Business owner lands angel investment; commercial loan

36T Cleaning Services of Hillsborough County

Four years ago, Descarte Valnor noticed there was a need within his community for high-quality cleaning support, while keeping the cost of services within budget. That’s when Valnor decided to create 36T Cleaning Services, a cleaning company that provides post-construction, janitorial, and light maintenance services.

Valnor managed to grow the business throughout the first few years of operation from one employee to 11. Then, the harsh realities of COVID-19 hit in 2020. His team shrank to five employees, and Valnor began struggling within various areas of his business, so he decided to get assistance by reaching out to the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida.

“I reached out to the Florida SBDC at USF because I was struggling with getting access to capital,” he said. “It was my first time, and I wanted to know the accurate way to do it along with having professional personnel help me.”

Since then, Valnor has teamed up with business consultant Greg Manning.

“He’s been exceptional, and he’s been able to help me a lot. He was very patient and helped me build a three-year projection plan so that I was able to convey and build a case toward the lenders,” Valnor said. “I was able to get a fresh way of thinking on how to look at the business. I learned about what kind of contracts we should secure, and how I should go forward with the different steps and phases of building a company at the same time.”

Valnor has seen growth in his business in various ways since connecting with the Florida SBDC at USF, despite the pandemic. Due to Manning’s assistance, he was able to secure an angel investor and a small commercial bank loan to continue growing the business. It is also projected to hit $100,000 in revenue by the end of 2021.

“It has grown a lot I’ll be honest about that,” Valnor said. “We are able to grow our profit margin in route to what it was before. There’s been challenges through the different scenarios, but we were able to overcome them.”

By continuing to work with Manning and utilizing all the resources that the Florida SBDC at USF has to offer, Valnor is looking forward to improving and growing his business further.

“I will continue to use their services in various ways. I do plan on using them on a continuous basis, especially when I have a challenge, and if I have questions regarding any certain kind of contract or financial projections,” he said.