02 Jul 2025
Business

I am trying to build a Commercial Cleaning business from scratch

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.


Your are here

You're entering a "Swamp" category, meaning there are existing solutions for Commercial Cleaning businesses, but they aren't particularly loved or effective. With 4 similar products identified, there is moderate competition, but also validation that this is a real category. The average engagement is low, meaning that getting people to care about yet another commercial cleaning business will be tough. There aren't enough data to see a clear signal about whether people would use your product/service. There also wasn't a clear buy signal from other products. Be cautious here, you need to do something very different to stand out and succeed or else you should probably move on to a different idea.

Recommendations

  1. First, thoroughly research why current commercial cleaning businesses and solutions aren't meeting customer needs. Dive deep into understanding their pain points and frustrations. Use this research to identify opportunities for differentiation.
  2. If you proceed, niche down and focus on a very specific segment within the commercial cleaning market. Examples include: eco-friendly cleaning, specialized cleaning for medical facilities, or cleaning for high-end retail spaces. A focused approach will help you tailor your services and marketing efforts.
  3. Instead of directly competing with existing cleaning businesses, consider developing tools or services that support them. This could be a software solution for scheduling and management (like FreshOps, which received positive feedback for streamlining these tasks, but criticism for reporting capabilities), a marketplace for connecting cleaners with clients, or a training program for improving cleaning quality.
  4. Explore adjacent problems related to commercial spaces that might be more promising. Perhaps focus on facility maintenance, energy efficiency solutions, or waste management services. These areas might have less competition and greater potential for innovation.
  5. Given the challenges in this category, seriously consider whether this is the best use of your time and resources. There might be other business opportunities that align better with your skills and offer a higher chance of success. Don't be afraid to pivot to a completely different idea.
  6. Based on the reviews of the similar product 'FreshOps', focus on creating customizable report templates and integrating client feedback mechanisms into your service or platform if you choose to create one. This addresses key areas where existing solutions fall short.
  7. Carefully analyze why the product Presto, which offered SMS reminders and a chat system, didn't receive more traction. Understand the factors that limited its success and identify potential pitfalls to avoid.

Questions

  1. What are the specific unmet needs or pain points within the commercial cleaning industry that your business will address in a fundamentally different way?
  2. How will you differentiate your commercial cleaning business from existing solutions to avoid becoming just another mediocre option in a crowded market?
  3. Considering the low engagement observed in similar products, what innovative marketing and customer acquisition strategies will you employ to gain traction and build a loyal customer base?

Your are here

You're entering a "Swamp" category, meaning there are existing solutions for Commercial Cleaning businesses, but they aren't particularly loved or effective. With 4 similar products identified, there is moderate competition, but also validation that this is a real category. The average engagement is low, meaning that getting people to care about yet another commercial cleaning business will be tough. There aren't enough data to see a clear signal about whether people would use your product/service. There also wasn't a clear buy signal from other products. Be cautious here, you need to do something very different to stand out and succeed or else you should probably move on to a different idea.

Recommendations

  1. First, thoroughly research why current commercial cleaning businesses and solutions aren't meeting customer needs. Dive deep into understanding their pain points and frustrations. Use this research to identify opportunities for differentiation.
  2. If you proceed, niche down and focus on a very specific segment within the commercial cleaning market. Examples include: eco-friendly cleaning, specialized cleaning for medical facilities, or cleaning for high-end retail spaces. A focused approach will help you tailor your services and marketing efforts.
  3. Instead of directly competing with existing cleaning businesses, consider developing tools or services that support them. This could be a software solution for scheduling and management (like FreshOps, which received positive feedback for streamlining these tasks, but criticism for reporting capabilities), a marketplace for connecting cleaners with clients, or a training program for improving cleaning quality.
  4. Explore adjacent problems related to commercial spaces that might be more promising. Perhaps focus on facility maintenance, energy efficiency solutions, or waste management services. These areas might have less competition and greater potential for innovation.
  5. Given the challenges in this category, seriously consider whether this is the best use of your time and resources. There might be other business opportunities that align better with your skills and offer a higher chance of success. Don't be afraid to pivot to a completely different idea.
  6. Based on the reviews of the similar product 'FreshOps', focus on creating customizable report templates and integrating client feedback mechanisms into your service or platform if you choose to create one. This addresses key areas where existing solutions fall short.
  7. Carefully analyze why the product Presto, which offered SMS reminders and a chat system, didn't receive more traction. Understand the factors that limited its success and identify potential pitfalls to avoid.

Questions

  1. What are the specific unmet needs or pain points within the commercial cleaning industry that your business will address in a fundamentally different way?
  2. How will you differentiate your commercial cleaning business from existing solutions to avoid becoming just another mediocre option in a crowded market?
  3. Considering the low engagement observed in similar products, what innovative marketing and customer acquisition strategies will you employ to gain traction and build a loyal customer base?

  • Confidence: Medium
    • Number of similar products: 4
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 1
  • Net use signal: 20.0%
    • Positive use signal: 20.0%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 20.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 20.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

freshOps - Simple & Affordable Cleaning Business Software

Want to streamline your operations? freshOps is your ultimate commercial cleaning software! Simplify tasks, manage teams and boost productivity today!

Users praise FreshOps as a great commercial cleaning software, highlighting its ability to streamline scheduling and team management. It saves time and reduces headaches associated with these tasks.

The primary criticism centers on the need for more customizable report templates. Users also desire better client feedback integration to streamline communication and improve overall workflow.


Avatar
5
2
50.0%
50.0%
2
5
50.0%
50.0%
Relevance

Presto - Web software for managing cleaning services and finances.

Manage your cleaning business with ease. Our platform offers: - Financial management (expenses, payrolls, etc) - Service scheduling with recurring tasks - SMS reminders for clients - Built-in chat for client communication - Comprehensive reports and dashboards

The Product Hunt launch received some positive feedback, with users finding the SMS reminders and chat system particularly interesting. One comment was deleted.


Avatar
8
2
2
8
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