How to Start Your Own Janitorial Cleaning Service Business
Starting a janitorial cleaning service requires little start-up costs and can be managed from a home office. Your biggest challenge is likely finding clients. Before you seek clients, check out the competition to see if your area has room for another janitorial cleaning service. Janitorial services often focus on cleaning offices and business, such as restaurants, hotels, health care facilities and stores. With just some cleaning supplies and transportation, the appropriate licensing and insurance, you can start up a janitorial cleaning business, working to obtain customers and handling paperwork during the day and performing cleaning after normal business hours.
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Instructions
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Write a business plan for your janitorial cleaning business. You will need a business plan if you intend to seek outside funding for your start-up costs. Your business plan should include goals, explanation of the janitorial services you will offer, funding projections, marketing, competitor analysis and staffing. The Small Business Association and BPlans offer resources, such as business plan templates. Check out what your competitors offer in terms of services, coverage areas and pricing.
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Decide the geographical area you plan to cover with your cleaning service business. You should factor in gasoline costs in determining how far you would travel. Purchase a van or truck for use in transporting your cleaning products, supplies and equipment. Ensure it is large enough to transport vacuum cleaner, floor polisher and rolling trashcans.
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Obtain required licensing and insurance as needed to operate your cleaning business. This may include registration with your state, creation of a corporation or limited liability company to protect your personal assets against future lawsuits, local licensing, bonding and liability insurance. You will need to obtain a federal employer identification number if you plan to hire staff.
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Purchase the necessary supplies and equipment to start your cleaning business. Customers will require that you bring these items with you. Buy trash bags, spray cleaners, vacuums, trashcans, rubber gloves, dusters, brooms, mops, buckets, sponges and other supplies necessary to clean.
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Establish your pricing, based on supply costs, travel costs and competitor costs, as an hourly, per square footage and flat rate.
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Offer specials to new clients. You can decide what makes the most sense to charge on a client-by-client basis.
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Make a list of local small businesses that may need or use a cleaning service. Offices are a great source of work for a janitorial cleaning service. Offices need a service to come into the place of business to vacuum, dump trash, clean up break rooms and generally tidy up the office without disturbing employees or their possessions. Small offices may only need you to clean on a weekly or twice-weekly basis, often after normal business hours.
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Create a simple website that lists your contact information, geographic area serviced, services and pricing. Include testimonials once you obtain a few clients. Go door-to-door and make phone calls to the businesses on your target list. Hand out and mail business cards and brochures to local small businesses. Gather references as potential customers may require a few. Even if you do not have experience cleaning, you can use friends and previous employers as your references.
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Provide sterling service in order to retain customers and gain new ones through recommendations.
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Tips & Warnings
Be always professional with your work.
References
Resources
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