One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it is a blessing to earn money doing something they love. I’m not saying you have to love house cleaning to have a successful house cleaning business; however, it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it.
The amount of money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could be a one person operation where you establish yourself in your home and service areas near your home, or you could set up a business office and hire people to work for you.
Here are 7 simple steps to start your own house cleaning business.
1) Decide exactly what type of house cleaning services you will offer.
Here you decided what cleaning you will do, such as making beds, vacuuming, mopping and waxing floors, dusting, etc. Also keep in mind what you won’t be doing, for example doing laundry. You can also choose to specialize, for example cleaning only carpets or cleaning only suspended ceilings.
2) Set the price of your cleaning service.
To get an idea of how to charge for your cleaning service, use your competition. Check your phone book and the classified section in your local newspapers for cleaning companies, give them a call (pretend to be a prospective customer) and find out exactly what cleaning services they offer and how much they charge. With this information gathered decide the best price to charge for your cleaning service.
3) Training start-up costs.
To do this, you must take into account the tools, material, transportation, advertising, insurance, etc. Write a list of all the tools and supplies you need, such as cleaners, sponges, mops, carpet cleaning kits, etc. Next, find out the cost of each item. on the list and write it next to the article.
Transportation: You will have to estimate your costs here. You see, it depends on where your client is located and your mode of transportation to reach your client. (Having your own vehicle would be to your advantage).
Advertising: You can use free advertising (word of mouth) and paid advertising (classifieds, phone book ads, etc.). Phone calls to your local newspaper and the phone company that publishes your phone book will tell you the cost of placing ads.
Once you have collected all of this information, calculate your total startup costs.
4) Name your business.
It is important to choose an appropriate name for your house cleaning business. Here are some examples I got from the internet, ‘Maid Brigade’, ‘All Shine Cleaning’, ‘White Glove Cleaning Service’. Avoid using ‘Your Name Cleaning Services’. Many house cleaning businesses no longer use their own name as part of their business name. Brainstorm and come up with a name that will help you stand out from the crowd.
5) Know your community’s zoning regulations.
Consult the city clerk’s office or your local library for a copy of the zoning laws that govern your community. Their reason for doing this is that some zoning regulations prohibit home-based businesses in a community.
6) Do some cleaning work for free.
Well, you’re not actually making them for free. You are doing them in exchange for referrals (these add to your credibility to future paying clients and are invaluable). You can offer these free cleaning jobs to friends, non-profit organizations in your communities, etc.
7) Get your first paying customer, then get another and another and another and so on.
Tell everyone you know that you have started a cleaning business and place ads in local newspapers. In the beginning, you should spend most of your time and money getting paying customers. However, the more customers you get, the less time and money you spend on marketing and the more time cleaning up and making your customers happy.
This is just the beginning. Once you start making money, take a house cleaning business course to help you better manage your business in terms of growth, accounting, taxes, insurance, better marketing strategies, and more.
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