Cleaning Business Q&A: First Clients, Pricing and More

Jen and I did our first live Ask Us Anything on YouTube. We spent 49 minutes on the questions you sent in, plus the ones that came in live from the chat. The full replay is here, and each answer below links to the exact spot in the video. My solo live on October 16 picked up where this one ended, with startup costs under $1,000 and a $79 same-day cancellation story from an Indeed hire: part two of the Q&A.

How do I find my first cleaning clients?

We had no money for ads, so Jen emailed 20 realtors a day for three months. Every email was personal: their first name, a nod to their listings, and an offer to do a move-out or pre-listing clean with a discount code. Most ignored her. The ones who replied still send us work five years later. Our other early win was filling out our Yelp profile completely, using every character. Our very first booking came from someone who found us on Yelp. And when that first lead called, we answered the phone. She had already called four other companies. If you want the full playbook, start with our guide to getting clients for a cleaning business and the post on move-out cleaning clients. Watch at 22:07.

When do I quit my day job?

Work out the bare minimum you can live on. For us it was about $3,000 a month, and we lived on the cheap that first year (I cut my own hair). Rohan, who taught us, waited until the business had replaced his salary for three months in a row before he quit. Our post on starting a cleaning business while working full time covers the transition in detail. Watch at 8:43.

How do I set my cleaning prices?

Call the top 10 cleaning companies in your area and ask each one the same question: same size home, same number of bathrooms. Then price yours at 75 to 80% of the most expensive one. You will never be the most expensive in town, and you should never be the cheapest. If fewer than 1 in 10 callers say you are too expensive, you are too cheap. Watch at 37:32.

What if a new client refuses the first-time clean?

I tell them, "I really hope your home is in the 10% that doesn't need it. We'll add it, and if the cleaners finish within the time I email you, we'll take it off." If they still refuse, I say it is best they find another cleaning company. We focus on recurring clients, and confident boundaries tell people you know what you are doing. Watch at 12:07.

Who gets the cancellation fee, the cleaner or the company?

Both. We charge $79 for a same-day cancellation and the cleaner gets $45 of it. This helps us hire. Last week a cleaner called us furious because another local company was not paying her for same-day cancellations. She is now on our team. Watch at 39:08.

How do cleaners get into clients' homes?

The client tells us: a hidden key with a photo of where it is, a lock box code, or a keypad. We never keep keys. Picture yourself running 20 jobs a day with a drawer full of keys. Watch at 5:01.

How long until SEO leads replace paid ads?

For us it took about a year, and sometimes it is six months. It goes faster when your name is your neighbourhood. You only need 100 recurring clients paying $200 every two weeks to reach about half a million dollars a year in revenue, so you do not need a whole city. Oak Bay is one suburb of Victoria. During the live I ran Denver through NameMyCleaningCompany.com and it suggested Cherry Creek. Read more on local SEO for a cleaning business and how to name a cleaning business. Watch at 29:18.