A Residential Cleaning Service is one business that almost anyone can start and make money at. It also allows you the freedom to choose exactly how much you will work and who you will work with. You can work by yourself, with a partner, a small group, or as many people as you can keep busy. Most companies appear to work in teams of two or three people at a time.
Special Skills and Insurance You will not need any special skills or training to start this business but you will need a car to get around in and your own cleaning equipment and supplies. Like any business, you will need to get a business license to operate. And, you will need a good insurance agent that can advise you on your various options for insurance coverage to protect you and your clients and workers compensation insurance to cover your employees and comply with the law. You will also need to be bonded and carry liability coverage. Your insurance agent can help you with this as well.
Pricing, Earnings, and Other Money Matters Many small house cleaning companies charge between 50 and 125 dollars per visit on a schedule of one, two, or more visits a month. Keep in mind you will want to charge more for the initial visit since this will take considerably longer than subsequent visits. Most companies use some combination of square footage, number of rooms, and what needs to be done to determine what they will charge. Try to think of your time by the hour and price accordingly. You will want to take into account all of your expenses including gas and mileage to get to the jobsite.
Once you have a business license and a tax id you will be able to open a business checking account and purchase your equipment and supplies wholesale. Keep in mind that you may be able to beat these “wholesale” prices at one of the discount club stores like Sam’s Club or Costco.
Marketing The easiest way to find new clients will be through ads in local newspapers, direct mail to houses in your target area, and through recommendations from existing clients. When first starting out, you may need to discount your prices or even clean a few houses for free to establish yourself and get that word-of-mouth started.
There are many inexpensive ways you can market this business. Make up and pass out business cards to everyone you meet and encourage them to pass them on to people who can use them. An inexpensive way to market your services is by hiring a student to deliver flyers by hand to the neighborhoods you are interested in working. Make sure to hang them on the door because it is against the law to use a mailbox for anything but U.S Mail.
Many homeowners would love to have their house professionally cleaned but are afraid to let someone have access while they are not home. Ask for, and use testimonials from your previous clients on all of your marketing materials. The idea here is to overcome the reluctance that people naturally have when considering a company or person to enter their house that they do no know. Make sure your marketing shows you are trustworthy and dependable, and fully licensed and insured. Ask your clients to recommend you to their friends if they like your work. And remember, the most important lesson in any marketing campaign is to advertise the benefits to the buyer, not the features of the seller.
Competition Most cities have a selection of the larger franchise operations as well as the locally owned and operated smaller operations. Take heart however, since there is almost always enough room for another residential cleaning service that does a great job at a fair price.
Some Final Things To Think About Do not make the mistake thinking this is an effortless way to make money just because it is inexpensive and easy to start. Cleaning a home is hard work, which is the reason people are willing to pay someone else to do it if the first place. Before you decide this is the business for you, give some serious consideration to the amount of physical work that will be required. Even if you plan to hire employees eventually, you will probably still be cleaning for a long time, and once you stop you will still have all the challenges that come with managing a number of employees.
None of this is meant to discourage you, in fact, just the opposite. You will be far better prepared if you go into this, or any, business with a clear idea of what is involved. With a dedicated marketing effort that consistently brings in new clients, great work at a fair price, a reputation of trustworthiness and dependability, you should stay as busy as you want to be.