The first thing you should do is determine the need in your city. Although you may think everyone wants their house cleaned, the reality is not everyone can afford the service. This is hard work so you will need to make sure you get paid what you’re worth.
Anyone can get started with a few cleaning products from home – or – you can use your customer’s supplies. This is a start to determine what you will charge. If you are providing the supplies and equipment, you will need to charge more to cover the price and maintenance of your equipment.
Will you provide maid service or detailed cleaning? There is a big difference and once again, this is determined by what your target market will pay. Maid service is generally light cleaning and may include dishes and laundry. Detailed cleaning usually concentrates on the interior and does not include dishes and laundry because the bulk of the time is spend getting behind, under, and into corners.
Will you be cleaning for families, singles, or seniors? Once again, this will determine the type of service you offer.
Will you be an independent cleaner doing the cleaning yourself or run a professional cleaning service with the intent to eventually hire workers?
If you’re working for cash and doing odd jobs for your clients, then you are basically working at an hourly rate. If you are running a professional residential cleaning service, then you will need a business entity, business cards, and business forms. You will be basing your services on a higher hourly rate, but the recurring work is based on a flat rate.
Getting Work
The easiest way to get started is to clean for family and friends or get referrals from them. You goal should be to do excellent work to generate referrals you can use on your social media sites and in your advertising.
Once you have identified your target market, the type of services you will offer, and the rate you will charge, it’s time to start filling your schedule.
You can start by canvasing neighborhoods where you want to work and leaving business cards or flyers. This is time-consuming and it requires hitting the same neighborhoods several times to start getting calls. Most people need to see an offer 5-7 times before they take action.
If this is too much work or you don’t have the time, the next best way to get clients is by direct mail. You can design your own offers or use a mailing service that designs the offer and performs the mailing. This can be costly, so you would need an advertising budget.
A cheaper method is to use Facebook ads. You can start at $5 per day and only advertise to your target market in the areas you specify. This way you’re not wasting your money since you’re only showing the ads to people that might be interested in a cleaning service.
The Key to Your Success
Most cleaning businesses fail because they don’t deliver the quality the client expects. They start out with good intentions, but either don’t understand the client needs or they lose interest in providing what they want.
The only way you’ll succeed is by knowing what each clients expects and delivering the service you promise them.
Register for my Guide to Start a House Cleaning Business and I’ll tell you how my blueprints are designed to help you succeed.
