Exploring Life & Business with Dustin and Alura Elkins of BOCO Cleaning, LLC.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin and Alura Elkins.

Hi Dustin and Alura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Yeah! So, we’re the owners of BOCO Cleaning, LLC. In Brunswick County, NC. Dustin has lived in Brunswick County his whole life, and I moved here in 2010 from Florida. We have always toyed with starting our own business and being our own boss but we weren’t sure what that would look like for us. Dustin worked at Lowe’s Home Improvement for 10 years, and I have always been a “job hopper.”

I’ve always taken pride in doing my best and working hard, but after a while, I would get bored and want to do something else. I had maybe a dozen jobs in Brunswick County. My longest job was being a school custodian for Brunswick County Schools for 7 years and learned to really love the cleaning industry. In 2019 we learned about seasonal jobs in national parks, and it seemed like a good move for us. Our jobs felt monotonous, and we needed an adventure. We both got second jobs delivering pizza to save up for a travel trailer so we could start traveling the country. In 2020 we went to Vegas to get married, and from 2021 to 2023, we traveled and worked as housekeeping managers in Glacier National Park. We have visited around 35 states in 2 years. It was quite unconventional but so much fun. When we came home this time, we decided to stay and start our own cleaning business because that’s what we knew we were good at and we are passionate about helping people. We look at it as a new adventure for us!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
It’s been relatively smooth for us. The biggest struggle is not knowing all the details of starting a business initially—the difference between a company, an LLC, the business licenses, etc. We didn’t know any of that stuff. Another struggle is the risk of starting a business, living off savings, and having faith that it will work out. Always staying positive even when we have a cancellation or setback.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One of the things we are most proud of is our standard surpassing what we’ve seen as housekeeping managers. We take great pride in what we do and want to be our area’s best cleaning service. We offer packages like a basic clean, deep clean, move-out, and VRBO/Airbnb packages. We specialize in deep cleaning. We are so detailed; a deep clean is an all-day job where we detail everything. It’s satisfying for us to transform a home.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Dustin: I used to have a Boston terrier that was quite mean. He used to nip at your ankle when you got out of bed. I’d steal a pack of bologna from the fridge every once in a while, and we’d bond over our meal together. RIP Newton.

Alura: When I was younger, I lived in Florida, and every year we would visit Sunset Beach with our entire family. All my uncles and aunts and everyone would come together for two weeks. My sister and I would swim all day in the ocean, playing mermaids, and then every night, we would shower and dress up nice to go out to eat with our family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bococleaning.com
• Instagram: Https://www.instagram.com/bococleaning
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088877948707&mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/likelylost