How to Start a Cleaning Business in Greenville, South Carolina
Starting a cleaning business in Greenville, South Carolina, is a way to capitalize on the opportunities this town has to offer. Located in the upstate of South Carolina, the Greenville metro area is home to nearly 700,000 residents and, along with sister city Spartanburg, is a hub of manufacturing operations. Whether you opt to stick to residential cleaning or broaden your services to include commercial cleaning, starting a cleaning business in Greenville should net you a steady stream of customers and income.
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Things You'll Need
- Business license
- Professional membership
- Cleaning equipment and supplies
Instructions
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Register your business with the South Carolina Business One Stop portal. The state-operated website is allows new business owners to register their company, apply for a business license and establish an account to file their quarterly business returns on-line. Sales and use taxes can also be paid via this web portal. The City of Greenville also a requires an additional license to operate within the city limits. Contact the Greenville Department of Management and Budget on South Main Street for more details.
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Join the South Carolina chapter of a professional cleaning society. The Association of Residential Cleaning Services International, United Professional Cleaning Alliance, and the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association all provide members with assistance in running a cleaning business. The Greenville Chamber of Commerce is another helpful organization to join. Members receive discounts on health insurance, office supplies, and communication services as well as getting the opportunity to network with other business owners in the Greenville area.
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Order your cleaning supplies from local wholesale suppliers to reduce freight charges. Wholesale suppliers typically require you to provide a copy of your business license and may also enforce a minimum order amount of $500 or more on the initial order. Consolidate your supply requirements for cleaning chemicals, equipment, and paper goods to reach the order minimum. The Chamber of Commerce will have a list of the wholesale suppliers in your area.
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Hire cleaning professionals to support your customer's needs. Most residential customers will need your services during daytime business hours while they are at work and commercial customers will need your services during the evening hours after their staff has left for the day. When you conduct employment interviews, make sure the candidates can support flexible work hours or opt to hire two shifts of personnel. Local colleges such as Greenville Technical College and Furman University offer job fairs where businesses can meet, interview, and hire students for open positions. The Greenville Chamber of Commerce also offers its members free access to Nation Job which is an online job posting website.
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Advertise your services through the Greenville Chamber of Commerce monthly "after hours" events, on Greenville radio stations and in the area newspapers, The Greenville News and The (Columbia) State. Contact Realtors in the Greenville area and ask to be part of their new homeowner package. By offering your services to new homeowners, you get exposure to a customer base before your competition. As long as your cleaning business performs well, you are likely to keep the homeowner as a customer.
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References
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