Dorena’s Housekeeping has been taking care of island houses for 20-plus years. She began humbly with a used vacuum from the thrift store that had a clogged hose. From that original old vacuum, Dorena West-Mooney has moved on to offering a full slate of services.

“The services I offer are primarily housecleaning at private residences. All aspects of housecleaning with the exception of very high windows,” West-Mooney said. From deep cleaning for families or clients moving to cleaning the dust and cobwebs for new homeowners – anything that has to do with making a house a home. “My range is from messy with pets, or just messy, to museum-like homes.” West-Mooney also caretakes and does yard and landscape maintenance. While she doesn’t haul mowers, she said she loves weed-whacking, trimming bushes and leaf-blowing with hefty powerful machines. That being said, be aware she is “maxed out with yard maintenance.” She does have room for a few new housekeeping clients.

When asked what kind of challenges she faces as a woman business owner, West-Monney responded, “Unethical competition such as unlicensed and uninsured persons is a hurdle. An issue for me is having the courage to assert myself and be competitive in our free market. Getting over being intimidated by other people has been a lifelong personality issue that my business has forced me to overcome.”

Being a mother has also thrown in both benefits and challenges. “As I woman it has been a challenge to be a mother and work around the school schedule, [or in] the summer when there is no school schedule.” Simultaneously, professional housekeeping has provided the time frame of motherhood, she continued.

“Being a caregiver for my elderly mom and working full-time outside the home was stressful. At first, I had trips to the other side of Washington to help my aging parents. Eventually, I moved my mother and myself into a rental large enough and safe enough to fit her needs,” West-Mooney said.

One thing West-Mooney strongly advises for all business owners is finding an accountant that they can trust. “Having a great accountant is one of the smartest things a businesswoman can do,” West-Mooney recommended.

There have been far more successes running her business. “One of the things that I love is that my clients trust me and appreciate what I do,” West-Mooney said. “I have worked in some of the most beautiful world-class locations and homes in the world. My business has allowed me to be self-sufficient and more prosperous than I might have imagined,” she noted, and has received glowing compliments from clients, with many voluntarily raising her wage. She clearly adores her clients as well, saying “I have met some fantastic, kind, earthy, classy, and lovely clients. I enjoy cleaning and helping people have clean, safe, and enjoyable homes. When I was very young I used to help my mom clean. Cleaning for my mom made everyone happy. It is the same with me today; I like to make people happy with an inviting clean home”