There is nothing more satisfying than starting your own business, except for, perhaps, starting your own successful business. Follow our top tips for starting a cleaning company and we are certain you’ll succeed in your venture.
1. Do your research
If you live in an area flooded with cleaning companies or perhaps in a financially-challenged location, the chances are that your business would not work as you hoped. If people are regularly asking for recommendations of local cleaners in Facebook groups for your area, be sure to follow them. That way it is easy to do research in terms of pricing and services available already.
Finding out who your competitors will be is also really important when it comes to choosing a name. It is strongly advisable to opt for a name not remotely close to that of any of your rivals. Doing so can confuse potential clients and also rile the other businesses. You don’t want to upset anyone. Certainly, for some, there may be too much work and they might recommend you if you keep them on side!
2. Look the part
Turning up to a job wearing your old ragged clothes might be practical, but it doesn’t set a great first impression. Having embroidered shirts with your logo on, or even a hoody, shows that you are serious about what you do. Choosing a darker colour means that the dirt won’t show up as much.
Related: 30 Mission Statement Examples to Kickstart Your Business Journey + Templates
3. Choose your products wisely
Of course, with any business, it’s worthwhile reducing costs as much as possible to ensure maximum profit. However, if you use products that are cheap and they don’t actually allow you to do the job you’re being paid for, it’s a false economy. You might find that giving some companies a ring and explaining what you’re about to embark on, they may send you free samples to test their cleaning range first. It’s certainly worth a try!
It is also important to consider that many people are trying to reduce the impact their actions have on the environment. Vegan and environmentally-friendly products are very popular at the moment. That doesn’t mean you have to exclusively use these, but you may want to have a think about having some reserved for certain customers at their request.
4. Find trusted employees
When starting a new venture, it’s easy to think, “Oh, Karen would be great at doing that!” However, please do stop and think about whether having your best friend’s sister or your brother’s mother-in-law is really the best idea. As an employer, you will have to be firm with your employees and hold them accountable for their actions. This can be a much more challenging thing to do when it comes to friends or friends of friends.
Getting someone to do a half hour trial is a great idea. It gives you a true insight into their capabilities. You can also chat to them while they are working to get to know them a bit better too! With cleaning, you might be going into someone’s home or another business. To have employees, who you can trust, is of utmost importance. If something were to go wrong, your name and that of your business would be on the line.
