The Uber of Cleaning? How Chris Randall Made Housework On-Demand and Human-Centered

Chris Randall walked away from a promising corporate career with a bold vision: to make house cleaning as easy as ordering a pizza, while empowering the people who do the work. That vision became Sweep, a tech-enabled platform that blends customer convenience with cleaner dignity. In this Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, Chris shares the leap from burnout-bound sales rep to founder of a fast-growing, systemized business. With transparency, tech, and trust at the core, his story proves that great startups don’t just disrupt—they elevate everyone involved.

Hi, Chris! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

At Sweep, we make house cleaning as easy as ordering a pizza. Through our app-based platform, customers can instantly customize and book residential cleanings with upfront pricing and total transparency. We serve busy families, professionals, and anyone craving a clean space without the hassle of quotes, contracts, or inconsistent cleaners.

But beyond the convenience for customers, Sweep creates real economic opportunities for independent cleaners. We give them access to a steady stream of jobs, professional support, and tools to succeed as independent contractors. The impact? A more dignified, flexible path for local workers, and a fresh take on how home services should be delivered.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

The moment that hit hardest was when I was no longer needed for every cleaning job. I remember the first week I stepped back from being “boots on the ground” and realized the business could operate without me physically present. That’s when it stopped being just a hustle and started becoming a company. Delegating that first set of cleanings felt like a trust fall, and it worked. From that point on, I saw Sweep as something I could grow, systemize, and scale, not just manage.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

I was working in corporate sales at Pepsi, and from the outside, everything looked great — steady income, career growth, solid company. But the deeper I got, the more I looked at people ahead of me — managers, directors — and realized… they weren’t happy. These were people who had "made it," and yet they were burned out, overworked, and stuck. I had this gut feeling: If I stay on this track, that’ll be me in eight years.

That was the spark. The flame came when I was listening to the audiobook My Master MBA during my commute. It got my wheels turning, and suddenly — lightbulb moment — the idea for Sweep hit me: an Uber-style platform for house cleaning. Something easy, modern, and transparent. A better experience for clients and cleaners. I knew right then I wasn’t just going to dream about starting something — I was going to build it.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Two words: Google Sheets. It’s not flashy, but we’ve turned it into a powerhouse that tracks everything from job records and cleaner payouts to sales commissions and financial summaries. It gives me full visibility into my business without the overhead of complicated software. 

But honestly, the real game-changer has been ChatGPT. It’s like having a full-time systems strategist, copywriter, operations consultant, and marketing assistant rolled into one — available 24/7. Whether I need to write a follow-up email to a client, systematize a new workflow, or brainstorm ways to improve the customer experience, it’s helped me save countless hours and stay focused on growing the business. It’s been a massive time-saver and a major reason Sweep is running more smoothly than ever. In fact, I used Chat GPT to help me organize my thoughts for these responses!

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

Early on, I avoided tracking the real numbers — things like app downloads, total cleanings, net earnings. Not because I didn’t know how, but because I didn’t want to see the truth. I think part of me feared that if I stared too hard at the data, it might confirm my worst thoughts: that the business wasn’t growing fast enough or that I wasn’t doing enough.

But ignoring the numbers doesn’t make the problems go away — it just delays the fix. That realization was a huge turning point. Now I document everything, even if it’s messy or incomplete at first. Tracking data gives me a true measuring stick and helps me make smarter decisions — whether that’s doubling down on a marketing channel or identifying inefficiencies in how we schedule cleanings.

It’s still a work in progress, but learning to embrace the numbers — instead of hiding from them — changed everything for me.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

Honestly, the entire structure of Sweep is unconventional by design.

I didn’t want to build another cleaning company. I wanted to reinvent how cleaning services are delivered and how cleaners are treated. That meant throwing out the traditional playbook and creating a new kind of experience for both clients and contractors.

Sweep offers clear, upfront pricing and an on-demand ordering system — no phone tag, no waiting on quotes, and no contracts. Clients customize their cleanings through our app just like they’d order takeout, which makes the whole process fast, flexible, and transparent.

On the other side, we built an open marketplace for cleaners. They choose the jobs that fit their schedule, earn more for 5-star reviews, and have a real path to higher earnings. It's not about squeezing them for margin — it's about rewarding excellence and building a network of trusted professionals who actually want to do great work.

This structure has completely flipped the traditional model on its head. It’s cleaner empowerment meets customer convenience — and it’s working.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

You can’t do it all forever — nor should you try. Systematize early. Document how you do things, even if you're the only one doing them. That’s how you move from operator to owner.

Also, don’t wait until everything is “perfect” to launch. The market will give you better feedback than any planning session ever will. Start messy, stay curious, and adapt fast.

Want to dive deeper into Chris's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Sweep's website sweepllc.com
• Become a Sweeper!
• Follow Sweep on Instagram @cleanwithsweep
• Find Sweep on Facebook
• Subscribe to Sweep's YouTube channel
• Follow Sweep on X @cleanwithsweep