{"id":47263,"date":"2021-02-09T12:16:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T17:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=47263"},"modified":"2021-06-17T08:40:50","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T12:40:50","slug":"gocleanco-sarah-mcallister-how-to-instagram-grow-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/gocleanco-sarah-mcallister-how-to-instagram-grow-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Her Cleaning Hacks Have Won 1.7 Million Instagram Fans — and Fueled Her Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sarah
Sarah McAllister has been an entrepreneur since she was in her 20s, but didn’t expect the rapid growth that a pandemic-inspired cleaning frenzy would bring. (Credit: GoCleanCo)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the pandemic<\/a> forced us to stay inside and stare at screens<\/a>, it also forced us to realize just how dirty our houses are. And that combination is exactly what Sarah McAllister needed for her business<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of last March — the notorious month when the virus had wrapped itself around the planet — McAllister\u2019s cleaning company, GoCleanCo<\/a>, was attracting a customer base unlike ever before. The founder and CEO now boasts 1.7 million Instagram followers, a variety of cleaning e-guides up for purchase, and a clientele beyond her imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my head, I always kind of thought, 10 years and I\u2019ll be here,\u201d said the 37-year-old McAllister. \u201cIt happened in 10 months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Related: <\/em>The Femtech Market is Booming. Here are Some of the Risks and Rewards<\/em><\/a>] <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

McAllister founded the business in 2018 when she saw a gap in the market for a residential, no-strings-attached cleaning service. Instead of typical routine housekeeping, the GoCleanCo team can be hired in Calgary, Canada, for one-off or periodic deep cleans  \u2014 we\u2019re talking top-to-bottom, hair-out-of-your-drain cleaning \u2014 at a price point ranging in the hundreds of dollars, depending on square footage, number of rooms, and even number of pets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A serial entrepreneur, she also owned a dog walking company in Calgary for 15 years, but gave it up when she realized more people needed their houses cleaned than their dogs walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For almost two years, McAllister ran her business in typical startup fashion — testing business models from surface cleaning and green cleaning to deep cleaning; employing high school grads and training them with her mother (the woman behind McAllister\u2019s cleaning knowledge); and perhaps most importantly, trying to build the company’s reputation online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the rise of a pandemic gave McAllister an entirely new advantage: people, now globally, wanted to be germ-free, and she had a few cleaning tricks up her sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning a #Cleaningarmy on Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day, I just posted \u2018Jesus, this is dirty. I\u2019ll show you how to clean it.\u2019 And it was like wildfire,\u201d said McAllister,  who only had 10,000 followers at the start of last year. \u201cThen the pandemic hits, and I just knew how valuable it would be for us to have a bigger online presence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GoCleanCo, which had paused in-person cleaning services, began using Instagram stories to show people how to clean as per CDC standards — from making your own disinfectant to scouring hard surfaces. The panicked crowds took a liking to it. (If anyone wishes to recall, this was around the time we were avidly disinfecting our groceries and sterilizing our mail.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just constantly sharing because I wasn\u2019t at work,\u201d McAllister said. \u201cI put out some really great content at the perfect moment in time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What brought the trophy home for McAllister wasn\u2019t just her arm-against-Covid cleaning tips, it was her “hacks” that range from using Tide laundry powder for scrubbing floors to using Dawn dish soap for removing calcium build-up from your shower, all information that she gave out at no cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t long before the online community began using her methods to keep themselves occupied during lockdown, and many would credit GoCleanCo on Instagram for their hacks, especially for the magic Tide recipe McAllister is now known for. (McAllister\u2019s fixation with Tide recently also caught the attention of Katie Couric<\/a>, and her cleaning tricks earned a mention in InStyle<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Related: <\/em>From Apps to Disinfectant, Here\u2019s What Your Business Needs During Covid-19<\/em><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day in March, McAllister would wake up to thousands of new followers \u2014 fans who soon came to be known as the #cleaningarmy, who spiked sales for McAllister\u2019s ebooks (which reiterate all of her Instagram cleaning tips, but in a more organized fashion) and led to sponsorships with her preferred brands, such as cleaning products company Vileda and homegoods retailer Canadian Tire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am very picky about sponsorships, they need to be authentic and on brand, and focus on our niche,\u201d the CEO said. \u201cWe decline a lot of offers because they simply don\u2019t work for my vision and my followers trust me so much that I am not willing to back something I don\u2019t believe in.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Path to Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Sarah
Ironically, Sarah McAllister wouldn’t describe herself as a “clean freak” by nature. Most of her tips and tricks, such as the Tide hack, were learned cleaning with her mother and grandmother. [Credit: GoCleanCo]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These days, the star turn on Instagram has changed the trajectory of  McAllister’s company. While she was forced to cut her team last summer, in anticipation of fewer clients upon reopening, she is now booked to capacity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the revenue generated from sponsorships and sales of McAllister’s cleaning e-guides have helped insulate the company, after a second lockdown<\/a> in Calgary pushed back GoCleanCo\u2019s home visits. The e-guides, which sell for as much as $40 CAD, have \u201cchanged the entire ecosystem of the business,\u201d although McAllister declined to share how many have been sold thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Related:<\/em> A Brooklyn Bakeshop\u2019s Sweet Milestone in a Sour Year<\/em><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe handbook is a best seller and has given us freedom to hire smart people who are innovative about our online presence and expand the cleaning company,\u201d McAllister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started off as a 2-person operation is now an all-women team of 20 and counting, and McAllister hopes to grow GoCleanCo\u2019s residential cleaning business and continue to hire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really important to me, being able to employ people and help contribute to the economy,\u201d said McAlliser, who formerly held every role imaginable in the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having grown quickly via Instagram, she advises other entrepreneurs who wish to do the same to make sure they publish valuable content — even if it means revealing certain tricks and tips.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to give away your secrets because it comes back tenfold,\u201d McAllister said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s Note: The Story Exchange is celebrating its 10th anniversary by launching the annual\u00a0Women In Science Incentive Prize<\/a>. Apply\u00a0now<\/a>\u00a0for a chance to receive $5,000 in funding for your climate-related research or startup. Deadline: July 31.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sarah McAllister started GoCleanCo when she saw a gap in the cleaning market. Two years later, the pandemic hit and business boomed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":47278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[19483,19683,19799,19699],"class_list":["post-47263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-eco-friendly","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-social-media-marketing","tag-women-in-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGoCleanCo\u2019s Sarah McAllister on How to Use Instagram to Grow Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sarah McAllister started GoCleanCo when she saw a gap in the cleaning market. 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