How $200 Turned Into a Million-Dollar Cleaning Company - Adriano Redante’s American Dream With Brazilian Roots

Adriano Redante shares an extraordinary immigrant success story-arriving in America with $200, no English skills, and a tourist visa, then building a million-dollar cleaning empire alongside his wife Carolina. His entrepreneurial DNA came from his father, who left home at 13 in Brazil to start his own business. After economic downturn destroyed Adriano's Brazilian business in the late 1990s, he moved to the U.S. expecting to learn English and return home. Instead, the "green paper" kept him, leading him through restaurant work, opening a food truck, and eventually running his own restaurant while working 60-70 hour weeks into his mid-40s. When his exhausted wife invited him to join Limpia Cleaning (which she'd started in 2005 as a side-hustle), Adriano brought operational discipline that transformed a micromanaged, owner-dependent operation into a scalable business. By purchasing company vehicles, implementing CRM systems, developing checklists, and pursuing commercial opportunities, he tripled revenues in four years. The transition wasn't easy-marital conflicts arose over changing established systems and long-time customer expectations-but the results validated his approach. Now with customers who've been loyal for 10-15 years and ambitious plans to double revenue within 18 months and triple it within 5 years, Adriano exemplifies how immigrant grit, family collaboration, and operational excellence create sustainable growth. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: "Keep pushing through. Life is not easy. Be humble. If you're humble, life will give you success."