Meet Danielle Barton: Business owner, Entrepreneur, Community Outreach Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Barton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
In the very early days of owning my business, I can recall someone saying there is no such thing as work life balance. Instead you have to treat it as a work life flow. I took that deep to heart. As business owners, we wear all of the hats in our companies. often times we wear many if not all at once. SO, the expectation to have a balance seems pretty unrealistic. There are going to be times when success, home or business, require more of your attention and you really have to be available to those needs. I suppose my feelings stem from reoccurring and rapidly life altering circumstances. My spouse and I have had the indescribable honor of adopting. We learned of our daughters existence four days before we brought her home. 15 short months later, we added her brother, again with just a few days notice. Believe it or not, 17 moths later and with a weeks notice, we were blessed with our third child. Somewhere around my middle kid I decided the sane thing to do would be to leave all of my steady financial security behind and start a business. To say I needed grace when it came to the “balance” between my work and home life. I have always been a very hard worker, throwing myself into whatever company I worked for and competitively trying to climb whatever ladder existed within. It all changes when it belongs to you though. Everything falls squarely on your shoulders with no real quitting time. The struggle between being a fearless entrepreneur and a present wife and mother can be a breeding ground for guilt or shame. Pressures to be everywhere all of the time and keep a running tally of the amount of time spent can take a toll. So, when I was given the view point of flow opposed to balance, I was given a freedom to be where I needed to be, when I needed to be. Or at least as much as a possibly could. If I am being completely honest, surviving a global pandemic with my business intact and all my bills paid is a great way to re-evaluate balance and time in your life. Being forced to shut down for several months and be holed up with my amazing, wonderful and slightly crazy family really makes you appreciate not only them, but your time away as well. I really got to see how much of my personal value and fulfillment came from running a business. Being a small business owner is like being a part of this elite circle of other strong and brave people who are paving their own way in life. The entrepreneurial spirit isn’t folklore. It’s a personality trait. Over the last year, I have embodied the pride of that spirit more than ever before, knowing it makes me the wife, mother, woman and person I am. I simply choose to love my life exactly where it’s at.

What should our readers know about your business?
For the last few years, I have built my cleaning business from the ground up. Clean Break Cleaning Services is a different take on your average house cleaning. My goal with the business was to provide affordable cleaning services so that the average family ca make room in their budget to give the cleaning to us and time back to what is important to them. We pride ourselves on being an extension of your routine. We want to know all of our clients and be able to show our genuine desire for giving back to them. I truly believe my business got to where it is for two reasons. One, my clients. I have no idea what business gods are responsible for the people I get the privilege serve, but they believe in me and appreciate the value my business brings to their life. Two, It’s me. I built a business on the value of gratitude. I am grateful for every person I get to come into contact with. Grateful they open their homes to me and give me the pleasure to make their lives easier. It’s remarkable to have the ability to own a business that gains simply because the core of it is to give back. My biggest lesson is always to seek to give more than you receive. I believed it to be true, but I learned it once I really seen it unfold. You gain so much more when you give. I also learned to surround yourself with people who believe in you and your vision. They are your support, your sounding board and your mirror. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Outside of my beautiful wife, Alexxis, I owe the largest portion to my business and personal success to Jessica Daniels and The Success Collective Colorado Springs. Jessica Daniels is the founder of the woman’s group of badass business owners. Jessica and all of my second family sisters in the group have been with me from the concept stages of my company. Jessica herself is by far one of the most amazing human beings on the planet. She lives to give as much support as humanly possible to anyone who needs it. She advocates for her clients, her friends, and her community. She leads projects that make our neighborhoods happier and stronger. I am in awe of her and could never express how grateful I am that she is the friend I have blazing the trail for me!

Website: www.cleanbreakcos.com
Facebook: cleanbreakcos
Other: www.daniellebartonstory.com

Image Credits
The Success Collective Mariana Ziegler Photography Kristen Agrimson Jessica Daniels