Beggining a cleaning business...?

[Jack]

Hi all,

Basically I've had a little bit of drama in my recent career, essentially everything was set for life, I was joining the Parachute Regiment, I had my start date, Army number and everything sorted out- but then I met the girl of my dreams, so I chucked the Regs in adn went for the Teritorial Army instead, so being the optimistic person I am, I want to try and get my own little business started, and I've come to the conclusion that it's the service that;s most required but not nessicarily the most luxurious... so a cleaning company has been my idea, with our busy lives we need some time to relax, especially if we've worked hard, and msot of us can only really relax in a clean home... a clean home that's been cleaned for an amazing £14 an hour! (varaiable) so I can take knock backs and stand my ground... so jsut how hard is it starting a business? I'd be very much willing to do my bit in the labour at the beggining, this is basically my first port of call- what things do I need to gather? from business cards to CRB checks to cleaning equipment, uniforms and an easy to remember name... please throw in your ideas and I'd be very grateful!

Kind reagrds,

J.Kelly.

[Jo W]

Lots of help for new businesses at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

[Pr]

The link given by the first answerer is a very good starting point. Then make an appointment to visit your local Business Link office. If you're in Scotland it's called Business Gateway. They will prepare a Business Plan for you and advise on insurance and legalities.

Then register as a 'sole trader' at HMRC's 'Newly Self-Employed' Helpline.

I think your price is spot-on (assuming you're not in the London area). What you must take heed of, though, is travel time to each client's home. For example, you may be available to work say 8 hours per day. However, you won't earn 8 x £14. In any given day you might only have 4 clients, making only 4 x £14. A big difference! You might have to work longer days and/or more days. If you use a vehicle you'll need to factor in the cost of running it. And not only the fuel, but insurance, maintenance and depreciation.

If you can, do a quick course in Cashflow Management and/or general Bookkeeping. Lack of cashflow is the main reason sole traders go bust.

If you can luckily find enough clients in your locality, then you will earn more of course. Especially if you have a vehicle, or are within cycling or walking distance. I'm assuming you're very fit.

With marketing, the traditional methods of posters, flyers and word-of-mouth still work. However, personally I am get fatigued by the large numbers of people offering work in my household. I think the market is almost saturated.

To rise above the "mediocre" you need to stand out and up. My advice being the following :-

In no particular order...

- use cardboard for your flyers
(I like large postcard flyers)
- get them professionally printed
- have an online presence: eg. a Wordpress blog or a regular website; a Facebook 'page'; and preferably a Twitter account
- cheaper, but only just (not too cheap though)
- reliable and conscientious
- often give extra effort for free
(esp. to the elderly or disabled)
- legal (ie. paying Income Tax)
- receipt all payments
- presentable in appearance
- wear uniform of at least standardised
(with logo and name tag) tee-shirts or polo shirts and sweatshirts
- polite and respectful
(eg. wipe your feet at the door and not take over the client's home)
- and not use your mobile for voice calls in my home.
Use texts instead.

As you can see there is much preparation needed. Fools rush in! You must prepare everything first.

Suggested business name :-

- 'Jack Kelly Domestic Cleaning'

On Twitter call yourself something like:

'@JKcleaningGlasgow', or wherever you are.

A tagline for you:

"Jack Kelly soldiers on to make your home clean as a palace!"

Hope I've helped. Good luck...

PS: I hope she's worth it, LOL!

[Andrew Strauss]

Given below steps will help you.

1. Determine what type of cleaning service you wish to provide. It could be residential house cleaning, window cleaning, carpet cleaning, commercial building cleaning or a Laundromat, for example.
2. Explore the business opportunities that can be offered in the sector of your choice. Understand the market trends, local competitors, current rates, profit margin and assess your investment options.
3. Decide whether you want your cleaning business to be a part-time or a full time business. You will need to put in extra effort if this is your primary source of income.
4. Verify your financial resources. Check all bank accounts, deposits, shares or any other sources of income and get a fair insight about your financial status. This will give you an idea of your investment capacity at the moment.
5. Understand that you can start with minimal investment. This type of business does not demand heavy investment in equipment, instructional courses, maintenance and extravagant set ups. You can actually start the operation from home (or hire a small office, if you can) with a few basic cleaning supplies like brooms, mops, cleaning solutions and vacuum cleaners. You may also need a vehicle to commute workers and materials to the cleaning destination. If you are planning on starting a Laundromat, you may want to rent a bigger area to store washing machines and dryers as well as need more investment to purchase the equipment.
6. Determine the legal formalities that you need to comply with before starting the business. You may need documents such as a license or insurance from the government or your local authorities.
7. Hire and train the cleaning staff. The number of them depends on your budget and your requirement. You can hire more employees when the business expands.
8. Start with just one type of service such as residential cleaning or carpet cleaning. Do not offer a range of services unless you have the capability and resources. You can expand with related services later.
9. Advertise your name and the service. You can place ads in local newspapers, circulate pamphlets in the neighborhood, hand out business cards, ask your friends and family to spread the word and put up notices at public places.
10. Ensure that you offer the best cleaning services. Get in touch with your customers, understand their likes and dislikes, make it a point to get their feedback regarding your work and also attend to their complaints.