Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Helms and Lisa Solomon.
Jennifer and Lisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We are two moms trying to navigate motherhood, marriage, work and everyday life. Before founding Cleerlife, Lisa spent 30 years as a professional dancer and owner of two successful ballroom dance studios. Jennifer worked for nearly 20 years as an attorney. Having our first-born children sparked new passions in both of us for health and wellness and redirected us to an entirely new business!
Jennifer: My first child was born in 2003 and I was overwhelmed with how difficult it was to take care of him. From birth, he struggled with chronic health issues and developmental challenges. When traditional medicine failed to heal him, I began to research alternative medicine options and how to recover him from the inside. We made dietary changes and swapped out the toxic everyday products in our home for safe swaps. These changes improved his health dramatically. Detoxing our products helped us all get healthier! The more I learned, the more I wanted to help and educate others who were in similar situations.
Lisa: Like me, my daughter is very active and energetic. As a toddler, she was always tumbling and rolling around on the floors. I think I became a touch neurotic about all the toxic gunk she was lying on! This and the fact that I had lost a few family members to cancer ignited my passion to learn about the importance of using pure, safe products. I began by purchasing a kit of Young Living Essential Oils and experimented at home with recipes for safe self-care and household products. My success with these products prompted me to detox my home of virtually all synthetic chemical products and share what I’d learned with friends and family.
In 2016, we met each other at a beginner’s tennis clinic and learned about each other’s journey into safe products and natural health and wellness. At that time, we were both considering making career changes. After several conversations, and what seemed like an endless sea of post-it note ideas, we decided to combine our skill sets, our life experiences, and our love of teaching and learning to build a business that would change people’s lives, one safe swap at a time! We would teach people how to easily and quickly detox their own homes. We would give them one-stop shopping by giving them access to the safest, highest-performing products and brands on the market.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a remarkably smooth road so far. Between us, we have 50 years of professional experience and we have learned a lot along the way. Our values, principles and work ethic are completely aligned. We have the utmost respect for each other and the skills and talents each of us brings to the table. We can’t believe how lucky we are to do something we love – and to get to do it together! We never lose sight of Cleerlife’s mission: to get clean products that are free from harmful chemicals into peoples’ everyday lives – without hassle or judgment. Our clients (both businesses and individuals) have been so supportive and enthusiastic. Their support validates our belief that we are only at the beginning of a major societal shift toward more eco-friendly, safe products and lives. If only we could get our tween daughters to teach us how to get our message out on social media – it would be smooth sailing from there!!
Please tell us about your business.
Cleerlife is a one-stop-shop for all things clean, green and nontoxic. People want safer products! They want to know how to get them and what to do with them. We do the research, vet the products, and curate the best green product brands on the market. The service side of our business helps clients detox their living/business environments by working with them on where to start and how to make easy safe changes. Additionally, we have our own line of non-toxic products that we handcraft in-house in small batches.
Our consulting services include everything from a CleerBasics package (our 12 must-have clean products for 2019) to CleerBaby (stock your nursery with safe products for baby) to CleerHousehold (detox your cleaning closet). We also offer green cleaning training for homeowners, housekeepers and janitorial staff (in English and Spanish). We have worked with several local private schools to switch to green cleaning products and with local businesses to do the same. We also organize events. One of our most popular is our “Be Your Beautiful” teen makeup party. (We sure put our green cleaning products to the test after those events!)
We are most proud of our commitment to customer service. We have a deep respect for all our clients and the changes they want to make. We are not perfect (we both still color our hair, for one thing) and we provide a no-judgment zone. We know change is hard and we are there to walk our clients through this process at their pace. Whether they want to make a simple swap of their laundry detergent or to detox an entire school, we enjoy building relationships with them, understanding their lifestyles and providing them with products they need and love. We are honored to be trusted to help people make these life changes.
What sets us apart is that we are one-of-a-kind and every service is customizable! Right now, it takes a lot of research to make a smart, safe purchase. When we were making these safe changes in our own homes, there was no one to coach us through the process. We needed advice and wanted safe product recommendations. We wanted guidance and a place to shop that we could trust. Cleerlife is all of that. We guide our clients through this process. They DO NOT need to spend hours researching ingredients on labels. They DO NOT need to buy products only to find they don’t work or have hidden ingredients. We do the work so they don’t have to. And best of all, people are living healthier, happier lives as a result!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We are so grateful to our families for being our biggest supporters and cheerleaders. Our husbands and young children are the ultimate brand ambassadors – they proudly share our story and business concept with their friends, colleagues and elementary school teachers and classmates! They never (okay, rarely) complain when our houses are taken over by customers and pop-up shops. They patiently allow us to convert our kitchens and garages into science labs and workspaces. They regularly sample and try our products and never hesitate to give us their honest feedback – that’s for sure. Without their support, we would never be able to pursue this dream!
Pricing:
- Cleerlife’s Signature Line of Products $12 – $35
- Consulting Services $125/hour
- CleerHousehold $250 + product costs
Contact Info:
- Address: 5850 Norway Road
Dallas Texas 75230
Hours: 9-2 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Or by appointment - Website: www.cleerlife.com
- Phone: 214.850.9448
- Email: info@cleerlife.com
- Instagram: @cleerlife
- Facebook: facebook.com/cleerlife.com
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