🧹 This $20K/month Business Starts With a Mop and a Dream

Ever notice how some people are quietly crushing it in the most "ordinary" businesses while everyone else is chasing the next big tech thing?

Let me put you onto something wild: the humble home cleaning business is absolutely printing money right now.

Get this: House cleaning pros can easily charge $50 per hour. Not per house. Per. Hour.

And they're booked weeks in advance!

Note: Today, we’re talking about residential cleaning - not commercial. We’ll save that for a future edition.

Here's the thing: The U.S. residential cleaning industry is estimated at around $18.8 billion, so the demand for cleaning services is clear.

This market is growing like crazy, and the barriers to entry are lower than your grandma's vintage coffee table.

Now, you might be thinking, "Cleaning houses doesn't sound very glamorous."

But let me drop some knowledge on you: The highest-earning cleaning business owners out there never touch a mop.

They're too busy managing their teams and counting their cash.

Let’s take a look at how they do it…right after this meme

Starting Costs Breakdown:

• Basic cleaning supplies and equipment: $300-500

• Insurance and bonding: $50-100/month

• LLC formation: $50-500 (state dependent)

• Website domain: $20

• Simple website: $50-500 (platforms like Wix and Squarespace make it easy)

• Initial marketing budget: $50 (business cards are all you need to start)

Total startup costs:

• Minimum viable startup cost: $500 (DIY everything and minimal equipment)

• Comfortable startup budget: $2,000 (DIY most things and better equipment)

• "I'm going all in" budget: $10,000 (includes hired help from day one)

Here's the cool part: You can start solo and scale like crazy.

As a solo cleaner, your profit margins will be greater, allowing you to reinvest in marketing and equipment.

The Business Model:

• Average house clean: $150-300 (set a minimum charge and target higher-end clients)

• Average time per clean: 3-6 hours (higher-end residential)

• Weekly capacity (solo): 10 houses

• Potential monthly revenue (solo): $6,000-8,000

• Profit margins: 50-75% (solo), 10-25% (with team)

But listen up, because this is important: The real money isn't in cleaning houses yourself.

It's in building systems and training teams.

Moving from solo cleaner to CEO is the most challenging aspect of starting a cleaning business.

But remember, you should be working ON your business, not working IN it.

At a profit margin of 15%, a team of 20 full-time cleaners could generate $24,000 in monthly profit!

Challenges:

• Finding reliable workers (pro tip: pay above market rate, it's cheaper than constant turnover)

• Competition from big players like Molly Maid

• Managing client expectations (recleans will absolutely kill your margins, so set expectations and do the job right)

But here's the good news…

Remote work has people spending more time at home than ever.

They're noticing every dirty corner and have less time to clean it themselves.

Plus, millennials and Gen Z are outsourcing home tasks at 2x the rate of previous generations.

Action Steps to Get Started:

1. Get bonded and insured (non-negotiable!)

2. Set up your LLC (contact your state’s business division)

3. Learn how to clean like a professional (YouTube is a goldmine)

4. Start with friends and family (make sure they leave you a review)

5. Document your processes (this will be gold when you start hiring)

6. Hit local Facebook groups and NextDoor hard for your first clients

Pro Tips:

• Specialize in high-end homes (fewer clients, more revenue)

• Set a minimum service charge (at least $150 per clean)

• Offer eco-friendly options (charge 15-20% premium)

• Focus on recurring clients and large one-offs (move-in/move-outs)

• Build relationships with property managers (endless move-in/out cleanings)

The best part? This business is recession-resistant.

Even when times are tight, people prioritize clean homes.

And once you have a solid client base, you're looking at predictable, recurring revenue that would make a SaaS founder jealous.

Remember: Everyone's fighting over the sexy startups while the real entrepreneurs build empires with mops and buckets.

Sometimes, the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight and wearing rubber gloves. 😉