Regular hours, and clients who stay.

Tuesday morning, set for the year

Your week is made of appointments that repeat: Tuesday 9am at Mrs Léger's, Tuesday 2pm at Mr Ranc's. In a paper diary, one week off or a bank holiday is enough to create mistakes you pay for in wasted journeys.

Recurring visits are set up once, with the travel time between two addresses. A one-off change is handled by moving the line, and the client gets the new time automatically.

• Weekly or fortnightly slots, set up once
• Travel counted between two homes
• Client told by text when a time moves

Enquiries sorted before you drive

Driving out to quote for two hours a week only pays if the job fits the time you have free and the area you cover. Half the calls are for slots you don't have, or towns that are too far out.

The online enquiry asks for the size of the home, how often, the town and the days that would suit, then only shows what you can genuinely offer. Enquiries outside your area are turned down politely, with no call back from you.

Hours logged, paid online

The awkward part of this job is money: forgotten cheques, cash that's short, extra hours that get argued over. It sours a relationship that is otherwise a very good one.

Every visit is recorded with its start and finish time. Payment is settled online, at each visit or on the month's invoice, and each client's yearly statement is produced without you having to add anything up again.

• Visits time-stamped, hours totalled
• Paid online, at each visit or monthly
• Yearly statement ready for each client

Neighbours talk, reviews confirm

Your best clients come from the same few streets: a neighbour mentions you, and the person looks you up on Google. If there's nothing there, or no reviews, the recommendation stops right there.

The review request goes out after the first few weeks. And if a client cuts back or goes quiet, you hear about it early enough to talk it over — that's what keeps the gaps out of your week.