I went from being unemployed to making £500k a year – I have no skills or qualifications & was only 18 when I started
RUNNING a successful business with no qualifications may seem like a pipe dream but for one man, its his reality.
Australian Jason Shipway, better known as Jason Cleans, now earns £500,000 a year with his cleaning company.
Speaking on his podcast Self Maid, Jason revealed how he went from making less than minimum wage cleaning houses to growing his own empire.
With no official qualifications, he recalled how difficult it was to find work.
After a string of dead end interviews in 2020, Jason decided to become his own boss.
“At a certain point I just said to myself ‘I’m never going to make any money working for someone,’ especially because I’m someone who has no skills and qualifications,” he said.
At the age of 18, he asked himself what business he could start “with no money and no skills.”
Jason eventually narrowed down his options to detailing cars, mowing lawns, or cleaning homes.
Deciding that car detailing was too niche and a lawn company would require start up capital that he did not have, he was left with one option.
He pointed out that a cleaning company was the safest bet, given it’s recurring revenue model and minimal investment.
Jason added that the business model of a cleaning company would also allow him to project his annual earnings based on his customer base.
The “low barrier entry in terms of knowledge” was also a huge draw for his younger self, who YouTubed cleaning videos and practiced in his own home for “a couple of weeks.”
Once he had built up his confidence, he set out putting flyers for his business Enhanced Cleaning through people’s letterboxes.
Jason estimates that he average between 200 to 400 homes each day he was “beating the pavement” under the Western Australian sun.
Despite his efforts and the long days, the flyers didn’t gain much traction.
Jason explained that one of three things can go wrong when adevertising: Message, media, or marketing.
He soon realised it was his message that was confusing potential clients, calling it “really long and too difficult to read.”
Once he developed simpler to-the-point ads, he started gaining customers.
However it wasn’t until he ran his first online contest that business really took off.
Do I need to pay tax on my side hustle income?
MANY people feeling strapped for cash are boosting their bank balance with a side hustle.
The good news is, there are plenty of simple ways to earn some additional income – but you need to know the rules.
When you’re employed the company you work for takes the tax from your earnings and pays HMRC so you don’t have to.
But anyone earning extra cash, for example from selling things online or dog walking, may have to do it themselves.
Stephen Moor, head of employment at law firm Ashfords, said: “Caution should be taken if you’re earning an additional income, as this is likely to be taxable.
“The side hustle could be treated as taxable trading income, which can include providing services or selling products.”
You can make a gross income of up to £1,000 a year tax-free via the trading allowance, but over this and you’ll usually need to pay tax.
Stephen added: “You need to register for a self-assessment at HMRC to ensure you are paying the correct amount of tax.
“The applicable tax bands and the amount of tax you need to pay will depend on your income.”
If you fail to file a tax return you could end up with a surprise bill from HMRC later on asking you to pay the tax you owe – plus extra fees on top.
“I ran a competition, which I credit as being the thing that single-handedly launched my business in the beginning,” he explained.
Offering up the coveted prize of a month of free cleaning, Jason enticed people to refer friends for a better chance of winning.
Instead of simply taking a name and contact details for the entry requirement, he asked a series of questions, seeking out potential customers.
“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 were basically pre-qualifying themselves as people who want a cleaning, which is who I wanted as my customers.”
By the time of the draw, Jason had amassed 500 entries and was able to generate 15 to 20 paying cutomers from the list.
“I just got on the phone with them and said ‘Hey, you entered this competition to win a free cleaning, would you maybe like to get a quote for some ongoing cleaning work for your house?'” he said.
“A lot of people did book quotes with me and I was able to get customers worth almost £52,000 a year.
“When you think about it, in terms of return on investment, spending £130 worth of my time [on free cleanings] in exhange for £52,000 a year worth of revenue, that’s a very good deal.”
He pointed out that “any advertizing agency would gawk at those numbers.”
Jason explained that comeptitions are a “great way to quickly boost business, especially from a standing start” and create “organic virality” online.
After the “raging success” of his first competition, Jason began reinvesting the money he earned into more advertisements.
He was soon able to convert the £15.60 per hour rate of his first clients into a growing business.
Four years later, Enhanced Cleaning has a team of staff and creates £520,000 a year in revenue.
And Jason is able to focus on other tasks, whether its his TikTok presence, speed cleaning competitions, or a well-earned vacation.
