Self-Maid Man

Entrepreneur's Business Start-Ups . April 1999

It's no surprise that Mark Kushinsky's MaidPro Inc., which specializes in residential cleaning, developed from the 33-year-old entrepreneur's own efforts, with help from business partner Richard Sparacio, 31. Whether it was writing his own software program, MaidSoft, or building a franchised company, Kushinsky has always been self-reliant.

What prompted two young guys to clean up in the maid-service industry, you might ask? Kushinsky, a former department manager at a retail store, points to his dissatisfaction with the quality of service he received from two maid companies. Convinced he could do better, Kushinsky split the start-up costs with longtime friend Sparacio, and they began the business in 1991 with a mere $2,000. "I'd been thinking about [entrepreneurship] for years," Kushinsky explains. "I wanted a business I could run better than the competition."

As the business grew and the number of customers and employees increased, Kushinsky found he needed a software program that could manage all the fluctuating schedules. Finding nothing suitable on the market, Kushinsky, with the help of a computer consultant, wrote the code that would become MaidSoft.

MaidPro began franchising in 1997. The Boston-based company has nine franchised locations and recently filmed its first TV commercial. MaidPro is seeking franchisees nationwide; start-up costs range from $18,000 to $35,000.