How to Build a Cleaning Business
Thinking big when you build a cleaning business is one way to go, but it is not the only way. There is a case to be made for starting small, becoming solvent quickly and then expanding. Cleaning businesses lend themselves particularly well to a micro business model with low overhead.
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Instructions
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Make a list of the duties you will perform in each room. Your bathroom list, for example, might include sanitize toilet, tub, sink and vanity; clean mirrors, wipe down cabinet fronts, shine fixtures, sweep and wash floor by hand.
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Set our pricing. Look at your list of duties for each room and decide what you think each is worth---a basic bathroom, for example, is $15, a kitchen is $20, a master bedroom $20, other bedrooms are $10 each, a dining room is $5 and a living room is $15. Look at other cleaning ads to determine if your price is comparable. Depending on your area of the country, you may need to adjust downward a bit to stay competitive or offer 15 percent off the first cleaning.
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Manage your business professionally. Even if you are your only employee in the beginning, think of yourself as a business owner. Purchase liability insurance. Set up a name for your business. You can file a DBA (Doing Business As) in most states for approximately $25. Visit your state's website to learn how. Your DBA certificate will allow you to establish a bank account in your business' name. Keep all your personal and business finances separate, and keep clean records. Set yourself up as an employee, pay yourself a salary and withhold all the appropriate taxes. Use a payroll service, if you prefer. If you make errors, the fees and penalties will likely cost more than you would have paid for the payroll service.
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Design and print a flier, listing the services you perform. It can serve as both an advertising piece and a checklist for your customers. Do not list your per room charges in the brochure. Generally, you make more money by quoting on a per job basis. If your customer wants something extra, such as window washing, you may choose to quote an hourly rate for that.
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Advertise first in small weekly newspapers. They are inexpensive and many cleaning business owners find they never need to advertise further. Once you have your first few customers, do an excellent job and try to build a rapport with them. Offer referral bonuses if they recommend you to others who become customers. Leave a voice mail before each cleaning to confirm the appointment; leave another after the cleaning to make sure they found everything in good order. Most often, you won't even talk to the customer, but they will appreciate your initiative.
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Find a good accountant, as your business grows, and bring on additional employees. Even if you don't continue to clean houses personally, your employees will respect that you are not asking them to do anything you have not done yourself.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit All images are courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
