For many seniors, graduation is approaching and figuring out the next step is a stressful scramble. For Tera Davidson and Jordan Doctor, graduating from Covenant meant starting a successful business as passionate entrepreneurs.
Davidson and Doctor began cleaning houses in Nov. 2013 and were competitors for the 2014 Seed Project grant at Covenant. They officially started Mountaintop Maids, the second business based in Chattanooga started by female Covenant alumni, in the summer of 2014.They now serve over 35 regular clients, 95 percent of which live on the mountain. They have employed four maids since starting their business, three of whom are Covenant alumni.
According to their website, Mountaintop Maids “aim to improve the lives of [their] clients by providing the best cleaning and household services with a focus on integrity, reliability and customer satisfaction.” Mountaintop Maids out-does all individual maids who work for themselves because it is a legal entity; it is beneficial for customer’s tax reports and all maids are professionals. They wear uniforms and are professionally trained. Being a legal entity is also beneficial for customers’ tax reports. Mountaintop Maids lives by Colossians 3:17: “and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”
Mountaintop Maids continues to grow beyond current staff capacity. “We are struggling to meet the demand with workers,” Davidson said. Davidson and Doctor had great experiences at Covenant and hope to have more Covenant alumni and students on staff. “We want to find a way to give back to Covenant,” Davidson said.
Mountaintop Maids operates Monday through Friday and has two main shifts per day: one in the morning from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon and one in the afternoon from 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. However, hours for Covenant students would be flexible. Davidson and Doctor are open to employing students interested in working as little as 3-6 hours per week. Starting pay is $10.00 per hour and goes up depending on experience.
“Mountaintop Maids is an ideal place for Covenant students to work,” Davidson said. All the maids get close to each other and to their clients. “I feel like we are just a bunch of friends having fun together.”
The future looks bright for Mountaintop Maids. Davidson and Doctor hope to have 100 clients on Lookout Mountain and would then like to expand to the greater Chattanooga area with the help of Covenant students and alumni.