Getting work as a home cleaner, part 1

I think there's probably too much to cover in a single post, so I'll be cutting this into two. (Read part 2 here!) One of the first things I want to talk about is Craigslist, because at least initially almost all of my work came through that website, but it's something a lot of people shy away from.

Craigslist

For whatever reason, this website is seen as being dirty or the underbelly of getting work. I've never fully understood the reasoning so I'll save you much on that, but believe me when I tell you it's an excellent place to find your first clients.

Back when I decided to go at this alone, Craigslist was actually the reason I was able to make it. I didn't know about using Twitter or Facebook or Yelp or Google AdWords back then. I just knew that my family had used Craigslist to find workers for various things, and that I should go there.

Posting is as simple as it could be. Sign up, add your phone number, and make a post. Within minutes sometimes you'll have emails or calls rolling in. My first month's worth of jobs all came in within the same 4 days of my first couple of posts in fact. I had started out simply posting some text, but later I had a graphic designer make a pretty banner that had my phone and email on it. That seemed to improve calls and emails, which makes perfect sense as others typically have very unprofessional posts, so if yours looks decent, you end up looking the most legitimate.

Over the years Craigslist has changed a little. Big companies post much more than I could. Some will create a new post every 5 minutes, essentially "spamming" out your ads. I've been told they used automated programs to do this, but I no longer rely on Craigslist so much. I would simply suggest you post as much as you can without getting in trouble for doing it too much. That used to be a couple of posts a day.

Twitter

I love tweeting. In fact I get more work through Twitter than any of other website. Every client I've met, I've always asked if they have a twitter and if they'd like to follow each other. Although most don't have accounts, many do, and a lot sign up and start using it just from the initial request. I now have a few hundred real followers that re-tweet many of my posts when I'm looking for new work to their friends to help me out.

Twitter was always fun anyways to use for friends, but as a business tool it's a godsend. There's not a more convenient way of letting your clientele help advertise your services. That sounds a little devious when I think about it, but all advertising does at first I've learned. Happy clients love to do it for you, is the important thing I've always kept in mind.

Yelp

I've used Yelp for years now. Mostly I would use it for restaurants... any kind of restaurant. Hell, I'd check different fast food places first. One of my clients who owned a similar business actually suggested I use it for the home cleaning, and was my first review (Yelp is all about people reviewing business). The more good reviews you get, the more people start to see your business page on their website.

I'll admit that it hasn't been as helpful as Craigslist or Twitter. While I currently have over 20 reviews (mostly good), it feels like it will be impossible to get enough reviews to beat the giant companies. There is one cleaning company with over 300 reviews. Hard to compete with that. They have called me a few times to try advertising, but it's very expensive and without a website, I'm not entirely sure it's the best route to take.

All said and done, it does bring in new clients. More importantly, I've had clients find me on Craigslist and ask if I have a Yelp page. So I guess as I always checked restaurants with it, people depend on it for home cleaning and pretty much everything else these days. Good to have even if it's not your first (or second or third) way of getting work.

I'll share some of my other favorite methods in the next post, one of which actually goes hand-in-hand with Twitter.

-C

The post before all others!

I decided I'd write this at the request of a friend and family member. I've been working as a home cleaning professional (or maid) for about three years now. Over those three years, my salary has risen from minimum wage working for Maid Brigade, a large franchise, to making upwards of $70,000 working as a sole proprietor. Although I'm not terribly open about what I do, that figure is always shocking and most people don't believe it.

Because there's an endless amount of houses and apartments to be cleaned, and certainly not enough cleaners for the task, I'll be sharing my day to day (or week to week) journey in this career path. Hopefully I'll be able to offer some help as far as using the internet to get new clients. With Twitter, Facebook, Google, Angie's List, Yelp, and so many other websites, there really is an endless amount of opportunity to be found. It would seem most people either don't know about this line of work or they're embarrassed to take such a job! Money is money though. And it's good exercise. :)

For what it's worth, the term maid is seen as derogatory in many places. In the United States, and Philadelphia specifically, it's a completely normal word that just means a home cleaner. I think because our hotels have used the word for so long in a positive way (making your room clean and fresh) any derogatory connotation has long since passed.

Speaking of hotels, I used to work for one! I started out working for the Marriott and eventually the Four Seasons. I wasn't only a cleaner though of course, but that's how I got started. I eventually got bored of it and wanted to take my skills elsewhere, which is, of course, how I got into cleaning others' homes for a living.

Oddly, home cleaning is probably one of the best jobs you could have at this pay grade. Not only do I work for myself and set my own hours, but the work itself is very satisfying. Almost everyone can relate to cleaning their own home and feeling great about it when finished. That same feeling applies to cleaning others' homes too. Over time you become friends with your clients as well and that's just icing on the cake. (Tips go up too!) I'm fairly certain I make more than some of my clients, which makes me laugh to think about.

The best part of cleaning though? The exercise! No one understands how hard cleaning 3 homes a day is until they try it. The first time I went out with my friend working for the franchise, I was whipped after the first couple of bathrooms in the FIRST HOUSE muchless three entire homes. But now I'm in amazing shape, I leave every job with a smile on my face and real money in my pocket, and my freedom is mine.

4 years ago, I'd never imagine I'd be lucky enough to find a job like this. It's never going anywhere, and there's plenty of room for others, so if you somehow randomly stumble across this post, take a chance and give it a shot! God knows there's enough demand, I turn down almost all new work being offered to me these days or pass it on to a friend. My regulars take up all my time.

I want to get around to posting a little about the best ways to get started next, and if I get a little break this next week I'll start putting together something for all ya'all!

-C