This story was originally published in Meet Fargo Magazine, September 2026, Volume 2, Issue 9. Text by Brady Drake, photos by Nick Deraney.
Veronica McCloud tells Meet Fargo Magazine about working with TLC Cleaning as she recalls her 15 years of growth with the company.
On Veronica McCloud’s first day at TLC Cleaning in July 2011, founder Trisha Lake walked up to the car and asked how it had gone.
Veronica told her it was great.
That was not entirely true.
“In my head, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. This is really hard,'” Veronica said. “But I went back the next day and faked it for another day.”
She kept returning. At first, she needed the paycheck and the consistent hours. Before TLC, she had been working for a political survey call service, and members of her family already employed by the cleaning company had encouraged her to give it a try.
She started as a cleaning technician, learning the work from the ground up.
Over time, however, Veronica’s reason for coming back changed. She began to see something in TLC that felt different from an ordinary job. She watched Trisha, then a single mother building
a company almost hour by hour, do everything she could to keep employees working. When the schedule was light, Trisha found other tasks.
When teams were overwhelmed, she joined them in the field. During late-night move-out cleanings, Trisha and her husband drove between jobs with food for employees who were working into the early morning.
Another person who played an important role in keeping Veronica at TLC was Operations Manager Iris Rodriguez. Iris stayed late with Veronica on long jobs and stood by her side, providing support throughout her years with the company.
Fifteen years later, Veronica is still returning—but she no longer has to pretend she belongs.
Today, her role at TLC is Trainer, and she is one of the people standing at the front of the company’s classroom, teaching new employees how to do the job that once intimidated her.
“I always tell people, anything that you’ve done, I’ve done,” she said. “Any mistakes, I’ve already done, and I’m here to tell you not to do that—and why.”
Her journey has become part of the company’s institutional knowledge. It is also a living record of just how much TLC Cleaning has changed.
Learning a Business As It Was Being Built
TLC Cleaning was founded in 2010, only about a year before Veronica joined the company in July 2011.
In those early days, team meetings happened in Trisha’s home. Employees sat on the living room floor, folded laundry, and talked through the day’s assignments while Trisha’s cat, Smudge, wandered nearby. The laundry room served as the company’s base. Assignments were kept in binders. Employees recorded their work and hours on pieces of paper. There were no extensive training videos, classroom lessons or sophisticated scheduling platforms.
“We were just sitting there folding rags and making our own chemicals,” Veronica said. “We thought we were chemists.”
Since then, TLC has grown into a company with more than 85 employees and service areas centered around Fargo, Grand Forks and Detroit Lakes. The operation now includes company vehicles, dedicated offices, digital scheduling and communication systems, formal benefits, and a structured training program.
Veronica has been present for nearly every stage of that transformation. She saw the first company cars, the first office, new uniforms, changes in management, evolving cleaning products, and the transition from handwritten records to apps capable of sending clients real-time notifications.
She also witnessed the less straightforward parts of growth.
TLC’s first attempt to establish a Grand Forks location did not work. Rather than continuing before the operation was ready, Trisha closed it and refocused on Fargo. When the company re-opened its doors in Grand Forks 9 years later, Veronica remembers employees wondering whether the result would be different.
Trisha believed it would.
“She was like, ‘It will work this time because I know what to do now, and I know how to do it,’” Veronica said. That willingness to close a door, learn and try again left an impression on Veronica. The company’s growth did not come from avoiding mistakes. It came from responding to them. Adaptability and trust are among TLC’s stated values. Veronica’s story adds another word to the picture: resilience.
Support With Expectations
When Veronica began working at TLC, she was rebuilding her life.
She was living with her mother, trying to become financially independent and unsure of what adulthood was supposed to look like. She did not have a driver’s license, something that eventually became an obstacle as she began taking on more responsibility in the field.
Trisha challenged her to change that.
“If you want people to respect you and take you seriously, you can’t have them drive you around,” Veronica remembers Trisha telling her. “If you’re going to lead, you have to show them that you’re a pusher.”
Veronica did not appreciate the message immediately. Eventually, she paid what she needed to pay, earned her license, and became capable of driving and leading a team.
That pattern repeated throughout her career. TLC offered support, but the support was usually paired with an expectation that Veronica would continue moving forward.
“She doesn’t just give us things,” Veronica said. “She’s like, ‘You put in the work, and I’ll put in the same.’ You have to show that you’re willing to do what it takes to get where you need to be, and she’ll help you with that.”
That support came from others within TLC as well. Veronica credits Operations Manager Iris Rodriguez as one of the people who helped her through the difficult days and gave her reasons to stay. On particularly long jobs, Iris stayed late alongside her. Throughout Veronica’s time at TLC, Iris remained someone she could count on to stand beside her and offer support when she needed it.
That help extended far beyond cleaning.
When Veronica became responsible for raising her son, employees and their family members helped provide childcare. At times, he could spend part of the day at the TLC office until someone was available to watch him. During a difficult custody process, Trisha supported Veronica’s fundraising efforts, helped her manage the financial strain and testified in court about her employment, income and personal growth.
The company also created moments of relief from the pressures of work and home. Employees have attended family campouts, barbecues, anniversary dinners, and surprise outings. The company serves a homemade breakfast on Mondays and stocks everyday necessities employees may need but might not feel comfortable requesting.
“You don’t know anybody’s relationship in life or where they’re coming to us from,” Veronica said. “They just want to make sure people feel taken care of.”
TLC’s current employee offerings include health insurance, company vehicles, 401(k) plans, paid vacations, and other benefits that Trisha has said she prioritizes because she remembers what it was like to work without them.
Turning Experience Into a Classroom
Veronica’s first transition into leadership happened informally.
A few years into her time at TLC, a team lead left. Veronica already knew the clients and homes well enough to guide other employees, so she was told it was time to take over. Her reaction was predictable.
“I was like, ‘No, I don’t have to do anything you say,’” she recalled. “I was scared. I didn’t know how to be a grown adult. I thought it was too much.”
She did it anyway.
As the number of staff grew, Veronica continued to train and mentor new employees. By then, TLC’s training had become more organized. There were books, defined procedures, and clearer expectations. Over time, the company continued refining the program with videos, field instruction and dedicated trainers.
In 2026, TLC expanded the program again by adding classroom-based instruction. Veronica was among the first employees selected to lead it.
Her lessons cover techniques, products and processes, but her greatest value cannot be captured entirely in a manual. She knows what happens when an employee feels overwhelmed, falls behind or carries a difficult personal situation into work because she has experienced those moments herself.
She also remembers learning many cleaning techniques through trial and error.
When a surface did not look right, she became determined to understand why. She learned to view counters and furniture from eye level, where leftover dust is easier to see. She refined a wet-to-dry dusting method. She experimented with ways to remove stubborn residue without relying on an expensive product for every individual task. Those experiences now become stories in the classroom.
“I’m a silent operator,” she said. “I’d rather be out in the field and watch everybody grow and be a pusher behind the scenes.”
The Human Side of a Clean Home
For Veronica, cleaning has never been only about surfaces.
Inviting someone into a home can make clients feel vulnerable. They may worry about being judged for clutter, pet hair, dishes, laundry, or the simple evidence of a busy life. TLC attempts to make that experience more personal by introducing its employees through online biographies and sending clients information about the person who completed their cleaning. Even when a client is away at work, the goal is to help them understand that a real person—not an anonymous corporate workforce—was caring for the space.
“We’re not corporate,” Veronica said. “We’re very much mom-and-pop, but with a big vibe.”
That personal connection matters because every home carries a story.
TLC employees may be cleaning for new parents, older adults, people with disabilities, families grieving a death, or clients trying to hold life together during a difficult season. Some live in large, immaculate houses. Others may be facing severe clutter or hoarding. Veronica teaches new employees that none of those circumstances determines how much dignity a client deserves.
“You should treat that person in a hoarding situation like they won the lottery,” she said, “because they need you to make them feel seen and heard and that they’re not a problem.”
The same respect should be extended to every client, regardless of the size of the home or how a situation may look from the outside.
“We don’t know what’s happening in their life,” Veronica said.
That compassion does not require employees to accept mistreatment. Earlier in her career, Veronica believed difficult or abusive behavior was simply something service workers were expected to tolerate. Trisha made it clear that was not the case. TLC could show care for clients while also setting boundaries to protect its employees. The respect had to work in both directions.
The Upside-Down Pyramid
Trisha has described TLC’s structure as an upside-down pyramid.
The cleaning technicians are at the top because they are the people entering homes, building relationships and representing the company. The office and leadership team are underneath them, providing the support that allows them to succeed.
“The better we’re taken care of, the better we take care of our clients,” Veronica said.
That philosophy helps explain why she is no longer the only unusually long-tenured employee. Several coworkers are only a few years behind her, with five- and 10-year anniversaries becoming increasingly common.
TLC has marked Veronica’s milestones in personal ways. For her fifth anniversary, she traveled to the Twin Cities with Trisha and their children. Her 10-year recognition included a fully-paid trip to California for her and her son. For her 15th anniversary, Veronica was given several choices, including a trip, a cruise, or money that could be used toward a future home purchase. She chose a fully-paid trip to Orlando with her mother — the woman she credits with teaching her how to care for others — and son.
“I got my hustle from Trisha, and I got my nurturing aspect from my mom,” Veronica said. “Combining those two made me a good trainer.”
When Veronica imagines TLC’s next five or 10 years, she sees the possibility of another location, perhaps even outside North Dakota. But in her vision, expansion would not simply mean placing another dot on a map. It would mean identifying an employee or family ready for a new opportunity and giving them the structure to build something of their own. That is how Veronica has come to understand growth: the company moves forward by helping its people move forward.
Fifteen years ago, she was not sure she could make it through a second day. Today, she is the person standing in front of a classroom, showing new employees that difficult work can be learned, mistakes can become lessons and a job can grow into a career—and even a community.
People still ask what she plans to do next.
Her answer is simple.
“I can work here forever, can’t I?”
Veronica’s 10 No-Shame Cleaning Rules
1. One room at a time is enough. A home does not need to be cleaned from top to bottom every day. Completing one manageable space is still progress.
2. Make the bed and take out the trash. A few high-impact tasks can make a home feel calmer without requiring hours of work.
3. Use a wet-to-dry method when dusting. Wipe the surface with the damp portion of a cloth, then finish with a dry section to pick up remaining moisture and dust.
4. Look at surfaces from eye level. Changing your angle can reveal dust, crumbs or residue that is difficult to see while standing directly above a counter or table.
5. Turn off the vanity lights before cleaning a mirror. This is Veronica’s trick for giving herself more time to wipe the surface before the cleaner begins drying and leaving streaks.
6. Keep the supply cabinet simple. An all-purpose cleaner and quality microfiber cloths can handle more household tasks than many people realize.
7. Use only as much product as the job requires. More cleaner does not automatically produce a better result and may leave additional residue behind.
8. Treat stubborn buildup strategically. For hairspray residue, Veronica may use a small amount of glass cleaner on a compatible surface rather than immediately purchasing another specialty product.
9. Do not clean because the cleaner is coming. Pick up personal items when necessary, but do not feel obligated to hide the fact that people live in the home.
10. Remember what the home is for. “Your home is to be lived in,” Veronica said. “It’s to be enjoyed. It’s not supposed to be a show house.”
