In University, I owned a window cleaning business (HD Window Cleaning).
In my first 4 months I made $38,000 in revenue and $24,000 in profit.
That was enough to pay my way through university and graduate without any debt. Though I always had inklings of entrepreneurship as a kid, that business changed my trajectory entirely. Above all, it ruined employment for me - why get a job paying $60k a year if I can make $50/hr doing a bit of manual labour and maintain control of my life? That simple calculation of charging $50/hr, and paying my team $20 stuck with me.
Everyone who works a traditional job kind of understands that they’re being charged out for more than they’re being paid, but I don’t think they really understand it. It was a moment of agency I was lucky enough to experience at a formative age, that I believe everyone deserves to experience.
“It's hard to explain what making your own money feels like the first time, and what it unlocks in your mind.
A lifting of the veil that I had never before experienced - that feeling that you could actually move the universe in your direction. Just a little bit. Sure, it was just a simple business. But it was the first rep into a career path that allowed me to bypass the world of employment and spend the next decade building businesses - from software consulting to a resume building website that (somewhat ironically) helped millions of people get jobs. I managed to design exactly the life I wanted, and it all started from that seed of agency.
When I sold that business last year, I jumped right back into the world of building technology for technology companies. I launched a tool that helped remote teams better connect and collaborate. Quickly, we landed customers like Telus, Uber, BarkBox, SurveyMonkey, and Verizon.
Success is the best way to create cognitive dissonance, and it felt like my next chapter was handed to me on a platter. But, it was gut check time when growth slowed. Is this really what I want to do with my life? Making remote workers’ lives more productive is great, and I love the product and our customers. But there was an underlying feeling that was telling me it might not be the right path.
I was lucky enough to raise money from some incredibly supportive investors, who encouraged me to think about what I actually wanted to do. And what I really want to do is help more people realize that moment of agency. To make their own money. Building a service business is the best way to do that.
Service companies power the economy. Rather, individual service providers power the economy. They build your homes, keep them clean, fix your broken A/C, and deliver your stuff. It’s a trillion dollar market, and it's growing.
In the past few months I’ve spoken to dozens of cleaning professionals, landscapers, movers, and home care providers - they’re too busy to manage their business, and customer acquisition takes care of itself. Customers don’t care about on-demand when it comes to most services. They don’t care about corporate brand. They care about working with high quality, trusted individuals who will do great work. We want to empower those individuals.
Why we're building Durable
Durable makes it 10 times easier to start an independent service business. Right now, it’s way too hard to start a company. It’s much too complicated, risky, and tedious. There are dozens of steps that someone takes to start their business - duct taping together 12 different software solutions, dealing with legal and regulatory challenges, creating a brand, and getting customers. Historically, franchises have solved this problem by creating the systems, processes, and education to easily onboard owners. However, the average franchise costs $100,000 and takes 15% of gross revenues - all for some outdated software and simple processes.
It doesn’t need to be this hard, and it doesn’t need to be this expensive.
Everything you need to start selling in hours, not months.
Durable helps independent entrepreneurs build revenue generating businesses in hours, not months. We want to provide all the benefits of a franchise for 1/100 of the cost. It’s a bundled up solution of everything an individual needs to start selling their service.
Business in a box
All the tools you need to manage, market, and grow your business. From websites to invoicing to company uniforms - Durable will give you everything you need in one place.
Proven playbooks and templates
Step-by-step playbooks that walk through all of the aspects of starting a business - from branding to customer service. We make starting a company fun.
The Durable vision
We believe in a world where every individual owns their own business. Instead of corporations widening the divide between wealth and labour, the future economy will be decentralized - everyone will have the opportunity to become part of the ownership economy.
We are building the infrastructure for individuals to build direct relationships with their customers at a fraction of the cost, building wealth instead of providing labour.
Our mission is to make starting a service business easier than getting a job.
Onwards!
