Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Tangeman.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I founded Clean by Design so that I could support my three children—Conner, Lilly, and Shawn—while creating a schedule and building the values that supported the life I wanted to live. As a business owner and single mother, it’s my mission to help create customized cleaning solutions to assist busy and overwhelmed families. I’ve experienced firsthand the feeling of attempting to manage a busy life and raise a family, all while keeping up with maintaining a home.
To bring a better way of living to the Greater Kalamazoo community, I have built an incredible team of trained professional home cleaners over the last decade. Everything we do at Clean by Design is based on the core values of respect, integrity, empowerment, and community culture.
“The best part of success is sharing it with others!” I am incredibly grateful for my employees and fantastic clientele. Outside of running Clean by Design, I enjoy spending time with my children, camping, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and cooking.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Mastering Systems and Processes
In the beginning, everything rested on my shoulders. I quickly realized that passion alone doesn’t scale a business. My first major obstacle was learning how to step out of the daily whirlwind and build actual structure. I had to transition from just “doing the work” to architecting repeatable systems, streamlining operations, and figuring out how to implement tools and procedures that could keep the business running smoothly without requiring my constant intervention.
The Art of People: Hiring, Retaining, and Training
Transitioning from a solo operator to an employer brought an entirely new set of challenges. Learning how to be an employer—let alone how to hire, train, and retain the right people—was one of the most demanding phases of my journey. It wasn’t just about filling a schedule; it was about finding individuals who aligned with our mission, bringing them up to speed with rigorous professional standards, and creating an environment where they actually wanted to stay and build a career.
Cultivating a Thriving Culture
Beyond basic management, my goal was to foster a workplace where people could truly thrive and grow. That required shifting from top-down management to intentional community building. I had to learn how to cultivate an internal culture rooted in our core values of respect, integrity, empowerment, and community. Creating a space where team members feel valued, supported, and safe to step into their own potential took patience, listening, and continuous refinement.
Growing Through Feedback
Perhaps the most humbling—and vital—obstacle of all has been learning how to grow through feedback. Whether it was navigating missteps with team members, listening to client critiques, or taking a hard look at my own leadership style, feedback became my greatest mirror. Learning not to take it personally, but instead treating it as essential data for evolution, changed everything.
Today, seeing the incredible team of trained professionals we’ve built makes every hurdle worthwhile.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My core specialization lies in operations, structural scaling, and leadership development within the service industry. This includes:
Architecting repeatable systems and operational processes that allow a business to run smoothly.
Building high-performing teams through intentional hiring, rigorous training, and long-term employee retention.
Cultivating an internal workplace culture where people can truly thrive, grow in their careers, and feel empowered.
What I Am Known For & What Sets Me Apart
In our community and among my peers, I am known for blending high-standard professional execution with a deeply human-centric approach to leadership.
What sets Clean by Design apart—and what defines my approach as a leader—is our unwavering commitment to our core values: respect, integrity, empowerment, and community culture. While many cleaning companies focus purely on the transactional task of cleaning, we focus just as heavily on the people doing the work. I believe that a business should be an engine for personal growth. By investing heavily in our team members, creating clear career pathways, and fostering a supportive community, we deliver a level of care and consistency that clients can genuinely feel.
What I Am Most Proud Of
Without a doubt, what I am most proud of is the incredible team of professionals we’ve built over the last decade and the life I’ve been able to create for my three children—Conner, Lilly, and Shawn.
When I started this company, my “why” was clear: I wanted to support my family while creating a schedule and building values that supported the life I actually wanted to live. Navigating the hurdles of entrepreneurship—learning how to be an employer, refining our systems, and growing through every piece of feedback—wasn’t easy.
Seeing how far we’ve come, watching team members step into their potential and build real careers with us, and knowing that we bring genuine peace of mind to busy families each week is the ultimate reward. As I always say: “The best part of success is sharing it with others!”
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Official Website: cleanbydesignkazoo.com — Where clients can learn more about our commercial and residential cleaning solutions across the greater Kalamazoo area.
Social Media: We are active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, where we share company updates, community involvement, and behind-the-scenes looks at our team.
Office Location: 2255 W Centre Ave, Portage, MI (serving the greater Kalamazoo-area, including Portage, Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, and Galesburg).
Pricing:
- Recurring visits start $140 avg $175
- Deep cleans start around $350 avg $550
- Custom estimates with no high pressure
- Priority/ 1 time help Cleans start at $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Cleanbydesignkazoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanbydesignkazoo?stkn=ODNhOW43dDV0eXVr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EnKWy1ixH/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clean-by-design-kazoo-84b1312b9/
