Do You Have What it Takes to Start Your Own Cleaning Business?

Are you thinking about starting your own cleaning business? Running your own business offers many rewards and gives you the freedom of being your own boss. You can also achieve great personal satisfaction from starting with a just few cleaning clients and building a successful and thriving business. Starting a new business is demanding on your time, family and finances. So before getting too far into the process of setting up your new cleaning business, it's important to take an objective look at yourself and see if you have what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.

Answering the following questions will help you discover your entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses:

1. Do you have a positive attitude about yourself and your abilities? You're going to run up against competition, tough to sell clients and many other obstacles. A business owner needs to be able to have a strong positive attitude and a thick skin to make it through rough times.

2. Are you a leader? Your employees, customers and even suppliers will be relying on your strong leadership abilities.

3. Do you like to make your own decisions? Decisions can be tough to make and at times they'll have to be made quickly.

4. Are you a self-starter? Remember, as a small business owner everything is up to you - from getting clients to bookkeeping to following through to make sure the work is done properly. If you don't make things happen, it's not going to get done.

5. Do you like people and can you get along with all kinds of people? Besides working with different types of clients, you are also working with suppliers, employees, bankers and other professionals. There will not only be dissatisfied clients to deal with, but also cranky suppliers and incompetent employees.

6. How well do you plan and organize? A small business owner is responsible for everything -- ordering supplies, making bank deposits, sending out invoices, scheduling, etc. It takes advanced planning and good organizational skills to stay on top of all the details involved in running a cleaning business.

7. Do you have the physical and mental stamina to take on a new business? Many small business owners have to work 10-12 hour days, 6-7 days a week to keep the business running.

8. Is your family going to be able to adjust? As well as the time commitment involved, if you are giving up a steady income to take on a new business you may have to adjust your standard of living until your business takes off.

9. Do you have the basic cleaning skills and knowledge of products and equipment? Your clients depend on you to provide the most effective products, equipment, and procedures needed to get their buildings spic-and-span.

10. Are you willing to invest time and money to develop any skills you may be lacking? Do you need help with accounting, marketing or managerial skills? Local community colleges often offer workshops and short courses to help business owners gain confidence in these areas.

Honestly answering these questions will help you to judge if you are ready to take on the role of small business owner. A great deal of time, effort, sweat and hard work is needed to get your cleaning business off the ground. Many small business owners work full-time jobs and start their business on a part-time basis -- starting slowly and building consistently over time. It can take several years before your cleaning business is successful enough to support you and your family. That's the bad news. But the good news is that once you have developed a good reputation, business will be easier to get and clients will come to you instead of you going to them. Patience and hard work will pay off as you see your cleaning business grow and become profitable!