Kristen Hadeed, owner of Student Maid, Florida’s largest independently owned cleaning company, spoke to Kent State students about work ethic and its value Monday night.

One of the topics Hadeed talked about was success perseverance. Hadeed started Student Maid when she was only 21 years old and still in college. She was doubted from the beginning.

When trying to start Student Maid the summer before her senior year, Hadeed was turned down 26 times for a business loan by a bank. On her 27th attempt, she was approved for a loan, and by the end of the summer, Student Maid had made enough money to pay the loan back.

Kathryn Crooks, a freshman political science major, said she was motivated by Hadeed’s story.

“Her story just shows that anyone who tries hard enough can be successful,” Crooks said.

Hadeed also spoke to students about having values to go by in everyday life.

When Hadeed first started Student Maid, she hired a lot of her friends. When they started slacking off and taking advantage of her, she knew she had to make a change.

“I came up with a list of 10 values and committed to them,” Hadeed said. “We started only hiring people who committed to our values.”

Once Hadeed committed to a value system, things at Student Maid started to change. They grew from only having 75 employees, to having 250 employees within eight months. 

Student Maid started as a one-time gig. Hadeed posted a Craig’s List ad offering to clean a stranger’s house for a little extra cash, and it quickly turned into a full time business after she signed a business contract to clean apartment complexes on the University of Florida’s campus.

Today, Student Maid has more than 500 employees during peak seasons.

Contact Maggie Wachtel at [email protected].