How to make money as a cleaner in Pleven, Bulgaria

Where customers for cleaning work actually are in Pleven

Most cleaning work in Pleven comes from four sources. First, private households - families, retirees, busy professionals who want their home cleaned weekly or monthly, or one-off deep cleans after building work or before moving. These customers usually live in central Pleven and the residential neighbourhoods where most people live, not from a specific area.

Second, small businesses and shops in the city centre and trading areas need regular or occasional cleaning - offices, medical practices, cafes, small shops. They often ask for morning or evening cleaning so it does not interrupt business.

Third, schools and public buildings sometimes hire cleaners for extra work or temporary contracts, though most have regular staff. Worth checking with schools, kindergartens and municipal offices directly.

Fourth, word of mouth and local search. People looking for a cleaner in Pleven will ask neighbours and friends. More and more also search online - 'cleaner Pleven', 'cleaning service Pleven' - to find someone quickly with contact details and to see who is available. An online profile on a local platform lets people find you in that search, see what services you offer and your prices, and book or message you without having to ask around.

Setting a price when you start out

Price matters to customers in Pleven, and it matters to you - too low and you will not cover your time and travel; too high and you will lose customers to someone cheaper. When you start, talk to other cleaners if you know any, ask customers what they have paid before, and look at what cleaning services in nearby towns charge.

In a city the size of Pleven - not Sofia or Burgas - most customers are price-conscious. They may compare you to someone down the street. Set a price you can live with per hour or per job, and be ready to explain what it includes - what rooms, how long it takes, whether you bring your own supplies or they provide them. Write your price down and stick to it until you have enough regular work to raise it.

Your first ten customers usually look like this

Your first customers are rarely from a single type. They come through whoever you tell first - a friend of a friend, someone at your other job, a neighbour, a shop owner who needs help. Early on, you might do a one-off deep clean for someone moving house, then a weekly job for a retired woman, then a shop on Tuesdays. Word of mouth is slow at first but reliable - if you do good work, one customer tells two others.

Early customers often want to negotiate, ask if you can do it cheaper, or test you with a small job first. Some will be particular about how you clean; some will be very grateful and become regular. Expect no pattern in your first months - work is uneven, some weeks busy, some weeks quiet. This is normal. Building a steady list of regular customers takes time.

Tax and money as a sole trader in Bulgaria

If you work as a cleaner and earn money, you need to register as a sole trader (самостоятелен търговец) and declare your income to the Bulgarian tax authorities. This is a legal requirement, not optional. You will need to register with the National Revenue Agency (Национална агенция за приходите, or НАП). Check their website or visit a local office for current rules on registration, what income you must report, and what tax rate applies to you.

You will also need a separate bank account or to track income carefully so you can report it. Payments from customers go into your own account - no middle person takes a cut. Payment through Websta uses Stripe, which transfers money to your registered Bulgarian bank account. Keep records of your work, dates, and what you were paid.

If you are not sure exactly what to register, how much to report, or what tax applies to cleaners in Pleven, contact the local office of the National Revenue Agency in Pleven or a local accountant. The rules can change and depend on your exact income and other circumstances.

What tends to go wrong in the first months

New cleaners often underestimate how long a job takes. A two-hour clean takes two hours, plus travel time, plus the time you spend messaging customers and going to the bank. Your actual hourly rate is lower than you think if you do not count these hours.

Some customers pay late or ask for a discount after the work is done. Agree on price and payment method before you start. If you ask to be paid same-day in cash or through bank transfer, fewer customers will argue.

You may feel pressure to lower your price to get work, especially in the first weeks. Resist this - you will then be stuck at that low price. Better to have fewer customers at a fair price than many customers paying you too little.

Travel time eats into your earnings. Early on, accept work spread across Pleven, but as you build customers, try to cluster jobs in the same neighbourhood on the same day.

How an online profile helps you earn

A Websta profile gives you a page that looks like a website - your name, the cleaning services you offer, your prices, photos of your work if you have them, and a contact form so customers can reach you. It has online booking, so people can see when you are available and book a time without going back and forth by message. The profile is linked to Websta's marketplace for cleaning services in Pleven, so when someone in Pleven searches for a cleaner, your name can appear. You control your prices and what you write.

This page is a link you can send to anyone who asks about your work - a friend, a shop owner, someone from Facebook. They see your rates, your services, and they can contact you or book immediately. No middleman takes money from your customers; payments go straight to your own bank account through Stripe. The profile takes time to set up once but saves you time explaining what you do and how much you charge every time someone asks.