What if there was a way you could almost guarantee that your business reaches 6 figures of profit (not revenue, profit)?
The way exists and it’s pretty simple - start acting like a business that does 6 figures in profit.
An example from health and fitness: if you want to have a six pack, do the things that people with six packs do (eat right, exercise, etc.). Sounds pretty obvious.
So here it is, part 1 of the 10 non-negotiables to have a 6-figure (profit) cleaning business
#1: Stop Cleaning
This is obvious. But if you’re still cleaning the majority of the time, it is extremely unlikely that your business will hit 6 figures of profit. Let’s do the math
The average working person has 2,080 working hours in a year (40 hours per week * 52 weeks)
Let’s say you charge the average cleaning wage for solo cleaners ($25/hr in my town). The most you can ever make is $52k. And that is revenue (not profit). You still have to pay for supplies, gas, insurance, etc.
Even if you charged 2x this rate ($50/hr) you would still only break $100K in revenue (not profit).
This also assumes you are fully booked. No PTO, no vacations, etc. By doing the cleaning, it is very unlikely that you will get to +$100k in profit.
#2: Have standard processes and procedures
There’s a reason McDonald’s is hugely successful despite having mediocre food. It’s because it offers a consistent experience. No matter where you are in the world, the McDonald’s experience is more or less the same.
People crave reliability and consistency. If your business doesn’t have standard checklists, procedures, SOPs, etc. it’s going to be tough to grow.
In our first year, we accepted everything. We grew, sure, but we didn’t do it profitably and it was pure chaos. It wasn’t until year 2 that we said “we will only do Airbnbs and we will be the best at it” that we actually saw some growth.
Consistency and reliability with standard processes build a strong business.
#3: Have a clear customer avatar
If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one. It’s not possible to be the best commercial cleaner, residential cleaner, Airbnb cleaner, and post-construction cleaner. No matter what the gurus say, it’s not possible.
Raising Cane’s nailed this when they determined to make the best chicken fingers in the world. Not chicken sandwiches and chicken fingers, just chicken fingers.
If you don’t know who your main customer is (busy mom who doesn’t have time to clean or Airbnbs that are 2,000 - 5,000 sq ft located downtown), then you will end up catering to a bunch of people who aren’t your main customer.
Identify who your main customer is and build your business around them.
Most owners think they’re doing the next non-negotiables… but almost nobody actually is.
They’re the reason some businesses hit 6-figure profit and others stall out at $40–60k forever.
I’ll share those in the next part of the series.
Until next time!
Logan
