Throughout his first year in the cleaning industry, Rick Chorney dedicated himself entirely to his work, taking no days off. His schedule was intense: starting his day in the field at 7 a.m., returning home by 8 p.m., and then working at his laptop until 1 a.m., seven days a week. During this time, he earned approximately $14 an hour while managing subcontracting jobs in the suburbs of Vancouver. In an interview with Fortune, he candidly expressed that this grueling routine took a toll on him.
“I went a little crazy,” he remarked. “There came a day where I was just like, ‘I am done.'” This pivotal moment led him to explore how AI could potentially streamline his operations, dedicating four hours to that pursuit.
Now, at 29 years old, Chorney operates Echo Janitorial Services from Abbotsford, British Columbia. He co-founded this enterprise in 2023 with his lifelong friend Adrian, and their success is largely attributed to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into their business model.
“Last year we did just under a million dollars,” Chorney reported to Fortune, sharing the compelling narrative of his business growth. The previous year’s revenue was $242,000—an impressive figure in its own right, but lacking the efficiencies afforded by AI, as Chorney explained: “That first year I didn’t really put in a lot of AI; I was mostly focused on SEO.” After incorporating AI agents into his workflow, he accelerated the quoting process, expanded his workforce, and catalyzed the growth of his business. Fortune has confirmed Chorney's substantial revenue increases through a review of his business records.
“I had a meeting today, I thought this was pretty cool,” he shared. “I had Claude make me a case study on what it would cost them to pay me $1,000 more a month than they're currently paying me, compared to hiring in-house cleaners, detailing the risks and costs of each option.” Claude’s analysis helped secure the contract, demonstrating to the client that in-house cleaning would be less advantageous.
Chorney anticipates reaching $1.3 million in revenue this year, with his operation now employing 16 cleaners, two business partners, and one AI receptionist that manages up to 15 phone calls per hour. Chorney has successfully optimized his work-life balance, now working only eight hours each day and allowing himself to take vacations.
Unbeknownst to him, Chorney's experience exemplifies a significant economic trend. Notably, Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, highlighted in his Daily Spark blog that AI tools are “dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of launching a company,” contributing to a notable surge in business formations.
During a recent guest appearance on the Prof G Markets podcast, Slok elaborated, stating, “People are inventing new businesses in a way that we just have not seen, literally for decades.” He countered the notion that AI might lead to job losses, asserting instead that it helps people become more entrepreneurial. “The implication is that we will generate many more jobs as these ideas come to life more rapidly.”
Forrest Zeisler, co-founder and CTO of Jobber—the platform facilitating Chorney's AI receptionist—underscored Chorney’s role in this larger shift. “No one’s going to benefit more than the small blue-collar businesses from AI,” Zeisler remarked to Fortune. “For them, time is literally money. They’re out and about in the field, not sitting at a computer.”
Chorney’s journey aligns perfectly with the trends described by Slok, illustrating the experience of a first-generation entrepreneur leveraging AI to achieve efficiencies that would have previously required years of expensive trial and error.
The Kid Who Wanted a House
Chorney's upbringing lacked financial stability. Adopted at the age of five, he moved from Ontario to British Columbia as a child. His teenage years were challenging, marked by substance abuse, time spent in a group home, and enrollment in a provincial youth agreement—an initiative that provided financial assistance for his living expenses as he transitioned out of the child welfare system. This form of support was set to expire when he turned 19. “It got pretty ugly and I was getting arrested a lot,” he recounted, clarifying that his issues stemmed more from being misguided rather than violent; today, he maintains a healthy relationship with his parents.
Reflecting on his educational experience, Chorney remarked to Fortune that he found himself in a precarious situation. “I got put into a group home and I didn’t do so well in the group home. So the ministry decided to start paying my rent for me.” As he faced the impending loss of that financial support, he recognized the urgency of his situation. “There was a deadline hanging over me.”
Recognizing the reality of his circumstances, Chorney ruled out continuing his education. While in grade 11, struggling with grade 10 curriculum, he began to seek job opportunities, including the moment he stepped into a Greyhound office. His prospective employer was taken aback and strongly advised him against dropping out, yet offered him the job nonetheless.
Within two years of that decision, Chorney had accomplished his goal of renting a three-bedroom townhouse.
His journey continued in door-to-door sales for Vivint, a smart home company. This role, which required him to relocate every four months and engage strangers daily, served as a practical education. Vivint equipped him with valuable experiences, including attending seminars by Tony Robbins and discovering influential work from leaders such as Simon Sinek, Brian Tracy, and Leaders Eat Last, which ultimately instilled in him a resilient mindset and sales expertise. Although his initial cleaning venture during the COVID era did not achieve the scalability he desired, his move to Abbotsford in 2022 marked the beginning of his next attempt at entrepreneurship.
Using AI to remove overhead
Echo Janitorial Services launched in 2023, and the early months were brutal. Echo was subcontracting, which meant
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