It may not seem obvious but the cleaning industry is starting to rise and it will most likely stick around for the next decade. With more people having less time to do house chores, cleaning services come in handy.
Thinking of starting your own cleaning business? Make sure you have all these 8 things done before opening.
1. Company Name
Every business needs a name. If you think this is an easy task, think again. There should be a lot of thought in picking a company name because this is what you will place in all the legal documents and marketing collaterals you will use.
And those are not even the hardest considerations to take into account. The main reason why you want to brainstorm about your company name is that this will set the tone on how customers will perceive your business. Most people make the mistake of using their own names. Avoid doing this unless your name is already well-known in Australia. If not, people will just view it as cheap and unprofessional.
2. Legal Requirements and Permits
The next thing you have to do is prepare and submit all the legal requirements. To be able to do this, you should know if your company will be a sole proprietorship or a corporation. Depending on your business structure, some legal requirements will change.
You should also look into your local city’s or town’s business requirements. All places have their own licenses and zoning permits, so you have to stop by your local government office to get these.
This part of setting up a business is a lot more tedious than picking a name. It also takes the most time and effort. If you do not want to go through all the hassle, you can hire someone to do it for you or ask assistance from a legal document service.
3. Business Insurance
Part of the legal requirements is insurance. Most companies get general liability insurance which protects you if there is anyone who gets injured on your property. This can also protect you from any damage experienced by your customer as a result of the services you rendered. If you are planning to postpone getting insurance, know that there are customers who ask if you have any insurance. In some cases, they might even ask you to provide proof.
There are other insurance plans that you need in order to protect your company. Some are, but not limited to, janitorial bonds, property damage coverage, business vehicle insurance, workers’ compensation, etc.
4. Bank Account
Of course, another thing that you have to set up is your bank account. While some small businesses use the owner’s personal bank account, you should avoid doing this. Mixing personal finances with your business’ will only give complications when it’s time to give financial statements. Besides, mixing personal and business concerns is never a good idea.
This is when you should also decide what kind of payment services you will offer. Will you just accept cash or will you accept credit cards?
5. List of Services
Once you’ve set the foundation of your cleaning business, it’s now time to move to the services you offer. When you are starting out, you will be tempted to put a lot of services. You might want to add cleaning of certain appliances, technical expertise, and the like. While it’s impressive to have a huge scope for your cleaning business, this is not always wise especially if you are a new business owner.
Determine if your cleaning and maid services involve doing move-in/move-out cleanings, regular cleanings, and the like. Know that there is a difference between residential and commercial cleaning services. Commercial cleaning services are a lot larger in terms of scope and staff. Plus, business hours are often night time.
6. Cleaning Supplies
Knowing what services you offer will help you determine what cleaning supplies you will need. When you are starting out, avoid buying heavy and expensive equipment because they might just get damaged if you don’t have the expertise.
Since you’re just starting out, it would be best to buy your cleaning materials from Amazon or Home Depot. Depending on how many employees you will hire, you will need a number of these cleaning supplies. Take note that when you are buying cleaning solutions, it’s a lot cheaper to buy them in bulk.
7. Employees
Another thing you have to think about is the number of employees you will employ and the kind that you are looking for. Depending on the services you offer and the targets you set, the number of employees you will need will vary. There is no ideal number but you will have to balance the capital that you have and the revenue that you want to target.
As much as possible, it is always better to employ people who are near your office. In this way, you don’t have to worry about them being late because of heavy traffic. Plus, if you are only targetting customers in your local area, it makes a lot of sense to hire someone in the neighborhood.
If you are thinking of expertise, you can train your employees to be able to do a number of different cleaning services. This will help you bring down your salary expenses because you will have fewer people to handle and to give benefits to.
8. Marketing Plan
Finally, you have to create your marketing plan. Your marketing plan should be able to guide you in terms of place, promotion, product, and price. Your goal in creating this plan is to have a strategy on how to build your brand and to let people know about the cleaning services that you offer.
Your marketing plan will also guide you on how you will present your brand and how everything should look. Since you are starting out, it is always best to make your brand relevant to the industry. Always use identifiers and words that use “cleaning” and “maid service”. These words will immediately let people know what your business is.
When you have all these 8 things, you are now ready to kick start your cleaning business.
