S4 E 10 - Building a Successful Eco-safe Cleaning Business with Alexia Antoniadis

American gypC

On today's episode I had the pleasure of talking to Alexia Antoniadis about overcoming addiction and mental health to build a successful cleaning business. Alexia is the founder of Earth Cleaning, one of Melbourne Australia's most trusted eco-safe cleaning companies.

About Alexia

After struggling with addiction and mental health issues throughout my time at university, I started working as a domestic cleaner so that I wouldn't need to speak or interact with anyone. I found cleaning to be therapeutic and something I could manage to do to generate income that was tolerable, but never viewed it as a long term opportunity.

After COVID-19 I was out of work, and on Centrelink benefits, studying became even more difficult as I was remote learning, had to sit in front of a screen and could not ask questions.

After becoming desperate for money I tried many ways of generating quick income until eventually arriving at the conclusion that each income generation would be difficult in it's own way and it was up to me to "choose my hard". So I had the idea to start cleaning again, except this time I would be working independently, and keeping 100% my profits. I spent the last of my savings on an eco-safe cleaning kit and a professional vacuum cleaner, and went to my local office supply store to start printing flyers to drop in letterboxes as this was the only method of advertising I could afford at the time.

When I was just 20 years old, I realised the overwhelming demand for good cleaners. this was when I realised I had tapped into something that I could grow until I no longer needed to work. Once I saw this vision in my future, I promised myself I would do whatever it took to get there.

I have since grown Earth Cleaning into one of Melbourne's most trusted eco-safe cleaning companies and do not plan on stopping any time soon. We are a registered NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider and have expended into industrial and commercial cleaning as well as domestic.

Since having been fortunate enough to step away from physical cleaning and focus on management in 2024, my goal is to run Earth Cleaning with integrity and inclusivity, and to transform the service industry and the planet by eliminating the use of one use plastics and harsh chemicals wherever possible.

Earth Cleaning engage in charity fundraising to maximise the impact we have on the planets conservation.

Based on the philosophy that organisations can spark change on a greater scale than individuals can, she holds the wellbeing of her cleaners physical health and wellbeing as her top priority as the organisation grows and evolves.

In an era of young people who are always looking for a quick fix, falling into this experience has taught me that everything is hard in one way or another, and this shouldn't intimidate you into doing what everyone else is doing. There is still something to be said about sticking with something and seeing it through.

It is difficult to keep an attention span, maintain faith in yourself and your cause and not compare yourself to others; and even more difficult to be taken seriously as a woman or young person in business, but young people understand the future better than anyone else and have the power to achieve greatness!

Alexia Antoniadis

https://linktr.ee/Earthcleaning

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