I went from being unemployed to earning £500,000 a year, I was 18 when I started
Running a successful business without qualifications may seem like a pipe dream, but for one man it’s reality.
Australian Jason Shipway, better known as Jason Cleans, now earns £500,000 a year from his cleaning business.
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Speaking in his podcast Self-helpJason shared how he went from working as a cleaner earning less than minimum wage to building an empire and his own business.
He told how difficult it was to find work despite having no official qualifications.
After a series of failed job interviews in 2020, Jason decided to become his own boss.
“At one point I said to myself, ‘I’m never going to make money working for someone,’ especially because I don’t have any skills or qualifications myself,” he said.
Read more about additional income
At age 18, he wondered what business he could start “with no money and no skills.”
Ultimately, Jason narrowed his options down to cleaning cars, mowing lawns, and cleaning houses.
He decided that car cleaning was too specialized and that a lawn service would require start-up capital that he didn’t have, so he was left with only one option.
He indicated that a cleaning company was the safest choice, given the recurring revenue model and minimal investment.
Jason added that the cleaning company business model would also allow him to predict his annual revenue based on his client base.
The “low barrier to entry in terms of knowledge” was also a big draw for his younger self, who watched cleaning videos on YouTube and practiced at home “for a few weeks.”
Once he built up his confidence, he started distributing flyers for his business Improved cleaning through people’s mailboxes.
Jason estimates he visited an average of between 200 and 400 homes a day while ‘working’ under the Western Australian sun.
Despite his efforts and the long days, the flyers did not have much success.
Jason explained that there are three things that can go wrong with advertising: the message, the media, or the marketing.
He quickly realized that it was his message that was confusing potential customers, calling it “very long and too hard to read.”
Once he developed simpler, more concrete ads, he began recruiting customers.
But it wasn’t until he hosted his first online contest that his business really started to take off.
Do I have to pay tax on my additional income?
MANY people who are short of cash supplement their bank balance with a part-time job.
The good news is that there are plenty of easy ways to make some extra money, you just need to know the rules.
When you are employed, the company you work for withholds tax from your income and pays it to the tax authorities, so you don’t have to.
But if you want to make extra money, say by selling stuff online or walking dogs, you may have to do it yourself.
Stephen Moor, head of employment at law firm Ashfords, said: “Be careful if you earn additional income as this is likely to be taxable.
“The additional income can be classified as taxable income from trade, which can consist of providing services or selling products.”
You can earn a tax-free gross income of up to £1,000 per year through the trading exemption. However, you will usually have to pay tax on this amount.
Stephen added: “You should register for a self-assessment with HMRC to ensure you pay the correct amount of tax.
“The applicable tax brackets and the amount of tax you must pay depend on your income.”
If you don’t file a tax return, you may receive an unexpected bill from the tax authorities later asking you to pay the tax due, plus additional costs.
“I ran a competition and I think that’s what got my business started in the first place,” he explains.
Jason offered the coveted prize of a month’s free cleaning and encouraged people to refer their friends for a greater chance to win.
Instead of just taking your name and contact information for the entry requirements, he asked a series of questions to recruit potential clients.
“They answered questions [such as] “When was the last time you had your house cleaned?” “Are you interested in having it cleaned?” “Have you had it cleaned before?” he explained.
“They actually wanted a cleaning company, and those were the customers I wanted.”
At the time of the drawing, Jason had collected 500 entries and was able to generate 15-20 paying customers from the list.
“I just called them and said, ‘Hey, you entered a contest where you can win a free cleaning. Would you like to get a quote for cleaning services in your house?'” he said.
“Many people have requested quotes from me and I have been able to acquire customers worth almost £52,000 per year.
“If you think about it, in terms of return on investment, I spend £130 of my time [on free cleanings] “In return for a turnover of £52,000 a year, that’s a very good deal.”
He pointed out that ‘any advertising agency would stare at those numbers with their mouths open’.
Jason explained that contests are a “great way to quickly boost your business, especially if you’re starting from scratch” and that they go “organically viral” online.
After the “overwhelming success” of his first contest, Jason began investing the money he earned into more advertising.
He was soon able to turn his first clients’ £15.60 hourly rate into a growing business.
Four years later, Enhanced Cleaning has a team of employees and generates a turnover of £520,000 per year.
And Jason can focus on other tasks, whether it’s his TikTok attendance, cleaning competitions or a well-deserved holiday.
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