From AI PhD to Airbnb Host to SaaS Builder: Solving My Own Mess First

Hey Indie Hackers 👋

I didn’t plan to start a SaaS company this year.

Actually, I was doing a PhD in artificial intelligence. But with two young kids, growing financial pressure, and a changing sense of purpose, I decided to step away from academia. I needed to regain control of my time, energy, and future.

So I started with something simple and practical: running an Airbnb.

It helped bring in income while allowing me to spend more time with my family. But pretty quickly, a frustrating, recurring problem came up — and that’s what led me to build again.

The Problem I Couldn’t Ignore

Managing Airbnb cleanings wasn’t just a task. It was chaos.

We hire freelance cleaners, and many of them are older and not very tech-savvy. Most of the time, we end up communicating through regular chat apps — sending checklists, receiving photos, and trying to track what’s been cleaned and what hasn’t.

But this setup gets messy fast:

• Did they clean the bathroom properly?
• Was the trash taken out?
• Did they forget to refill the towels again?

There was no structured way to check. No simple dashboard. No proof of work unless I physically visited the property (which defeats the purpose of remote management).

I looked into cleaning apps — and yes, there are a lot of them. But here’s the catch…

Why the Existing Tools Didn't Work

Most existing cleaning tools are:

• Built for large-scale property managers or agencies
• Too complex for older workers or part-time cleaners
• Packed with features I don’t need (and priced accordingly)
• Requiring app downloads or logins, which immediately became a barrier

In short: they weren’t built for small-scale hosts and cleaners who just want things to work with as little friction as possible.

What I’m Building

So I decided to build a lightweight, no-login solution.

Here’s how it works:

• Hosts can send a checklist before each cleaning
• Cleaners can confirm each item with a single tap and upload photos
• Everything is logged in one place — timestamped, organized, and accessible
• It works over familiar messaging interfaces — no new app installs

It’s designed for people who don’t want to learn a new app, but still want things to be organized.

Is This Already Solved?

Some people I’ve shown the idea to have said:
“But isn’t this already a thing?”

Maybe. There are tons of tools. But they’re often designed for people nothing like me or my cleaners.

This isn’t about inventing something flashy — it’s about making something that works for a specific, underserved reality.

What’s Next

I’m finishing up the landing page this week and plan to launch it next week to start getting real feedback.

I’d love to hear from others who’ve:

• Built tools for low-tech or non-digital users
• Validated products in “crowded” markets
• Run small-scale Airbnbs and faced the same cleaning chaos

If that’s you — drop a comment or DM me. I’d genuinely appreciate it.

This started with a personal mess.
Now it might become a product that helps others too.

To be continued…