Meet DaJuan Pitts, founder of DHarveyPitts Management and Clean Moves. This VCU alumni, who is a realtor, was inspired by an internship working with property units. DHarveyPitts Management specializes in managing vacation rental properties and Clean Moves is a cleaning company for student housing and multi-family properties. Learn more below.
Can you describe your business and its goal?
I am the owner of two companies. I started both of these companies in 2019. My first company is DHarveyPitts Management, which is a property management company that specializes in managing and designing short term/vacation rental properties. My second company is Clean Moves which is a cleaning company that specializes in turnover cleaning in student housing and multi-family properties. We also complete move in and move out cleanings for renters and homeowners.
What inspired you to start your company?
I had an associate who told me to go into real estate and I got my first internship at a multi-family property with about 2,000 units in 2015. From being at that property, I learned a lot about property management and I got my real estate license. After four years in property management I knew I wanted to manage my own properties and I also saw the value in cleaning the properties I managed as another vertical I can control the pricing on. For years I generated lots of revenue for owners and I knew I could do it for myself and that was a step toward creating generational wealth for my own family.
What is something that you wish you would have known before starting your business?
How important market research is and understanding that things take time. The business is not going to grow overnight, and if it does, you better be prepared for that type of scaling that fast. Be patient: an elephant pregnancy takes 22 months, and in business you want to give birth to an elephant, something that when it comes it shocks the world.
How did VCU prepare you for this career?
As a psychology major I think the main thing I got is the ability to be a great listener. I listen to understand people, whether it’s my customer, employees, associates. Taking time to listen is a skill I developed at VCU. The most important thing VCU prepared me with is relationships. The relationships I formed have helped me with so many opportunities as an entrepreneur. The relationships are something I will cherish and have forever.
What is the hardest part about being an entrepreneur? Best part?
The hardest part about being an entrepreneur is being patient and learning to enjoy being uncomfortable. Entrepreneurship is so hard; you can work on something all the time and you can think it’s great but there are so many factors that can affect why it could or could not work. You have to learn to do things and not see immediate results. There are so many days when I don’t want to do things but if you are going to achieve any sort of success, you have to lean into doing what you don’t want to do. Don’t do things for money. Money will come.
Where would you like to see your business in five years?
In five years, my companies will both be nine years old. DHarveyPitts will manage and design at least 50 short term/vacation rentals in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and at least one international property. We will service over 100,000 units on multi-family turnover cleaning for property management companies and we will complete 260 move out cleanings per year.
We currently do student housing turnover cleaning at properties at The University Of Maryland I pray that in five years we will be at VCU completing student housing turnover cleanings. We also will have the Clean Moves Scholarship, which will help college students who suffer from housing insecurity. We will award at least one scholarship per year.
Learn more about DHarveyPitts and Clean Moves.