to take off work to tend to their needs, so being in complete control is a breath of fresh air."

As she mulled over the idea of starting a business that would enable her to exercise the desired flexibility, she recalled her success with cabin cleaning. What she wasn't prepared for was the overwhelming response she received.

Thompson stated: "To my surprise, my calendar was fully booked within one week of posting online. That's pretty amazing!"

That positive response has also posed a challenge-Thompson didn't expect to be so busy. "My schedule filled up so quickly, although I was only expecting a few cleanings here and there. School had not started yet, and my kids are too young to be left alone, so thank goodness for Grandma! She watched the kids for a few hours every day while I went and took on a couple of jobs."

Grandma is Connie Zanto. Readers will likely recognize that name from a November 2018 article in the Blaine County Journal-News-Opinion after Zanto was appointed as the Director at the Harlem Senior Center. Zanto, who replaced Katie Noel, continues to serve in that position.

With her new business, Thompson names being able to help people and to make a difference in their lives as her biggest reward. "I have so many amazing clients who are incredibly grateful for the services I provide, and that gives me the drive to keep going."

One of Thompson's clients, Tara Townsend shared this testimonial in late August: "Last month, I shamelessly hired a housekeeper-mostly because our lives have gotten a bit out of hand and I was struggling to keep up. In defense of my sanity and managing kids on the road, I bit the bullet and called for backup. Best. Decision. Ever. My house smells amazing. Kitchen and dining room are the cleanest they've been in months, tween boy bathrooms are sparkling, and my stainless looks brand new. Thank you, Rebecca and Montana Maid Simply!"

Through Montana Maid Simply, potential clients have multiple options. For example, they can request a move-in or move-out deep clean. For these services to entice her bookers, Thompson asks: "Aren't you busy enough?" or comments: "Let me ease the stress of your transition." She also takes regularly scheduled cleaning appointments and offers once a month/occasional services to "ensure a perfect clean for any occasion." For a full description of Thompson's services and her rates, interested individuals should visit her website: montanamaidsimply.com.

As she continues to get busy, Thompson sees potential for Montana Maid Simply. "I would absolutely love the opportunity to grow my business. Being only one person, I have very limited appointments available on my schedule. It would be incredible not to turn work away. With that being said, I would like to eventually get to the point where I could invite others to join my team."

Given her experience to date, Thompson offers this wisdom to others: "The best advice I can give anyone who has the dream of owning their own business is to just go for it! Don't doubt yourself. If you have the drive and the passion to do a good job, trust in that, and others will trust in that too.

When her time is not monopolized by cleaning, Thompson enjoys the outdoors. "I am a very outdoorsy person. If you can name anything to go and do outside, I'm usually always down to go," she exclaimed.

Anyone interested in booking an appointment can contact Thompson by phone or text: (307) 578-7460 or through Messenger on her Facebook page. Because of the high volume of bookings, she had to disable the online booking service on her website.

"Nothing beats coming home to a freshly cleaned home," Thompson said. "It's even better if you're not the one having to clean it!"

To complement her cleaning business, Thompson also designs and sells air fresheners. These are made out of aroma beads and scented oil that derive from all natural ingredients to which mica powder is then added to give them their color. They come in shapes such as bears, llamas, state cut-outs, cacti, cows, or crosses to accompany almost any décor.

 
 

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