Berks County native Branden Moyer always knew he was destined to do something innovative with his life.
A Governor Mifflin graduate (where he concurrently obtained his Drafting and Design degree from Berks Technical Institute), Moyer dreamed of one day designing theme parks for Walt Disney World…so he was thrilled to participate in the prestigious Disney College Program following his high school graduation in 2008. However, once students are accepted into the program, they don’t necessarily have the choice of what type of work to which they will be assigned.
“In order to work [for Walt Disney World], you have to get your foot in the door…they put me in a custodial position,” said Moyer, laughing. “My first thought was great…I’m going to be a janitor.” He added that he quickly saw the benefits of his new position, however, as he was able to have experiences that most people won’t have in their lifetime. “Because of working for Walt Disney World, I met Celine Dion, then-President Obama, Brendan Fraser and his family…it was really, really neat,” he said.
It was during his five year tenure working for WDW that Moyer first encountered an interest in the idea of, one day, owning his own small business. “I never considered myself as someone who wanted to have my own business, but one day, an invoice for carpet cleaning came across my desk at the one hotel I worked for. The invoice was for an astronomical amount, and [I noticed] it was billed to a small business. I thought to myself, I’m not even making this in a year!” The spark of interest in the entrepreneurial industry faded, however, as Moyer followed his tenure at WDW with positions as the Housekeeping Manager at the Nickelodeon Resort Suites, and later the Melia Hotel, both in Orlando.
While Moyer had enjoyed working in Florida, in December of 2013 it became clear to him that a return to family and friends in Berks County was imminent. “I was working crazy hours for very little pay–I was frustrated, and tired of just financially surviving there,” he shared. “I had $1000 in my bank account [when I came back home]. I realized I’d been in the cleaning industry for six years, and wanted to try to run a company of my own.” Moyer used his savings to travel home, purchase quality cleaning supplies and a license for his startup business, and in 2014, HomeCare Solution was born, a company that specializes in highly professional commercial and residential cleaning services.
Now, in 2023, Moyer is completely rebranding his company, after realizing that many people mistook the name “HomeCare Solution” as describing a place for finding in-home care providers, rather than a professional cleaning service. “HomeCare Solution added to the continued market noise of over 50 cleaning companies,” shared Moyer. “We were stagnant, un-attractive and struggling.”
The company’s new name–Maid to Bee Clean, a witty play on words–ties into multiple other entrepreneurial endeavors that Moyer owns and operates, all of which focus on culture building based on one of the heartiest, mightiest, yet smallest creatures on earth: the honeybee. “I started beekeeping during the pandemic, when my business was shut down, and Uncle B’s Bees was born,” he shared.
“I invested my Covid unemployment funds into buying beehives–now we have over 15 hives on top of the DoubleTree Hotel in Reading, and 4 hives for the Downtown Reading Alvernia campus. These hives are responsible for pollinating over 15 billion flowers over a 6 mile radius in Berks County–we do weekend tours of the hives, sell honey at the Shillington Farmers Market, and the DoubleTree uses our honey for their events!”
Moyer also channeled his passion for bees and how they help the environment into another business venture: that of children’s book author. “I love storytelling, and I recently published my first children’s book: The Adventure of Uncle B and Ruby Catching a Swarm,” he said, noting that he has four more books in the series that are coming out later this year. “I see [this book series] as the Magic School Bus of our time; it’s been formatted for kids to learn about beekeeping. Everything around bees has given me purpose; Uncle B is my alter ego!”
Additionally, Moyer will be launching an activewear apparel and accessory company later this year: Bee Line Apparel. “The concept [of this branch of the business] is that the bee goes through a lot: climate change, pesticides, etc…but the bee shows up to get work done every time; it never stops. I use this as an analogy for showing up no matter what life throws at you–that is what the apparel will reflect.” In a poignant nod to his alma mater, Moyer plans for Bee Line apparel to work closely with Governor Mifflin high school students, who will assist with every aspect of the business.
So…how does all of this tie back into Maid to Bee Clean, whose tagline is “Your hive, Our purpose”? According to Moyer, every branch of his company is modeled after a hive–everyone has their part to play uncomplainingly to serve others well. “What sets this business apart is our ability to create a culture of belonging within our team,” said Moyer. “I say that we are not just in the cleaning business–we are in the people business. The more we understand how people work, the more we build better teams, get better clients, and build better relationships. Becoming a good cleaner is just a side effect…what’s not trainable is attitude, your nature, and your trustworthiness. These are the core values of the company: good attitude, positive nature, and trustworthiness (ANT for short). These are simple concepts, but highly important and highly effective.”
He shared that this culture of caring and connecting with others extends not just to clients (who receive complimentary honey treats following the completion of all cleaning services, as well as a gratis delivery of delicious, nourishing honey for all clients who cancel an appointment due to illness), but to employees and the greater community as well through everything from professional assistance with finances, to donations and sponsorships.
“I always say we are a personal development company…we just also happen to clean houses,” he chuckled. He also credited several fellow entrepreneurs for helping him grow and shape the vision of his company: Brad Stephenson, co owner of New Castle Lawn and Landscape, Dennis Mclntee, of Leadership development group, Craig Pool and Dan Hoch of the Reading DoubleTree Hotel, and Lindsay Breidenstein, the office manager (and soon to be Director of Operations) for Maid to Bee clean.
In the future, Moyer hopes to continue his vision for building a better future by nationally franchising Maid to Bee Clean. “[We want to help] other cleaning companies across America who may have lost the purpose behind their businesses…we want to help them build a better ‘why’ for their business.” Ultimately, his dream is the same as what it was 15 years ago when he dreamed of creating something for others–this time, however, instead of designing a theme park attraction, he is creating a sustainable, revolutionary way of life for clients with the indefatigable bee as his guide…for, as Mr. Moyer aptly shared, “A hive is only as good as its bees.”
Moyer is holding the grand opening for Maid to Bee Clean on July 15, 2023 from 12pm to 4pm at 3126 Oley Turnpike Road, Reading, PA 19606. The event is free and open to the public, featuring an auction benefiting Blessed Beginnings, a nonprofit and bee conservation, along with Mr. Softee, face painting by SFX, DJ H Vidal, all from noon to 2pm.