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This guide on How to start a cleaning business will help individuals who intend to go into commercial cleaning business. Before you start reading, it is important to mention that you should not take this a your own business plan. The article is just to provide a general guide on how to start a cleaning business. You will need a business plan that is unique to your situation.

 This guide covers the following:

1. Introduction
2. Why you should go into the commercial cleaning business.
3. How To Start A Commercial Cleaning Business
4. Attracting Clients For Your Cleaning Service
5. Marketing Your Cleaning Services
6. Conclusion/ marketing tips

Introduction

Some people don’t want to be labelled cleaners, but then these people won’t get paid to scrub floors, clean windows and wash carpets. The commercial cleaning is profitable, easy to start since it has a low initial capital outlay, and has the potential to grow rapidly. That is why it is a huge home business preference if you would key it into it.

Commercial Cleaning Business potentially has lower up-front costs than other businesses, and it falls within the scope of few businesses you can start with low capital investment, so far you’re willing to work hard with the aim of breaking even in the immediate term.

Cleaning chemicals are invariable similar to the one being used in the household chores except for some specialized cleaning chemicals and equipment. It follows that what we already do in our houses is being commercialized in other homes.

Some kind of training is required for you to be proficient in the cleaning tasks but no formal certification is required in order to win a cleaning contract. Those individuals who have a high level of work ethic and are committed to customer service, the cleaning business can be for them a rewarding experience.

Read Also: How to Start a Car Wash Business

Why you should go into the commercial cleaning business?

• Constant Demand: The cleaning business is not known for the boom or bust wave that may be prevalent in some business sector. There is no good or bad days in the cleaning business since offices need to be cleaned both in a good and bad economy if it wants to maintain a professional and clean environment. Commercial cleaning is known for constant and steady demand.
• Easy Service: Every time commercial houses are in need of cleaning and offering this service isn’t difficult. You can provide this service by tapping from the existing franchise model or start something new; the cleaning tasks are the same across the board. It is about dusting tables and chairs, emptying wastebaskets, washing toilets, and the usual sweeping and mopping.

How To Start A Commercial Cleaning Business

1. Decide whether to start from scratch or buy into a franchise: Starting from scratch means more work at the outset, but you can have a budget for it. Franchising can be favoured because of some inherent advantages, but there are strict conditions that go with it.
2. Work out what is involved in the initial business start-up: These include picking a business name, setting up a business structure, registering the business and setting out the roadmap. If you employ workers, you’ll have to procure an Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, it is free of charge.
3. Obtain relevant insurance and surety bonding.
4. Decide on your target market and your unique selling propositions: Do you want to focus on general commercial cleaning or maybe a specific aspect of cleaning such as window cleaning?  What can differentiate you from other cleaners may include ‘green’ cleaning (use of non-toxic products), price, and standard level of service.
5. Obtain the necessary tools, equipment and supplies: You might consider buying them in large quantity to save costs, but since you are new in the business, it doesn’t make business sense. You may need to procure the following items: air freshener, mop, broom, vacuum cleaners, disinfectant, carrying candy, etc.
6. Establish your pricing structure: This is all about how you’ll cost bids, billing system to adopt, and what to include when drafting the contract agreements.
7. Print business cards, brochures/flyers, and other business documents.
8. Promote your business: Make use of your network via social media and personal contact to connect to new people. Advertise in local business media your target market is supposed to be reading. Create a website; have a sign on your vehicle that says you are a cleaner. ,

Attracting Clients For Your Cleaning Service

Attracting clients for your cleaning business does not have to be very difficult. If you are offering a perfect and reliable service at a competitive price, you will always have potential clients beating a path to your place. Growing clients for a commercial/residential cleaning service is by making your business visible, asking satisfied customers to refer you to others, and more importantly, offering quality service. So how can you break through to new clients? As a starting point, try these tips:

Read Also: The Power of One Customer

• Create a plan that will make you visible in your community. This will ultimately attract clients to your cleaning service. The plan may include the following:
• Print flyers, postcards, business cards and other materials that explain your business and offer contact information. You can deliver, post or hand them out to places where business solicitations are allowed..
• Advertise whenever possible. Your business might profit from print ads in your community newspaper and/or free online ads on sites such as Craigslist. Radio 2
• Have your business listed on Yellow Pages and other community directories/phone books. Be there under cleaning services.
• Ask your first or more clients who are excited with the cleaning services you offer for referrals; ask them to refer you to their contacts.
• Use your own network for referrals. Ask your friends, family, neighbours, other business associates and social groups for help in this regard.
• Ask your family members and acquaintances to “like” or “follow” your social networking pages. This is a starting point to building a base of potential clients.
• Support your cleaning services ad with coupons and discounts. People are in the habit of saving money, and a coupon or a price discount will attract the attention of potential customers.
• Offer a handsome incentive/discount for the first client who comes forward for a cleaning service?
• Offer quality incentives to clients who refer you to others. Offering your clients discounts or other business incentives in this way will motivate them to go the extra mile.
• Increase/refocus your ad: Is your business taking advantage of social media and online advertising? To get the basic coverage on internet advertising, you need to make your business presence on the internet, or alternatively, have your own website.
• Sell more services to current clients. Do you have an opportunity to up-sell additional cleaning services to your current clients?
• Network with connected businesses. It would be great getting to know other janitorial companies and others in a similar business in your area; this is another great way to promote your business. If this happens, you can have other cleaning firms pass on clients who need services they do not offer.
• Think local. Be part of your community activities and local groups, it can help you in creating connections.

Marketing Your Cleaning Services

Brand Your Product/Business: Branding identifies you and your business and makes your business stand out from the crowd. Indeed, branding is about the following:

– It sets out your values as a cleaning company

– It sets out your belief as a cleaning company

– It sets the experience you want to put in the minds of your customers when you clean their homes/offices

– It sets out your competitive advantage over others.

By branding your service, you have set your service quality apart from competitors.

Read Also: Developing A Marketing Strategy For Small Business

Communicate what makes you unique: Once you identify what sets you apart from competitors, you must communicate the same to your prospective clients. It might include the following:

– Green cleaning fluids you use for your cleaning work.

– Thorough cleaning work you do.

– Quick response to an emergency when called upon

– Cleaning work you do at odd hours.

Create an exceptional customer experience: Offer your clients what you believe in and what your values are. If your values are providing thorough cleaning and doing it even at odd hours, show it and be consistent.

• Make a logo/uniform: Make your business stand out and easily recognizable by prospective customers. Create a logo/uniform that identifies your cleaning outfit. Dress smart the same way with your workers. As you dress in your working uniform, you are advertising your business.
• Create your business website: This is crucial because your website is your office in the space. You can be accessed from anywhere, so use any available tactics to drive visitors to your site. Post engaging content to your site and use social media business pages to drive traffic to your site. Since it is believed that many buyers search the internet before making a purchase, you must use the SEO to your advantage to make sure such buyers find you when they search the web.

Conclusion/ marketing tips

Cleaning business is a worthwhile venture if you have the passion and force to build it into a profitable business. With this guide on how to start a cleaning business, you should know that you don’t need to worry about the size of your cleaning business, the workings are similar. Listed below are a few tips to get the juices flowing

Read Also: How To Start A Dropshipping Business

• Having a methodical approach that guarantees every job your business carries out is thorough, meets your basic quality control and within the specific requirements of your client and with a high level of care is crucial to this business.. People will easily observe your company going out of their way to safeguard breakables or dangerous equipment out of harm’s way before embarking on a cleaning job, for example.
• Endeavour to introduce in your work “little extras” that can really make your services different. It could be like leaving a quality gift token with a thank you note once a particular job is finished. Or going the extra mile of doing extra work that isn’t part of the contract, this will surely delight the client. You can imagine what a little extra of this kind will add to the future relationship with your clients.
• Put in place a scheme to follow up once a job is done to receive feedback on the client’s experience. Also treat negative feedback with a sense of responsibility.
• If you have people employed, handle their welfare with care. They represent your business and their approach, work ethic and their mind-set to work will build or ruin your business.
• It is also important to keep an eye on your cash flow, only seek external funding when it’s absolutely necessary. No matter how good your business appears to be doing on the front line, if you don’t play your CEO role well,  only time will tell what will happen next. Good luck!

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