Student spotlight: This entrepreneur is using tech to streamline house cleanings

Is “cleanliness next to godliness”? Maybe so. Either way, young entrepreneur Jaylinee Gomez has devised a tech solution to help Floridians to keep their homes neat and tidy. The Miami native has developed an app called Ragg that connects trusted cleaners with homeowners in need.

Cleaners sign up to the platform, go through a background check and – assuming all goes well – can start accepting job requests from clients within a few days. Homeowners can request a cleaning on a certain day at a particular time, and Ragg connects them with an available cleaner.

Gomez launched a first version of the app last year in Jacksonville, where attitudes towards the pandemic made it easier to penetrate the market. “I considered this launch an MVP [minimum viable product],” Gomez (pictured above) told Refresh Miami. “We had good results,” she continued, “we signed up 300 cleaners and 50 homeowners within the first three months.”

This rapid success is due in large part to Gomez’s grit: She visited buildings, speaking to managers and spreading the word about her app. This strategy of pounding the pavement came naturally. “I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship,” she said, noting that she has had entrepreneurial aspirations ever since she watched her uncle successfully develop his own small business.

This week, Ragg is releasing a new version of the platform in Miami, Jacksonville, and Orlando. Gomez explained that this version improves upon the initial app, providing a better user experience. She took time off studying business administration at Miami Dade College to focus on the launch, but she plans to return to finish her degree.

A major way Ragg stands apart from other apps because it takes a 30% cut of each cleaning. “Other platforms take 50-60%,” Gomez explained. “We wanted to let our cleaners have the majority.” Ragg donates a portion of their remaining profits to RAINN, an organization that helps victims of sexual assault.

“It is important for us to create a community of Ragg users,” Gomez said. “We’re not just focused on the homeowners, but the cleaners as well.”

You can learn more about Ragg by visiting RaggCleaning.com.

This is part of an occasional series on student entrepreneurs. Know an entrepreneur we should feature? Email [email protected]

 

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Riley Kaminer