Want to start my own cleaning business?

[Bad Jawn !]

Hi everyone

My sister and I work for a cleaning company. We've been there for a while and feel like we're ready to take that next step and start a cleaning business of our own.We just don't know how to do it. We asked our boss and she wouldn't tell us so we came here. How would we go about doing it? We have plenty of expirence and know we can do it. Thanks to all who can help !

[Daniel Rolph]

Be a maid

[-]

The good thing about this type of business is that it's a service business. In other words, you have no real expenses. A few cleaning products, but that's about it. The bad part? You need to AGGRESSIVELY market your services to residential areas and commercial areas.

You'll need to get mailing lists, phone lists, etc, and start "cold calling" businesses, houses, and everything under the sun. If you can get business accounts, you'll be set. I'd go after that first. You'll need to be able to sell your services and offer good prices.

[Sandy Cornell]

Evaluate your resources, build a plan,and open up.

[zipzoom]

Some major things you need to start a small business are:

1. A product/service that is of high-quality for the value customers will be willing to pay; also, your product needs to fulfill consumers needs in your target market. It seems like you and your sister have plenty of experience in cleaning, so that's not a concern. Also, who doesn't need help with cleaning? Your idea is stable, which is good.

2. A business plan- writing down your business's purpose, product, customers, short-term & long-term goals, etc. helps move ideas into tangible actions.

3. Marketing strategy- the best form of marketing is positive word-of-mouth. Create for your customers a quality product at a reasonable value or provide them with outstanding service, so that they will have nothing but good things to say about your business to their friends & family. Another way to market a young business is through the Internet, where it is cheaper & more efficient to market in than traditional marketing through newspapers & commercials. Create a Facebook page for your business to increase awareness and also showcase your talents to prospective clients. Also, you should list your business (when you begin one) online, specifically on websites that direct users to local businesses in their area. Zipzoom.com is actually a pretty cool online service; it is an online shopping website where users/customers can search for local businesses that offer products and services ranging from babysitters to electricians to flowers. Users can communicate directly with businesses they choose to buy services/products from after getting recommendations from zipzoom.com, and from there, your business can gain business. Usually, I believe they charge vendors for signing up, but since they're new, they are offering a special promotion for vendors who are interested: register as a vendor for free. It's a good option for those who are on a tight budget but still need exposure to grow their business. If this is something that appeals to you, you should just try it out and see what happens.

4. Financing- In order to start a small business, you need to be able to invest money into it. It seems like you are willing to invest a lot of money into the opening of your business, but just remember that it will be easier to start out small than go all out for your new business.

In order to be successful, you need to be willing to put a lot of time, energy & money into the growth of your business, especially in the beginning stages. I hope this information helps. Good luck on your business ventures!

[Daniella]

http://cleanuptheprofit.com tells you exactly how to start a cleaning business step by step. It has a square footage price chart you can use to price your jobs, bid forms, etc. It also tells you the tricks to getting customers.