House Cleaning Business: What You Need to Know

Jan 8
09:14

2013

Chris Robertson JR

Chris Robertson JR

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Some of the most successful people in the world created businesses from nothing, supported by a mother who cleaned other people's houses for a living. If you equate starting a house cleaning business with barely getting by...

mediaimage
Some of the most successful people in the world created businesses from nothing,House Cleaning Business: What You Need to Know Articles supported by a mother who cleaned other people's houses for a living. If you equate starting a house cleaning business with barely getting by, the people who run successful residential cleaning companies have some news for you. There's a lot more to running a cleaning business than being a cleaning lady. There's also more profit potential than most people imagine. Here are five reasons to start your own cleaning business and four things you should know before you do.
Unlimited Income Potential
How much money can you make cleaning other people's houses? Even in an economic downturn, you can do surprisingly well with your own business, especially if you're not doing all the cleaning yourself. It's not unusual for new business owners to build up their earnings to $100,000 a year in the first year.
Start Making Money Fast
If you proceed in the right order, you can bring in money within two weeks - or even less. It takes very little time to find interested clients and set up a basic schedule. You can get started for less than $100 and have a full-force house cleaning business running - with your own employees - within a few months.
You Call the Shots
When you run your own cleaning service, you're the boss. You're the one calling the shots. This means more benefits and more responsibilities. When there are mistakes made, you're the one who has to own them - but you also get to own the success of your business and everything that goes with it.
Get Paid Every Day
In most cases, cash flow will not ever be a problem. Most of your clients will pay on the day of their cleaning, which means you'll have a steady stream of cash. In many other businesses, you end up waiting 30, 60 or even 90 days to be paid for your services.
Choose Your Own Clients
One of the best benefits of having a house cleaning service of your own is that you can pick and choose your clients. Even in small towns, there are plenty of people to keep you and your staff busy. If a client doesn't work out for some reason, it's not difficult to replace them. When clients do work out, you'll usually work with them for years to come.
Five Things You Should Know
Franchises Can Be Expensive
Cleaning franchises are popular, but they're not for everyone. They can be expensive to buy into and bind you to agreements and commitments for years to come.
Responsibility to Your Employees
If you're going to grow your business at all, you'll need employees. If you hire employees, it's vital that you follow all the laws and requirements for providing benefits and withholding taxes.
Cleaning Supplies
Don't make the mistake of buying your cleaning supplies at the local supermarket. When you set up a cleaning service, you can buy high quality cleaning supplies at wholesale prices, which will lower your cost of doing business.
Insurance Is a Necessity
When you work in other people's homes - or pay employees to do so - it's almost inevitable that something will get broken, stained or ruined, no matter how careful you are. Make sure you carry adequate insurance to cover any accidents that may happen in the course of your work.
A cleaning service is still one of the best and easiest startups for any entrepreneur. It does require planning and education, though. You'll find a number of courses you can take to help you learn everything you need to know in order to start on your path to success.