NFIB

Spies Like Us?
03/ 28/ 2002

by Shannon Scully

When they're not chauffeuring kids, cooking dinner or finishing a load of laundry, these two sisters go undercover.

As the owners of Boise, Idaho-based private investigative firm Two Moms in a Minivan, Valerie Agosta and Jan Cluff spend a few afternoons a week following unfaithful mates, tracking insurance scammers or monitoring latchkey kids.

"We're obviously not ex-cops," say Agosta, who talked her sister into starting the business two years ago. "But being a P.I. is something I've always wanted to do, and it fits perfectly with our schedules as stay-at-home moms."

Though they admit their training involved reading mysteries and watching who-done-it television shows, some of the equipment they use is pretty high-tech. A black purse with one side cut out conceals a camcorder, and an arrangement of flowers hides a minicamera.

While it might sound like they live on the edge, they're careful about the business they accept, says Cluff. "We're two moms, so we're not looking for any kind of danger or trouble."

"We have fun because we're able to pick and choose our cases," says Agosta. "Plus, our kids think it's cool."

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This article originally appeared in the February/March issue of MyBUSINESS Magazine.

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