After 5 years, company now part of Kokomo's business world

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - Dominique Demond Williams took a route not many 18-year-olds take when they're fresh out of high school - he started his own business.

Now, as of December, C & C Cleaning Service has been around for five years as it's solidified into the Kokomo business world.

What's now a company that offers full residential and commercial cleaning started as one that focused on people that needed help.

Before starting the business, Williams said he remembers a time when his grandmother was sick, and he saw the family rally together to do day-to-day work that she couldn't anymore.

"So we really saw the need for a service that helps not just the elderly, but even young people now," he said.

That was the main driving force behind the business back then - help people who need it. That's still a value he holds, and over the next five years, Williams would go on to see his client base grow to the hundreds, including businesses.

He's always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Back in high school when he was a student at Taylor, he remembers selling candy to other students. That spirit never dimmed after he graduated, driving him to start C & C, which is named after his great-grandmothers, both of whom were in this line of work.

At the time, he was working two part-time jobs, which kept him busy, and made it difficult to juggle his responsibilities. It was in those early years in the business world that Williams admits he's made mistakes.

"When we first started - like within a year and-a-half - we got an office. That was a mistake. We should not have gotten an office that early," he said.

However, those mistakes proved to be learning experiences. For instance, he said when he first started, he and the family members helping him bit off more than they could chew in terms of the services they offered. That helped him learn the lesson that his company wasn't necessarily great at everything right off the bat.

"What we try to do is focus on general cleaning. We want to be able to clean bathrooms top-notch. We want to be able to clean your facility, your home; we want to make those things sparkle. But when it comes to carpet cleaning and stripping and waxing, what we've done is we've partnered with some of the best companies in our local area to be able to offer those services to our customers," said Williams.

Now, at 23 years old, Williams said he wants to make C & C Cleaning Service the premier cleaning service within a 50-mile radius of Kokomo. Already, he has customers ranging from Noblesville to Logansport - about a half hour drive from Kokomo in any direction, he explained.

They've grown to include numerous commercial vehicles and around 15 employees, and still has help from his family. His mother, Sheila, is the company's manager of operations.

Williams has also branched out into property preservation managing foreclosed homes, and he's a licensed insurance agent in 13 states. He also created a series of videos called "Wake Up Monday" that he creates with a friend, where they make motivational videos for young people seeking success.

"One thing that I've learned is that . most people start too late, and lots of people quit too soon," he said. "What I've learned over the past five years is that it's just a whole patience game. It's not going to be two years and your successful; it's not going to be five years and you're successful."

Williams views his young age as an advantage. He said he has plenty of time to make mistakes, and try again, and in the business world, he hasn't experienced anybody looking down on him for his age.

"I think it's because I try to let the results speak for themselves."

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Source: Kokomo Tribune, http://bit.ly/2k066lX

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com