One key takeaway from the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of a clean environment.

For those who want to have their home spruced up more frequently and thoroughly but cannot afford the time or energy, one solution is on-demand, part-time cleaning help – a convenient and more affordable alternative to hiring live-in helpers.

Enter Nimbus Homes, whose services include house cleaning by the hour.

Mr Daniel Thong, 35, founded Nimbus in 2017 as an online platform connecting consumers to freelance cleaners, plumbers and electricians –  riding the gig economy wave that was on the rise at that time.

But he realised that such a business model was not sustainable over the long term, especially as he planned to expand and diversify the company’s range of services. To scale up and maintain the quality of service offered, he needed to invest in and hire a full-time workforce.

“We focused on two essential factors: to provide complete quality cleaning services beyond homes, as well as a win-win situation for both customers and crew,” says Mr Thong.

In 2019, the company started offering a full range of home cleaning services and expanded into office cleaning, painting, mould removal and moving services as well.

Nimbus has since gone into smart facilities management, using Internet of Things and other smart sensors to conduct automated spot checks, especially for offices.

Mr Thong says that incorporating technology into the staff’s workflow helps them with quality maintenance while reducing the need for physical manpower.

Using tech also proved to be helpful during the Covid-19 circuit breaker in 2020, when the demand for Nimbus’ office cleaning services evaporated.

Fortunately, the company could leverage its Nimbus Homes app, created in 2019, to allow customers to book housekeeping services on-demand instead.

“It turned out to be hugely popular and useful for an increasingly busy work-from-home workforce trying to juggle babysitting, household chores and work,” he says.

The company has since focused on enhancing its app, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly booking process for its services. Similar to booking a ride or ordering food with a mobile phone, Nimbus’ services can be requested on the go.

There is also an in-app chat feature that allows the Nimbus team to communicate directly with its customers.

Nimbus employs over 300 staff today, from fewer than 10 staff when it first started.

It made it to the ranking of the Fastest Growing Companies 2024 list compiled by The Straits Times and Statista.

Strong work ethic

Mr Thong’s childhood was spent with relatives who had blue-collar jobs. He recalls being babysat by his uncle, a plumber, and some of his aunties, who worked as cleaners.

“They had low salaries but a strong work ethic, and I got to see how they struggled,” he says. This inspired him to aim to foster a sense of ownership and purpose in work among his staff.

“A lot of cleaners and front-line workers feel like they don't see their bosses. They hardly see their managers – they feel alone, and they feel unsupported,” he says.

With that work ethic in mind, when he moved from his previous role as a venture builder to manage the company full-time, he did so only after ensuring that Nimbus was profitable enough to provide a “cleaner's salary” – a term he uses to denote a fair living wage – for his staff.

Today, Mr Thong can often be seen on the ground cleaning houses with his staff for moral support, to cultivate team spirit and find ways to further improve customer service.

In November 2023, Nimbus opened an office in Melbourne. Apart from its new office, the company hopes to also expand into eldercare services.

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