Dallas Sunrise Maids was founded by Emily and Kent Davis, who relocated to Plano in 2020 after living in Panama for over 15 years. The couple learned that the key to success in both business and life is surrounding oneself with exceptional people.
Kent and Emily are currently residents of Plano, where they are raising their three boys. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Kent is a graduate of James Madison University and the owner of Dallas Sunrise Maids and Panama Equity Real Estate. Emily, who hails from Panama City, Panama, is a systems engineer and licensed social worker. They moved to Texas in 2020 and have been actively involved in their community ever since.
After interviewing approximately 30 candidates, Emily and Kent nearly considered returning to Panama until they discovered the ideal husband-and-wife team, Jason and Ana, who became their first cleaning crew. Jason and Ana embodied the qualities they sought, including honesty, a strong work ethic and meticulous attention to detail. According to Kent, without Jason and Ana, Dallas Sunrise Maids might still be just another small, family-owned house-cleaning business in Plano. Since joining the company, they have cleaned over 500 houses and have progressed into management roles.
Local Profile recently interviewed Kent on what it means to be a small business owner in North Texas and how the community impacts their rapidly-growing business.
How does North Texas impact your company?
The North Texas community has been absolutely wonderful. As non-Texas natives, we've been welcomed into the business community through organizations like the Plano Chamber of Commerce and of course Local Profile. We've found a church we love in Sent Church and have built some lifelong friendships here.
The best thing about North Texas? The dust! For obvious reasons.
What is the most challenging aspect of working with your spouse?
You probably hear this a lot but I would say stepping away from the business. Because when you are passionate about something, you tend to obsess. So in the early days, and to an extent even today, it's still a daily topic of conversation after business hours. But as we've grown, we've been fortunate to build in an administrative support system such that we are not as involved in the day-to-day house cleanings as we were when we first started.
What advice would you offer someone looking to start their own business?
I'd say it's not a bad idea to have a network of supporters (and potential clients) to help you get through those first few months. For example, we gave away alot of free house cleanings in Plano to neighbors, folks from our church and other business owners just to allow us to work out the kinks in the business and of course develop a local reputation. And those 5 star Google reviews in the early days were celebrated around the dinner table with our three boys.
What is the biggest mistake you see small business owners making when advancing their careers?
Honestly, I cant speak for other small business owners but we made alot of mistakes getting started. And to be honest, one of our philosophies around the Davis household is to always make new mistakes (as opposed to repeating the same mistake) and try to be mindful enough to reflect on them and pivot as necessary. And we're still making mistakes!
What was the most difficult decision you’ve made in your career so far?
One of the toughest but best decisions we made early on was being selective about the clients we work with. As someone with a sales background, it was a shift for me, but it has saved us from countless headaches and helped retain our most valuable asset: our cleaning teams. By focusing on customers who align with our values, we’ve created a positive work environment and grown a team of 34 happy house cleaners. I’ve learned that you don’t need to work with everyone — focus on the clients who respect your business, and the rest will fall into place.
What is a recent challenge you faced? How did you overcome it?
Managing expectations in a community like Plano, where house cleaning services are widely used, can be challenging. Some customers come with experiences from other companies, and we have to bridge that gap. For example, when customers expect us to move heavy furniture — something we don’t do for safety reasons — we always approach it with empathy. We explain our policies, ensure they feel heard and guide them to the right solution. It’s about balancing professionalism with genuine care for both the customer and our team.
How has your industry changed over the past 5 years?
AI has been a game changer. For example, I didnt even have to think about any of these interview questions. I just let ChatGPT run with that — kidding! The cool thing about house cleaning is that it's an old, really diverse industry with tiny operators and big franchise players, especially up here in Plano. We use it for a number of initiatives, from pre-screening potential employees to marketing strategy analysis all the way down to analizing quality issues to determine how we need to either restructure training or quality checks.
What do you have planned for the future?
Looking ahead, we have some exciting growth goals. By 2026, we aim to be cleaning over 1,000 homes per week and solidify ourselves as Plano’s most trusted house cleaning company. We also have philanthropic initiatives in the works that we prefer to keep under the radar for now, but we hope they will have a lasting impact on the community we love
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