How to Start a House Cleaning Service
Starting a business in the service industry can be one big decision. If you’re reading this, you have probably decided to take that jump-start. Congratulations! The next big decision that you have probably made is to invest in the house cleaning industry. With the cleaning industry fairly proftiable, this is a pretty good step you’ve taken. The next big question is how do you start a house cleaning service? There are numerous factors that you will take into consideration before starting a house cleaning service of your own. For instance, since you will be the owner of this business you most likely are aware of the fact that you will work for the number of hours as you please.
With some time, good investment money and planning you can run this small business successfully. Here a few factors that you will need to consider when planning to start your own house cleaning service:
Business Plan –
This is the most important step when deciding to start any business. You will need to prepare a detailed business plan for yourself clearly outlining the purpose of your business, the name you wish to give your business, how the logo will be, your target audience, the kind of services you wish to offer, what improvements your business will make in the industry etc. You will need to initially decide whether you plan to make some extra cash with this business or you want to wholly focus on this business in the long run. Owning a house cleaning service requires a lot more thought than just hiring some maids and providing them with cleaning utilities. You will need to invest a hefty sum as a start-up cost initially which you can then cover later when your business is up and running.
Budgeting –
One of the vital components of starting any business is the budgeting. This budget sets out the scope for your business plan. You need to decide and keep aside money for factors such as how many people you wish to hire. How much you decide to spend on marketing. What is the maximum amount you are willing to pay as rent for your office etc.
USP –
With so many house cleaning services already running in the industry, you will need to come up with a unique selling point for your business that no one else has. It could be anything highlighting the differentiating factor of your business from your competitors. For instance, do you offer eco-friendly cleaning supplies? Or do you recycle any garbage that you pick up from the customer’s place etc.
Human Resource Planning –
Keeping your budget in mind, you now need to decide the amount of helpers, assistants, accountants, house cleaners/keepers that you need to hire and train. This is a very crucial step as you business’ reliability depends on the type of people you hire and train and send into your customers’ houses. You will need to quality train your cleaners. Alongside providing them with favorable working conditions and benefits to keep them happy.
Packages and Rates –
You need to plan and decide on competitive packages as well as rates so that your competitors don’t out run you in the market. It is also important to keep in mind that you do not lose or send away potential clients by setting rates that are too high for them to afford. You may decide to charge by the hour, by a flat rate for each package, taking into consideration other factors such as transportation fees and other costs etc.
Market –
Now it is time to market your business. You will need to decide on your target market – who do you want to cater your cleaning services to- is it the housewives or the working mothers, bachelors etc. You may also include students who are living in studio apartments or apartments of their own without their families who could utilize a cleaning service every once a while. Once you’ve decided who you want to target, come up with a detailed and attractive marketing/promotional plan for your business. You could outsource this advertising plan to a marketing agency. Keep in mind you need to ensure you do not exceed the predefined budget.
CIMS Certification –
In order to get better credibility for your business, it is highly recommended to attain the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Certificate for your business. It is not a requirement but will add on to your profession. It serve as an added advantage to show to your customers if they have reliability issues. Check if the certification is available in your country and apply for it as soon as possible.
About Bright House Cleaning –
Recently opened up their house and maid cleaning service in Maryland. They have an ambitious plan to have 3 locations by the end of 2018 or early 2019. This will enable them to cover most of their state. We will be following up with them once to twice a month to gauge their progress. We feel these real stories of how startups are fairing will help in discovering industry best practices and also lessons learned.
About Small Business Care:
At Small Business Care we continually work to find tools and solutions for small businesses. We are always looking to profile successful small businesses. The tools the use and general strategies on how to improve your business. On Tuesdays we usually have a post on technology tools for small businesses as part of our “Tech Tuesday”. On Friday’s we focus on financial issues that small business are likely to see for our “Finance Friday”. Saturdays will be “Startup Saturday” where we will either follow a startup on their journey or do a one posting on a new company. We have a range of experts in various fields to help make sure your small business avoids these major missteps.