With the way the economy is these days, would it be a good to start of cleaning service business??

Question

Looking to start a cleaning service business with just my wife. We will focus on both commercial and residential contracts with a 60/40 percent ratio.

We have the name picked out. Business plan is in progress.

Setting up an appointment with an accountant to go over numbers with us. Pricing out insurance for bonding insurance. Will set up a meeting with someone from SCORE to go over our business plan and ideas.

Our marketing will be minimal using our own printed business cards and fliers. Word of mouth will hopefully be on our side and possible use our local newspaper and yellow pages to get our name out in public.

We also will have our website set up in a way for customers to easily set up apts, focus on our customer service etc.

As for products we have chosen eco-friendly products that are not only safe for our clients, but also their clients, family members and pets.

Are we heading in the right direction to continue and any suggestions?? Thank you

Answer 1

You are starting out at a difficult time, especially for residential contracts.  Residential cleaning services are a luxury, and they'll be the first things to be cut from the budget if it means a choice between cleaning up after yourself or not buying gasoline.  This means you'll be facing increased competition from other, more established businesses that are coping with lost contracts, and that could spill over into your commercial sales too.

Answer 2

You are going to need a cleaning business square footage price estimate chart to base your bids off of.  You can get one at http://cleanuptheprofit.com

Answer 3

I was in the cleaning business, I did carpet and furniture cleaning.  The money is very good, but the work is very hard.  

I'll tell you now, just form experience.  Having a minimum advertising budget is really going to hurt you.  The cleaning business is very competitive, you might consider buying an already established cleaning business like my friends did and build your busines from there.  Unless you have a minimum of $5000. to invest in advertisement, phone books are very expensive and its not like before where there was only one phone book, so now to be competitive you have to list your company in several phone books. From my experience using local news papers, church bulletins etc. will land you a few calls if any, again unless you advertise in them on a regular basis.

Mailing packages,I think they're called "f***y may" will give you better results.  They are the ones you get in the mail that has several coupons.

However they are expensive to make and again they give you a list of zip-codes to pick from so it too gets very expensive without proper planning and funding.

I wish you a lot of luck, especially in this economy.  The business you have chosen is hard enough in good times with all the compition and all, but when people are cutting back due to the high costs of living its gonna be very difficult to get customers.

As a thought, I would enclude carpet cleaning with your service.  The profit margin is really high, but you would have to get the proper training and become certifide especially when it comes to furniture cleaning.  Most major suppliers of chemical cleaning products have training courses.  They are expensive but well worth the knowledge you will gain.  

I started my carpet cleaning business by working for a major company and cautiously giving out my name and number to customers.  You don't want to leave a business card with them, if they get mad for any reason they will give your card to who ever hired you and get you fired.

Again, good luck I hope any of the advise I gave you find useful.

As for myself I left all that hard work to start a Home Based Business.  

The company I bought into pays for all of my advertisments, they gave me a website which they update on a regular basis.

I get paid a 40 - 50% commission on everything I sell and the products are very strong meaning customers re-order on a monthly basis and I get paid a residual commission on re-orders.  Every time they go to my website and order I get paid that commission again and again.

I set my own hours, so if I want to work 10 hours this week or 30 its up to me.

I don't have to stock product, the company handles all the shipping and customer concerns, all I do it take the orders.

It's not a "get-rich-quick" scheme, the business is based on a 2 - 5 year business plan.

The best part is it only cost me a few hundred to get started.

If you are interested I'd be more than happy to go over all the details with you and your spouse.  You can call me on my toll free number if you like:

dial One + Eight, Eight, Six....Four, Nine, Two...Four, Three, One, One  

If Im not around just leave a message and I'll call you back.

Take care and whatever you decide good luck.

Answer 4

Horray for you!!! You really seem to have your act together!!

I disagree that this is a bad time to start a cleaning business-residential or commercial.  It's all on where you target your potential clientele.  And consider this (from a recent newsletter I received):

"You can make money in tough times! Your own cleaning

service is the ultimate survival strategy.

The fact is "Office Cleaning" in particular is the hottest

service around! Did you know... a cleaning service is not

only popular right now, but it will be a fast growing field in the

future?

According to the Labor Statistics, service occupations

are expected to see the most expansion! The most recent

projections show a huge 75% growth over the next 8 years and it will happen in the service-providing-sector!

Not only that but... this growth is not going to stop!"

As far as advertising, you're on the right track...don't listen to the naysayers!  Also, consider getting magnetic signs for your vehicles and/or a vinyl wrap.  It's a mobile billboard.  Then park it in parking lots (close to exits and stop signs) or on the street in the areas where you want customers.

Best of Luck to you & your wife!!