By Kelly Murphy-Redd, CEcd
A force of nature, Danica LaFaire, the owner of Fish Window Cleaning, is the Official Window Cleaner of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Danica’s energy and passion are a reflection of how she runs her business and how she participates as a chamber member. She maintains a clear focus on growing her business and helping others to grow theirs.
Danica LaFaire was a beauty school dropout who worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years. She says that’s where she honed some of her marketing skills. At age 23, she went back to school and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Marketing and her Masters’s degree in Communication Management and Leadership.
Having lived most of her adult life in St. Louis, Mo., Danica worked for a startup company in an entrepreneurial community. In 2013, she went to work for a marketing agency and along the way got experience in acquisition strategy.
Deciding to interview for a position as head of marketing for a broadband company, Danica got into her car for an hour’s drive. She thought to herself there was no way they would hire her and she ought to turn around and go home. But, then again, what did she have to lose? Danica says she doesn’t know where the words came from but it was the first time she was completely her authentic self. She talked about her scuba diving certification, growing a garden, leadership, and relationships. She got the job.
She spent three years at Fidelity Communications and was involved in transforming the culture. With 500 employees across seven states, Danica was part of a team. The team was accountable to each other and had goals and disagreements, but they were “all rowing in the same direction.” Growing together, they were an unstoppable force. In the broadband industry, if you are not acquiring other companies you are dying. Eventually, Fidelity was sold.
Danica and her husband Josh began talking about franchise opportunities and Danica became a franchise consultant to learn about the industry. Josh was offered a job opportunity in the Florida Panhandle territory including seven states and Danica stayed in broadband for a time while still doing franchise consulting. While on a call for a client to learn about Fish Window Cleaning, Danica felt her values aligned with the company. Fish is built on the concept of “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” A blue-collar person could own a business. In 2021, Danica and Josh decided to open Fish Window Cleaning in Destin.
Fish Window Cleaning serves primarily commercial clients but does serve some residential clients. During the Covid pandemic, hotels and hospitals needed emergency cleaning services. Fish cleans windows but they do more than that; they help create a good first impression. They keep businesses looking beautiful. There is immediate gratification in helping a business look its best and in going home at night knowing you did good work.
Fish builds their culture on the values of trust, kindness, fairness, respect, choosing a positive attitude, doing the right thing, and creating “wow moments. At Fish, employees are team members and are encouraged to think of working at Fish as a career path and not just a job. They have year-round employment and are proud to be technicians with world-class training. Danica invests time in her team and will help them rise as high as they want to go even if it means leaving Fish. Currently, she has five employees and will be adding three to four more in the next two months. Fish serves clients from Pensacola to Inlet Beach.
If anyone had told her years ago she would own a window cleaning company, Danica would have said they were crazy. But, even with the setbacks that come her way, she still thinks it has been a “100% good idea.”
Joining the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce was also a 100% good idea. Danica will tell you from her experience, rural broadband survives and thrives on community involvement. She says it all starts at the chamber level. Some chambers function as economic development entities even when there are economic development organizations in town. Chambers understand the needs of their communities. The Greater Fort Walton Chamber of Commerce is a community development organization that advocates for businesses across Okaloosa County. Danica heard people talking about how active this chamber was and decided to join when she opened Fish Window Cleaning.
She recalls attending the new member luncheon with Josh. During lunch, she turned to him and said “This chamber is legit. They care.” Danica and Josh felt welcomed and began to see the chamber’s embracing of Okaloosa County as not just a slogan but actual practice. The fact the chamber is the only chamber to also run a homeless shelter spoke volumes to Danica. She knew she wasn’t being fed “marketing speak.”
The kicker, she says, was when President and CEO, Ted Corcoran contacted her by personal email asking her what she wanted to do next to maximize her membership. Ted walked her through the levels and made recommendations. He never tried to “sell” her or ask her to spend more money. Ted helps make connections and wants members to succeed. It was a defining moment for Danica and she jumped in with both feet.
She asked herself where she should start. She applied to be a member of the chamber’s Women’s Entrepreneur Group and was selected. She started attending the After-Hours functions and chamber lunches. Her chamber mentor introduced her to other members. These activities could be incorporated into her busy schedule. She started the “Friends of Fish” where businesses could put introductory items into bags and Fish employees would hand them out to their customers. It was a way to help others grow.
After a couple of months, she thought, “Now I know people.” It felt awesome as a newcomer to instantly be a part of a community that cares and is excited about service. Danica looks at the chamber as a way to celebrate each other. Even when you are struggling, you can reach out to the chamber. It’s easy to be a champion for others when you have the same goals of mutual success.
