Triple J’s Janitorial Service, LLC, is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team, Jeffrey Bernard Harris and Vicki Moore-Harris, started in 2015. They spent a few years playing with the idea of starting a business but kept delaying. Then they had twins, and that’s when they decided they really needed to do something to earn more income.

Once they had business cards printed, they attended their first networking event for business owners at the Gateway building in 2015. At that event, they networked and passed out their cards. It turns out they were in the right place at the right time. They were able to secure their very first contract with the Peoria Park District cleaning outside bathrooms on the riverfront. This contract was secured within the first month after starting their business. That relationship led to other Park District contracts.

Vicki Moore-Harris and Jeffrey Bernard Harris of Triple J’s Janitorial
Service

While they both still have full-time jobs, per Vicki, “We are ultimately planning for one of us to retire early. That’s the dream. It’s not easy trying to get your business to expand. To get the business to grow beyond that first customer involved marketing, getting your name out there, letting people know what you do by signing up with the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, and word of mouth. We created a Facebook page and posted pictures. We are connected to the Junior Football League, where Jeffrey is a coach. A lot of those people are connected to us on Facebook. A lot of people contacted us that way. Word of mouth has worked best for us.”

The biggest challenge for a janitorial service trying to get new customers has been marketing—connecting services with businesses that need those services. Vicki stated, “Since we are not that big, it’s still hard to get our name out there. Earlier this year, Shaunterious Mosley of Shaun V Photography, my cousin on my father’s side, met Doris Symonds at an event. Shaun gave Doris my name. Doris told me about her Women in Business Directory and invited me to her Togetherness event. I met a lot of people who have businesses I’d never met before. Going to that event made me step outside my comfort zone. I don’t really talk to people I don’t know. I felt God opened up that door, and I just went in it.”

Advice from Vicki about successfully starting, maintaining, or growing a business is “to never give up on yourself no matter what others say. Keep pushing. Try your hardest. Seek God. Follow your dreams. If you feel like you’re stuck, wait on God. He will grow you. What’s for you is for you.”

If you would like more information about Triple J’s Janitorial Services, visit their website at www.peoriajanitorialservice.com or call (309) 316-3742.