subject: How To Start A Business Cleaning And Maintaining [print this page] There are many people today who have a desire to run their own business. This can be rewarding and satisfying, but we also work hard. I say this from experience because my husband and I conducted our own cleaning business for the past 5 years, and it was not an easy task. There was much to learn and really there is still much to learn
How do I start? What kind of experience do I need? How can I get and keep customers? These are some of the questions we answer when we started our
business. Now I know that every individual is different and nothing is for each person. That said, I want to give you an idea of our husband and I started our cleaning business. I hope there will be something from our experience that will help you with your business.
The first thing we did was decide that we wanted to create a cleaning company. I know this may sound strange, because if you read this article, you are naturally interested in starting a
business cleaning business. But there is big difference between being interested and make the decision to stick to start your own business. We had to make a firm decision to start our activities and taken seriously on this. When we did, it was easier to do research on what to do to start. The mother of my husband already had his own cleaning
business for many years; we decided to ask him what he was. She explained that the main way it has obtained its customers was through word of mouth. We learned that if your good at something, people usually take notice. Ask around to other people who use a cleaning, and you will probably discover that what most people want is a credible, reliable and careful.
It might be a good idea to ask friends and neighbors what they want maid service, so that you can try to develop these qualities.
Another thing you have to consider is the amount of time and money you can invest in your business started. If you work full or part time, how long can it take to get your business off the ground? You also need to know what the licensing requirements in your area are and what are the laws of business, must be respected. Consider the cost of these things and if you can afford to lose that money if your company does not take off as fast as you want. Have business cards and brochures made (or yourself) is another expense to consider. We did this and put an ad in the local newspaper to get our name out there. You can try this as well as distributing leaflets and
business cards in your area. Note also the cost of cleaning products. Will you be offering your account or the customer pays for them? Also, consider going to do your accounting and taxes.
Now we come to the area of pricing. My husband and I called around to some local cleaning to get an idea of what was the rate of exploitation. We found that many companies in our area were charging an hourly rate, so we came up with an idea of how much we wanted to do an hour and set our price on that basis. We wanted to stay competitive with local companies, but at the same time, gives customers a good deal. When we started the cleaning of apartments, we wondered how long we would have to clean each type of apartment and then decided on a fixed rate. It worked pretty well, because eventually we were able to work much faster and therefore be more than an hour. Our customers have really enjoyed rapid and thorough job and then they were willing to pay the rates that we charged them. We announced over an apartment complex that we can get a permanent job. This has really helped us because in our case, the work was sometimes slow and stable in a building with another.
Remember that all construction work, slow at times so be prepared if the work cannot begin to dry up.
What I think is one of the most important parts of the cleaning company is the customer relationship. Keep the customer happy is good for business. We have had many customers ask us to do additional things depending on what it was, we are pleased to work, sometimes not charge extra for it just to keep the customer happy. Now Im not saying you have to do extra work pro bono at a time. You have to decide for yourself what your taste. Remember that a satisfied customer makes for a stronger company. Important things to consider that will make the work thouroughly satisfied customer is to be effective, on time and be respectful. Everybody likes doing business with honest workers and so keep that in mind when working on your relationship with your customers.
Now I know that there are many questions, I have not discussed such major
marketing plans, keeping records of each client, to have a dedicated phone just for work and so on. I can not cover everything in one article. But I hope I gave you some good information in the beginning, to help you start your business. My husband and I have learned that the best you can do is research. Ask questions, read articles like this and other related cleaning activities. I truly believe that you can never know enough and there is always room for improvement. Remember, if your determined and willing to invest yourself and your resources, you can start and maintain a successful business.
I was primarily responsible for this aspect of the business and found it helpful to use a tax software you feel comfortable. You can do it yourself or hire a professional. Depending on the type of cleaning business you start, there are many other costs to consider. Do you focus on just cleaning houses or at risk in commercial cleaning, move-out, new construction, windows, and floors? We decided to launch an advertising campaign for local apartment complexes to pass out. It really helped me get a foot in the door, gain experience and references to use to get more work in the future. Finally, we speak in residential cleaning and now we focus on the commercial cleaning. Take the time to really think about what aspect of the cleaning company you want to continue and consider the cost of getting started.
Many times we have been customers since the previous cleaning company they used did a good job or are not willing to do extra work, and we quickly proved we could do a great job at a reasonable price. This allowed the client to see that we were a credible company they could trust. Being reliable is an important quality that you want to expand your cleaning business.
