Learning how to start a cleaning business isn’t rocket science, but it requires a huge time investment and a willingness to learn. You can start a cleaning company and achieve success with good goals, the right plan, and a lot of research. Our guide covers everything you need to do to make your cleaning business startup a success. Get advice on everything from choosing the right name to hiring staff and advertising online. Use our tips to get your cleaning business off the ground.
Start Your Cleaning Business (The Set-Up)
Many of the decisions you make while setting up your business will have long-lasting impacts on how your company runs. Be mindful when choosing a business name, registering your business, and selecting the certifications you pursue. Attention to these details from the start will set the foundation for success for years to come.
Choose a Cleaning Business Name
Choosing a good name for your cleaning business is key – you want something professional and easy to remember. You should also consider how the name of your cleaning business will look and sound when it appears in ads and online. Perform the following to come up with a name for your cleaning business:
- Brainstorm ideas using words associated with cleaning like “clean”, “maid”, “cleaning”, and “spotless”
- Mix and match terms to come up with something catchy and memorable.
- Choose a business name between 2-4 words in length.
- Avoid using your name in your business name
Make Your Cleaning Business Legal
Before you get down and dirty and start cleaning, you’ll have to complete a few tasks to take care of the legal side of things. Determine the structure of your business and where and how you register it. These things will have a huge impact on how you operate and the taxes you pay.
Make sure your business is operating legally by adding these things to your starting a cleaning business checklist:
- Decide if you’ll run your business as self-employed, an LLC (or LLP if you have a partner), a DBS, or an S-Corp.
- Register with the IRS as a business or as self-employed
- Register your business with the city and/or state you’ll operate in
- Get a vendor’s license and check other local ordinances
- Get business insurance
Pursue Cleaning Certification Programs
Clients will take your cleaning business startup seriously when you get certifications. Certifications provide legitimacy to your business and keep you and your staff up-to-date on the latest in the industry. You can also provide more specialized services.
Use The Right Software and Tools (Not Just Cleaning Supplies)
The software and tools you use to operate your cleaning business are just as important to your success as your cleaning supplies. A great website, efficient cleaning business software, and easy-to-use booking systems are all essential.
Create a Business Website
Today’s consumer does everything online. If you want to stay competitive, you need to have an attractive and informative cleaning business website. Some website hosting companies streamline the website creation process so you can have a site online within an hour.
Invest in CRM Software
Maintaining client relationships is essential for operating a successful cleaning business. Customer relationship management (CRM) software keeps a business organized and saves time through advanced systems and automation. Manage staff, customers, and cleaning jobs all in one place and streamline your operations.
When researching the best CRM software for cleaning companies, look for these features:
- Custom invoicing and payment
- Online customer booking
- Business reporting capabilities
- System integrations
- Job scheduling and assignment
Make Bookings Easy
You want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to book your services online. An overly complicated booking system may make customers choose your competition. Offer online booking, a convenient option for customers to schedule cleanings even outside of normal business hours. Choose an easy-to-use booking system that lets you track the progress of your scheduled cleaning jobs.
Research Your Market
When figuring out how to start a cleaning business from scratch, look at how similar businesses have succeeded.
Research the following to gain a better understanding of your market:
- The need for commercial vs. residential cleaning in your area
- Competitor services and rates
- Household income in local neighborhoods
- Local business associations and chambers of commerce
Promote Yourself On and Off-Line
People need to know your business exists before they can book with you. Online marketplaces and social media provide business owners opportunities to reach customers on their smart devices, and you can effectively promote your business offline, too.
Online Marketplace Listings
Invest time in setting up profiles for online marketplaces on Google local services or sites like Yelp and Thumbtack. Make sure your profiles are totally completed and contain accurate information. Once you’ve set up your profiles, encourage your customers to leave reviews to establish your credibility. These sites can net thousands in annual income when used correctly.
Social Media Presence
You can leverage social media to increase your customer base. Set up pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter to establish an online presence for your cleaning company. Facebook and Instagram both have paid ad programs you can play around with to get your online advertising in front of the right people.
Advertise Locally Offline
Local advertising still works for cleaning companies when it comes to acquiring new clients. Advertise your business in the local newspaper and look for sponsorship opportunities at local events. Think outside of the box and sponsor a little league team or other community organization.
Hire the Right People
Your employees represent your business every time they go out on a cleaning. It takes time and practice to establish a good hiring process and figure out what makes a good employee. Learn what to look for when hiring. It may help to make a checklist when reviewing applicants.
Value Attitude Over Experience
The best employees for your cleaning business might not have much experience in the industry. Positivity and a good attitude can be much more important than cleaning experience. You can easily train the right people on how your company performs your cleaning services.
Seek People Who Want to Learn
Your staff should have a desire to learn. Properly training cleaning staff is something every cleaning business owner should focus time and energy on. Employees who learn quickly and receive the right training will increase the efficiency of your business and ensure customer satisfaction.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
Your business can’t survive without customers. Be attentive and flexible when handling customer concerns and express understanding when dealing with cancelations. For service that goes above and beyond, you can automate billing, repeat cleanings, and other customer interactions with the right cleaning business software.
Tips For Continuous Success For Your Cleaning Business
You might feel tempted to rest on your laurels for a while once you have everything set up. But the successful never rest!
Use these tips for continued success with your business:
- Keep up with the latest trends to promote your cleaning business
- Use analytics to improve your advertising
- Perform ongoing competitor analysis
- Network locally online and offline
- Explore customer retention strategies
Conclusion
It’s not complicated to figure out how to start a cleaning business, but it takes planning, research, and some technical skill. Good business software is a key ingredient for success. You should also have well-trained staff that provides great customer service. Push yourself even more by using analytics and experimenting with customer retention strategies once you’ve gained some success with your cleaning business.
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