From Immigrant to Cleaning Business Owner (Her Story)

How does an immigrant build a successful cleaning business during COVID while raising a family? In this interview, Karina Cohen shares how she went from Ukraine to owning CR Maids, breaking down real lessons on starting a cleaning business, building systems, hiring the right people, and balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood. If you're thinking about starting a cleaning business, launching a maid service, or building any local service business, this conversation covers what actually matters: creating strong systems, building customer relationships, navigating competition, and using technology to grow sustainably. Karina shares how her journey as an immigrant shaped her mindset, why she chose entrepreneurship over traditional paths, and how she built a business while homeschooling her daughter and adapting to the challenges of COVID-19. In this episode we discuss: • Starting a cleaning business during COVID-19 • The reality of building a maid service from scratch • W2 vs 1099: hiring the right cleaning teams • Balancing motherhood, homeschooling, and business ownership • Customer relationships that drive long-term growth • Competing in the cleaning industry • Using technology to streamline operations • Building systems that scale a service business • Lessons from failure, intuition, and personal growth Whether you're starting a cleaning company, a home service business, or scaling any local service operation, the lessons in this conversation apply to entrepreneurs focused on long-term success. Chapters 00:00 Meet Karina Cohen & CR Maids 02:36 From Ukraine to Entrepreneur 05:19 Why Business Ownership = Freedom 08:07 Homeschooling While Running a Business 11:04 Rethinking Traditional Education 13:54 The Start of Her Entrepreneurial Journey 16:44 Launching a Cleaning Business During COVID 27:05 The Hard Truth About Starting a Maid Service 34:08 Competing in the Cleaning Industry 45:52 Hiring Cleaners: W2 vs 1099 Breakdown 54:08 Managing Customers & Service Providers 55:20 Redefining Success as an Entrepreneur 58:17 The Real Journey of Business Ownership 01:01:14 Using Technology to Grow a Cleaning Business 01:04:45 Lessons From Failure & Challenges 01:11:22 Growth, Happiness & Life Perspective Want to build your first $10K/month service business? 👉 Start here: https://start.bookingkoala.com/10k-system Join 20,000+ worldwide (🧽 cleaning, 💩 poop scooping, 🚗 mobile detailing, etc). 💬 Join our Facebook community of entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bookingkoala 📖 Blog post: https://www.bookingkoala.com/blog/from-cleaning-solo-during-covid-to-full-fledged-cleaning-service-cr-maids/ 🎤 BookingKoala customer? Share your story and earn $500: https://new.bookingkoala.com/share/ Disclaimer: Results shown are examples and not typical outcomes. Results depend on market conditions, business structure, and individual execution.