40 under 40 — Chris Schwab
Delta Chi, 2016 — Recognized in: 2020
Chris Schwab is a Delta Chi brother who was able to take a unique remote approach to his startup journey. Think Maids, Chris’ online cleaning and maid service initially established in the Washington, D.C. area, has since expanded to serve other parts of Virginia and Maryland as well. During the early stages of his business, Chris saw an opportunity to train a virtual office manager to handle the day-to-day business for him. This worked so well it allowed him to continue operating Think Maids remotely from Tokyo, Japan and London, England for the past 3 years.
That same year he decided he was on to something, and established his second company, Inova Local, which trains virtual office managers for other local business owners around North America. Despite the success of both Think Maids and Inova Local, Chris lists his greatest achievement as being what he has been able to give back to his community. He does this through seeking out local community causes and working to see how his businesses can give back to them.
His Advice to other Zetes: In your personal or professional career, find ways that you can have an impact on your local community, and I guarantee that the help you provide to others will shape both you and them, for the rest of your life. And take action with your own chapter to support a community or charity in your area that you believe in.
Speaking on the impact Zeta Psi had on both his personal and professional life, Chris notes that it was quite profound:
“When I joined Zeta Psi, I did so with people who were not yet brothers but were already very close friends. In fact, we wanted to start our own fraternity before we knew what Zeta Psi was. When we met some brothers we knew it was just a perfect fit, and we all got so excited because we knew this was the beginning of a true Brotherhood for all of us. Now, all those close friends of mine I am so proud to call my pledge brothers, and the Brotherhood as a whole, has come to mean so much to me on a deeper level every year.
Because that is what it is all about really, right? It’s all about human connection. What Zeta Psi gave me in college wasn’t only the great memories and the bonding experiences that we all share, but it gave me a comfort in knowing that this is a group of people who will be with me long after I left college and long after I’ve left that stage in my life. When you’re in college and you’re so unsure of which direction you’re heading in, it’s comforting to have a brotherhood that allows you to cultivate yourself and others in a way that many others not a part of Zeta Psi won’t discover until much later in life, if ever.
My leadership role I held in my time as an active and my role as a big brother helped develop a sense of confidence in how to lead and advise others, which ultimately helped when I started my own business and had to lead others everyday. And for that head start I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Check out some other pieces featuring Chris:
- https://www.sidehustlenation.com/local-service-business/
- https://sidehustleschool.com/episode/87/
- https://time.com/5219412/travel-the-world-without-quitting-job/