Put effort into marketing as well as cleaning for a successful business.
You can start a cleaning business with very little capital. As long as you have a few supplies and are able to promote your business, you'll be able to get to work fairly quickly. Before you start, consider the different types of cleaning businesses that exist as well as ways to market your business and make it profitable.
Types
Cleaning businesses are classified into two types -- residential and commercial. Residential cleaning businesses clean homes, apartments and other privately owned property. Commercial cleaning businesses clean offices, retail stores, churches and other buildings that are owned by businesses or non-profit organizations.
Once you have decided whether your business will focus on residential or commercial properties, begin to narrow down the field a bit. For example, some cleaning businesses specialize in doing "make-readies." They clean apartments to make them habitable for the next renters. Other cleaning companies focus on cleaning office buildings, luxury residences or other parts of the market.
Marketing
Once you've decided what type of cleaning your business will focus on, you'll need to think about how you will market your services. Cleaning businesses lend themselves to a variety of marketing efforts.
Use word of mouth to spread the news about your cleaning business. Let all of your friends, family and acquaintances know about the business. Market your cleaning business on social networks that you use. Provide discounts to people who have provided you with referrals.
Give your cleaning business an Internet presence by building a website that tells about your services, prices and which area you serve. Include the name of your town in the name of the website, so that people will find your site when searching for cleaning in your area.
Make business cards and pass them out at every opportunity. Place magnetized signs on your car and hang fliers in local businesses such as coffee shops. Give potential customers coupons that they can use toward your services.
Pricing
You may want to price by the square foot. You can easily obtain this information over the phone, which will save you the trouble of going to a business or residence to make a bid. To set a profitable price, you'll need to time yourself and any employees while you clean. Once you know approximately how long it takes you to clean 100 square feet, you can set prices accordingly.
If you clean residences, you can price your services not only based on square feet, but by the cleaning services the customer requires. For example, you can charge more for cleaning ovens, windows and other special jobs.
Survey your competition before deciding on a set price for services, as you don't want to price yourself out of the market. Entrepreneur magazine warns against setting prices too high when bidding, as individuals may decide to do the work themselves if the price is prohibitive. Likewise, pricing your services too low may end up affecting the quality of your work as you strive to make a profit.
Specialty Niches
Consider adding a specialty to your cleaning service. This will make it stand out from other cleaning services in your area. You could also choose to specialize exclusively in any number of areas.
Consider cleaning boats or RVs.
Specialize in cleaning carpets.
Add a window-cleaning service to your business.
Specialize in cleaning the exterior of houses with a pressure washer. You can also use a pressure washer to clean sidewalks and driveways.
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