Still wearing her restaurant apron after a long shift, Jacqueline Goldstein sat at her kitchen table fifteen years ago, exhausted by the weight of single motherhood. At 23, she was raising a three-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter, working fifty hours a week, and drowning in daycare bills. That night, she had what she calls a moment of clarity: “I needed to make more money for my time, and I needed to spend more time with my children.”
The next morning, she marched into City Hall to register her business, emptied her bank account to purchase supplies, and within days she had launched Jac’s Cleaning Service, LLC. Her first clients came from the restaurant where she worked — staff and customers who had seen her hustle firsthand.
“I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t wait,” Jacqueline recalls with a laugh. “Once I decide to do something, I dive in headfirst.”
Cleaning Beyond the Surface
Fifteen years later, Jac’s Cleaning has grown into a trusted service across Connecticut and Rhode Island, with a team of ten employees and clients ranging from homeowners to high-profile commercial accounts at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. The company maintains an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, but what truly sets it apart is Jacqueline’s personal touch.
“I still handle every estimate personally,” she explains. “I’ve had clients cry during estimates — sometimes they’re grieving, sometimes overwhelmed. I want people to know they’re hiring someone who cares about their story.”
Her approach has made Jac’s Cleaning a lifeline for families in transition and business owners under pressure. Whether restoring order in a family home or freeing restaurant staff to focus on service rather than scrubbing floors, the impact is the same: more dignity, less stress, and a healthier space to thrive.
Breaking Cycles, Building a Legacy
Jacqueline’s entrepreneurial fire was forged in adversity. Growing up with a mother battling addiction and a father fighting serious illness, she learned early on what kind of life she didn’t want to repeat. “I was a cycle breaker from day one,” she says. “I wanted my kids to be proud of me.”
Her late father’s wisdom still guides her: Be good to your people, and they’ll be good to you. That philosophy shows in her team’s loyalty. “They’re not just employees. They’re my people. They come to my cookouts, they know I’ll help if their kids are sick. That’s why I’ve had very little turnover.”
And Jacqueline’s impact extends beyond business.
She hosts the TraumCom Podcast exploring resilience, serves on the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum board, and is an Equity Champion for Hartford Healthcare. Yet at the heart of it all, she remains the determined young mother who refuses to quit. “Your business will only ever be what you put into it,” she says. “And I’ve put everything I have into this.”
Now a member of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Jacqueline is expanding her reach.
“West Hartford is such a vibrant area. I want local families and businesses to know they can count on us — not just for a sparkling clean space, but for the peace of mind that comes with knowing it’s handled with care.”
