Model behind the numbers: a solo operator, month four, about 18 recurring clients plus one-off fill. No income promises; every line below is either a labeled assumption or a sourced figure.
| Line | Worked example | Your month |
|---|---|---|
| Cleans completed | 40 | |
| Average ticket (survey band: standard cleans $125-225; $25-50 per cleaner-hour) | $160 | $ |
| Gross revenue | $6,400 | $ |
| Supplies (~$5/clean, assumption; refine from receipts) | -$200 | -$ |
| General liability + janitorial bond (GL average ~$45/mo; bond ~$126/yr) | -$56 | -$ |
| Phone, booking software, card fees (assumption) | -$60 | -$ |
| Vehicle (business miles x $0.76/mile, IRS rate July 1-Dec 31, 2026) | -$304 (400 mi) | -$ |
| Net profit before tax | ~$5,780 | $ |
| Tax set-aside transferred (25-30% of net, planning heuristic; SE tax alone is 15.3% of 92.35% of net) | ~$1,450 | $ |
| Take-home in the owner's pocket | ~$4,000-4,350 | $ |
Worked example from "The honest money" with labeled assumptions. Roughly 10 cents of every revenue dollar never reaches you. Employed-wage anchor: maids and housekeeping cleaners mean $36,180/yr, median $16.66/hr (May 2024).
Count recurring clients today; count how many you lost last month (moves, cancellations, budget cuts, failures); divide. That is the share of the route you must re-acquire just to stand still. Published benchmark: recurring-customer churn of 4.9-7.6% monthly (MaidCentral Professional Cleaning Index, 150,000+ house cleanings/month, Dec 2025-Jun 2026).
| Month | Recurring clients | Lost this month | Replacement rate | Vs 4.9-7.6% band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Reading: at ten clients losing one a month is ten percent monthly, above the band and a treadmill. At forty losing three, 7.5 percent, inside the band and survivable with the review flywheel. Climbing two months running: diagnose the reliability stack, then pricing, then hire quality, in that order. Reference: a two-year biweekly client is worth 50+ visits.