How to start a cleaning business, from a millennial founder who booked $150,000 in revenue last year

• In 2016, Kaylie Hill quit her job to launch a cleaning business in Orange County, California.
• Last year, she booked $150,000 in revenue and surpassed 1 million TikTok followers.

Kaylie Hill always knew her business would become successful. It was just a matter of when.

In 2016, Hill started Neat and Clean, a home-cleaning and organizing business based in Orange County, California. Since then, she's generated a loyal customer base and earned nearly $150,000 in revenue last year from a mix of cleaning clients and social media income, according to documents verified by Insider.

Part of her success stems from her TikTok account, where more than 1 million followers watch her organize client homes, learn cleaning tips, and get advice on launching their own cleaning startup through her digital-training program Tidycademy.

Her business guidance comes at a crucial time for women, who lost more jobs than men during the pandemic. What's more, they're moving to gig work in record numbers: Women represent 46% of the independent-contracting workforce as of 2021, a 13% increase from 2017, according to the policy group the American Action Forum.

Additionally, work-when-you-can schedules and the ability to change jobs based on COVID-19 restrictions make gig work appealing for women, according to Axios.

Despite the pandemic closing many businesses, Hill says the cleaning industry has "proven to be pandemic-proof" as her startup has become more profitable each year since its founding.

Here are Hill's three steps for building a cleaning business, using TikTok to grow your customer base, and teaching a new class of entrepreneurs.

Set the right price based on market research

Hill originally went to school for orthodontics and held other jobs in administration but didn't want to "sit in a cube all day, writing emails and entering data," she said. She quit her job, launched Neat and Clean (now called Tidycademy), and promoted the business through paper flyers and free listings on Craigslist. However, she's since transitioned to TikTok as her primary mode of marketing and brand building.

For entrepreneurs looking to launch their own cleaning business, Hill emphasized the importance of using market research to determine your prices. She charges clients between $40 and $50 per hour and encourages other cleaners to do the same.

"It really depends on where you live," Hill said. "Don't feel like you have to charge a cheap price just because you're new."

Use social media to grow your brand

Hill joined TikTok in July 2020 and believes her storytelling videos combined with her soothing voice drew viewers to her account. One of her early videos, in which she shared housekeeper hacks on how to be courteous, was viewed more than 700,000 times and led to 15,000 followers almost immediately.

The key to growing an audience and connecting with them is authenticity, she said. "I don't want to promote anything on my TikTok that I don't already love and use," she added.

To be sure, maintaining a social presence does add to her workload. Between editing and posting previous videos, filming cleaning jobs, and replying to comments, she says it feels like working two jobs.

But growing her social media brand ushered in thousands of dollars in additional revenue, she said. In fact, in 2022, it was the most lucrative branch of her business, bringing in $108,000 of her $150,000 in annual revenue, she added.

Find new opportunities as you grow

After five years, Hill has cut down on the number of cleaning and organizing clients. She typically works on two or three organizing jobs per month and has two regular cleaning clients. Now, she's aiming to focus on growing online, building her brand and community, and working with brand partners she's excited about.

Much like the certification she received in orthodontics school, Hill also launched a set of courses other cleaners can take to boost their knowledge of best practices, products, and company promotion.

While she doesn't think all cleaners should have to receive a certificate to launch their brands, she "would like to give clients that extra stamp of approval."