Gainesville, FL --- Kristen Hadeed, founder of Student Maid is not an average 20 something with lofty goals and entrepreneurial dreams. She founded her own cleaning company while still in college, and has quickly become part of the thriving economic scene in Gainesville, Florida. 

Hadeed is an Arabic-American woman in her mid-twenties who grew up in Flagler Beach, FL. She graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2010 with a degree in finance. Hadeed started her cleaning business while she was a junior in college, and instead of accepting a job in her field upon graduation, she decided to continue building her business.

Student Maid was started in 2009 with the help of a craigslist ad, and a pair of $99 jeans. Hadeed stated, “I wanted a pair of expensive jeans in college, and my parents told me to get a job to pay for it. I put an ad on Craigslist to clean houses for $99 to accommodate my schedule and demanding course load.” The plan worked, and by the time Hadeed was entering her senior year in college, she already had a contract to clean several apartment complexes during the student move in/out time.

Hadeed had a clear business model in mind when she started Student Maid. She wanted to operate in college towns and hire students who needed extra money. To ensure that her employees were trustworthy and reliable, Hadeed requires that her employees have at least a 3.5 GPA. She also developed a culture in her company that is conducive to younger workers and includes perks like a smoothie bar, wireless café, and sometimes a live DJ. The average turnover for an employee in her company is 2.5 years, where the industry standard is only a couple of months. Hadeed has created more than 12 full-time jobs and employs over 400 seasonal/part-time workers throughout the year. The company is currently operating in Gainesville and Pensacola, and is looking to grow in other areas.

Hadeed received a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loan in 2012 through Community Bank and Trust of Florida to develop software called MaidSuite, which is specific to the cleaning industry. The software was designed to help cleaning companies schedule workers at locations.  Hadeed is currently in the process of growing the technology company and expanding the software to help other service based industries.  For more information about SBA guaranteed loans in North Florida, visit the NFDO District Website or contact (904) 443-1900.

In her spare time, Hadeed organized ReThink GNV, a conference designed to bring speakers to the Gainesville area. The conference was attended by over 500 people in the first year. Hadeed is also a speaker, and travels the Country speaking at College campuses. She is also a board member of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Hadeed encourages her employees to help the community they live in by volunteering for local nonprofits. The company also provides free cleaning services for cancer patients.  

For more information about Kristen Hadeed, Student Maid or MaidSuite, visit www.kristenhadeed.com or call (352)672-0038.

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