Quick Steps to Start A Small Cleaning Company

Thinking about ways to start your own business without much hassle? One of the best low-cost business options is to start a small cleaning company. The demand for cleaning companies is increasing in both the private and public sector and you don’t need to have a lot of capital to get started. If the idea of having your own small cleaning company sounds appealing to you, follow these quick steps to success.

Study the market

The first thing to start a small cleaning company is testing the waters for your business idea. You essentially need to know if there’s a market space for you or not. You don’t want to set up your cleaning business only to find out there aren’t any customers.

There are plenty of good tools for market research. You can check the guide for Market Research Basics and talk to business advisors on sites like Startups.co.uk. It’s a good idea to check with the demographic and test your business ideas as well. So, once you know what type of services you would provide, ask the potential customers directly whether the interest is there.

Pick your focus area

Once you know more about the market, you want to ensure your cleaning company has a focus of interest. For this, you have three options:

• Domestic cleaning company – your business would focus on cleaning private homes. The work would be a mixture of one-off cleans and contractual jobs (i.e. Weekly cleans).
• Commercial cleaning company – the focus would be on commercial clients or properties, such as cleaning offices. Again, you might have a mixture of one-off cleans or different schedules jobs.
• Specialized cleaning company – your business could also specialise in a specific cleaning job, such as window cleaning, end-off-tenancy cleaning and so on.

Use both your own expertise in cleaning – it can be hard to become a specialised business if you have no experience – and the market research to select your focus. You want to be able to successfully run your business and this means ensuring you have enough potential customers.

Choose the business model and pick your team

You also need to choose the business model for your business. If you’re not that sure about what to do, you could even consider franchising with a cleaning business. If running a business doesn’t sound spooky, you can set up your business either as a company or trade under a self-employed status.

You also need to think at this point what type of team you need or if you’ll start working on your own. Remember that you need to spend time on administrative tasks as well, so hiring an extra cleaner might be a good idea. This Forbes article has great tips for finding the right employees for your business.

Learn about relevant regulations

You generally don’t need a license to run a cleaning business. Nonetheless, certain records can help your business in terms of finding customers. For example, if you obtain a criminal record check to show you’ve not been convicted of anything, it can be a boost to ensure customers trust you. Furthermore, if you’re getting in a niche-cleaning sector, you should always ensure there aren’t any specific regulations you must adhere to.

Budget for your equipment

When it comes to starting a cleaning business, the biggest cost will be purchasing the equipment. The costs of the equipment can vary considerably, so be smart when looking around. Remember also that if you are getting into domestic cleaning, the products (vacuums, mops, etc.) are often provided by the home in which you are cleaning.

You can find professional cleaning equipment online, which is great for making savings. Gtech online discounts could help you shop for professional vacuum cleaners, who are specialists in innovative, high performance floor care and which boast the best quality. Perhaps the main cost in terms of equipment is a Van to use to transport your equipment from one job to another.

Set up a payment system to manage cash flow

You also need to decide how you manage your cashflow. You want to be aware of when and how you are paid, so you can better start managing your company finances. The cleaning industry is not always the most reliable in terms of work, so this is important.

Decide what type of payment system you want to use. Would you prefer if customers paid for the job in advance? An alternative to this would be a cash-in-hand per job system. You could also opt for a combination of these two.

Start marketing your company

Finally, you need to come up with a marketing plan and strategy. A website and strong social media presence are important in the modern age. Furthermore, you want to use your market research to help you find where and whom your potential customers are to understand the best ways to talk to them.

Spend enough time thinking about your unique selling point (USP). Why do you differ from the other companies working in the industry? By defining the benefits your customers can enjoy with you, but not with other companies, you give them a compelling reason to do business with you.

The above steps are the major things you need to focus on when launching a small cleaning business. For more business information, check the other posts at Entrepreneur Resources – good luck!