Before making the decision to start a cleaning service there are many things that you should consider. This article sets out some points that will help you to decide if cleaning is the business for you, and if so what area of cleaning you would be suited to.
1) What time of day would you like to work? Residential cleaning operators are usually active during the day while their clients are at work. Commercial or janitorial services however are normally in demand after office hours and during weekends.
2) Is there suitable demand for cleaning services in your area? Do you have competitors or franchise outlets that are thriving nearby? Is the market big enough for another player to take a slice of the pie?
3) Have you put aside savings to live on while your business is getting started? Allow for a worst-case scenario in which you make no profit in your few months of business. The other solution is to start off part time and also work a part time job.
4) Do you have the necessary skills to run a cleaning business? If not you may have to look at taking some courses in sales, marketing and small business management.
5) Are you a good decision maker who can lead a team and delegate responsibility to them? Any path to a high level of success in the cleaning business will involve hiring and managing staff and good people skills can be helpful in this area.
6) Can you run a cleaning business from your home? If you have the space and are legally able to run a business from a residential property in your area then your business plan for a small cleaning start-up will be much more feasible.
7) Are you hard-working? Just like all businesses, hard work is unavoidable in the cleaning business. It is hard work doing cleaning yourself and it can be hard work ensuring that others do it properly too.
8) Are you prepared to face the negative stereotypes about cleaners? Cleaners feel that there is sometimes prejudice towards them and in the best-case scenario many cleaners say that they are mostly ignored, like they are invisible. If anything goes wrong in a building and if anything is lost or stolen people often blame the cleaner so you must be prepared for this.
9) Are you in a reasonable physical condition? The cleaning business is without a doubt hard work. The upside to this though is that you are active throughout the day and will improve your fitness level.
10) Are you organized? To get everything done in business you must be organized. Look into how you can organize your schedule and manage your time in a way that gets things done.
The cleaning business, like any other does have its downside, but for those who are hard headed and press forward through the work and difficulties then the cleaning industry can be very rewarding.
