Mum's genius idea on maternity leave

This new mum used her maternity leave to revolutionise the cleaning industry with a genius idea, and you’ll be kicking yourself that you didn’t think of it first.

A former fly-in fly-out worker on a remote mine in Western Australia, it was outside the mines that Megan Harrison finally struck gold as a tech entrepreneur with her app Flash Mop.

The on-demand cleaning app hooks up desperate households with freelance cleaners, and has found no small amount of success in Megan’s native Perth since its launch six months ago.

Built on a reviews-based model, the app allows busy households to book freelance cleaners in their area on short-notice. Users are encouraged to leave a rating and review, letting other users pick a fit based on other’s experiences.

Megan, who is now pregnant with her second child, first considered the new venture after falling pregnant in 2017 and realising her hectic lifestyle ‘wasn’t conducive’ to her future goals.

“I started to think of ways that I could create an alternative source of income for myself while starting a family,” the mum of three tells Yahoo Lifestyle, explaining she was determined to use her pregnancy as an opportunity to kick-start a new project.

“I had a few friends asking me if I could recommend a good local cleaner, and it got me thinking about why this is so difficult and why people struggle to find good cleaners,” she says.

“I guess that’s where the idea was born.”

Megan says helping others find flexible, reliable work was also a motivating factor.

“It’s not only a good way for me to create an alternative source of income but I was then providing that to other mums and people out there who need that flexibility in terms of work life balance,” she says.

Megan is a step mother to two and expecting her fourth child in just seven weeks, but she refuses let her pregnancy slow her down.

“I’m a pretty energetic person and I’m really passionate about this,” she explains, saying if anything, her pregnancies have been a major source of motivation for embarking on her business journey.

Now the expectant mum wants to see people everywhere rethink our approach to pregnancy, and she’s encouraging other mums to follow in her footsteps.

“Every mum’s got fabulous ideas. I think it’s that follow through that people struggle with,” she says.

“I think using pregnancy as a catalyst to try something new and set yourself up for the future should be motivating for women.”

Flash Mop launches in Sydney today, and is set to roll out nationwide in the next year.

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