Starting your own cleaning company is a really fantastic way to make money. Many people these days are so busy that they don’t have the time to clean their own homes so there is always an unlimited pool of customers on the lookout for a quality, value for money professional service. In addition to the home market, you can also cater to commercial customers and clean offices, retail stores and manufacturing premises. With so many possibilities available, it really is a lucrative opportunity.
To help everyone who is thinking about offering professional cleaning services, here is what you need to learn before starting a cleaning business.
1. How to Write a Business Plan
Starting a new cleaning business is just like forming any company. While it may seem like you just have to buy some cleaning products and do a good job, there is far more to running a successful business than that. The first thing you need to do when starting any business is to write an in-depth business plan. This will help you to identify your goals, your unique selling point, your target customers and your financial plans. You will have to take many steps to create your own cleaning business but the business plan should always be the first. After that you will need to research what kind of business structure you want to register as, what services local people want, and you can place yourself at the forefront of the market.
2. How to Advertise Your Business
Professional cleaning companies, when run successfully, can be highly profitable, and while this is an obvious incentive to start your own, it also explains why there are so many. Competition is fierce amongst cleaning businesses, and especially when you first start out, advertising to new customers effectively should be a major priority. It is very important that you take advantage of every advertising avenue which is open to you. Start by offering your services to friends and asking them to spread the word. You can even clean people’s houses or businesses in exchange for video testimonials to put on your website or social media. Identify what makes your business unique; maybe you use the latest products or are significantly cheaper than your rivals. Identify your unique selling point and make it a central pillar of your advertising.
3. How to Deal With Your Finances
No matter what kind of business you are running, it is always better to keep the business’s finances and your personal finances separate from each other. Even if you are just a one man band to start out, opening a separate business account is important because it helps you to clearly see how much money you are making and stops you from wasting your own money patching up holes in your business. There are many things you will need to purchase when you start your business such as cleaning products, equipment, and a vehicle. All of these can be written off as business expenses on your tax returns when paid for from a business account or with a business credit card. Business accounts also have other perks like bigger overdrafts which are very new business which tend to have a lot of initial outgoings.
4. What Kind of Licenses and Insurance You Need
Different countries and states have different licenses which cleaning companies need to obtain to operate legally. Make sure that you have all of the requisite licenses before you start taking on customers. In addition, it is important that you get the relevant insurance to protect your business. If something in your customer’s business or home premises gets damaged, you may be personally liable for its repair or replace the damaged item. Insurance will cover your business for any accidents or mishaps which might occur during cleaning and will also protect you if customers refuse to pay for some reason.
5. The Best Cleaning Products and Equipment Available
Once you have set the business up and taken care of all of the above steps, it is time to buy everything you will need to do the actual cleaning. Make sure that you buy quality products which will make your job easier but always buy in bulk from an industrial outlet or a wholesale store like Costco. This will keep your operational costs down which will result in higher profits for your business. There are some customers who may want their home or business premises to be cleaned using environmentally friendly products. This is one potentially attractive service you can offer which will make you stand out from the crowd.
Starting a high-quality cleaning business can be very lucrative but it is not an easy thing which can be done overnight. Pay attention to the advice in this article and make sure you understand every aspect of your business from products to accounts.
