Cleaning Business Today

What Cleaning Business Today does

Cleaning Business Today (CBT) is a privately held B2B trade media company founded in 2013 and headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, serving the residential cleaning industry. The publication targets two primary customer segments: residential cleaning company owners and managers (the editorial audience) and cleaning industry vendors and service providers (the advertiser base). Its core product is a WordPress-based content platform (cleaningbusinesstoday.com) with 350+ articles across 25+ topic categories spanning leadership, operations, sales and marketing, technology, financials, staff management, and industry news, complemented by a free email newsletter, a business directory, and advertising placements.

CBT monetizes primarily through advertising: display ads, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships, and directory listings. Revenue is heavily concentrated on a small set of repeat advertisers led by MaidCentral (cleaning business software), with additional recurring relationships with ISSA (trade association media partnership), ProTeam/Emerson (equipment), Gusto (payroll), and Responsibid (marketing technology). Adjacent products include the Core KPI Webinar Series, a monthly benchmarking program aggregating operational metrics from hundreds of cleaning companies, and the Smart Business Moves video series co-produced with MaidCentral. A free newsletter with a premium subscribers tier represents an early-stage subscription layer, while pricing for advertising is not publicly disclosed.

The company operates with a 1-10 person team, is bootstrapped (no disclosed funding), and is led by publisher Tom Stewart, who also owns Castle Keepers, a separate residential cleaning operator in Charleston, SC. There is no evidence of institutional investment, M&A activity, geographic expansion beyond the U.S., or proprietary AI/ML technology; the technology stack is a standard WordPress CMS with newsletter delivery infrastructure.

Name

Cleaning Business Today

Legal name

Cleaning Business Today

Website

https://cleaningbusinesstoday.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cleaning Business Today is a privately held B2B trade media company founded in 2013 that publishes news, benchmarking data, and operational resources for residential cleaning company owners and managers, monetized through display advertising, sponsored content, and directory listings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

North Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Display Advertising: Banner advertisements and sidebar placements from industry vendors including cleaning software providers, equipment manufacturers, payroll services, and industry associations. Visible throughout website pages and article content.
2. Sponsored Content: Sponsored articles featuring cleaning industry products, services, events, and educational programs. Includes video series content and event promotions.
3. Newsletter Subscriptions: Free industry newsletter with premium subscribers-only content and resources. Newsletter includes sponsored content and promotional placements.
4. Directory Listings: Business directory for cleaning industry vendors and service providers with premium placement options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cleaning Business Today is a digital trade media publication serving the residential cleaning industry, producing editorial content, industry news, management insights, webinars, video series, and a vendor directory. Its primary revenue comes from selling advertising placements, sponsored content, and directory listings to cleaning industry vendors and service providers, while content is distributed free to residential cleaning business owners and managers via its website and email newsletter.

Product overview

Cleaning Business Today is a media and content platform for the residential cleaning industry, offering a unified suite of information products including its core content platform publishing industry news and management resources, a free newsletter, a business directory, advertising opportunities, the Smart Business Moves video series, and the Core KPI webinar series covering operational metrics and benchmarks. The platform positions itself as the primary information resource where cleaning business leaders stay informed about industry trends, best practices, and growth strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleaning Business Today Content Platform Core editorial content platform publishing industry news, best practices, and operational guidance for residential cleaning business owners and managers, organized across 25+ topic categories.
• CBT Newsletter Free email newsletter delivering cleaning industry news, tips, and resources to subscribers, with a premium subscribers-only tier offering exclusive content.
• CBT Directory Online business directory where cleaning industry vendors and service providers can list their services and readers can find providers, with premium placement options available.
• CBT Advertising Advertising product offering display ads, newsletter sponsorships, and sponsored content placements targeting the residential cleaning industry's engaged audience of business owners and managers.
• Smart Business Moves Video Series Video series covering hiring, pricing, and growth strategies for residential cleaning business owners, co-branded with MaidCentral.
• Core KPI Webinar Series Monthly educational webinar series covering operational KPIs for cleaning businesses, including customer attrition, absentee rates, payroll percent to revenue, and rate increases, featuring industry benchmarking data from hundreds of cleaning companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Industry benchmarking data from hundreds of cleaning companies for KPIs including customer attrition rates (target under 5%, top quartile at 3.46%), absentee rates (target under 7%), and payroll percent to revenue (target 40% or lower)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSA is the worldwide cleaning industry association. CBT serves as a media partner and content distributor for ISSA Residential division, covering association news, events including ISSA Show North America, and industry awards programs. Content includes ISSA Workforce Development initiatives and advocacy efforts.
• MaidCentralcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary advertising sponsor and content partner. MaidCentral, a cleaning business software provider, maintains consistent advertising presence across the site including display ads, sponsored content, webinar co-branding (Core KPI series), and video series placements (Smart Business Moves, Foundations RideAlong).
• ARCSI (Association of Residential Cleaning Services International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARCSI, now a division of ISSA, was previously featured as a standalone association. CBT covered ARCSI conventions, leadership events, Professional Image Awards, and member resources. Content includes industry education and certification programs.
• ProTeam (Emerson)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEquipment manufacturer advertising sponsor featuring ProVac vacuums and IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) filter products. Regular display advertising placements throughout the website.
• GustominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayroll software provider advertising to cleaning industry audience. Display advertising placements targeting business owners with HR and payroll needs.
• ResponsibidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing technology partner providing bid management solutions. Display advertising placements for cleaning industry marketing services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Housecall Pro: Field service management platform serving residential cleaning and home service operators, with marketing and educational content aimed at the same persona as Cleaning Business Today. Comparable as a software-plus-content player in the cleaning SMB space.
• Service Autopilot: Cleaning and home-service business management software provider that also publishes marketing, operations, and growth content for cleaning business owners. Comparable because it monetizes the same audience with software and content, but with a different revenue model.

Others

• Thumbtack: Home services marketplace connecting consumers with cleaning and other home pros. Tangentially related as a downstream channel for the same residential cleaning businesses Cleaning Business Today serves, though it competes for those businesses' marketing budgets rather than for content audiences.
• MaidCentral: Cleaning business management software provider and Cleaning Business Today's primary advertising/sponsorship partner. Listed as an "Other" because it is a commercial partner rather than a competing publisher, but operates in the same residential cleaning ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Cleanfax: Trade publication for the cleaning, restoration, and carpet care industries, providing news, product reviews, and business content to cleaning professionals. Overlaps significantly with Cleaning Business Today's residential cleaning owner audience on operational and business topics.
• Modern Cleaning Magazine: Digital trade publication covering the cleaning industry with news and editorial content for cleaning business operators. Direct peer; notably also appears as an advertiser on Cleaning Business Today, confirming overlapping audience coverage.
• CleanLink: Long-standing trade publication and content portal for the commercial cleaning and janitorial industry. Direct peer to Cleaning Business Today as a B2B media outlet serving cleaning professionals with news, product coverage, and operational content.
• CMM Magazine (Cleaning & Maintenance Management): Official trade publication of ISSA covering the cleaning industry, including editorial content, product news, and industry benchmarking. Closest peer because ISSA is also one of Cleaning Business Today's core partners and both serve the same professional cleaning audience.

Broad incumbents

• Jobber: Field service management software for home service businesses including cleaning, with an active content/marketing arm targeting cleaning business owners. Broad incumbent serving the same SMB cleaning segment with a software-led model.
• ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association): Worldwide cleaning industry association that publishes its own media (CMM) and runs the ISSA Show. Functions as both a partner and a broad incumbent that competes for cleaning-industry advertising and content attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CleanBizToday
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CleaningBizToday
• Facebookfacebook.com/CleaningBusinessToday
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cbtmagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleaning-business-today

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cleaning Business Today