By Business & Finance 
Luke Joyce, 28, founder and Managing Director of TheCleaningCompany.ie, established the company in 2020. It is the first subscription window cleaning service available in the country.
What was your first job?
My first job was working on my Dad’s farm in the Dublin Mountains. At the time, he farmed beef cattle and sheep – and there were always a few horses and chickens around the place. Each summer, I would sit in the tractor with him while he drew in silage, plant hedging and trees, or round up the cattle for testing. I was always doing different bits and pieces around the farm, like collecting scrap metal or pallets to sell.
What pushed you to pursue a career in this field?
As long as I can remember, I always wanted to run my own business. I remember in primary school, I was developing plans on how I was going to buy and manage a local soccer team – which unfortunately, at age 9, never came to fruition.
I later spotted a major gap in the Irish cleaning industry for a reliable and professional company to offer a subscription window cleaning service. It was an easy business to get going too. I started out with €50 worth of equipment and borrowed my nanny’s Toyota Yaris to use as a makeshift van. From this TheCleaningCompany.ie was born.
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
There are lots of achievements I am very proud of, like being able to take a week off and the company managing to stay afloat! However, I feel the greatest achievement was launching Ireland’s first subscription window cleaning service. At the time, there was nothing like it in Ireland and the window cleaning industry was old, tired and clunky. We turned the sector on its head and quickly grew into Ireland’s largest residential window cleaning company, with vans now nationwide.
Career-wise, would you do anything differently?
This may be controversial, but I would never have gone to University. At the time, Entrepreneurship in Maynooth University seemed like a great idea and a way of getting a start-up launched. However, in reality, the course was not what I expected and was more focused on ‘big business’ and corporations, rather than small business in Ireland. I did pretty well in college – being awarded Entrepreneurship Student of the Year in 2019 – as well as having great craic along the way. However, my real business learning only started after graduating and I felt four years behind where I should have been.
In one sentence, how would you define success?
Success to me is not a destination – success is being able to enjoy your life’s journey, every step of the way.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Nothing is as bad as it seems’. As a kid, this is a quote my Dad used to say to me all the time when I was upset or worried about something. I have it tattooed down my back in Ogham writing. It’s a quote I still use during hard times, similar to ‘this too shall pass’.
Our own minds can be our greatest enemy and can make scenarios seem a lot worse than they are in reality. It’s important to remember that everything works out – all of the time.
How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
I am extremely driven, and have goals that even frighten me! Crazy, scary goals have always been my main motivation because I am very competitive and enjoy the thrill of chasing after them.
My best staff are the people who come onboard with me on these journeys. It keeps all of us excited and motivated to exceed expectations and being the first to do things in our industry, over and over again – trailblazers!
How do you handle adversity?
Head on. I used to fear having difficult conversations, and would avoid them or try to smooth things over and beat around the bush to try and keep everyone happy. However, I have learned over the last few years that when you avoid conflict, you go to war in other, more toxic ways.
An open, honest discussion is always the way to go, and the only way to truly move everyone forward to a better place of understanding.
How do you relax?
I don’t – ever.
No, of course I do. I enjoy relaxing and taking it handy (although people close to me will probably laugh reading that sentence). I like chilling on the sofa, watching Formula 1, going to church on a Sunday and heading for regular holidays/breaks away. I always find I get my best ideas while I’m out of the work environment, as I am less stressed and more in tune with myself.
What is your favourite (non-business) book?
I love books on manifestation & visualisation. So, I’ll go with ‘Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself’ by Joe Dispenza.
What is your aspiration for the future of the business?
I have always loved the idea of completely dominating a market or industry. I also like nouns to describe businesses, and I want to be able to describe us as a ‘juggernaut’, ‘mogul’ or ‘behemoth’ in the Home Services industry.
Encapsulated – and most important to this idea – is having an amazing team who love working for my company and who benefit from all the growth and great things we are doing. I love having a positive culture in the workplace, where it’s fun, but also competitive. I always feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude when my staff enjoy their work here.
Ultimately, I want TheCleaningCompany.ie to grow into a household name in Ireland across all home services. Then, it’ll be time to launch worldwide!
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