If you want to know how to start a commercial cleaning business from scratch make sure you read these important tips. The cleaning industry actually appears to be GROWING and doesn’t seem to be affected by recession.Starting a cleaning business can be a very profitable venture but there are some important considerations which will make a difference in your ability to do so successfully. One of the more important things that needs to be considered is the type of clients that you plan on having.
In order to start a commercial cleaning business, you have to make sure that you have the following:
- Competent cleaning staff- Hiring will not be as difficult as you think because there are so many people who would be willing to take menial tasks in order to scrape together enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. It would also not hurt if you get those with relative work experience as they will be a lot easier to train.
- Superior Cleaning Operation manual – Your clients need to be assured of the fact that they will get the best type of service and one way by which you can give them is to have a detailed manual that will guide the cleaning crew as to how every job should be done. The instructions should be clear and you should also be able to explain personally to the crew as to why such policies and procedures are put in place.
- Small Capital- There is no exact amount of money that is needed in order to start a cleaning business because it depends largely on how small big you want to start. However, a pretty safe estimate would be somewhere between $5000 and $10,000 that is needed for you to start effectively.
- Trusted Suppliers- You will not be able to achieve the full profit potential of the business if you will use store bought cleaning materials. What you need to do is secure a regular supplier for all the tools and equipment you need. Putting in bulk orders will serve you best because the total cost of materials will be reduced significantly.
1. Pricing jobs in your commercial cleaning business
Don’t price your cleaning jobs too low – even when you are just starting out – as it will be much harder to raise the prices with those original customers once you get established. Another tip is to price by the room rather than by the hour so clients will always know exactly how much they will be charged – and you won’t feeling pressurised to rush through a job.
2. Stand out from the crowd
You may find you are up against quite a bit of competition from other commercial cleaning businesses.
Again don’t try to beat the competition by being the cheapest as potential clients may question why you are so cheap. Instead, stand out from the crowd by creating a reputation for high standards and professionalism in everything you do in your business – not only the actual cleaning but also how you present yourself in person and the image you get across in your advertising and stationery.
Think about how you can be really different from other commercial cleaning businesses and tell your potential customers about it! One idea might be to only use safe, natural cleaning products… so that office workers return to their desks to find the air smelling beautifully of essential oils instead of harsh chemicals.
3. Advertising your commercial cleaning business
When you first start a commercial cleaning company Dubai you will need to knock on doors of offices and commercial establishments and speak to the person responsible for hiring cleaners. Then as you get established, you need to maintain great relationships with your clients so that not only will they want to keep you on (even when the cheap competition are knocking on the door) but they will also be happy to recommend you to their friends and business contacts.
A common mistake that new cleaning businesses make is to take out expensive advertising contracts with local newspapers. Do your homework and try to find out how other successful cleaning firms promote their business.
4. Liability insurance
You will need liability insurance to protect yourself, for example if somebody tripped over your cleaning equipment and injured themselves and to protect you if you accidentally damage equipment while working.
5. Always have written contract with clients
Misunderstandings can happen with verbal contracts as people often only hear what they want to hear and not what was actually said! Imagine if a customer hired you to clean their offices and you quoted $35 per room (and there were 5 rooms) but when it came to being paid your client thought you said $35 for the whole job! Having a written contract will take that uncertainty away.
These tips are all very important considerations but to save yourself wasting time or making expensive mistakes I urge you to get hold of a thorough step-by-step guide on how to start a commercial cleaning business written by professionals with experience in that field. The best guides should provide you with all the template forms, letters, contracts and proposals you will need – along with expert advice on all aspects of running a commercial cleaning business. Having one guide that covers everything will save you days of time trawling through the internet for advice.
Finally, make sure that you are advertising and looking for new jobs on a continual basis. You never know when one of your clients is going to take their cleaning in-house or perhaps go with another company. Advertise in your local paper and try to get the word out to other companies in the area that may have a need for your cleaning services. The more you advertise, the more success you are going to see from your efforts.
