Meet Everyday Hero, Leader and Mentor: Christina Bowman

Merry Maids franchise owner. National Franchise Committee Chair. Winner of the prestigious Dallen W. Peterson Founders Award. Deliverer of outstanding year over year growth. It seems there are no bounds to what Christina Bowman can do. As the owner of two Merry Maids franchises in Tennessee, Christina has built a true legacy of excellence, one she’s now passing on to her son John Jr. and his burgeoning Merry Maids operation.

This International Women’s Day, we hear from Christina on what’s driven her success as a leader, mentor and ServiceMaster #EverydayHero.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever gotten?

“The first was ‘you are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with.’ And the second was to ‘work on your business, not in your business.’ It took years to do this, but now I’m able to coach and empower my staff to help us grow. Delegating was tough at first, but now our people are thriving and passionate about the business, too.”

What do you wish more people understood about being a woman in business?

“I wish women weren’t perceived to be lacking in confidence or striving for less success in business and life. Being a woman, a mother or a wife does not make us weaker. In my opinion, it makes us stronger and more capable of handling any situation we will encounter when running a business.”

What accomplishment makes you especially proud?

“There are so many! Twenty-two years ago I was cleaning houses for Merry Maids and hoping to move up in the company. It happened so fast. Less than two years later I was managing locations and eventually growing them by over 40%. Seven years ago I bought my own franchise without any employees or customers. How scary was that? But it was the best decision I ever made. I’m also beyond proud of my son, who started with us at just 16 years old, and now with his wife, is operating a franchise that’s growing by 30% each year.”

What is your ultimate goal for your career?

“To help develop and coach people into becoming successful business owners as part of the Merry Maids family. I am a huge supporter of our brand and what we do. And some day when I am ready to retire, I hope my son’s family will build on what we’ve created with the same passion we have for our businesses.”