Use Case: Clyn vs Thumbtack

Transforming Profitability for Cleaning Partners

Overview:

Our cleaning partner, Clean Suite, previously relied on Thumbtack, a lead generation platform. Despite investing $2,000 per month for a subscription and an additional $8,000 for leads (totaling $10,000 per month), they faced significant challenges. Clean Suite had to constantly bid against competitors, leading to a pricing war where some cleaning companies offered unsustainably low prices—$9–$35 for deep cleaning services—to win initial business. These companies aimed to upsell customers later at a profitable rate of $150–$200, but this strategy rarely worked. Customers often returned to Thumbtack for the next cheap offer, trapping Clean Suite in a cycle of unprofitable one-off jobs.

Additionally, the return on investment (ROI) was long—taking 6-8 months to break even, with no guarantee of customer retention or repeat business. The constant need to chase leads and compete on price made the Thumbtack model unsustainable for Clean Suite.

Clyn’s Model:

Clyn changed the game for Clean Suite by connecting them directly to short-term rental (STR) agencies, who require regular, higher-margin cleanings (2–4 times a month, at $180–$225 per cleaning). Rather than competing for one-off customers, Clyn sets up reliable, recurring business relationships.

In this case, Clean Suite was introduced to an STR agency managing 60 properties. Clyn managed the customer acquisition entirely, including identifying a high-value STR client, orienting the agency on how Clyn works, making the introduction, and facilitating a test run. Clean Suite paid a one-time $3,000 setup fee for this connection. Once integrated, Clyn handled all the bookings automatically, based on the agency’s check-out schedules, ensuring Clean Suite’s services were consistently in demand without any additional effort on their part.

Clyn charges a 20% commission on each cleaning, but Clean Suite’s ability to secure long-term, recurring business at higher rates more than compensated for this fee. Clean Suite shifted from chasing leads to enjoying guaranteed, profitable business with a high-value client.

  
      Metric
      Thumbtack Model
      Clyn Model
    
      Monthly Spend
      $10,000 ($2,000 subscription + $8,000 for leads)
      $3,000 one-time setup fee for STR customer
    
      Customer Acquisition
      Requires constant bidding and chasing leads
      Clyn finds high-value STR clients and manages the entire introduction and onboarding process, including a test run
    
      Pricing
      $9–$35 per deep clean (initial) with hope to upsell
      $180–$225 per cleaning
    
      Customer Frequency
      One-off customers, low retention
      2–4 cleanings per month per property
    
      Revenue
      Inconsistent, low-margin, hard to predict
      $40,500/month ($225 x 3 cleanings x 60 properties)
    
      Net Profit
      Difficult to achieve without upselling
      $32,400/month
    
      ROI Timeline
      6–8 months to break even
      Immediate, profitable from month one
    
      Sales/Marketing Spend
      High—$10,000/month for leads and bidding
      None—Clyn handles acquisition, onboarding, and automates bookings for recurring revenue

Key Takeaways:

Lower Acquisition Cost: Clean Suite paid a one-time $3,000 setup fee to gain a reliable, high-value STR customer, compared to an ongoing $10,000/month spend on Thumbtack.
Higher Margins: With Clyn, Clean Suite earned significantly more per service ($180–$225 per cleaning) compared to the highly competitive and low-margin Thumbtack model.
Recurring Revenue: Instead of one-off jobs, Clean Suite now enjoys predictable, recurring business with STR properties that require multiple cleanings each month.
Eliminated Sales Effort: Clyn manages the entire customer acquisition process, including setting up initial test runs and automating all future bookings, allowing Clean Suite to focus solely on service delivery without the burden of lead generation or sales.

Financial Impact:

Lower Acquisition Cost: Clean Suite paid a one-time $3,000 setup fee to gain a reliable, high-value STR customer, compared to an ongoing $10,000/month spend on Thumbtack.
Higher Margins: With Clyn, Clean Suite earned significantly more per service ($180–$225 per cleaning) compared to the highly competitive and low-margin Thumbtack model.
Recurring Revenue: Instead of one-off jobs, Clean Suite now enjoys predictable, recurring business with STR properties that require multiple cleanings each month.
Eliminated Sales Effort: Clyn manages the entire customer acquisition process, including setting up initial test runs and automating all future bookings, allowing Clean Suite to focus solely on service delivery without the burden of lead generation or sales.

Conclusion:

Clyn revolutionized Clean Suite's business by shifting their focus from unprofitable, one-off customers to long-term, high-value partnerships with STR agencies. This reduced costs, increased profitability, and established a reliable, recurring revenue stream. Investors can clearly see how Clyn's business model delivers sustainable, high-margin growth by transforming the customer acquisition process for cleaning partners.