Sara M. Martin

Owner, phClean

Sara M. Martin is a farm girl from Nevada, Iowa, an Iowa State University graduate, and the founder of phClean. Sara’s family roots in Iowa are long, as both of her parents both grew up in Nevada. She has one lovely daughter, Hana, two great step daughters and now lives in Ankeny with her husband Nathan.

From a kitchen office to phClean

In 2006, Sara became a single stay-at-home, homeschooling mom with no “real” job history, a partially finished degree, and lots of experiences that didn’t add up to a conventional job. She started cleaning homes herself out of her kitchen “office” in Ames while finishing an Iowa State University (ISU) degree, and began growing phClean one client at a time.

She was guided by the same values her parents instilled on the farm, which were to work hard, be honest, and treat people with kindness and respect. With those values and her scrappy competitiveness to improve and beat her year-over-year goals, Sara realized she could build a long-term career that supported her family and cared for the people phClean served.

Growing a company by growing people

Nearly 20 years later, phClean has three locations across Central Iowa and has earned numerous Community Choice Awards in Ames, Ankeny, and West Des Moines, as well as Best of Cityview and Des Moines People’s Choice Awards. Sara sees those honors as a reflection of the team as much as anything else.

The team is something Sara thinks about constantly. Whenever possible, phClean promotes from within. Every current scheduler started as a cleaning technician, and growth is actively encouraged, even when it means someone is ready to leave the nest.

Sara has taken staff to industry and leadership events, brought in education opportunities locally, and believes that investing in people is a meaningful way to be a servant leader.

Small business leadership with local roots

A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Sara used her capstone project to launch phClean’s third office, putting the work directly into action. She holds a coaching certificate and has a soft spot for helping fellow small business owners think through the hard stuff, even when it’s informal.

Sara and her leadership team are active in their business communities and beyond, from the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, Ankeny Chamber of Commerce, Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, and West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce to peer mastermind and cohort groups.

She also gives back locally through organizations such as Cleaning for a Reason, Rotary of Ankeny, Joppa House, Food at First, Single Parent Provision, Can Do Cancer, MS Moments, and just about any school group that asks nicely.

Grateful for the journey & the team

When she’s not running the business, Sara is traveling, scuba diving, or hiking and exploring. She has years of experience in the cleaning industry, yet the home she bought to live in has a black floor, and they have a white cat. There is always more to learn.

She is thankful every day for the dedication, leadership, and hard work that her team puts in, and especially for cleaning day!