Blog
TITLE AND SUBJECT OF ARTICLE
How to be a True
Professional in Your Cleaning Business
With the large number of cleaning
businesses out there, how do you get your company to
stand out? Being a professional in all aspects of your
cleaning business will go a long way towards showing
your customers and potential customers that you are
serious about doing the best job that you can do
professional, cleaning business
Copyright 2006
The Janitorial Store
With the large number of
cleaning businesses out there, how do you get your
company to stand out? Being a professional in all
aspects of your cleaning business will go a long way
towards showing your customers and potential customers
that you are serious about doing the best job that you
can do. Do you have the background, knowledge and
experience to become a professional? You bet! Doing the
best job that you can do and having a professional
attitude is what it takes to show your clients you go
that extra step.
There are several factors that
come to mind when you think of being a professional in
the cleaning business: appearance, dependability,
continuing education, pride in your work, treating
customers and employees with respect and honesty, and
abiding by general etiquette rules.
Appearance:
As a cleaning contractor you most likely won't be
wearing a suit and tie, but your appearance is still
important and it can leave a lasting impression on
people. While cleaning an account your clothes will no
doubt become soiled; however, when meeting with clients
you should always have a neat and clean appearance. Work
shirts with your company name and logo also give you one
more way to market your company. Besides your personal
appearance, your equipment and company vehicle should be
clean. After all, if your clients see that your
equipment isn't clean, what faith will they have in your
cleaning abilities?
Dependability: Your cleaning
clients depend on you to provide timely services so
their buildings are clean for their employees, customers
and visitors. Your employees should show up on time and
do the work as required. Whether it is just you or your
cleaning staff, your clients are depending on you to not
only clean, but to do so without breaking items or
ruining carpet, flooring or furniture. If something does
happen, you need to be a "professional" and let your
customer know you will take care of the damages.
Continuing Education: There are constant improvements in
chemicals, equipment and cleaning procedures. It is
important to realize you can never "know everything",
but be willing to spend a little time every week reading
and learning what is new in the industry.
Pride
in Your Work: No doubt some jobs will be easier than
others, but putting 100% into every job, large and
small, can set you apart from the other cleaning
companies in your area. There is also nothing more
satisfying to any professional than seeing a job well
done.
Treating Customers and Employees with
Respect: Cleaning customers can be easy to work for or
extremely difficult and demanding. It is always easier
to smile and say hello to a friendly face, but it is
just as important to be friendly to those demanding
customers.
Although you may have started your
cleaning company as a one-person business, once you have
employees on board, treat them as individuals and valued
members of your team. Ask for their opinions and be open
to their ideas. Make sure that your employees know what
you expect of them and that they too are expected to act
as professionals.
Honesty: Be honest with your
clients about the services you provide and what those
services cost. Stick by the guidelines set out in the
agreements that you have with your clients. And don't be
afraid to let a cleaning customer know there are
services that you do not provide if you do not have the
staff, equipment or knowledge to do a job properly.
Also abide by the following general etiquette
guidelines:
* Leave your personal problems at
home and your work problems at work - even if you work
out of your home make sure there is a separation between
the two.
* Avoid the use of foul language.
* Don't eat, smoke or drink on the job.
*
Stay out of desk drawers and file cabinets and don't
read loose papers that are left on desks and tables.
* Don't take any items from customers even if it
something that they threw in the trash.
* Don't
use a customer's phones unless you have permission to do
so and then only in an emergency or if it is required
for you (or your employees) to clock in and clock out.
Your cleaning company can stand out from the crowd
by incorporating the above guidelines into its everyday
routines and practices. A true professional is someone
who takes pride in their work and is always willing to
go that extra mile. Putting that little extra in to what
you're doing will show your customers that you are the
best one for the job!
How to Start a
Cleaning Business on a Shoestring Budget
No matter where you live, there is always a
need for cleaning services. After all, life is messy! By
taking the right steps at the beginning, you can start
your cleaning business with very low up-front costs,
and, unlike many small businesses, you can actually
clear a profit in your first year of operation!
how to start a cleaning business, shoestring budget
Copyright 2006 The Janitorial Store
No matter
where you live, there is always a need for cleaning
services. After all, life is messy! Commercial buildings
of all types and sizes need to be cleaned daily, weekly,
monthly, or somewhere in-between. By offering commercial
cleaning services you can satisfy a need in your
community and can build a profitable cleaning business
at the same time. By taking the right steps at the
beginning, you can start your cleaning business with
very low up-front costs, and, unlike many small
businesses, you can actually clear a profit in your
first year of operation!
What are the advantages
of starting a cleaning business as opposed to owning and
operating another type of business?
* A
successful cleaning business can easily be started by
one person who does everything from billing to marketing
to the actual cleaning. You can start the business
part-time and keep a full-time job until the business
grows and can support your lifestyle.
* You'll
provide the cleaning services at the client's building,
so more than likely clients will never go to your "place
of business". Therefore, you can easily run a commercial
cleaning business out of your home. A spare room or
garage can hold your supplies and equipment, and you can
use a spare bedroom or small corner of any room to do
your paperwork. Working out of your home saves the cost
of leasing or owning a building and you can write off
part of your home mortgage and utilities as business
expenses.
* You can start a cleaning business
with only a small investment in supplies and equipment.
As your business grows and you offer more services such
as carpet cleaning or stripping floors, you can buy or
lease equipment.
* When just starting out you
will probably do most, if not all, of the work by
yourself. If you need employees you can work with a
temporary employment agency and avoid the challenging
tasks of payroll and paying employment taxes, social
security, unemployment, and worker's compensation.
* A cleaning business can start out as a sole
proprietorship, which is the easiest and cheapest way to
set up a business entity. As the business grows you can
consider changing the structure to a corporation or
limited liability corporation, which may require an
attorney and an investment of several hundred dollars.
What steps are needed to not only start a cleaning
business, but to make sure that it is a successful
cleaning business?
* Begin by writing a business
plan. This does not have to be a long document, but a
three-to five page document that you prepare to help you
focus and decide the basic parameters of your cleaning
business. Include the following in your business plan:
business name, location, geographic area you will serve,
competition, business structure, marketing plan,
accounting procedures and a cash flow spreadsheet.
Remember, a business plan is to help get you focused -
it is not a hard and fast document that outlines the
day-to-day operations of how you will run your cleaning
business.
* After deciding on a business name and
business structure, it is important to decide on a
particular "niche" for your cleaning business. Do you
want to clean small office buildings, large office
buildings, medical clinics, banks, new construction or
government buildings? It is much easier to start with
one particular niche and focus your marketing efforts on
a select group, rather than spreading yourself too thin.
* When just starting out your cleaning business you
can easily operate on a shoestring marketing budget.
Avoid the expensive and often ineffective newspaper and
radio ads. Market your cleaning services through
networking (especially through your local chamber), cold
calling (in-person and by telephone), talking to
property managers, and watching for new buildings going
up in your area.
* Once you decide to start a
cleaning business, develop a relationship with a
janitorial supplies distributor. Although it may seem
like buying supplies through a distributor is more
expensive than buying through a "big box retail store",
there are many advantages in working with a distributor.
A distributor can teach you how to use supplies and
equipment properly, which will save your cleaning
business time and money. A distributor has knowledge of
new products and can let you know when a cheaper product
works just as well as a more expensive item. Through a
distributor you will be able to buy concentrated and
more effective cleaning chemicals. Knowing what
chemicals to use and how to use them can directly affect
your bottom line. This is advice you cannot get from a
big box store! And besides giving advice and training, a
janitorial supplies distributor may have leads and
referrals that can lead to profitable cleaning accounts.
* Another important person to find right at the
start of your cleaning business is an accountant. A good
accountant does much more than figure out your taxes at
the end of the year. He or she will provide financial
advice and guidance throughout the year and help you
make important financial decisions such as when to buy
or lease a piece of equipment or whether you should rent
office space. This will help to save you money.
Hard work, dedication and attention to detail will keep
your cleaning business going. Taking the time to make
plans for your cleaning business will help to ensure
that your cleaning business is successful!
How To Start Your
Own Residential Cleaning Business And Make Extra Money
With rising fuel costs it just seems like
everything we buy on a daily basis is going up in price.
For some people it's becoming hard to make ends meet and
getting another job on the side to work for eight
dollars an hour isn’t going to make a huge dent in
anyone’s pocket book. An easy way to make extra income
as your own side job or business is to pick up a few
cleaning accounts.
cleaning supplies, cleaning
information, janitorial supplies, janitorial
distributor, vacuum cleaners, mop buckets
With
rising fuel costs it just seems like everything we buy
on a daily basis is going up in price. For some people
it's becoming hard to make ends meet and getting another
job on the side to work for eight dollars an hour isn’t
going to make a huge dent in anyone’s pocket book. An
easy way to make extra income as your own side job or
business is to pick up a few cleaning jobs. There are
two types of cleaning businesses, residential and
commercial. Residential cleaning is becoming a sought
after skill and for some a profession. In today’s busy
world some people don't have time to clean and end up
coming home to a messy house night after night. For some
of these people who make a little more, paying you $50
dollars a day to clean their house is a good deal. To
clean and organize a home on a cleaning schedule can
take as little as 1 to 2 hours after a routine is set
up. With just two residential cleaning accounts you
could be making an extra $3000 dollars a month for 2 to
4 hours a day of light cleaning and organizing while
being your own boss. You can start your own cleaning
business for as little as $500 in tools and supplies and
permits. There are a few things you need when starting
your own cleaning business but following the right steps
can save you a lot of hassle latter.
When you
first start up a cleaning business you need to create a
registered company in your state. Taking in income
without paying taxes is illegal and people do get caught
every year by cheating the IRS, play by the rules and
you'll come out ahead. When you register your company
make sure to list it as an LLC company to protect your
current assets. By shielding yourself behind a limited
liability company you are in fact protecting yourself
from a lawsuit just in case something should happen at
your cleaning account. Things that can happen at a
cleaning account are you could be blamed if something
turns up missing, a fire could start when you’re their
cleaning or you could just be blamed for something that
is not your fault. It costs around $100 to set up an LLC
company in most states and its well worth the money
should something happen. The next thing you need is to
be insured and bonded. Being insured and bonded can
protect you from mistakes that you might make like
ruining someone’s counter top, or staining their new
hardwood floor by the toilet with an acid bowl cleaner.
Call around your local insurance companies and ask for
quotes, make sure to let them know you're shopping
around and the best price is needed.
The second
thing you're going to need when starting a cleaning
business are clients. Start small and don't get
discouraged, this is the hardest part of starting your
cleaning company. A great way to set up your cleaning
plan is to make a list of the cleaning chores you do
around your own home and type the list up neatly so you
can present it to your clients as an ala carte cleaning
menu that they can choose cleaning tasks from. Everyone
is different and every client will expect extra detail
in some cleaning task or another depending on how clean
they like their house. Advertising is easier than most
people think. The easiest way to advertise is to network
and tell others about your cleaning company endeavors.
It usually always works out that some body knows someone
who is looking for a part time cleaner for their own
home. Another good way to advertise is to run a small
local ad in a weekly shopper newspaper or have magnetic
signs made for your car, this can cost as little as $75
and is well worth the investment. If you have a computer
which you should if you’re reading this article you can
also print up simple flyers and hand them out in a
middle to upper class neighbor hood in your town (check
with local ordinances on handing out flyers before you
do this).
After you have gotten yourself one or
two clients it’s time to set a price. Meet with your
clients and present the list of cleaning tasks you are
willing to perform. Get a good idea of how large the
area is that you are cleaning and how well they want the
cleaning task done. Come up with a fair price and write
down their cleaning expectations for each cleaning task
you are to perform. Some examples of cleaning tasks are
cleaning windows, cleaning surface areas, vacuuming,
sweeping and mopping, cleaning toilets, cleaning
bathtubs and showers. Keep it simple to start because
you can always add cleaning duties at a later date for
an extra fee. Keep a record of their cleaning
expectations so you can reference it if they question a
duty you are performing.
After you’ve got your
client and your list of cleaning tasks you'll need some
basic cleaning supplies. When running your own small
cleaning business keep you’re cleaning supplies down to
the basics. You'll probably need a vacuum cleaner,
surface cleaners, cleaning towels, a mop, mop bucket,
window squeegees and bathroom cleaning chemicals and
utensils. Don't buy more than you need and check your
cleaning duties list to see if you really need it. When
you first start out buy a run of the mill vacuum cleaner
that’s not fancy and will get the job done. You don't
need a commercial vacuum at this time because your
watching your investment money and a two motor upright
vacuum cleaner with all the bells and whistles is just
overkill. If you're unsure of what to buy don't be
afraid to ask. Most cleaning supplies companies and
janitorial distributors are more than willing to steer
you in the right direction and it's alright to let them
know you're on a tight budget.
Once you've got
your cleaning supplies and you've set up a schedule with
your clients it's time to go to work. With your first
cleaning account you'll want to do an extra good job.
Word can spread fast if you do a good job and more
accounts could come your way quickly. The same goes for
if you do a bad job, word can spread quickly and you
could be out of business before you know it. Be honest
and always keep good communication channels open between
you and your client. When it's time to bill your client
don't get fancy, a bill written out on paper is as good
as one that has been professionally typed. If you do a
great job cleaning your work will speak for itself and
who knows you might be able to even quit your day job
and work half as much while being your own boss.