College Dropout Transforms Side Hustle into Million-Dollar Window Cleaning Empire

From Bartending to Millions: The Story of Kyle Ray and Geek Window Cleaning

Kyle Ray, a former college dropout and bartender, turned a window cleaning side hustle into a thriving business, Geek Window Cleaning. Based in Houston and Austin, the company is projected to exceed $1 million in revenue in 2025 by focusing on residential clients, SEO strategies, and "unreasonable hospitality."

The Accidental Entrepreneur

Ray's entrepreneurial journey began after a failed real estate venture and a short-lived cubicle job. Seeking freedom and instant gratification, he started cleaning storefront windows. He quickly realized the potential after a commercial client asked him to clean his home windows, marking a pivotal moment. "That's when a lightbulb went off and I was like, 'I need to get good at residential,'" said Ray.

He honed his skills by working for a window cleaning company and invested $100 in equipment from Home Depot. He started by approaching businesses in strip malls, offering his services.

"I walked in the door because their windows were filthy and I asked them if they'd like a quote," he recalled. "They told me no. They do it themselves. I told them, 'Well, you didn't do a really good job, and I can do a better job. If you let me do it, it's only 15 bucks.'"

The Shift to Residential and the Challenges

Ray noticed that while commercial window cleaning was straightforward, residential work was more complex. "Your typical commercial locations have big pieces of glass. It's very easy to clean. There are no obstructions in front of the glass," he explained. "Residential is smaller... The difficulty factor explodes when you're doing residential." Landing residential clients also proved challenging initially.

Despite the initial struggles, Ray was determined. He transitioned to residential cleaning full-time, dropping his commercial clients.

SEO, Recurring Revenue, and Unreasonable Hospitality

For years, Geek Window Cleaning remained a side hustle. The turning point came in 2014 when Ray began focusing on SEO. "I started reading a lot of books about it, and I started building my website and doing all the SEO stuff that you would do back then," he said. This led to increased visibility and more consistent business.

He also revamped his pricing structure to encourage recurring cleanings. This led to the creation of the "Always Clean Program" (ACP), which offers discounted rates for monthly cleaning services. "I've been basically tweaking that program since 2015... And then we started really cooking with fire," said Ray.

Another key element of his success is "unreasonable hospitality." Ray trains his technicians to go the extra mile for customers. "If we show up to someone's house and their garbage cans have been dumped, we just go grab them... Or, 'Hey, this light fixture was really dirty. We just went ahead and cleaned it,'" he said. "We do unreasonable things to make sure that you're super happy."

Looking Ahead: Expansion and Future Goals

Today, Geek Window Cleaning has teams in Houston and Austin, with plans to expand to Dallas in 2027. The company is experiencing significant growth and is projected to hit $1 million in revenue soon. Ray's ambitions are even bigger, with a goal to reach $40 million in revenue in five years and $100 million in ten years.

Ray plans to achieve this by further developing the Always Clean Program, phasing out one-off services, and continuing to provide exceptional customer service.