Starting a cleaning business requires little start up cost and you can
begin earning money right away. But first, you have to prepare your
resources.
1.) While I see many cleaning services that are not
licensed & insured listed on free advestising sites like Craigslist, it is
best you acquire a license(business permit) from the city office.
2.) Next I
would recommend getting insurance to cover any accidents that may happen while
you are on the job and to ease your potential customers mind regarding the
legitimacy of your business.
3.) While there is little cost up involved,
there are items you should purchase to begin with. I recommend purchasing a hepa
vacuum, mop & broom, a long & short handled duster, a steam mop, and a
wide assortment of cleaning supplies & rags. If your house cleaning service
offers carpet cleaning, the equiptment can be rented at first to save on costs.
Design your business card and build a website and have them printed out with
your website address prior to starting. Nothing is worse than telling someone
you own a cleaning business then not be able to offer them a business card when
they ask.
Tips for obtaining and maintaining
clients:
1.) Begin advertising~tell your
friends, family and co workers that you are going to start a business. Begin
advertising on free sites, such as merchant circle. Leave your business card
with everyone you meet and at places you attend frequently. When we first began
I passed out our business card to everyone I knew. I went by my mechanic,
stylist and real estate agent. I have also had a lot of luck with the local
newspaper.
2.) Check out the competition~knowing what to
charge, the going rate for services, & the demand for services in your area
will give you an basis for fee's and an idea of what your potential earning's
can be.
3.)Draw up a business plan~ I find more often
than not that this step is skipped by most cleaning services. When we began
thinking about opening a cleaning service, this was our first step. Unless we
knew that we could potentially earn enough to live on, we had no intention of
leaving our current positions. Remember, going from working for a corporation
to owning your own business has as many downsides as it does upsides. Our
biggest downside we found was the lack of and cost to acquire health insurance.
As a family of four it could cost upwards to $700 per month to obtain health
insurance that was comparable to what we were receiving from our employers. If
you have a condition were health insurance is important to your health and you
have no other way of obtaining it (such as a spouse) be sure to add the cost
into your business plan.
4.)Maintaining
Clients~cleaning someone's home is a very personal affair. While you
will have some clients that are home while you are cleaning, the majority of
your clients will be at work. Building a reputation based on trust will keep
your business going far. When we first started our business one of our biggest
selling points was the fact that we were a small family owned cleaning service
offering the same owners in your home each time. As you grow, if you decide to
hire employees, be sure to be there for each initial consult if possible. By
doing so, you are ensuring your clients you play an active role in your business
and are builing a repoire with them should any issues arrive.
5.) Always go the extra mile~ although this may seem
like common sense, I hear many stories from clients about how there cleaners
would come in and out never doing anything besides the basics or speak a word.
While some clients prefer this, we found that 90% of the clients that are at
home enjoy the company as much as the cleaning itself. In the cleaning service
industry word of mouth is key. 50% of your clients will be obtained through
word of mouth. If your client is home during the cleaning, be sure to talk to
them and ask them if there is anything extra they would like for you to do.
Always ask them to do a final inspection before leaving. One of our first
clients was an elderly lady that had just lost her husband. By talking to
her we were able to keep her mind off her recent loss. My husband would always
ask, prior to leaving if there was anything she needed moved or fixed while we
were there. We brought up her trash barrel from the road, brought in her
newspaper, feed her dog, watered her plants & helped put away her groceries
at no extra charge. That evening, when she went to her weekly bridge game, she
told all her friends of our kindness and we found ourselves with close to ten
new clients. Kindness will always be returned in full.
6.)
Dress the part~ Most larger cleaning companies
require their employess to dress in uniform and for good reason. If you are
just starting out, it is easy to forget the uniform. Coming from corporations,
me and my husband were looking forward to not having to spend an hour getting
dressed in the morning. No more dress shoes or high heels seemed liked heaven.
Showing up to someone's home dressed in shorts and a tank top is never a good
idea. I see a lot of cleaning services who wear scrubs for cleaning allowing
them comfort, pockets for supplies and a cheaper alternative to having custom
uniforms made. Me and my husband decided on Khaki pants and collared shirts
with our name and logo on them.
7.) Ask for a referral~
The best time to ask for a referral is after you supplied them with a good
service. If they tell you how clean their house looks, ask them to tell their
friends. Offer a referral fee to clients is also a good way to get referrals.
Best of luck! Please feel free to post any questions, comments or
reviews. We look forward to hearing from you.
