Harris Dream Clean: From Rock Bottom to Entrepreneurial Success Through Faith and Family
They say necessity is the mother of invention. For one young entrepreneur in Wichita, becoming a new father after losing his job with only unemployment income spurred him to act.
Jordan Harris started a cleaning company in 2015 when he saved some money from his unemployment checks to buy a $45 vacuum from WalMart. After going door to door asking to clean buildings, a property owner in Andover said yes. “I actually knocked on doors and said that I needed to clean their building,” said Harris. “I put a lot of effort into the cleaning to impress my clients,” Harris continued.
Word about his quality work got around, and other commercial cleaning contracts started coming in. After years of hard work and investing in the business, Harris Dream Clean has grown its annual revenues past the $1 million mark.
Harris earned a degree in business administration from Wichita State University (WSU) in 2010 and worked as a manager overseeing a maintenance crew at a large aerospace company in Wichita until 2015. Harris credits his mother June for encouraging him to start his own business. Although entrepreneurship had never been in the family’s history, when he brought up the idea to her she encouraged him to dream. Jordan incorporated his mother’s advice into the company name, Harris Dream Clean.
Harris and his brother Lance grew up playing sports and their father was a basketball coach. Harris credits the competitive, never-quit mindset he gained from playing sports for the focus and determination needed to succeed in business.
Jordan Harris’ brother Lance also studied at WSU and played basketball there from 2006 to 2008. After graduating, Lance was a program manager that oversaw a cleaning crew at another aerospace company in Wichita. In 2017, when Harris Dream Clean reached $300,000 in revenues, Jordan knew he needed help to manage existing clients and grow the business further. Jordan asked his brother Lance to leave his job to become the operations manager and co-owner of Harris Dream Clean. With their combined experience, both brothers had the knowledge to manage commercial cleaning, HVAC filter maintenance, aerial cleaning, and floor care. Partnering with Lance allowed Jordan to focus on the marketing and bringing in new contracts.
According to Harris, the best source of new jobs has been their existing customers. “Our work performance gave our existing clients reason to give us more jobs and refer us to other commercial property owners,” said Harris.
Other members of the Harris family have created their own small businesses too. Jordan’s wife Marissa, his sister Lindsay, his sister-in-law Alexandria, and his mother-in-law, Jennifer Quillin have gone into business together in different ventures — Angel Wings Learning Center a daycare business, Something Special Investments a commercial real estate investment firm, and Love Thy Neighbor a residential real estate company.
When the revenues at Harris Dream Clean began to accumulate in savings, Harris wanted to invest it for further gains. After studying real estate investing on YouTube, Jordan asked his sister Lindsay if she would be willing to obtain a real estate license. She did and now Lindsay, Jordan and Lance run Something Special Investments. They recently won an auction bid for a 4-acre church campus on East Harry Street in Wichita that will be used to expand Angel Wings Learning Center that is run by Marissa Harris, Jordan's wife, her mom, Jennifer Quillin, Lance's wife, Alexandria Harris, and Jordan.
In 2020, Harris learned about the potential to grow Harris Dream Clean through government contracting. “I heard about the positive outcomes for businesses that diversify their portfolio through federal contracts, and how SBA’s 8(a) federal contracting program works,” said Harris. “I contacted Mr. Wayne Bell and Ms. Teri Taylor, the Business Opportunity Specialist at the SBA’s Wichita District Office and started the 8(a)-program application process,” Harris continued.
In early summer of 2021, Harris Dream Clean became a certified SBA 8(a) contractor. “I’m brand new to the 9-year 8(a) program, and I’ve already found some local federal contract opportunities,” said Harris. “It’s only the beginning.”
The long-term goal is to exponentially grow the business to further benefit the hard work of his team. Harris emphasized that his employees don’t work for him, they work with him. “Owning a business should not be all about you. It’s about creating opportunities for others – especially those that have been with you for a while,” said Harris. Jordan puts his faith in God and his family. "If you have faith, things will happen for you," Jordan said. "When situations get tough, I know my faith will lead to ultimate success both personally and in business,” Jordan concluded.