Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Tomasino McGough.
Hi Ana , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Prime Cleaner is a family business, but it didn’t start that way.
My son Jayger founded the company in late 2021. He had been working in the corporate world at Salesforce and IBM, but he saw an opportunity in residential cleaning – an industry that was fragmented, inconsistent, and ripe for someone who could bring real systems and standards to it. He started The Prime Cleaner from scratch, handling everything himself in the beginning: booking clients, managing schedules, building the team, even cleaning homes when needed.
For two years, Jayger ran the business on his own. He built the foundation – the brand, the systems, the reputation. He figured out what Miami homeowners really wanted: consistency, reliability, and a team they could trust. He created Gerald the Duck as our mascot, which gave the company a personality that clients loved. He grew the business steadily, one client at a time, one five-star review at a time.
Then I came on board as co-owner, and that’s when things really started to scale.
I brought decades of experience in the international relations, consulting and real estate industry. I had worked for other companies and managed teams. I knew how to train people, how to maintain quality, and how to handle the countless small details that make the difference between a good cleaning company and a great one.
Jayger had built the business infrastructure. I brought the operational expertise. Together, we were able to grow faster than either of us could have alone.
Today, The Prime Cleaner has completed over 9,000 cleanings across Miami. We have more than 500 five-star reviews. We serve homeowners in Coral Gables, Brickell, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, and neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade County. We’ve built a team of background-checked, trained professionals who share our commitment to quality.
What I love about our story is that it shows what family can accomplish when we combine different strengths. Jayger had the vision and the business mind. I had the industry knowledge and the hands-on experience. Neither of us could have built this alone, but together we’ve created something we’re both incredibly proud of.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely has not been smooth. Anyone who tells you building a business is easy isn’t being honest.
When Jayger started The Prime Cleaner in 2021, he was doing everything himself. He was building the business while working a full time job. Those first few years were really tough. He was learning an industry he didn’t come from, building a client base from zero, and figuring out how to deliver consistent quality while also handling the business side. There were days when he questioned whether he’d made the right decision.
Finding reliable help was one of the biggest early challenges. The cleaning industry has high turnover. People take the job thinking it’s easy, then realize how physically demanding it is and quit. Or they don’t show up. Or they cut corners. Building a team that truly cares about quality takes time, and there were plenty of frustrating moments along the way.
Scaling the business brought new challenges. You can’t just add more people and expect the quality to stay the same. We had to build systems—training programs, checklists, quality control processes—to make sure every cleaning met our standards regardless of who was doing it.
We also struggled with pricing in the beginning. Miami has a lot of cheap cleaning services that pay their workers poorly and cut corners. We refused to compete on price alone because we knew that meant compromising on quality. It took time to find clients who valued what we offered and were willing to pay fairly for it.
When I joined as co-owner, we had to figure out how to work together as family. We had to learn how to divide responsibilities, how to make decisions together, and how to disagree without it affecting our relationship. Running a business with family isn’t always easy, but we’ve made it work very well.
The struggles have made us stronger and so have the successes. Every obstacle taught us something. Now when we face a challenge, we know we’ve faced harder ones before and come out the other side.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
A. What We Do
The Prime Cleaner provides professional residential cleaning services throughout Miami. We offer deep cleaning, standard housekeeping, move-in and move-out cleaning, post-construction cleaning, window cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and event cleaning. Basically, if your home needs cleaning, we can handle it.
B. What We Specialize In
We specialize in premium residential cleaning for Miami homeowners who want consistent, reliable service from people they can trust. Many of our clients live in Coral Gables, Brickell, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, and Key Biscayne. They have busy lives, beautiful homes, and high standards—and they don’t want to worry about whether their cleaning service will show up or do a good job.
We’re also known for our work with event cleanings, post construction cleanings and post fumigation.
C. What We’re Known For
Consistency. That’s the word I hear most from our clients. “You’re so consistent.” In an industry where flakiness is common, we show up on time, every time, with the same trusted team. Our clients don’t have to wonder who’s coming to their home or whether the quality will vary. They know what to expect.
We’re also known for our responsiveness. We answer the phone. We reply to messages quickly. If there’s ever an issue, we fix it immediately—no excuses.
And of course, Gerald the Duck. Our mascot has become a bit famous in Miami. Clients love him. He represents our personality: professional and hardworking, but also friendly and approachable. That was one of Jayger’s best ideas when he started the company.
D. What I’m Most Proud Of
I’m most proud of how Jayger and I are able to work together and grow a business. I’m also proud of Jayger. He took a risk, left corporate America, and created something real. When I came on board, there was already a foundation. My job was to help take it further – build a brand people recognized, systems that worked, clients who trusted us.
I’m also proud of the relationships we’ve built together. We have clients who have been with us for years. They’ve referred their friends, their parents, their colleagues. That trust means everything to me.
And I’m proud that we’ve created good jobs for our team. The cleaning industry often treats workers poorly—low pay, no benefits, no respect. We pay fairly, we train thoroughly, and we treat our team members like the professionals they are.
E. What Sets Us Apart
Three things:
1. First, we’re a mother-and-son team, and that matters. When you hire The Prime Cleaner, you’re not hiring just any corporation. You’re hiring a family that built this company together and stakes our reputation on every single cleaning.
2. Second, we strive to send the same team to your home every time. You’ll get to know your cleaners, and they’ll get to know your home. No strangers, no surprises.
3. Third, we combine Jayger’s business mind with my operational experience. We have real systems and real standards, but we also understand the work at a ground level. That combination is rare in this industry.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
A. What I Like Best About Miami
Miami is a city that rewards hard work and big dreams. My son saw an opportunity here and built a business from nothing. This city let him do that. Not every place has that kind of entrepreneurial energy.
I love the diversity. Miami is a city where people from all over the world come together. You hear Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, and a dozen other languages just walking down the street. Our clients come from everywhere—Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Europe, all over the United States. That diversity makes Miami special, and it makes our work interesting. Every home has a different story.
I also love that Miami is always growing, always changing. There’s an energy here that keeps you motivated. New neighborhoods developing, new people arriving, new opportunities appearing. It’s exciting to be part of a city that’s constantly evolving.
And of course, the weather. I still appreciate that we get to work in a beautiful place where the sun shines almost every day. Our clients’ homes have ocean views and palm trees in the yard. There are worse places to build a business.
B. What I Like Least About Miami
The traffic. There’s no way around it—Miami traffic is terrible. We spend a lot of time driving between clients’ homes, and some days it feels like half our lives are spent in the car. It’s gotten worse over the years as the city has grown.
I also wish Miami was more affordable for working people. This city has become very expensive. Housing costs have gone through the roof. It’s harder for people to afford to live in the neighborhoods where they work. Many of our team members have long commutes because they can’t afford to live closer. That doesn’t feel right.
But overall, Miami is home. It’s where we built this business. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Pricing:
- Deep Cleaning starts at $210 — Our most popular service for first-time clients, perfect for a thorough top-to-bottom cleaning of your Miami home
- Standard Housekeeping starts at $150 — Recurring maintenance cleaning to keep your home consistently clean, available weekly, biweekly, or monthly
- Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning starts at $250 — Detailed cleaning for Miami renters, homeowners, and property managers preparing a home for new occupants
- Post Construction Cleanings start at $420 — We clean up the dust, debris, and mess left behind after construction. Our trained team uses proper equipment and follows a detailed checklist to ensure your space is safe, spotless, and move-in ready.
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee — If you’re not completely happy with any cleaning, we’ll make it right at no additional charge
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theprimecleaner.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/theprimecleaner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprimecleaner
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-prime-cleaner
- Twitter: https://x.com/ThePrimeCleaner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePrimeCleaner
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thePrimeCleaners
Image Credits
www.theprimecleaner.com
