Guide to Starting Your Own Cleaning Business
Written by Uwe on October 25, 2014
First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on deciding to start a new chapter of your life, to start your own cleaning business.
Only a small group of people decide to take such a big responsibility and start a business. You know that it won’t be easy but you’re ready for the new challenge, aren’t you?
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I’ll try to guide you through everything you should know before you start a cleaning business.
1. Skills. Do you have what it takes?
Before you start a cleaning business you should think whether this work is suitable for you.
A cleaning business is easy to start, it requires basic skills to deliver the service but it also requires a very good physical condition. You’ll have to bend down, kneel down, reach up etc. You should first check with your doctor before deciding whether to start a cleaning business or not.
Furthermore, a cleaning business requires very good communication skills. You need to communicate effectively in order to sell your service and to be able to explain why your cleaning service is better than your competitions’.
Here comes another important skill – listening. Besides having good communication skills you must have good listening skills in order to understand what your customers say. Understanding your customers’ needs make it easier for you to please them.
In addition to this, you need to have at least basic office skills. Why? Because you’ll have to deal with the financial part of a business: invoice clients, track expenses, payrolls.
I highly recommend you to start looking for an invoicing software such as InvoiceBerry before you start being actively engaged in a cleaning business.
2. Business Plan
Probably there’s no reason to explain the importance of writing a business plan for any type of business. The same applies to a cleaning business.
A business template helps you to define who you are, who your competitors are; its the document that shows how you’ll make money. It’s like a roadmap of your business.
The business plan helps you to define what kind of cleaning business you are, what type of cleaning services you offer, you’ll have to analyse your market and it will help you in setting up competitive cleaning service prices.
You can find business plan templates for your business here.
3. Marketing
Do you imagine any business without marketing? I don’t.
Even word of mouth is a marketing technique that is extremely important in a cleaning business. A cleaning business is about talking and selling, so you must have effective marketing skills to attract clients.
You should advertise the business in local papers and on your company’s vehicle. Create a logo and a website that your clients could find you. Make business cards and give them to as many people as possible. You can promote special offers for the next cleaning on the invoices to your clients too.
You should know what your customers want and accordingly create advertisements that would catch the eyes of your potential future clients.
4. Clients
To get the first client is the most difficult task. Try to offer discounts for the first clean; it should attract your clients. If you already have some clients tell them that you’re looking for more clients.
You’ll see that they will be happy to recommend you to their friends, company colleagues and so on…
To keep your clients satisfied always concentrate on the quality and not the quantity. It’s difficult at the beginning, but that’s the only way you’ll keep them happy. After you finish the cleaning job always go back and check each and every room.
5. Growing your business
At the beginning you shouldn’t try to get employees too fast.
First, try to start alone, see how it goes and once you have a reasonable group of clients, start getting part time help. At some point you should stop doing cleaning and start getting your hands on the management part of the business. It is crucial to not hire too early nor too late.
Tips:
- always be well-organized, no matter whether you do office work or cleaning
- get insurance for the company & for employees
- always buy cleaning supplies from trusted brands
- send a reminder message for your customers the day before cleaning
- don’t do anything in the client’s house without permission
- Use gloves. Always!
- Get an MP3 player for music or podcast
Remember: Trust is the #1 reason why clients will end up choosing you.
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