Ok friends, I need a little bit of advice. I've been cleaning for this gal and her family since right after I started my business in September. It's a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom house. It's huge! I believe it's about 4,000 sq feet. 3 kids, one on the way, and the husband all live in the house. I started off doing just 3 hours. And I was able to hit most of the house because she kept it so tidy. But it's started to get harder to clean as it just gets messier and messier every time I go. Dishes, sheets laid out for me to change, etc. I don't mind doing these tasks at all because as a working, single mom, all I want is to just be able to come home after my cleaner has been there and relax and I like providing that feeling to this family. They have never had any complaints about my work, and are very appreciative, even after I told her I needed an extra hour every 2 weeks to try and get the house. But it's still not enough time. I know it's only going to get worse as soon as the baby comes. I need more time to clean this house, but idk how to approach it after already getting her to let me add an extra hour on. I don't want to seem incompetent or unable to perform, because I can, I just need to be realistic. For reference, after the increased time frame, I'm charging $170 for this clean every 2 weeks. I was very naive when I first started in how long it would take me to clean and that's on me, but I also don't want to keep working longer than I should and not get paid for it, you know? I know this is long and I could keep going, so I appreciate you reading this far, lol! Any advice is welcomed and appreciated ❤️ Thank you!

I just started my commercial cleaning business in September, and acquiring clients is a little bit more challenging than expected. I want my primary focus to be on the business ,however, I have a little one to feed. I have an interview tomorrow for an onsite job opportunity that is the standard working hours. This job will pay very well and will allow me the funds that I need in the meantime while navigating my business. So why am I telling you all this? I really believe in my vision for my company but I know this is a temporary step I need to take... my goal is two years and then transfer out to focus on the business again, and I would love ya'll support with staying encouraged. I decided that I will work on cleanings until I have enough cash flow to pay out employees which means, late nights and early mornings for the first 3 to 6 months. Since we are a community in this, any encouraging words of advice and support, would be greatly appreciated. #THEREALITIESOFSTARTINGABUSINESS

I teased it earlier in the week that I’d like to do a challenge (I love challenges). I wanted something fair, which equally engages whether you’re small (me) or you have a large business. Between November 1 and December 15, the winner of this challenge will win $100 for the holidays. How to win: 👉 3 points for every recurring proposal delivered. Doesn’t matter if it’s commercial or residential. 👉 1 point for every one time -or- temporary service proposal delivered. Temporary includes services that last for a month or less (eg a deep clean, PCC, etc). Doesn’t matter if commercial or residential. On December 16, add up your points. Post your score. It’ll be an honor system. I want you to post your own identifier of that prospect, how you met them, and the outcome after delivering that proposal. It doesn’t matter if they agreed to your proposal or not. Why proposals only? There were times I had zero growth goals. I wanted to solidify what I had. So if this is your goal, this makes it easy to participate. I also don’t want to put you in a cash flow crunch (been there, done that). The winner will be paid out around the 17th or 18th, after points are tallied, preferably through Venmo. Good luck!!!!

Hey all, thank you so much for having me as a part of the community! I've got kind of a situation with a client of mine that I'm doing post-remodeling cleans for. They had me come in to do 8 apartments for them. The apartments weren't all the way finished, and I was told that whatever mess was made after I cleaned was theirs to clean up. Now, I'm being asked to come back and re-clean 3 of them this week. In my bid, I didn't include touch ups in there. I feel like I should be paid for having to go back, but I'm not sure how to proceed or what to even say. Any input is welcome and greatly appreciated. Thank you!