Aaron Seyedian started Well-Paid Maids in the D.C. area in 2017 and has since expanded operations to New York City. Get to know what inspired Aaron, his proudest accomplishments and more.
1. Tell us about your background.
I’m from Dunkirk, New York, which is a small manufacturing town. I studied international relations and conflict resolution in college. Before Well-Paid Maids, I worked in international development at the World Bank and for a boutique public sector consulting firm called Censeo.
2. What inspired you to start Well-Paid Maids?
I wanted to get involved in the Fight for $15 minimum wage campaign. I saw business lobbyists claiming it would hurt businesses. I thought that running an explicitly living-wage business as a living case study could be useful to the movement.
3. Why is paying a living wage so important?
Too many people can’t get by. They suffer, their kids suffer, and we all suffer, ultimately. If we can help guarantee a basic standard of living for everyone, we are going to have a stronger society that we all benefit from.
4. In the past seven years, what are your proudest accomplishments?
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- Building our management team. We hire management from within, so everyone started as a cleaner. It’s satisfying watching people grow
- Navigating COVID while staying true to our values. Everyone got a $500 layoff bonus to help float them until unemployment kicked in. We also did a GoFundMe that raised over $50,000 from our wonderful and supportive customers. We kept the business closed while things were at the worst and put people over profit.
- Helping win policies we support. We’ve been consistent supporters of a higher minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, salary transparency, a domestic workers bill of rights, and more.
- Building our management team. We hire management from within, so everyone started as a cleaner. It’s satisfying watching people grow
